Kilroy's on Kirkwood — Restaurant in Bloomington

Right, better late than never.

Liked it well enough, but the last time I went (admittedly about five years ago), one of the waiters tried to give himself an extra tip from my drunk ass's bank card. (I thought at first it was a simple accident, but after review of the amounts and times, well....)

Anyway, I was living close enough to the edge on paychecks at the time that it wrecked my finances for a week. My bank was, thankfully, very helpful and understanding, but to fully fix everything we either needed KoK's cooperation, or the police.

I tried to keep the law out of it. but this Kilroy's location's day manager was hilariously anti-helpful. She wanted me to both not call the cops, and to try to get my bank to fix it themselves, without KoK undoing any of the charges. Oh, and now she really needs to hang up.....

I've been in the food industry, and even managed restaurants a bit. Yeah, it's a stressful thing, and there's always some disaster needing your attention just as soon as you can move on from what you're doing then.

However, her employee tried to take money from me that he had no right to. THAT warrants a helluva lot more than just hemming and hawing.

The evening manager, he was a cool guy and helped me out just as much as he could, even though he didn't have the rank and access the day manager did. And ultimately, though he tried his damnedest to make up for her, we couldn't fix things on his permissions alone.

So yeah, called the cops, we got things sorted out, and I've never been back. Presumably they've shaped up since then, but felt like ranting a bit while I...

None of what I'm about to say applies to bartender Alec Hines. He is an awesome personality behind the bar, knows his drinks, and goes out of his way to make a good experience for employees and patrons alike. Kevin Farrell is also a fantastic employee here.

Kilroy's on Kirkwood fails at being a bar on all levels of operation. You will have fun because you are drunk, like it or not. The facility and employees often rely on this fact:

Multiple areas of the facility smell like vomit. In fact, they permanently do. According to employees, "it's impossible to get."

The bartenders aren't bartenders. Ordering anything beyond a vodka cranberry is met with confusion and an awkward waiting period. Their draft beer lines rarely work, so good luck if you want a Miller Lite instead of a cup full of rail liquor.

Only come here if you plan on getting wasted. Once, I ordered a gin and tonic, only to get a cup of ice and gin and a hesitant splash of soda water, no lime. Disappointed, I take my gin ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶n̶i̶c̶ on the rocks to another bartender, and I ask for a lime. She makes a fuss out of it, and with a glare and disgustingly condescending tone, reports that she is "happy my problem could be solved."*

*NOTE: It is a problem if your drink is not the drink that...

Kilroy’s on Kirkwood has an unbeatable atmosphere, especially on game days! I was lucky enough to be there when the Hoosiers beat Purdue, and the energy was electric. The staff went all out, preparing a massive Vegas bomb train and passing them out to celebrate, definitely a moment I won’t forget.

One of the best things about Kilroy’s is their amazing specials nearly every day of the week. Shoutout to the $3 quesadillas on Thursdays, hard to beat for a quick, delicious bite!

It’s important to know this is very much a college bar, designed for students and packed with school spirit. Don’t expect a polished cocktail lounge or a quiet pub you’d find in a big city or small town. It gets incredibly crowded, especially on weekends, and wait times can be long. But if you’re coming for the party vibes and want to experience the heart of Bloomington nightlife, Kilroy’s is the...