Fall in Bloomington isn’t just about changing leaves—local eateries are serving up cozy, pumpkin-inspired specials too. From dishes to drinks and desserts, here’s where to find some of the season’s best flavors.
Coffee & Tea
Photo by Crumble Coffee & Bakery
If you're on the hunt for a pumpkin spice latte, skip Starbucks and check out one of Bloomington's locally-owned coffeehouses or cafes instead. Head to Crumble Coffee & Bakery for a Teddy Bear latte with brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon or the Apple Pie Chai with spicy chai latte with homemade apple pie syrup. Soma Coffeehouse has the classic Pumpkin Spice Latter as well as a Pumpkin Cream Coldbrew with home-made coldbrew topped with pumpkin cream cold foam and pumpkin spices. A Caramel Apple latte with espresso, sea salted caramel, apple, and milk as well as the Autumn Glow latte with espresso, cardamom, brown sugar, vanilla and oat milk can be found at Verona Coffee. The Runcible Spoon has four specialty lattes this season, including Witches Brew with pumpkin chai and The Thriller with spiced caramel pecan.
Head to any one of these locations to check out their full menus — each coffee shop and teahouse offers an assortment of seasonal specials each year, some of which are new creations and some are favorites that make an appearance each fall!
Baked Goods & Sweet Treats
Photo by Parlor Doughnuts
It just wouldn't be a proper fall experience if you didn't order a baked good to go along with your fall-flavored coffee or tea! Bloomington's bakeries, coffeehouses, and cafes all carry an incredibly tasty assortment of seasonal goodies. Try a Brown Butter Chocolate chip sandwich cookie with chocolate buttercream or Maple Granola (both gluten-free and vegan) from Two Sticks Bakery or an Apple Pie donut from Parlor Doughnuts with layered filling to start off the fall season.
Some people will tell you, you can't enjoy ice cream during the colder months, but we believe ice cream season is every season. Several local ice creameries agree, offering an assortment of delectable fall-flavored scoops for ice cream fanatics to enjoy as the leaves turn colors and the air gets cooler. Head over to Bloomington's great ice cream and custard shops like The Chocolate Moose for Apple Butter and their brand new vegan homemade Pistachio ice cream; Harvest Swirl Concrete with vanilla custard blended with apple butter syrup and pumpkin crème and Pumpkin Pie Concrete with vanilla custard blended with pumpkin crème and vanilla wafers from Rita's Italian Ice & Frozen Custard; and Caramel Apple Crunch with apple ice cream with caramel cinnamon ribbons and shortbread pieces and Apple Dumpling with warm apple dumpling served with cinnamon ice cream and a drizzle of cinnamon sauce from Bruster's Ice Cream.
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention Village Deli's beloved pumpkin pancakes — plate-sized and scratch-made with Dillman Farms pumpkin butter, there's no better fall-themed breakfast to be had in all of Bloomington. The Hawaiian Hoosier has two new desserts — Pumpkin Bread Pudding with creamy caramel pumpkin sauce and Pumpkin Mochi blending Hoosier comfort with Hawaiian flair.
Soups, Stews & Hearty Foods
The fall flavors don't stop at coffee and sweets in Bloomington. The Elm has a dedicated autumn menu, featuring butternut squash risotto and glazed carrots with apple gratin and a pumpkin patch dessert.
If you're looking for something on the savory side, Uptown Cafe offers a hearty bowl of gumbo and a pot roast — perfect for a chilly fall evening. Big Woods Bloomington debuts a few specials every month, and fall is no exception. Check their menu to see their fall line-up. Lennie's is known to offer Oktoberfest specials, which includes authentic Bavarian dishes like Kartoffelpuffer, Jagerschnitzel, and Wurstplatte. If you're wanting to try an international restaurant, try the pumpkin curry from Blooming Thai, with your choice of meat in red curry base sauce with coconut milk, pumpkin, carrot, green bean, basil and bell peppers.
Fall is also the beginning of soup season, and most restaurants in Bloomington offer an assortment of soups and chili. Janko's Little Zagreb serves a delicious Cream of Mushroom. If you like to try the chili at every establishment you visit, Bub's Burgers & Ice Cream offers an out-of-this-world cup or bowl, and Lennie's Voo Doo Chili is quite famous as well.
Wine, Brews & Cocktails
Photo by Cardinal Spirits
We've covered all of the food bases, but now we need to shine a light on the incredible fall-flavored cocktails, wines, and beers produced by local brewers, vintners, and distillers. Cardinal Spirits, Bloomington's only distillery, rolls out a few fall-themed cocktails each year, including their Nooks & Crannies with Terra Botanical Gin, cranberry, lime, rosemary, orange bitters, soda water or their Slow Burn with Pride Vodka, butternut squash, smoked paprika, cinnamon, ginger, lemon. C3 has cocktails inspired by the fall season, including the Velvet Hammer with citadelle jardin gin, pistachio, green apple spiced mead, lime, fennel seed, orange bitters and the Persimmony Snicket with probitas rum, amaro nonino, gentian, cocchi americano, lemon, spiced persimmon.
You can't leave town without stopping at Oliver Winery for a glass of their signature fall Apple Pie wine — it would be a fall faux-pas, if you will. With notes of crisp apple and creamy vanilla, it's truly like dessert in a bottle. Plus, Oliver decks out their grounds with gourds, pumpkins, and mums during fall, which is a whimsical, cozy experience in itself. Butler Winery's Black Currant wine is sweet yet tart and is the perfect compliment to the fall season.
Several restaurants roll out seasonally-themed cocktails as well — be sure to browse menus online before you choose where to feast on fall flavors during your stay in Bloomington.
While we aren't able to list every single savory fall dish in B-Town, we can point you toward our Restaurant listings tool if you'd like to discover more seasonal specials and browse regular menus. There are many, many, many fall flavors waiting to dazzle your taste buds during your stay in Bloomington!
