By Dan Cano
Visit the heart of central Illinois in Bloomington, Illinois while you are traveling. Enjoy attractions such as the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, the Illinois Symphony, Illinois Wesleyan University art galleries, the the Miller Park Outdoor Summer Theatre, Twin Cities Ballet, Miller Park zoo and several movie theaters. After long days of adventure and exploring enjoy a number of Chinese restaurants that offer culturally diverse cuisine in a number of different forms.
Orient Gourmet
Orient Gourmet is the only restaurant in the Bloomington area that serves both Chinese Food and Japanese food. This family-owned restaurant serves authentic Asian-influenced cuisine. Dishes such as fish fillet with Chinese broccoli and General Tso's chicken with secret-recipe spicy sauce can be found on the menu. Specialty sushi rolls such as the orange blosson roll that combines Tuna, crab meat and avocado rolled with Salmon and topped with Tobiko, mango sauce and Unagi sauce are also available. Vegetarian diners can choose from a number of tofu-based meals and vegetable stir fry dishes. Decor is minimal at Orient Gourmet and the focus is on the food. Travelers and locals frequent this restaurant for budget-friendly meals served in a family-friendly environment.
Orient Gourmet
2103 N Veterans Pkwy.
Bloomington, IL 61704
(309) 661-1868
Grand Cafe
Enjoy a a long list of Chinese meals at Grand Cafe including chow mein, chow fun, lo mein, chop suey, beef subgum and a number of noodle-based, stir-fry and rice dishes. For something with a bit more flare, try an order of bang bang ji which features chicken breasts cut into matchstick sized pieces and is served on a sheet of green bean paste. The dish is seasoned with hot chili oil and is meant to be very spicy. Appetizers such as foiled chicken, eggrolls and crab rangoons are also served.
The third-generation owner of this family-owned eatery employs his mother as one of the restaurant's chefs to insure the quality and authenticity of its cuisine. Dishes at Grand Cafe are served on authentic Chinese stoneware along side of fine stemware and glassware in a luxuriously decorated environment that conveys a sense of class and culture.
Grand Cafe
615 N Main St.
Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 828-0324
grandcafebloomington.com
Ming's Restaurant
This buffet-style restaurant is an affordable way to experience a number of fresh Chinese offerings. Walk along the multiple buffet tables and enjoy classic dishes such as orange chicken, kung pao chicken and an assortment of appetizers. For something to also feed your sense of adventure, try a house-specialty dish such as pineapple chicken that combines lightly breaded chicken served with a special house sweet and sour sauce or enjoy the seven spiced shrimp that combines jumbo shrimps seasoned with seven spices served over a bed of julienne lettuce and green onions. Take to the stir-fry bar to have a custom meal of your design cooked fresh in front of you for a fun experience. Fresh meats and vegetables are served at this streamlined, well-decorated and spacious Bloomington Chinese restaurant.
Ming's Restaurant
407 N Hershey Rd.
Bloomington, IL 61704
(309) 663-2883
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