I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)
Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)
Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)
John M.
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)
Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)
William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)
Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)
Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)
Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)
Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)
Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)
Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)
Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)
Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)
Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)
Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)
Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)
Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)
Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)
Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)
Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)
Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)
Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)
Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)
Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)
Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)
Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)
Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)
Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)
Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)
Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)
Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)
Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)
Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)
Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)
Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)
Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)
Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)
Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)
Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)
Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)
Edward J.
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)
Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)
Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)
Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)
Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)
Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)
Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)
Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)
Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)
Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)
Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)
Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)
Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)
George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)
Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)
Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)
DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)
Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)
Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)
Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)
Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)
Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)
joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)
Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)
Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)
Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)
Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
(1)
Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)
Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)
Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)
Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)
Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)
Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)
Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)
Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)
Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)
Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)
Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)
Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)
Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)
Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)
Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)
George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)
Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)
Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)
DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)
Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)
Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)
Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)
Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)
Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)
Chris M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)
Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)
Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)
joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)
Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)
Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)
Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)
Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
(1)
Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)
Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)
William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)
Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)
Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)
Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)
Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)
Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)
Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)
Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)
Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)
Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)
Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)
Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)
Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)
Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)
Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)
Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)
Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)
Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)
Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)
Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)
Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)
Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)
Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)
Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)
Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)
Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)
Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)
Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)
Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)
Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)
Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)
Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)
Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)
Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)
Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)
Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)
Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)
Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)
Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)
Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)
Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)
Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)
Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)
Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)
Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)
Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)
Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)
Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)
Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)
Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)
Edward J.
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)
Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)
Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)
Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)
Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)
Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)
Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)
Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)
Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)
Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)
Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)
Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)
Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)
Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)
George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)
Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)
Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)
Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)
Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)
Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)
Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)
Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)
Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)
William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)
Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)
Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)
Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)
Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)
Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)
Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)
Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)
Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)
Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)
Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)
Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)
Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)
Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)
Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)
Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)
Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)
Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)
DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)
Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)
Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)
Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)
Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)
Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)
joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)
Chris M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)
Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)
Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)
Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Chris M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)John M.
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)Edward J.
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
(1)Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
(4)Tom K.
The review average of 3 stars is spot on. The décor and atmosphere, like most of the businesses located in this building is great and worth stopping by once just for that. I asked the waitress about several items on the menu and she basically said she either hated the food or it made her sick. I appreciate that kind of honesty from a server. Really! I've been to too many restaurants where the server ends up being no help because they say everything is great. So how was the food? It was alright. I got the BBQ chicken breast. It came with hush puppies(yesssss) and I chose green beans and the sweet potato fries for my sides. The sides were good, sauce was alright but the chicken was sorta tough and nothing special. Price was right, 11 bucks for my meal. They have some pretty good beer on tap as well. Overall, not a bad place but nothing amazing. Definitely worth eating there once.
(3)Edward J.
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)Chris M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
(1)Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
(4)Tom K.
The review average of 3 stars is spot on. The décor and atmosphere, like most of the businesses located in this building is great and worth stopping by once just for that. I asked the waitress about several items on the menu and she basically said she either hated the food or it made her sick. I appreciate that kind of honesty from a server. Really! I've been to too many restaurants where the server ends up being no help because they say everything is great. So how was the food? It was alright. I got the BBQ chicken breast. It came with hush puppies(yesssss) and I chose green beans and the sweet potato fries for my sides. The sides were good, sauce was alright but the chicken was sorta tough and nothing special. Price was right, 11 bucks for my meal. They have some pretty good beer on tap as well. Overall, not a bad place but nothing amazing. Definitely worth eating there once.
(3)John M.
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)Daisy L.
1st Visit: They kicked us out early when it was posted that they wouldn't close for another 3 hours. 2nd Visit: They let us sit, and then the manager turned away 30 some people because once again, they were closing early. 3rd Visit: N/A Man, I get it. Sometimes a business is dead, but if Smokehouse keeps going on like this, they won't have a business left (for the exception of loyal locals).
(1)Holly G.
We made reservations with a large group from out of town - the staff was great to work with through the entire reservation process - they went above and beyond. We were waited on and served promptly. The menu has a wide variety of choices, and with a large group with many varied tastes, this was a plus. Some of the entrees we ordered were: pulled pork, brisket, breaded tenderloin, chicken tenders. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food. The restaurant was crowded, but not so much that you felt closed in. The tables are spaced well so that you have room to move around the place. The atmosphere is casual and light. It can get a little loud with table conversation, but the music is kept low enough that you aren't shouting over it. They have a variety of sauces to choose from and by far my favorite is the raspberry chipotle barbecue. It is a little hotter than most people enjoy, but I just love it. They also have a horseradish bbq sauce that is very flavorful without the heat. All in all we had a very enjoyable evening and everyone seemed satisfied with their choice of entree.
(4)Rachael S.
Where to begin with this one? It's such a shame because the location is so great and the decor is really trying to get there but it's lacking something. Our "hostess" was literally a high school girl who looked like she had just rolled out of bed (grungy t-shirt, sweat pants and sandals). Overall, the food was bland and low quality. I had the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, which was listed as a chicken breast but was actually just a cheap previously-frozen breaded chicken patty made of chicken parts and somewhat slathered in Buffalo sauce. The chicken and barley soup was bland, the jalapeño poppers had virtually no flavor. Whoever was in charge of the fryer had no idea what they were doing as everything we ordered fried was nearly burnt: curly fries and fried biscuits included. My boyfriend's beef brisket looked gross; he said it was fatty and tough. The waitress was nice, but we waited a solid hour for our food even though they weren't that busy. Not worth it at all, go to Joe's Shelby Street Diner if you want this sort of atmosphere with edible food.
