Hard Rock Café

I don’t understand how this chain is still in business. They’re a relic of the 70s and 80s that somehow continues to survive by people who think it’s a landmark and collect t-​shirts and pins. I’m not a collector of anything, so I just don’t get it. And my preference leans toward mom and pop non-​chain establishments.

Well, the counter staff over by the retail were all wonderful. I don’t remember all the names, but Jenny sticks out as having been helpful and friendly! The HRC had issues getting in the Indy500 pins for 2016 (they were shipped to San Diego, duh). But the staff continued helping me all week long until my return 4 days later, they even held a pin back for me, just to be safe.
Emily was the bartender who got me lunch (nice and quick b/​c I was in a rush). Thanks for the great service!
The «Legendary Burger» wasn’t bad, but I don’t know that it was actually ‘Legendary’.
Overall, staff was great, food was average.

Good food. Good atmosphere. Always fun to walk around and check out the memorabilia on the wall. The deck on top is fun to sit on and people watch below. This place fills fast so prepare o get there early or have a wait

I was really torn between a two and three star review on this one. Whenever the family and I are touring other cities, we make it a point to stop at a Hard Rock and get a bear whom we then name after a famous musician from the area.
For Mother’s Day this year, my wife thought we should stop by our very own Indianapolis Hard Rock. We’ve been to plenty of other cities and have Dan Auerbach and Johnny Cash and other similarly named bears to prove it :)
As a Applebee’s level restaurant, it was A-​OK, if a bit overpriced. The staff was fairly friendly. The food was good enough for what it was. But the Indianapolis experience was definitely a «Meh» as far as Hard Rocks go. The place is a bit smaller than a lot of Hard Rocks and a bit lighter on memorabilia. And the gift shop is especially tiny. We were super disappointed because they didn’t have any of the ubiquitous bears!
This visit was particularly quirky because they offered a Mother’s Day special at the door. They handed us a little flyer with no prices or info other than a list of select entrées to pick from for mom and the kids at what we assumed was a discounted price. But when the bill came and I asked why the prices were just the normal menu prices even though we ordered off the special flyer menu we were told that the Mother’s Day special was actually MORE expensive because the kids had to go do some unnamed activity. By unnamed activity I mean the waitress said «Oh, did you’re kids want to do that thing next door?» We didn’t know what «that thing» was, and there was no mention of it on the flyer. So we said no, we were happy to save money by paying the full menu price for ordering off the limited selection Mother’s Day menu. We pretty much got a shrug from the waitress for that response and just paid. So that kinda super sucked.
Overall, it’s passable. If you’re a Hard Rock fan, you should stop by to add a notch in your belt. Will we go back? Seems pretty unlikely.

Whenever I am in town for a Pacers vs Celtics game at the nearby Bankers Life Fieldhouse, I make a point of doing a pregame dinner at the Hard Rock Café. You could say it’s the convenience, as the restaurant is barely blocks away from the arena, my lack of imagination, or my unfamiliarity with Indianapolis, but the truth is, I’ve been to nearly a dozen Hard Rock Cafes from San Francisco to Paris & value their consistency in quality & service & the Indianapolis location is no exception.
My litmus test is always the Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Sandwich (if you screw up grilled chicken, you are in dire need of help). But they stuck the landing. My server was on point with drink refills & service was quick, despite the gradually increasing crowd.
Of course, if you’re a rock & roll fan, you’re probably there for the memorabilia & there’s plenty of that to see.
I might say I was a little bit disappointed that with all the hype over the 30^th anniversary of Hoosiers & the «Hickory Pacers» uniforms, that they didn’t produce a pin to commemorate that. I might say that, but I’d reveal myself to be a bit of a dork.
Check this place out. Good food. Good service & unbeatable location when considering pre-​event options at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Not a bad place to enjoy dinner downtown. Typically loud and crowded, this Hard Rock also has a special room dedicated to Michael Jackson (from Gary, Indiana). The employees are all happy and upbeat, singing and being friendly with each other and guests. Our waitress recognized us from our first visit (over a year ago) and remembered tidbits about my family. I was impressed! I typically order the same thing at every Hard Rock, the Hickory Barbeque Bacon Cheeseburger with a side salad. The salad was fresh and crisp, the burger was cooked to perfection. Everything was delicious. As a side note, I recommend any Hard Rock to parents of teenagers. They really seem to enjoy all the rock paraphernalia from famous artists as well as the music videos that are plsying on the several televisions throughout the restaurant.

Quickie Review: A positive Hard Rock experience!
I’ve been here a handful of times and the service has always seemed to be great given the occasions. Yeah it might be a bit expensive for a casual outing, but otherwise I find the pricing to be ok and that’s coming from someone who likes to be tight.
I’ve always enjoyed the mac and cheese and it hasn’t disappointed me yet, knock-​on-​wood. The nachos are also a great staple to share. Every time I go I can’t resist getting a drink that comes with a souvenir glass, but at least they make great gifts!

