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Barack Obama at Nicks!
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Nick's at 80
A Place You Always Feel Young
The venerable and seemingly ageless Nick’s English Hut has seen a lot of changes in its 80 years, both inside and out. Nick’s was already an institution before 5th Street changed its name to Kirkwood Avenue. In fact, soon after Nick’s opened its doors in 1927 it became popular for its burgers and “Coney Island” hot dogs (5¢).
 Nick’s might seem like the same comfortable and familiar place that patrons have loved for decades, but managing partner Gregg “Rags” Rago says a lot has changed “behind the scenes.”
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| Original owner Nick Hrisomalos |
“Bloomington is a community that cares about tradition and history,” Rago says. “People don’t want Nick’s to change. It’s especially gratifying to see people who used to live in Bloomington come back to visit.”
Nick’s was founded by Nick Hrisomalos, one of many Greek immigrants who settled and opened family businesses in Bloomington in the first decades of the 20th century. Nick kept his namesake establishment largely the same until Dick Barnes bought it in 1957. In the mid-60s Barnes reconfigured the front bar and added the back room.
Next, Barnes added seating upstairs, where Kleindorfer’s Hardware had once operated a bowling alley. In 1979 Barnes opened “The Hump Room,” the semi-private area above the front doors.
As recently as 1980, Nick’s customers were satisfied with only one television. Now they have more than 40, most of which are hi-def flat screens.
One of the subtler but more significant changes in recent years has been implemented by Rago himself, who started working in Nick’s kitchen in 1978. An advocate of the Slow Foods movement, he buys fresh food from local producers, such as Long Elk Farm in Bloomfield.
“You got to have strombolis,” he asserts. “You got to have the mainstays. But we’ve branched out and created other dishes, like fish and salads, because we want to give our customers the best food.”
Rago and managing copartner Mike “Muggsy” Hall continue to walk the line between updating Nick’s and keeping it the same. An endorsement of their success comes from IU alum and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who once owned a college hotspot across the street.
On a recent visit back to Bloomington, Cuban went to Nick’s, sat in a booth in the front room, and ordered a beer and elk burger (no bun), while he reminisced about the old days. “The beauty of Nick’s,” Cuban said, “is that it never changes. It’s the same this century as it was last, which gives us all the same chance, whenever we visit, to feel 21 again—and not a day younger.”—Ron Eid
Featured in Bloom Magazine (Oct./Nov. 2007)
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