(1)Kelsey A.
Great service, prompt delivery of food (wasn't very busy for a Saturday night). You get to pick between 3 flavors of BBQ (chipotle, raspberry chipotle, and sweet BBQ) for your dinner. I was honestly a little skeptical when I heard raspberry chipotle as a BBQ flavor...don't judge a BBQ by it's unconventional flavor! The raspberry chipotle was Surprisingly delish (on the meatloaf and pulled pork), had a little bit of a spicy kick at the end of your bite but not too spicy and still with sweet flavoring. Huge servings of food for the dinner plates...and you can't go wrong when your dinner is accompanied by 3 fried bread balls with apple butter :) good selection if local and import beers. Definitely great American comfort food :)
(4)Jonathon H.
Friendly service, delicious food, reasonable prices. I've been here twice. The first time I had a burger and it was ok. The second time I had pulled pork and it was delicious. I recommend that, plus the onion rings and Mac and cheese. The veggies are pretty gross. Not worth the cals you might save. My friend wasn't impressed with the tenderloin.
(3)Christian D.
Their food is decent, their malts are filling and wonderful.
(3)Lauren F.
Great food, great value, great location. Had the pulled pork, it was delicious along with Mac and cheese and baked beans as my sides. Was this the best BBQ I've ever had? No, you'll have to travel out of state for that. Was this the best priced and best tasting for the price? Absolutely. That's why I have given them 5 stars. I had a perfect meal. The server was attentive but not overly so. I had a heaping plate of food and enough for another meal (I love leftovers!) and I loved the old school diner atmosphere. Plus the fried round biscuits with apple butter that I stole from my husbands plate were sooooo good.
(5)Kasey L.
We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow). -Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions. -Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless" -Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side -Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special. -Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about. -Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :) -Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again -Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal -BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo). I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option. Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)
(3)Jammy S.
Good barbecue. I got the brisket sandwich with sweet BBQ. Not exceptional but good. Sweet potato fries were good. Mac n cheese was good. Wings were good. Did I use 'good' enough. Good, glad that made it through. You get large portions and hearty BBQ. It's not the Monarch of Slabs, I'm not going to slit your throat and steal your plate if I'm hungry (I might do that elsewhere). I'd eat it though. I'd eat your pet too though, if it was well prepared. Vastly improved since we ate here in early 2011.
(4)Samantha H.
I was pleasantly surprised. I usually find barbecue places to be sub-par but I really liked this. I got the pulled pork sandwich with mac n cheese and curly fries. I wish I would have gotten the sweet potato fries bc some people I was with did and they looked really good. My pulled pork was excellent. I got the sweet BBQ sauce and liked it. I liked the mac n cheese and pickle to. Plenty of food for leftovers and a very reasonable price. Not too shabby.
(4)Jason O.
We stopped here for lunch during the week. I tried the pulled pork sandwich with slaw and salad as sides. I have to say the portions were generous and the flavor is good. I had to sort out some large chunks of fat from the pork but other than that no complaints. A couple other guys had brisket and one had the fish (it was a foot long slab!). Everyone enjoyed their lunch. The only downside for some is the service seemed abnormally slow and drinks were only refilled when we asked. We noticed that some people came in after us and got served before us. They waived to the waitress when they entered and had food shortly after. Our guess is they are really smart regulars who call their food in ahead of time. If you are in a hurry, might be worth a try to quicken the pace.
(3)Andrew D.
So much food. Got the family of four meal, there is barely enough room on the table for all of it. I personally love the ribs, which are dry smoked and declicious with the chipotle barbeque sauce. The huge pile of brisket they gave us was amazing as well. Many people may not realize this but they aren't just a smokehouse but a soda shop too. When you order a cherry coke you get a coke with 8 cherries in it. Fantastic. They also share a beer selectoin with Imbibe next door.
(5)Stephanie D.
Really enjoy coming here to get my Bbq smokiness on. I love the nachos. They are a fav of mine. Perfect split for two people. The best deal is the meal for 4. It's a great price and loaded with lots of food. My favorite is the beef brisket and pulled pork with the chipotle sauce. It's delicious and I keep coming back for more!!
(4)Bob B.
Good food service not so much. Ribs were tender. Pork moist and large potions of everything
(3)Mike K.
I've been here three times now, and each time really enjoyed the food, having had the pulled pork, brisket, and chicken now. The smoked meats aren't merely relying on smoke flavor to carry the day. The seasoning comes through beneath the smoke in a glorious way. I'll second what others have said about the sides- large and well done- highlighting the baked beans, which have a subtle smoky flavor to them as well, and not too sweet. The only two things I would nitpick were the sodas from the fountain (cherry & vanilla were light on the flavored Cokes) and the bbq sauce which were a little thin both in flavor and texture. That is nitpicking, though. Love the decor, with the original checkered tile floor, the huge vintage movie posters, and the towering Pepsi neon. It's a big place, so if it isn't packed, it isn't hopping.
