Each year, the local newspaper in Bloomington, Illinois (The Pantagraph) hosts a Readers’ Choice voting contest to let the community nominate, vote, and decide their top choices for a variety of businesses, products, and services. On September 6th, when the 2026 awards were announced, Flingers secured 7 first place victories!
Flingers has been named the Best Overall Restaurant in Bloomington, IL for the 7th year in a row. In a town known for its restaurants, there are a lot of great local spots (Epiphany Farms, Biaggis, Mystic Kitchen, Fort Jesse Café…just to name a few), and we’re humbled and honored to steward the top spot again in 2026 as Bloomington-Normal’s Best Restaurant.
Flingers has been named the Best Pizza in Bloomington, IL for 2026, which means we’ve now won first place in this category 9 out of the last 10 years. Pizza is the centerpiece of what we do, so it’s always extra special to win this award and be named the Best Pizza in Bloomington-Normal.
Flingers has been named the Best Bar in Bloomington, IL for the 10th year in a row. There are plenty of interesting bars in Bloomington-Normal, but Flingers has tried to be equal parts “craft beer bar” and “creative craft cocktail bar.” You won’t find taps devoted to domestic macrobrews at Flingers. Rather, each of our 27 taps pours craft beer (much of it local!). Similarly, you won’t find the traditional fully-stocked wall of liquor at Flingers. Rather, we stock a small variety of select spirits and make the most creative cocktails in town. In short, if you’re looking for a Coors Light draft or a Jack & Coke, Flingers isn’t your bar. But if you’re looking for craft beer and creative cocktails, Flingers is your bar. Our community knows we don’t have a traditional bar, and apparently likes our craft spin on it, since we’ve now been named Best Bar in Bloomington, IL for the 10th consecutive year.
Flingers has been named the Best Cocktails in Bloomington, IL for the first time. Our bartenders take a lot of pride and joy in coming up with –and naming– the most interesting, delicious cocktails in town. Thanks for naming Flingers the Best Cocktails in Bloomington-Normal!
Flingers has been named the Best Chicken Wings in Bloomington, IL for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. Our wings themselves are thick and meaty, and we pride ourselves on having a wide variety of sauces for any palette, from mild and flavorful to “forehead sweat hot.” Thanks for naming Flingers the Best Wings in Bloomington-Normal!
2026 also marked the 4th consecutive year that Flingers has won Best Salads in Bloomington, IL. Our salads are complete meals unto themselves, packed with toppings, crisp lettuce, and a variety of dressings. Thanks for naming Flingers the Best Salads in Bloomington-Normal!
Flingers has been named the Best Non-Alcoholic Specialty Drinks in Bloomington, IL for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. Most of what we do is hard and heavy, but we know how to keep it sober too. Our NA Mocktails are among the most creative in town. Thanks for naming Flingers the Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Bloomington-Normal!
We’re humbled to win 7 first place trophies in 2026, including Best Pizza, Best Bar, Best Salads, Best Wings, and Best Overall Restaurant in Bloomington-Normal. We’ll do our best to keep earning it!
