Janko's Little Zagreb was established in 1979 by John "Janko" Pouch. It is located on the ground floor of a two-story brick building painted bright red at the corner of Morton and 6th in downtown Bloomington. The building was built back in 1916 and was initially a feed store--first Pennington Feed and Seed and later the Morton Mills.

In the late '40's, it became the Royal Oaks, a tavern. At that time, the Monon train line, which actively ran through Bloomington, stopped right across the street from the Royal Oaks. As such, The Royal Oaks was popular with both with passengers and the workers on the Monon line. The lower level was a bar. The upstairs rooms were rented out to Pullman workers in need of overnight lodging. These rooms were also rumored to have been used by practitioners of the oldest profession. These charming ladies provided companionship to the railway workers (and others). It was establishments like the Royal Oaks that gave the near westside of Bloomington, then known as the Levee, its less-than-kind reputation.

After the Royal Oaks closed, Jeff Pouch, Janko's brother, capitalized on the railway theme and named the restaurant he opened there in 1972 Choo-Chew's. Janko joined him in the restaurant business soon thereafter. The Pouch's, while raised in Hammond, Indiana, still had strong ties to their Croatian relatives via their grandmother, and the Choo-Chew's menu placed a heavy emphasis on traditional Yugoslavian and Eastern European foods. What brought people to the restaurant, however, were the steaks. Thick, tender steaks grilled to order on an open grill. Originally, the steaks and cuts of lamb came from livestock raised on Janko's farm in Spencer, a few miles west of Bloomington. These were butchered and trimmed by the Bloomington Packing Company. As business increased, however, Janko had less time tend to his farm. Stray dogs were also beginning to harass his cattle and sheep. A decision was made to sell off the remaining livestock and turn to conventional meat suppliers.

In 1979, Jeff headed west to work for the Hilton hotel company. Janko became sole owner of the restaurant and soon changed the name of the restaurant to Little Zagreb and overhauled the image and decor of the restaurant. While Jeff had decorated the restaurant to look like what Indianapolis-based food critic Reid Duffy once described as "the dark, Bohemian look of a Greenwich Village basement bistro, where you might expect a beat poetry reading to break out," Janko chose to decorate with red and white gingham table cloths and IU football and basketball posters--a reasonable choice considering the reputation the establishment was cultivating as a pre- and post-game stopping point for IU sports fans, coaches, recruits, and visiting alumni (try to spot the enormous, 10-foot high initials of Indiana University painted inside the restaurant). Janko soon added another grill (situated in plain of view of seated patrons in the back dining room like its partner up front) and worked hard to create what has become a truly impressive, world-class wine list.

Janko passed away in February of 2006. Long-time friend and business partner Mark Conlin now owns and operates the restaurant and is committed to maintaining the reputation of Janko's Little Zagreb. The steaks are still thick, USDA choice, and cut daily, and the wine list is among the best in the country. So, if you're in Bloomington some evening and you're walking downtown, you might catch of whiff of Janko's grill. Be forewarned. It will put a grumble in your belly and set your mouth a-waterin', and you may soon find yourself sitting down for the best steak dinner of your life. So come on down and experience what has become a Bloomington institution and the home of the finest steaks in the Midwest, Janko's Little Zagreb.