(4)Cortney H.
Went for Devour Downtown and really was not impressed. They give you a good amount of food, but it really doesn't taste great. The service is also pretty slow. Won't be going back.
(2)Edward J.
My son and I both ordered the fish dinner and enjoyed what our ... um ... dazed waitress brought us. Huge piece of British style battered fish - the fish was perfectly cooked and the crispy batter didn't fall apart. Very nice. The fried biscuits and apple butter was tasty. For my two sides I ordered seasoned curly fries - fine - and a cup of ham and bean soup - delicious and not heavy! Suggestions to management: teach your staff professionalism, even if you have to get outside help for the training. I got ditzy service this visit. On previous stops I've had distracted and abrasive servers. You can do better than this. Second, bringing the entire order at once is overwhelming and guarantees that the food will get cold before you finish. How about bringing the soup and biscuits first? I'll be back to your place - the fish and malts are too good - but you folks really need to get your act together. You read these reviews and know how many people complain about the service. Do something about it!
(3)Chris P.
As an avid fan of BBQ, I was looking forward to a local place for some Q.. Place looked nice and fit in well with FS. After placing our orders we waited and waited and... Our server came over and explained that a large group of people are making our order rather late. As I recall we placed our order long b4 that group was there.. After sometime, our orders finally arived cold and you could tell were sitting for sometime.. Waitress was gone for good until it was time for the check. I am a big on local eateries and was very, very dissapointed..
(1)Nancy W.
Ate dinner there on Friday night as part of an evening alone with my 11 year old son. We would go there again in a minute. I loved my pulled pork barbecue with the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce and agree with the reviewer who said they'd buy that in a bottle. The krinkle cut sweet potato fries and fried Fuji apples were delicious. My pork was tender and not dried out as stated in other reviews. My son loved the Fountain burger and his double sides of Mac-n-Cheese made him happy. Service was good, including packing up a treat for my husband to enjoy after work. We'll hit them again on another Friday night when we don't want to cook and want a treat.
(4)Ruben L.
Outside of the pulled pork, there wasn't really much to brag about at this joint. Came here with some friends last Friday after a Pacers game. I hadn't heard much about this place, but their menu for devour downtown sounded good, and who doesn't like some bbq? AMBIENCE- I'm not quite sure how to describe this place. It's part bar, part diner, and all retro with their posters and red light glowing throughout the joint. This place seemed to have three parts to it. To the left is a place for duck pin bowling (yeah, I have no idea what that is). The main restaurant part has two pool tables, and then a bunch of tables for dining. And to the right of this joint, there is a soda/fountain shop where it looks like you can get shakes and malts and what not. It was strange to say the least. SERVICE- considering we were 1 of 4 parties in this joint, the service SUCKED. I'll grant you, they only had two waiters (on a Friday nite???), and one party had 15 people in it or so, but even the table of one got better service than we did. At one point, my friend looked our server in the eye, and tried to flag him down, and the guy blatantly ignored him. We'd go 10 minutes at a time when we wouldn't even see the guy! MENU- this place had your standard bar food fare. Appetizers were nothing special, they had sandwiches and what appeared to be a variety of beers, but the one difference between them and other bars was there bbq menu. They had pulled pork, ribs, brisket, chicken, and even smoked meat loaf. If only the food was as good as it sounded. FOOD- we were going to do the 2 for $30 menu, but elected to do their family feast for $40. With it we got 4 entrees (we chose ribs, smoked meat loaf, pulled pork and brisket), 6 sides (2 beans, 2 fries, potato salad and breaded fried mushrooms) and 8 fried biscuits with apple butter. As I mentioned before, the pulled pork was the only real star of the show. The ribs were dry and flavorless, and the sauce didn't do much to help 'em out. The brisket was decent, but cut to thick, and the meat loaf had a real smokey taste to it, but was altogether disappointing. The sides were ok, but again, nothing that jumped out at you. Overall- yeah the pulled pork was good, but not good enough to make me want to come back. If you're looking for a good bbq joint, keep fishin'. Movie Star Rating- Paulie Shore
(1)Chad S.
I agree. Ruben, you gotta get out a little bit more. You don't know what Duckpin Bowling is? Come on. The smokehouse service is hit and miss, I will agree, and the prices are a tad steep, but you get a TON of food for your money. The pulled pork is really good as well as the baked beans. I really like the chipotle wings as well. If you don't like the sauce you have, you can always get another sauce. Support local businesses. Fountain Square is definitely a fun, hip place. And next time, you can get out of the northern suburbs and actually see what the city has to offer.
(3)Carey D.