Great food. You have to try caesar salad, its the best salad I ever had. Fajita wasn’t that good. Its little bit pricy, but it’s affordable once a month or two.

25 mins at lunch still no sign of food.

Wow, this sucked! Hamburger simultaneously burnt but served cold. Waitress walked away while I tried to get a drink not once but twice.

I’m sure if I was drinking alcohol the food would be better. Bottom line, don’t go here with an expectation of eating anything good or warm for that matter. I guess Hard Rock Café also specializes in Hard Rock food… I chipped my tooth on the onion rings — Thanks!
P. S. — Yard House is a much better option. And no I don’t work there, but I do eat there.

I was here for a private event recently, and thought it was really nice. I hadn’t visited in quite some time, so I didn’t really know what to expect. The food was good, the service was better, and of course the ambience was rockin… Pun intended.

I was in town for lunch and decided to stop here at the Hard Rock Café. Everyone was very friendly and prompt and the food we ordered was great as well. Will definitely return!

Stopped on the way to Cincinnati for lunch.
Staff was very friendly, and food was great! Didn’t take long to get our food after we ordered.

The Hard Rock Café had fair food and the worst mixed drinks and alcoholic beverages I’ve ever tasted. They taste like they were made with bottled lemon juice with preservatives in it. I would never order an alcoholic beverage from the bar again there. I must say though, the service was excellent! The only complaint is they need to overhaul the bar and use natural ingredients or better mixes.

Overprice food so expensive and very boring hard café so pricey so crap of food for the price bunch of crap crap more like pop café

Went in and had a few drinks. Our really nice waitress asked if we wanted anything from the kitchen before it closed. I said no then later asked if I could get fries and she checked and said I could. When she came back we asked if we could pay and go outside and get more drinks since it’ll be another waitress. She said yes no problem. Well we go outside and that waitress totally ignored us but brought other people drinks and food. So I went in side and tried to get a drink and the bartender said we’re closed. So I’ll told her we’re inside but went outside and our waitress ignored us. So the bartender says well I’ll make u one drink and that’s it! So I told her to keep her drink. So our orginal waitress saw me and asked if everything was alright. I told her she was great but the rest of the staff was really rude!!! Not cool!!!

I’ve been to better Hard Rock Café locations than this one. My impression might be a bit swayed by the fact that I was here for a special event, but the food was mediocre at best and while it was served up buffet style much of it was cold or otherwise not desirable. I wouldn’t want to repeat this experience to be honest.
That said the room is well appointed and pretty convenient to use for our special function where we closed the entire restaurant down for our group. The staff seemed kind and enthusiastic if a bit stressed from the sheer numbers of us, and the unusual nature of closing down a restaurant of this size for our group.

Omg!!! Totally loved Indy’s Hard Rock! The food was amazing!!! Service Rocked! The atmosphere is wonderful! A must stop when in downtown Indy

