Mo' than pizza

Voted countless times as Best of Bloomington’s Best Pizza in Bloomington, Mother Bear’s Pizza is one of IU’s most celebrated dining establishments. The restaurant has been lauded by People Magazine as “one of America’s top nine pizzerias” and a finalist in Pizza Festiva/Pizza Today’s 2004 Pizza of the Year contest. There is no doubt that the affectionately nicknamed “Mo’Bear’s” pizza
is delicious.
The catch with this review was that I couldn’t order pizza from the ethereal Mo’Bears. Everyone knows the pizza is great, but what else is on the menu? In a rather adventurous mood, a friend and I explored the hidden treasures in the Mother Bear’s repertoire.
For a Saturday night, the restaurant was understandably packed, but we got a table easily enough. If you have a party larger than two, however, expect a much longer wait.
Because we didn’t order pizza, it took us much longer than usual to decide what we wanted to eat. To start, we decided on a half-order of breadsticks with spicy cheese sauce and marinara and a glass of strawberry lemonade with strawberry syrup and whole strawberries. In comparison to other Bloomington breadsticks, however, Mother Bear’s doesn’t compare well. Not having nearly enough flavor of their own, the breadsticks almost required the sauces to give them a more robust and fulfilling taste.
For the meal portion, I ordered the small house salad, topped with diced tomatoes, red onion slivers, grated mozzarella cheese and goldfish crackers as croutons. The best part, though, was the ranch dressing prepared by the kitchen staff.
Interestingly enough, the Mo’Bears chefs also paired the same dressing with the cheese bread we ordered. Smothered in a blend of cheeses and Italian spices, the order of eight cheese-bread slices was almost as filling as a small cheese pizza.
To keep things vegetarian, I also ordered a side of toasted cheese ravioli with marinara, stuffed with ricotta and coated in a crunchy crust. The ravioli definitely needed more flavor; I felt like I was missing out on spices.
From my understanding, most people on campus indulge in more carnivorous dishes, so my table also ordered the Chicken Italiano - chicken tenders stuffed into toasted Italian bread with mozzarella and marinara sauce. Declared “delicious” by my friend, the aroma of the sandwich almost tempted me to try a bite. French fries accompanied the sandwich, which reminded me of larger versions of McDonald’s French fries.
While the pizza-less menu offers tempting pasta, sandwiches and appetizers, I learned my lesson with this adventure: When at Mo’Bears, indulge in pizza. Boasting 15 gourmet pizzas, three different sauces and countless topping options, there is a reason why they are famous for their pizza and not the rest of the menu.