I think my experience was similar to Keri M's. Mediocre. The retro decor and ambiance was the best part of the place... that and the wedge salad. My husband and I stopped for dinner on a Saturday night. The hostess was odd- not very friendly at all. It took several minutes for our waitress to come to our table. Not a big deal, it was a Saturday night and they were busy. The place seemed to be really understaffed though, because we didn't see much of our waitress the entire evening. For a place to be named "smokehouse," you pretty much expect to find good smoked meats, right? So we ordered the sampler platter- ribs, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. I'd never heard of smoked meatloaf before, but figured why not give it a try? Restaurant meatloaf is never as good as what you can make at home though, I don't know why I ever think I will find good meatloaf at a restaurant. The pork was decent... some pieces were better than others though. It just didn't seem to be seasoned very well. The ribs were not tender... at all. Definitely not "fall off the bone." And the BBQ sauces were not very great either. I expected to find better meat and BBQ sauce at a "smokehouse." The only positive- the quantity of meat they serve you. But I would rather have quality instead of quantity. We also had the mac & cheese (bleh) and crinkle cut sweet potato fries. The fries were great. A perfect combo of sweet & salty. The wedge salads were excellent- fantastic blue cheese dressing! If I ever went back, I would definitely order the fries and salad again. You are also supposed to get fried biscuits and apple butter with your entree. Ours never came. We didn't have the opportunity to point this out to the waitress until we were ready to leave, when she came with the check. She gave us them to go, but said her boss would not allow her to just discount the cost of them from our meal... we didn't really care to take them home and eat them cold. This place seems to be missing the details. The food could stay the same, but they could make some adjustments to give customers a much better experience. Add more staff members. Who can offer good service when there are too many customers for them to keep up with everyone?! Bring everything that is supposed to come with the meal. If two people are splitting a platter, bring them an extra plate (they did not). Bring extra napkins and maybe some wet-naps with the ribs. And bring a plate or bucket for the rib bones. I wish I had a better review to write about Smokehouse, I really do. I might go back in the summer to check out their rooftop lounge- sounds like a cool place- but I don't know. After this evening's experience, I am in no rush to return.
(2)Randy B.
We went to the Smokehouse because someone recommended their Brisket. It was more like a pot roast. It didn't really have a smokey flavor. The sweet potato fries were just okay, and actually tasted good with the sweet BBQ sauce. The best thing about the smokehouse is their beer selection. They had my favorite beer on tap: Bourbon Barrel Ale.
(3)Becky G.
Tried this place for lunch after some duckpin bowling...and am glad we stopped in! It's not for the health-conscious...but is pure guilty pleasure dining!! The onion rings were what drew us in, as we observed others enjoying them through the window when we walked by. We tried them...and they didn't disappoint. I had a smoked chicken sandwich that was a little dry, and would have benefitted from some bbq sauce or at least mayo. Flavor was good, though! They ran out of brisket just as we arrived, which was a bit disappointing as some in our group had been eyeing that. But they went with pulled pork and burgers instead and were very pleased with those choices. On the kids menu...they applesauce was chunkily delicious, and this place has THE BEST baked apples I have ever tried. If you want a tasty dinner, and can handle the guilt, I would definitely recommend giving this establishment in Fountain Square a try.
(4)Kellie S.
We stumbled upon the Smokehouse as we were on our way to the Meadery across the street. The Smokehouse on Shelby looks like a diner at the corner, but don't be mistaken as it is a great place to have a quick lunch or dinner. We had lunch, but the dinner looked great and well-priced as well. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich with beans and fries and it was great. Not to mention it was $6.25! My bf ordered the breaded tenderloin sandwich (which was as big as the plate) mac n cheese and fries. Everything we had was great. Service was friendly and very attentive. I'd love to go back to Indy for the 500 in May and I would definitely make a stop at Smokehouse on Shelby.
(5)Dan C.
I've given this place several chances, but I won't be suckered in again. With "Smokehouse" in the name one would expect some smoke flavor in the meat, but you'd be wrong. The pulled pork was stringy/tough, dry and flavorless. The sauce on the side was too sweet, with no other flavor note to balance it, and weirdly textured/grainy to boot. The baked beans were even worse. I wasn't expecting G.T. South's, Judge's or King Ribs quality, but it was even a few notches below utilitarian-grade-Q from Dick's. Heck, I would seriously be happier with mystery-meat BBQ from DQ/Arby's or even the plastic tub o' BBQ from Marsh. The super slow service isn't helping their case either.
(2)Mitch G.
The ribs, brisket, and pulled pork managed to be dry and slimy/fatty simultaneously. The service was slow and the attitudes terrible. I won't be back.
(1)Dav W.
Had dinner on Feb 3rd; wife & I ordered from the price fixed menu. Our appetizer was chili-cheese nachos (with light cheese); then for entrees we both ordered the pulled pork bbq, she had baked beans & krinkle fries, I had sweet potato fries x2. These were great but after the appetizer that could feed 6+ people, I couldn't finish my meal. Dessert was lacking something special, the brownie was rather bland & dry, but the icing was good. Overall, I would give it another go but stick with just entrees.
(4)Benjamin H.
I had heard such good things, but it failed to deliver. The pulled pork was dry, the sauce barely helped. The sides were virtually flavorless. Not the worst, but I'm not the biggest BBQ fan. I'll give it another shot at some point just to make sure.
(2)Libbie V.