I found myself with a few hours to kill in downtown Indy tonight as I’d decided to not return home after work before attending a meeting at the nearby Indiana State Museum. After contemplating a few options for dinner, I decided to revisit Indy’s Hard Rock Café, a place I’d been before but will admit it has been quite a while (as in years).
I’m operating under the assumption that I don’t have to really explain Hard Rock Café — In fact, my last Hard Rock visit was actually in Pittsburgh 3 – 4 years ago and that had really reminded me that I enjoy the atmosphere. On the really off chance you don’t know, Hard Rock Café is a rock n’ roll themed international restaurant chain decked out with rock n’ roll memorabilia, video screens playing videos, occasional live shows, and nearly constant overhead music of a rock n’ roll variety. It’s a warmly decorated place that always has a sort of buzz about it — Hard Rock Cafes tend to have a very loyal following, though I’d personally say they also tend to be pretty touristy.
Located smack dab in downtown Indy at 49 S. Meridian St., Hard Rock Café is a notch above the usual touristy fare. While anyone in a wheelchair will have to deal with parking in the area, the truth is downtown Indy does fairly well for those with disabilities with accessible street spots (metered, of course) pretty regularly and lots of parking garages around. I’ll usually recommend the nearby Circle Centre Mall’s lot as it’s affordable, but you can also check for meter prices and those times when the meters are free. The restaurant’s front door is wood and pretty light. You enter and immediately see the gift shop area on the left, a host area straight ahead and the surprisingly sizable dining area beyond that. There’s a large combo of booths and tables — I’d probably say mostly booths.
The menu includes starters, salads, sandwiches, burgers, smokehouse (plus sandwiches), entrees, desserts, etc. As is true of every Hard Rock, they have their gift area and a full-​on bar. As I’d splurged a little at lunch, I opted to stay fairly healthy (okay, I’m lying. It wasn’t even close to healthy. It was, however, within my dietary regimen). I ate a pulled chicken sandwich that came with fries, cole slaw, and beans. I also ordered my usual unsweetened iced tea.
The sandwich was quite good and arrived with extra sauce. It was a plentiful sandwich on a brioche bun. The sandwich looked like it would be messy, but it was cooked in a way that made it look and feel plentiful, but it for the most part all stayed on the bun. I’d say there was a certain artistry to it. The cole slaw was in a small metal cup — it was good, but I wouldn’t necessarily push it. The french fries were lightly seasoned — good and probably better than you’d expect from a touristy type place. They’re not among my favorites, but they complemented the meal well. I didn’t eat the beans because, well, I’m a paraplegic and I’m pretty sure my completely nice server wasn’t anxious to clean up a spastic paraplegic eating beans.
The hostess was friendly and helpful, placing me at a four-​top in a corner near the bar. I didn’t get the sense I was being put «out of the way,» a message I do sometimes get in places. However, I did get the sense she wasn’t entirely disability familiar. This is a learning experience, but given how much they deal with tourists it surprised me a bit. For example, my table was behind a column and the chair clearly needed moved — typical servers would have moved the chair without asking. I had to move it myself, though she eventually jumped in. However, she was friendly — it really seemed like a knowledge thing.
My server, Vanessa, was friendly and attentive. I did get my iced tea refill and didn’t feel rushed out the door. She checked in periodically, but not obsessively. I will say I thought the service seemed very much like that I expect from a touristy place — I didn’t sense they were invested in my return. Maybe because most of their customers don’t? The service was perfectly fine — just not the kind that made me think «Man, I missed that place.» For a $ 20+ meal, I’d expect just a notch higher at least.
If I had my way, I’d probably go a 3.5 star rating for both food and service. Ultimately, with Hard Rock you pay a little more for the experience and I enjoyed that experience. The music is loud, but not intrusive. I really like it. However, to get even a 4-​star from me I have to really feel like you want me to return and I didn’t get that feeling tonight. I was treated well, but when I left the Pittsburgh Hard Rock I spent days wishing I’d been able to go back. Yes, I was treated that well. So, good to almost very good service… good to almost very good food… a terrific atmosphere and fun experience. Who knows? Maybe I will go back in the near future and that 4^th star will be up for grabs!

It had been a LONG time since the last time I went to a Hard Rock Café, and was really not excited when my friend suggested it for an evening out. Luckily, I didn’t mention it and we went – it was not the overpriced, underwhelming food I remembered.
I ordered the fried shrimp with French fries and cole slaw. Delicious! I cleaned my plate, which seriously never happens. My friends were all happy with their orders as well.
My suggestion is, if you haven’t been to the Hard Rock Café for a while for some reason or other, that you give it another shot. I’m glad I did!

It’s a fun place, the staff bend over backwards for you, the drinks are strong, which some people like. Start with the appetizer starter with the fabulous biscotti, chicken wings which you can get the sauce on the side, chicken tenders, onion rings are really good, the artichoke spinach dip.
Let the Music play!

I went with my friends, there were seven of us so I thought the service would be slow. But the waitress was quite nice and funny with us. One of my friends dropped salt on the table by accident; the waitress was nice about it and cleaned it. Great service and great food as well. The food took awhile but it was totally worth it.
Once the restaurant closed, we were the last customers yet the staff did not rush us whatsoever. We all had a great experience. Would definitely visit again!

Why is this place still open? After my visit tonight I remembered why I haven’t been here in over 10 years. If you strip away the name and memorabilia this place would have been closed a long time ago. This place got an extra star because the Michael Jackson room is so freaking cool. Other than that, again, I ask, why is this place still open? On my most recent visit I ordered the club sandwich, which one would think is a no brainer. I paid 11 bucks for some toasted white bread, shredded chicken, and some bacon. The shredded chicken was dry along with the white bread that was toasted a bit too long. Aaaccckkk! I need water stat to overset the dryness. I mean they couldn’t add a slice of cheese. Oh, the fries were good. Although I enjoyed being with my friends tonight I will continue to avoid this place at all cost. It’s a fun place to visit to explore the memorabilia, but where it counts, the food, it is just plain baaaadddd!

We did not plan to come here, but ended up dining in the bar area becuase all the other independant/​small business restaurants in the area were more than a 45 minute wait. It was on a Thursday night and was going to a concert at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Expected wait time was 20 – 25 minutes, which we thought was not bad. They told us we are welcome to dine at the bar if there is any seats available. So we decided to go there. It took us 20 minutes before they took our order and then had to wait an extra 10 minutes to get my drink. I know they were super slammed, but I was getting anxious. I just want to make sure that we make it to our concert on time. The bartender was very apologetic and was working hard to get our order out.
I ordered the Barbeque Salmon with mashed potatoes and broccoli. I had no problems with the food. The fish was cooked exactly the way I want. Food was fresh, hot and very delicious.
I really like the atomosphere at Hard Rock, but it’s not my first choice to go.
Restaurant and Bathrooms clean.