Ask anyone who’s spent time in Bloomington where to go for a drink and Nick’s will come up. Nick’s English Hut has been serving food and beer on Kirkwood Avenue since 1927, a short walk from the Sample Gates and the IU campus, and it’s as much a part of town as the university itself.
Inside you’ll find wood-panelled rooms, walls covered in decades of IU memorabilia, and a crowd that mixes students, professors, alumni back for the weekend and locals who’ve been coming for years. The menu covers pub favourites, and the stromboli is what regulars will tell you to order. While you’re there, ask about Sink the Biz, the Nick’s drinking game that’s been passed down through generations of students.
Game days are a big occasion. If IU is playing basketball or football, expect a packed, loud and very happy room, so arrive early if you want a table. For a quieter visit, go on a weekday afternoon or early evening and you’ll have more room to take in the history on the walls.
From our downtown homes it’s an easy walk there and back, so nobody has to worry about driving.