Four and 1/2 stars. I swear, the food at Smokehouse just gets better and better every time I eat here. Too many BBQ places put more emphasis on their meats and the side dishes just seem to be an afterthought. But, not this place. The side dishes are excellent. And HUGE. The macaroni & cheese is cheesy and creamy and oh, so comforting - definitely not your Kraft or Velveeta crap. Also, the baked beans and the potato salad and cole slaw are definitely homemade and equally delicious. And, this is the only restaurant where I've gotten sweet potato fries that are fried crisp and aren't limp & soggy. But, the headliner here is the smoked meat. The pulled pork is tender, juicy, perfectly smoked and incredible. The smoked chicken is by far the best smoked chicken that I've had at any BBQ joint. The ribs have a unique dry rub that has quite a bit of cumin in it and it is excellent. I've always had good service here and I do like the atmosphere - a really large diner with old-fashioned booths and diner counters and big, vintage movie posters hanging on the walls throughout. And lastly, the prices here are so incredibly reasonable - especially when you take more than 1/2 of your meal home for leftovers.
(4)George W.
Brisket sandwich was excellent. My wife had pulled pork and loved it. Good price, good service. We were both happy. And full.
(5)Jeremy B.
A group of co workers an i went there for lunch one of the worst run places ever. I had the beef brisket which was delicious but the service was piss poor i wouldn't recommend this place but for maybe takeout. We waited for almost and hour for our food to come out while people who came after us were getting what they ordered
(1)Jennifer M.
The food was amazing!!! I'd give this place a higher review but our waiter was very unfriendly.
(3)Amanda B.
Brisket and sweet potato fries. Seriously, you won't regret it. The ribs are good, too, and you can order vanilla coke or sweet green tea to wash it down. Honestly though, if I could just order a giant platter of the hush puppies and apple butter and not feel like a gluttonous pig, I would. It would certainly be delicious, if not worth the calories! You'd be remiss not to dip the sweet potato fries into the apple butter as well...nomnomnom. Side note, I shouldn't write these reviews later when I'm hungry, now all I want is those crave-worthy hush puppies!
(4)Tom K.
The review average of 3 stars is spot on. The décor and atmosphere, like most of the businesses located in this building is great and worth stopping by once just for that. I asked the waitress about several items on the menu and she basically said she either hated the food or it made her sick. I appreciate that kind of honesty from a server. Really! I've been to too many restaurants where the server ends up being no help because they say everything is great. So how was the food? It was alright. I got the BBQ chicken breast. It came with hush puppies(yesssss) and I chose green beans and the sweet potato fries for my sides. The sides were good, sauce was alright but the chicken was sorta tough and nothing special. Price was right, 11 bucks for my meal. They have some pretty good beer on tap as well. Overall, not a bad place but nothing amazing. Definitely worth eating there once.
(3)John M.
Had dinner here with a large group (about 23) on 3/13/15. They were able to accommodate us, get the food reasonably together and WOW was it yummy! I had the pulled pork dinner. I didn't really care for the Raspberry Chipotle BBQ that I had on the side, but honestly the pork was spiced so well and was so juicy and tender you didn't need the BBQ sauce. The sides are homemade and they serve fried biscuits with apple butter which tops my list of comfy food must haves! The atmosphere is very cool and relaxed with a retro pub/diner decor. And did I mention THERE IS A BOWLING ALLEY ATTACHED?!?! Although we ate too much and didn't bowl, that is what took it over the edge for me!
(5)Ayla W.
I won't say I will never visit this place again because the serve was great, however the food was not so great. I ordered the breaded chicken and I thought it might have been catfish by the way it looked and tasted. My friend had the breaded fish and that look pretty good but I can't really speak for his sandwich. So I guess what I'm saying is try the restaurant, just not the fried chicken sandwich or Mac n cheese.
(2)Michael B.
This place has a nice location with a lot of potential. But it seems to have a little bit of an identity crisis - it has a diner-like atmopshere, BBQ name, and so so food. I've had the wings, pulled pork, and also tried the brisket, and the results ranged from decent to good. They do have great selection of local/regional beers, but for a BBQ centered menu I wasn't really impressed with the meat. There's not a lot of smoky flavor you get from cooking low and slow and that you'd expect from place called a smokehouse, and their three BBQ sauces were all over the map. Putting on my "zero real knowledge but I watch the food network sometimes" hat, simplifying the menu might do the place some good - either be a diner or BBQ joint and really go with it, because the in between place they are lurking doesn't quite work.
(3)Cahmelan P.
This place is in a great location but that is the only thing great about it. The food looks good but the flavor doesn't match up. I got the sampler which comes with ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also let you choose two bbq sauces which the chipotle raspberry is the only one memorable. The ribs were tender but lacked basic seasoning such as salt or some kind of sodium. The pulled pork was alright and the brisket was the only okay (nothing special). The only thing I would consider good are the fried biscuits and apple butter (mainly because I like apple butter). The mac and cheese tasted like it was made in a school cafeteria and the curly fries might as well have been heat lamp Arby's fries. The service was pretty good but the disappointment of the food is holding this place back. I'd eat here again if I had no other options or it was given to me, other than that it's not worth the money or time. Smoke house, do better.
