Brightside Cafe

Wow! Brightside Cafe is a delightful find!

We discovered it thanks to Bloomington Foodies.

On the lower level of the Fountain Square Building is this tiny unassuming cafe with bright glass windows, coffee and tea, friendly service, and a small but delicious menu of options.

They have a wide variety of drinks (teas, coffee, espresso, bottled water, and juices), and baked goods: brownies, muffins (2 vegan), cookies, and 3 breakfast items.

We ordered coffee (very good) and an Americano (delicious!), but the best part were the baked goods.

The real star of the show is their flaky, buttery biscuits, which are phenomenal: flaky, moist, tender, and buttery! You can get as an egg, cheese, and sausage sandwich or as B's & G's.

We got it sans sausage with egg and cheddar cheese.

They also have quiche which looks very good.

We also tried their vegan frosted chocolate muffin. Wow. It's so good! Moist, tender, delicious frosting. Not too sweet. Just right. Wonderful with their espresso!

I highly recommend this cafe for a delicious breakfast! It seems like they're just getting started and may have other options down the road. But, whether you're gluten-free or not, Brightside Cafe is a real find!

Brightside Cafe was a fun spot we found while visiting Bloomington. I got the Strawberry Champagne Iced Tea, Peanut Butter Bars and Lemon Blueberry Muffin. I loved the Lemon Blueberry Muffin bar and iced tea. The Peanut Butter Bar wasn't my favorite to eat a lot of but my boyfriend loved it. I thought the prices were good for a gluten free bakery and there was a ton of street parking around this mall. I would come back and get breakfast/lunch here. They had a lot of sandwiches and gluten free biscuits and gravy!

Scrumptious treats!!

The whole place is dedicated to gluten-free items, and they also have some dairy-free items, which was especially helpful to my family. Right away the staff offered to answer any questions and double-checked with the kitchen about multiple items regarding specific ingredients. We ate the GF/DF coffee cake and double chocolate muffins--both scrumptious! Later, we came back for sandwiches (chicken salad and the Cuban). I loved the dill in the chicken salad! Their bread does have some dairy in it, so two of us got ours without bread. The staff was super accommodating to our dietary needs and so friendly, which made us feel very comfortable and welcomed. The drinks (chai macha with honey) were also delicious and made with oat milk for those of us who needed no dairy. We also got a peanut butter/chocolate bar to go; this had some dairy, but those of us who could eat it said it was great! All around a wonderful place to stop for a casual, tasty breakfast and lunch!