The Root Cellar

The wooden planks that make up the ceiling are raw and exposed. At lunch hour on a Tuesday afternoon, they creak and tremble every few minutes, sending soft echoes through the chilly chamber.

If not for the music booming and hip crowd swaying at the venue four nights a week, the room, barely lit save for some candles and colored bulbs, sends out an eerie vibe.
Such is the charm of the Root Cellar Lounge, one of Bloomington’s best-kept secrets situated in the cellar beneath FARMbloomington. In recent years, the Root Cellar has held regular themed live music events, such as Classic Disco and Funk Nights, Soul in the Hole and Low-End Blend, an electronic showcase spun by some of the areas best DJs.

The discretion of the Root Cellar exists in stark contrast to the locally famous restaurant that houses it. Set up by local chef Daniel Orr, FARM is famed for its dedication to producing “real food” — using only fresh food grown locally. FARMbloomington is a light-drenched, airy eatery that sits beside the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and specialty chocolatier Blu Boy on Kirkwood Avenue.

Many locals and members of the IU community have embraced the locale for its wholesome dishes and quirky decor. The idea of a farm in a rural but naturally beautiful countryside manifests in FARM’s aesthetics: branches and a prohibition-era sign hang from the ceilings, as well as knick-knacks like artistically arranged tin watering cans, antique potties and wicker baskets.
In that way, the lounge in FARM’s basement is no different. Perhaps apt for a little-discovered “dark secret,” one entrance to the Root Cellar — a staircase near the back of the room — is guarded by what seems to be a bearded man’s head emerging from a wine barrel.

The other Root Cellar entrance is tucked behind a small alley on Walnut Avenue between Kirkwood Avenue and Fourth Street. It sits in what is called “The Cage,” a mess of metal bars that form a stairwell leading up to the private apartments above.
The signs that point to the lounge are vague and located a good distance away, but management has plans to create more awareness with the likes of a few more directional signs in addition to a permanent one that hangs directly above the inconspicuous gray door.

For now, a homemade sign, crafted by former Inner Chef owner David Wade and lit by a single bulb secured by an old mason jar, will do.

The lounge and FARM opened five years ago when Orr decided he wanted a speakeasy/bourbon bar below the restaurant. Having succeeded in converting the old Oddfellows coal room into what is today one of the hippest hangouts in town, Orr said he is proud of the community they have developed.

“One of the great things is that we’ve had five or six people who met in the Root Cellar and got married, and we catered their weddings for them,” he said.