(2)Lindsay R.
Super delicious. A friend and I went for Devour Downtown and were blown away. Everything was smoked, even our chicken wings. The chili is TO. DIE. FOR.
(4)Karen G.
I love BBQ. But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky. I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here. I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks. There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!). Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.
(2)William Aaron K.
It wasn't that this place was terrible. I mean the environment is nice, the service wasn't terrible, but I just wasn't into the nachos I ordered. I thought something was off about the taste. The cheese on it was kind of odd and there weren't a whole lot of toppings on it as I expected. I'd be willing to give it another try, but I hope that the experience will be better.
(2)Liz W.
This was some of the best bbq I have had! My boyfiend and I stopped here while visiting the city. The pulled pork sandwich was spot on. It came with two sides too. My boyfriend had the brisket sandwich that was kind of pricy but worth it. They were out of coleslaw was the only bummer but we did come at a later time so it's understandable. The service was very friendly. Highly recommend. :)
(5)Kayla S.
Food was just okay. Pulled pork was wonderful but that was the highlight of the meal. Pork tenderloin was good as was the grilled cheese. Sides were just okay: baked beans, mustard potato salad, curly fries, onion rings and cole slaw were good, apple sauce was bad and the mac n cheese tasted like Stouffers. Wine and beer list looked good, but they were out of two of their five white wines. Too bad, the place really seems to have some potential, just needs someone to step up and make it great. Saturday evening and there were only a handful of customers. Great atmosphere though.
(3)Randy T.
We took a large group for a business outing and had reservations. They had our table ready. The wait staff was very nice and did their job, outside of not informing us of the delay. For a group of 21, we had our food brought out to one or two people at a time over 45 minutes! What is worse is that it seemed as if this was ok to them until we complained to the manager. Food was good, location good and the duckpin bowling was a blast...but would never go here for food again due to the horrible handling of this.
(1)Giselle C.
Man, this place was mediocre in so many ways. One things that's great is that they give you masssiveeeee portions. Well, that may be because we ordered the sampler platter that came with everything when that could have easily been split between two, maybe even three people. Ribs were kind of flavorless, though cooked well and came right off the rib. Same goes for the pulled pork. I like my pulled pork like carnitas - fat juicy and full of flavor. Sadly, this was not our case. The best thing on our platter was the brisket. Only get the chipotle raspberry sauce. Don't order the sad macaroni and cheese that tastes like the cafeteria platter melted into the cheese. Don't get the seasoned curly fries because they aren't seasoned. Do eat the biscuits and dip all of it in the apple butter. Love yourself some meat and just want to fill up? Go here. Otherwise, look for flavor elsewhere.
(3)Iva H.
This is the place for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. They also have great wings. Friendly place and fun atmosphere. Local beer on tap makes it fine. Try the Mac and cheese as a side.
(4)Ellen S.
There are many other barbecue places superior to this one -- don't bother going. Specifically, we visited during devour downtown. The ribs I ordered were served cold. Very unappetizing when meat is cold. The restaurant only had 2 other patrons when we walked in, so they were not busy, my husband's beef brisket was dry and over cooked. The dessert--a brownie sundae--brownie was generic and so bad I couldn't eat it. Ice cream was okay. Overall, we both decided not a restaurant we will return to.
(1)Peter P.
This is a pretty decent barbecue place in an unlikely location (on the ground floor of a large building facing the fountain in Fountain Square). Prices are reasonable and you get a ton of food. I'm not sure where the smokers are (I assume they're in the back alley) but they're definitely working. The wings are some of the best in Indy. Not fried, but smoked of course.
(3)Jon C.
I love beef brisket, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Last week I was talking with someone about it and the craving hit, and I finally couldn't stand it any longer. I must have some. Now. Smokehouse on Shelby is one of my preferred places for BBQ, so off I went in search of something to satisfy my craving. "One beef brisket dinner please" I say, only to be told they were out of it. Sorry. My world almost ended right there. Instead, I went with the Pulled Pork dinner with green beans and cole slaw. The portion of meat was rather generous and I could only eat about half of it. While it wasn't what I had my heart set on, it was still good. Slaw was equally tasty, but the country green beans had a strange flavor. Being someone who grew up in the country and knows the #1 ingredient in country green beans isn't beans (it's bacon).. these were not tasty green beans and didn't taste like any country beans I've ever eaten. A friend ordered a cup of chili as an appetizer and I think there was more down the side of the dish than actually in the bowl. All told, the dinner was still really good and the service was decent too., even though I didn't get what I wanted and had to make a last minute change.
(3)Joy D.
Was not happy with our food I had brisket so dry looked like roast beef dried out! Husband had ribs dried out and had no smoked taste, greasy fried biscuits was best part of the meal! Not sure we would go back!
(1)Steve F.
All I can say is wow! I've heard so much about this place but I've never had the chance to try it until recently. I absolutely loved the brisket chili and the pulled pork barbecue plus the prices were very reasonable too. The ambience is very cool being located in the historic fountain square area with many locally owned shops surrounding the restaurant. I've been there twice in the past week and plan on taking my kids very soon. Truly a historic Indianapolis gem!
