A Guy Walks Into A Bar…

Chuck Salek
Jul 28, 2017 · 6 min read

An ode to a recently closed establishment in my college town

Side view of Yogi’s from 10th Street.

You probably remember where you had your first legal drink. Or, you know, maybe you got incredibly drunk on the night you turned twenty-one and have no recollection of that first legal adult beverage. Either way, there is something inherently sentimental about that first time you can sit at a bar and order yourself an alcoholic drink after all those years spent relying on older siblings or friends to make trips to the liquor store on your behalf. Even though most of us are not yet real adults at twenty-one, we certainly feel like we are when we can finally purchase alcohol on our own. Legally.

I remember my first legal drink. A twenty-one-year-old friend met me at my apartment on a Sunday night and gave me a rundown of places that were open past midnight on Sundays. He suggested Yogi’s Grill & Bar. I had previously eaten at Yogi’s a few times and had a pleasant experience each time so I said that sounded great to me. We arrived at Yogi’s around 11:50pm, ten minutes prior to my official birthday. We sat at the bar and the bartender greeted my friend and me as he placed a coaster in front of each of us. He asked us for our IDs and we handed them over as we explained that I technically was still a few minutes away from being twenty-one. The bartender looked at the clock, which then read a few minutes shy of my birthday. He asked what we wanted to drink and my friend ordered a Three Floyd’s Gumballhead. I said that sounded good (strictly because it had the word gumball in its name) and I’d have the same when the clock turned midnight. The bartender poured the two beers and placed one in front of my friend and then one in front of me. It was still a minute or two before midnight.

Happy Birthday, he said.


Yogi’s Grill & Bar is now closed, effective Saturday, July 22, 2017. The bar where I sat for my first legal beer is now a piece of history, a memory. For now that’s all it is. I don’t know what the future holds for Yogi’s and it doesn’t seem like anyone does. And thus, an era ends for a beloved if not thriving sports bar in a town that has many others.

Yogi’s was different than its peers though.


In Bloomington, Indiana, there are several watering holes to which one can wander to quench one’s thirst.

Nick’s English Hut is a fabled local hangout that is popular among townies and students alike. It also benefits from offering an iconic drinking-game experience that can only be played here…unless you purchase the DIY home kit.

Kilroy’s on Kirkwood (KOK) is the most popular college bar in a legendary college town. Its location (a stone’s throw from the iconic Sample Gates), its breadsticks (totally worth the astronomical caloric intake), and its $3 Thursday tee-shirts (if you live in America, you’ve probably seen at least one person wearing some shirt with its logo) will ensure that this place is always a Bloomington staple.

Kilroy’s Sports Bar (often just referred to as “Sports”) is the destination to where all roads eventually lead on Thursday and Saturday evenings during the school year. From 1am until it closes, Sports is packed like a rush-hour subway car.

The Bluebird is a niche spot that perennially hosts some impressive musical acts and always finds itself packed on Wednesday nights thanks to its fifteen-cent beer offering.

The Irish Lion is a cozy pub where you can drink beer by the yard and enjoy excellent Celtic cuisine. It is a bit off the beaten path for most students but is near many hotels and remains popular among both visitors and townies.

These places and several others are Bloomington mainstays for one reason or another. Whether the patrons are typically college students (KOK and Sports) or townies (The Irish Lion) or a mix of the two groups (Nick’s and The Bluebird), each place has established a firm identity and consistently generates crowds.

Yogi’s certainly had loyal patrons and regulars. However, from what I saw during my many visits there, it always seemed like it was stuck between genres or even that it stubbornly avoided one. It was far from a nightclub; it was far from a dive. It was spitting distance from the official campus border but was still not a student hot-spot; it was on the edge of a neighborhood but was not necessarily a local hot-spot.

This horseshoe-shaped bar was where I watched IU Baseball punch its first ever ticket to Omaha. (Photo credit: https://res.cloudinary.com/simpleview/image/upload/crm/bloomington/Yogis_451ccb49-5056-a36a-0655684fddc39d50.jpg )

Yogi’s was a comfy bar and restaurant with a solid-but-not-exotic menu that featured tasty food which was fairly priced although not quite a bargain to college students accustomed to fifteen-cent beer nights. It had many televisions and it had reliable service. It had a great beer list. And on a beautiful day, Yogi’s opened up the windows in its main room and essentially turned this room into a covered patio area. It was like being at a baseball stadium with a retractable roof. On these days, I promise you that there was nothing better than sitting in a booth in this room with a pitcher of beer and a burger, while watching a game with a group of friends. Peak Yogi’s was better than the peak version of any other bar in town.

But it wasn’t always Peak Yogi’s and unfortunately run-of-the-mill Yogi’s was a tougher sell to students than was run-of-the-mill KOK when determining the plan for a night on the town.


Yogi’s front view. (Photo credit: tripadvisor.com )

If Yogi’s does re-open in a new location (which has not been ruled out), it might be able to establish a firm identity and a loyal fan base. If it re-opens on one of Bloomington’s busier streets such as Kirkwood Avenue or if it can secure a space near the Courthouse square, then it could surely thrive with tourists and weekend visitors.

If Yogi’s does not re-open, it will be a shame. As great as Bloomington is, I think it’s a little bit greater with Yogi’s. Regardless of what happens or doesn’t happen with the future of this proud establishment, I’ll always have my memories.

Of concluding a summer course by sharing pitchers of beer with my classmates and my professor (first and only time this happened);

of spending the afternoon before my brother’s graduation toasting his achievement while watching our beloved Cubbies;

of eating Big Ten Burgers and buffalo chips while watching the Hoosiers Baseball squad mash through the College World Series en route to Omaha;

of a Sunday devoted to watching football with friends in the main room as the autumn breeze and the sunlight miraculously cured a devastating and deserved hangover;

of cherishing that first legal beer, shared in the company of a good friend (who graciously paid my tab) and a friendly bartender.

Goodbye for now, Yogi’s. I hope one day your doors (and windows) will re-open. Please save me a booth in the main room.

Chuck Salek

Written by

I like food, water, sports, movies, music, written words, creative content, and pictures of animals (not necessarily in that order); Personal Trainer; Hoosier

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