Best Pizza

What once started out as a way to sell pizza at Bear’s Place has turned into an award-winning pizzeria.

Mother Bear’s Pizza is Bloomington’s best for the fifth consecutive year. Restaurant owner Ray McConn said the award is special because of the type of award it is.
“We’re elected, not selected,” he said.

Mother Bear’s has also been recognized by People Magazine and Pizza Today, according to the restaurant’s Web site. This year will be its 37th in service.

Wooden booths and tables fill the restaurant, and throughout the years, patrons have left their mark by writing on the walls.

McConn said the idea to create Mother Bear’s came about because he wanted to serve pizza at Bear’s Place, a bar right down Third Street that he also owned.

Since he couldn’t fit pizza into the menu, he decided to start a restaurant that would focus more on pizzas and other food items that would be prepared there.

Things such as the number of locations have changed for Mother Bear’s, but a couple things haven’t.

In the past, Mother Bear’s had stores in Indianapolis and throughout Bloomington. Today its only location is on Third Street.

McConn said the pizza at Mother Bear’s is still what keeps many coming back for more.

“Our specialty pizzas are phenomenally successful,” he said.

The pizzas also continue to be made from scratch. There are 15 specialty pizzas on the restaurant’s menu. If customers don’t want to go for the specialty pizzas, there is also an option that allows them to make a customized pizza by picking different ingredients. Prices vary from $3.80 to $20.85, according to the restaurant’s menu.
The restaurant also sells more than just pizzas.

McConn said other restaurant favorites are the wings and the salads. The menu also includes pasta, hot subs, cheese bread and brownies.

Although previous ventures to expand the restaurant to other places haven’t worked out, McConn said he is content with the busy location on Third Street.

“This is a full-time job,” he said. “I’m very satisfied with our success at this point of time.”