Shake It Up Cocktail Lounge & Eatery — Restaurant in Bloomington

I think this place can have a lot of potential but I didn’t enjoy my experience tonight. Appetizer was 10/10 and I’m sure all of them are! The drink I had (something with I think gin, raspberry syrup, and egg whites) was very yummy, fresh, and unique. But in my opinion not worth spending 11-14 on what seemed to be a shots worth of liquor. I got the Adobo Chicken sandwich which was about MAYBE 6oz of tiny cut up chicken with some very tasty spicy flavor. I wish I had tried their bruschetta. Everyone else’s sandwiches and burgers looked and tasted great from what they had relayed. Get their house made chips! Don’t pay to upgrade to a very small portion of steak fries….

The last person in our party of 8 to get his food waited 12 minutes after the 2nd to last meal was served, and there were only 5 or 6 other patrons there. It was awesome when I realized 2 of those patrons sitting on the other side of the bar were the owners, hanging out at the bar drinking, and talking to employees. If they would have acknowledged our existence beyond thanking us for coming as we got up to leave, or even help (what I think) the one gentleman working the kitchen, our experience could have been a lot better. I really hope they do better and show their...

I wanted to like this place soooo bad and had been following them on social media since I read about their opening. I was especially excited at all the vegetarian options!

Pros: The vibe was good. I loved the music they were playing and the staff was friendly enough. The fries were great. The Tony and Furio bruschetta were great.

Cons: The cocktail pictured was $13 (The bowie). I like Bloomington because it's not Chicago and for $13... This just wasn't it. The person who brought the food out to the table called us "ladies" because they didn't see my husband's face, just his long hair...but he has a full beard, lol yikes. The server didn't even flinch let alone apologize. It took the wait staff over 10 mins to pick up my card after giving me the check which is fine because I get they're new and busy but then they had rung it up incorrectly. And finally... The GREATEST sin... The bread was horrible. My husband wouldn't even eat it it was so tough. It wasn't toasted at all (as it should be when served with bruschetta) and hurt my jaw to chew.

Super bummed about it but probably won't be back for a hot minute. I hope they can get it together a little and find their stride. There's a lot of...

My husband and I wanted to shake it up a bit and try someplace we’ve never been, so, of course, “Shake It Up” was the perfect choice. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. The staff was attentive and helpful on beer recommendations. We tried a couple cocktails that were quite unique. I ordered the Banana Hammock. It was not the tastiest, but its fiery, cinnamon spark-filled presentation was impressive. The Ginger Pear Old Fashioned however was VERY delicious. We ordered the Pork Pastelitos off the appetizer menu and I’m honestly still drooling over the thought of them two days later. The outside pastry was so soft and flaky and the combination of the sweet and tender carrot with the salty bacon inside were unforgettable. The Ranger Burger was another hit. The patty was so juicy and full of flavor, but the savory bacon jam made it even better. We also got the Italian Grinder that was stuffed with thick cuts of Genoa salami. We enjoyed our first of hopefully many trips to this new downtown...