(5)Rick G.
Seeing some past reviews, I was a little "iffy" when we started our dinner, since we were with a fairly large group of out of town friends who were visiting Indy for a volleyball tournament. Turns out, my fears were unfounded. The service was absolutely stellar. Our server did a great job of keeping our drinks filled and checking on us, while giving us amble time to linger and visit a bit. The food also was above average. The brisket, while not the best I've ever had, was quite good indeed. Same goes for the breaded tenderloin....not one of the top 5 in Indy, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again. I thought the prices were VERY reasonable...a breaded tenderloin sandwich with TWO sides, was 7.99....that's a bargain, folks. We were very happy with our experience, and won't hesitate to visit again.
(4)Mandi B.
I would recommend the sweet potato fries! Best we have ever had! Brisket was good but not as tender as we hoped. I ordered potato salad and baked beans but was not a fan of either. Cole slaw was great though. We were very displeased with the service but would give the place another shot in the future (sweet potato fries will make us go back).
(3)Jenn N.
Stopped in for date lunch. I had the BBQ, the pork was cooked to perfection and I tried it with both the regular chipotle and sweet chipotle. I highly recommend the coleslaw as a side. It's creamy with a hint of celery seed. Great local beer menu and friendly service.
(4)Cory S.
Adequate... Ok on occasion but that's about it. The brisket Chili was the shining star, good flavor and meat. I had the brisket sandwich, it was okay. Not the worst brisket I've had but it could have been cooked a little longer. The flavor was missing something, could have used some more rub and crust. Wife had the pulled pork.. It was about the same, but good enough but not great. Service was slow for lunch time with only a handful of people there. Good thing my boss didn't mind my 90 minute break
(3)Nancy G.
This was only my second time eating at Smokehouse, this time I actually ate at the location. The food is AWESOME. I got the pulled pork sandwich, which was overflowing with pork. I line the fact that they put the sauce on the side so you can control how much you actually want. The restaurant itself is so nostalgic right in the heart of the historic Fountain Square area. It wasn't crowded which was great. The customer service was good, greeted us and took our orders and didn't have to wait long for the food. They have plenty of choices on regard to sides along with other items. They have a raspberry sauce that a friend of mine has and said was to die for. I will have to give a try next time. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and give it a try......, you won't be disappointed!!!
(4)Phil B.
Seriously some of the worst service we have gotten ever. Also the worst brisket ever, tuff, fatty and no flavor. Took 10 min for a server to acknowledge us. Only got a refill on soda when food arrived. Never was asked if everthing was ok. Lunch took about an hour and a half. They weren't busy. No personality from the server at all.
(1)Jarrod R.
Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor. As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant. **As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. ** While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin. However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion. Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!
(4)DeAnna P.
Ruben L -- you're nuts!! This place is great! I agree, service does come up a bit short. But that is my only complaint. Great kitschy atmosphere. The food was yum. Try the chipotle wings. Great flavor and perfectly cooked.
(4)Lothar M.
BBQ in a hip part of Indy, sounds like a sure miss... but it isn't! I have eaten here twice (so far) and both times I have been pleasantly surprised. The bbq meats are really tasty. The pulled port is very tender and both bbq sauces (honey sweet and chipotle spicy) are very tasty. Of the sides, I love the slaw. The interior and service aren't the best, but who cares. The Smokehouse on Shelby provides good bbq for decent prices.
(4)Alaina G.
Pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries was scrumptious! Fun atmosphere too. Huge portions - be sure to share!
(5)Rachael W.
After a long day of moving we popped in for some food stuffs. We were seated to the right of the entrance by the big window facing the fountain on Shelby St. Why do you care where we sat? There was an overwhelming, all encompassing, droning bass sound that persisted the entire time we were in the restaurant. When we asked our server what the noise was he looked at us like we were crazy and told us it was an industrial fan. PPFFFTTTTT! After about 20 mins of the sound I did think I was going a little off my rocker. It felt like the equivalent of water torture, or what I assume the equivalent of water torture would be. The sound became the focus of our time at the Smokehouse. In that aspect it was unpleasant. The food on the other hand was pretty good. The pulled pork with raspberry chipolte bbq sauce was good. I really liked the sweet potato krinkle cut fries (I'm a sucker for krinkle cuts); slightly sweet and really crispy. The mac & cheese was not exciting or really anything for that matter. Vanilla Coke = Awesome. My boyfriend got the beef brisket sandwich and preferred my pulled pork. The baked beans were really good with a nice smokey flavor. His creamy coleslaw was anything but creamy. In fact he said it was actually really quite dry and left most of it. Our server was really attentive and friendly. I would be interested in going back, but really it would be to investigate the constant bass sound.
(3)Dan K.
Pleasantly surprised, chili cheese dog was excellent. The smokey brisket chili was tasty, coleslaw had a good balance between veggies and dressing. Sweet potato fries were yummy as well. Would come again.
(4)Benson S.
I must be an easy grader.A friend and I went there Thursday last for lunch.Actually it was the second time we were there;the 1st being about 2 years ago.The reason we went back was simple.We couldn't remember a whole lot about the 1st time.Don't consider that an indictment of the food consider it more a testimony on our memories.Having worked in more than a couple of smoke houses in Texas,and even having owned one in New Mexico I have definite opinions about smoking meats and BBQ in general.Having said that I would call the pork a good example of pulled pork but not necesasarily smoked and pulled pig.The same can be said for the brisket.I couldn't detect much smokiness.The meat had more of a braised pot roast feel to it.Again it was a good sandwich just not what I expected from a "smokehouse". In either event the removal of excess fat before serving is usually a good idea.As for the sides we tried the fries ( yawn ) and the potato salad.The dressing was bland and the taters were a wee bit under cooked.I didn't encounter the problems some of the other diners encountered so I'll probably go back; I like pot roast.
(2)joe N.
Great FOOD. These guys do their meat right. we went there in February 2009. we had a group of 4 and tried about everything on the menu. They have teh Best Chicken wings i have ever had. and the pork. I have not tasted any better since the Kahlua pork Hawaii. their sauces were good but seriously the meat needed no sauce. it was that good. the ambiance is one of a kind. you just have to go try it to understand.
(5)Chris M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby two times. I don't exactly remember all i ate the first time, but what I do remember is that I left extremely satisfied and overstuffed. I know i had pulled pork and some wings. Both of which were good. My last visit was with a friend/coworker for a quick lunch before we went to a work meeting. We've discussed our favorite BBQ places in town and it came up that he had not been to this place. Being that it was fairly close, we went for it. The decor is fine by me. Better than some BBQ places I've been that seem like tables were just thrown in an empty strip mall storefront with no thought whatsoever. The staff was attentive and friendly upon our arrival. We looked dumb trying to walk in the wrong door, but they didn't laugh at us (in front of our faces at least). Anyway, I ordered a very reasonably priced brisket sandwich which came with my choice of sauce (i chose chipotle bbq) and two sides (mac 'n cheese and baked beans for me). I was stoked when my plate arrived. I noticed that the side dish portions were huge compared to other BBQ places I've been and the amount of brisket on the bun made me happy. The brisket is some of the best I've had. Awesome thick slices, great crust, and super tasty. The portion size was generous.The sauce was nice with just a bit of bite. I would've considered dumping some hot sauce on it, but the bottle on the table looked gross and watered down. The baked beans were great too with their sweet and tangy sauce. The mac and cheese was perfectly fine too, but out-shined by the brisket and beans. My friend got the pulled pork sandwich with the same sides and devoured it with compliments to the sandwich and beans as well. I will definitely be back!
(4)Ronald B.
Pretty good cheap meal
(3)Megan R.
I'll start by saying the beer selection was impressive and we liked several of the side items and biscuits. However, those weren't enough to salvage this experience. First, we waited about 15 minutes before our drink order was taken. A few of us had to request refills up at the bar because our waitress was rarely seen. One guy had a poorly washed glass given to him for his beer. The waitress recommended the smoked chicken and told one of our guys it was a large breast; what he got we all decided was a thigh that he loved until he saw it wasn't fully cooked. The salads were large and good, but my club sandwich was a little bland and dry. We were there at 7:30 and when we tried to order the brisket we were told they were out. Really? A BBQ place with no brisket? When we received our checks, three out of the five had to be redone because they had extra charges on them for drinks. The final straw was when saw they put the 20 percent gratuity on our checks for a party of ten or more. Not only did they not earn that tip, but there were only 9 of us. It appears they share staff and a kitchen with the restaurant next door and they told us at the end of the night they had2 people call in, but that doesn't explain away all the bad aspects of the evening. We are never eating there again. On a plus, the coffee shop across the street was great!
(2)Kari M.
I've been to Smokehouse on Shelby twice now. The first time was a decent meal in a cool building, but nothing terribly memorable. The second time (Saturday of this past weekend) was definitely memorable . . . and terrible. I had friends in town and we were seeing a show in Fountain Square, so I took them to Smokehouse beforehand to take in a little bit of the area. We were treated horribly by the waitstaff from the moment of our arrival. The hostess couldn't be bothered to seat us, despite the sign that said "Please Wait to Be Seated". Instead, she yanked out a chair and told us to pull it up to a booth because we couldn't have a table (there were MANY tables available, only one in the entire place being used and not a reserved sign to be seen). We then had to wait an extremely long time just to put in our drink orders (and, I should mention, there was hardly anyone in the restaurant - no reason for such slow service). When our drinks came, three of us had ordered iced tea. It was awful. It was as clear as the water our other two companions ordered and tasted like some watered-down sweet tea packet. When we complained (politely - everyone in the party has worked in food service and we know how taxing it can be), the server was sarcastic, rude, and treated us like we were stupid for saying anything. When we complained to another employee about this server, she offered little better. When the food came, it was all right, but certainly not worth the trouble we went through to get it. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, we were treated badly. Long story short: avoid this joint like the plague.
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