Meridian Restaurant & Bar

Perhaps my favorite restaurant for out of town family and friends. Love the atmosphere, the service, the dining areas, the menu. I’m never disappointed.
And when I accidentally knocked over my cocktail glass while passing a basket of rolls, Erika immediately replaced the drink without my even asking. No guilt, just a resolution with a smile.

Always wonderful!

My wife and I went here for an anniversary dinner while visiting Indy for the weekend. The food was very good and the service was OK. There were big time gaps between visits from our server, but we were in the bar area and I could see that she also had tables outside. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu, though. They were aware that it was an anniversary dinner so they brought us some delicious chocolate as well.

I wanted to go to this place for a very long time. I see it everyday while going to work. This a very classy and upscale restaurant. We were escorted to our table and right away got the menu’s. Our server told us about the special entrée of the night. We were given enough time to select what we needed. The food timing was good after every course they gave us some time before the next meal came. We were not rushed at all. They gave us enough time to eat and enjoy the meal.
Food was presented really nicely and was good. I ordered the lamb and my wife ordered the duck. Both the entrée’s were really good. My wife loved the chicken soup. We will definitely visit again. Thanks

Service was excellent. We had the yellow fin crudo appetizer, some craft cocktails, the famous corn purée soup which was okay. I had a kale salad which was ok with chicken. Chicken add on was more than the salad. my husband had the lamb loin. Nice enough atmosphere, but nothing blew me away. I would pick some of the more daring options on the menu and stay away from items you can get anywhere when I go back. Do recommend trying but I won’t be rushing back. The cocktails were strong, which was a nice.

Stopped in for the chocolate torte cake and a glass of port wine. So yummy and this dessert is a MUST! Definitely enough to share for two.

Wonderful service! John was our waiter for Easter dinner and he was very knowledgeable about the food menu and wine list. I’d highly recommend the corn purée soup. Our waiter said it was rated one of the top soups in the city for the past five years. It is a sweet corn flavor with a smoky after taste. The pork chop with apple butter was also wonderful. I’ve had the donuts before for dessert, and highly recommend them. I like the ambiance of the place too. It has wide beam wooden rafters, electric candles and a fire place. I hope to come back another time for dinner on the patio!

Warm and intimate atmosphere. Professional service. Interesting seasonal menu. Location away from downtown and Broad Ripple is nice.

Great atmosphere. My wife and I came here for our annual «between Christmas and New Years» date. We were seated next to the fireplace. It is a great, quite place for a date. The wine list has a lot to choose from and the chocolate martini was well made. There were also many local brews on the beer list.
The food was good — tasty, well prepared, and nicely presented.
They try to use local ingredients when possible. My octopus was not local (I would image), but it was very good — it was the first time I had octopus. I tasted my wife’s chicken and it was well prepared also.
My only complaint is that there were some ingredients in some of the dishes that I felt should have been listed on the menu. The two I am speaking of:
1 — the chocolate martini had mint in it. I don’t think that is a standard and I would not have ordered it if I knew it contained mint
2 — my wife salad had anchovies on it — I traded her salad for my soup (my soup was better) as she doesn’t like seafood. I liked the salad, but again, that should have been in the description.
Overall, it is pricey, good food, great service, great place for a date, quiet. (leave the kids at home for this one).

Best food in Indianapolis was the claim.
6:30 p.m. was the reservation.
5-​stars was the experience.
Kudos to the server, chef, and team at Meridian Restaurant & Bar for a wonderful, yet expensive meal that was worthy of cancelling our down-​town steakhouse reservations in every way … but, first, kudos to the convention crew that recommended Meridian. This small home-​style restaurant in the nice part of town served culinary excellence away from the tourist hype that surrounds the Convention Center and downtown Indianapolis.
A gentle and knowledgeable server walked us through the menu and brought some fairly pedestrian complimentary Bread Rolls and a round of IPAs. And then it was on …
* Taste of Indiana Meats, Cheeses, and Mustards — Go local or go home.
* Macaroni and Cheese — Creamy ‘n cheesy
* Bone-​in Ribeye Steak with Gratin and Collared Greens — Big ‘n Tender
* Boar Bolognese — Perfect pasta and Wild Boar = you saying moah
* Shrimp & Pork Belly — Get this for the pork and view large shrimp as a side
* Fresh Donuts — You don’t need them. You WANT them.
* Carrot Cake — Meridian’s most popular dessert for a yummy reason
Our small group left satisfied x 5.
8:30 p.m. was the time.
The best food in Indianapolis? Meridian.

I’ve been to Meridian for lunch and dinner, and I much prefer it for lunch (food has got to be REALLY on point for me to pay $ 20-​$ 40 a plate). The lunch menu is great and at the right price (around $ 10 – 15 a plate). On my most recent trip, I came with a group of girlfriends. They took a reservation for us and had a nice table set up in the corner. The atmosphere is really cozy – lots of dark hardwood and an upscale cabiny feel. I got the quiche lorraine, which was delicious and just the right size. One friend got the enchiladas and LOVED them. Some others got the steak frites and fall risotto and thought those were very good, too. The staff is attentive but not overbearing. Would come back for a nice lunch with friends in an instant!

Grabbed it via Open Table. Saw the great reviews and had to try it. Upon arrival I remembered this was Dodd’s Townhouse many years ago. They had to retain the tasteful log cabin interior, but it works.
We were seated right away even though we were 20 minutes early for our reservations. Everything just got better from there.
Our cocktails were quick to the table and well prepared. Our Fried Oyster appetizer was equally quick and amazing. Just watch out for the Sriracha, which was presented on the side.
It’s American fare, but exquisite. Great dishes. Steak, chicken, pork chop, etc. But also serving venison, boar, and duck. Everything sounded delicious on the menu, so it was hard to choose. Thankfully, it’s a concise menu. I am a big fan of short and amazing menus.
After the typical debate over what to share, we decided on a wonderful duck trio dish and venison osso buco. It only took us a few bites to realize we made excellent choices. We were overwhelmed with the flavor, but also a power outage. That’s where it gets interesting.
The service became calm, cool and amazing. The servers quickly addressed the the situation and then went back to work. Don’t get me wrong. It was dark. Pretty soon the chef came out, stood on a chair and gave us an update. We all applauded.
We finished our amazing meal via the fake candlelight at the table, signed away our credit card on a post card, and left satiated with some amazing American cuisine, in a beautiful setting, with a staff that knows service.
Go there.

Food we tried: burger, steak frites, risotto, barley soup. The best item was the burger, which is about par for this part of the country. Unfortunately the chefs (cook?) don’t seem to know how to execute on the other items we tried and we were not satisfied with our meals.
On top of that, service was on the rude side possibly because we were eating with our kids. In fact we were greeted after our OpenTable reservation with the comment «we don’t have kids menus». We didn’t ask for kids menus thank you.
The ambience of the restaurant could be nice but the staff kept dragging chairs around the floor and rearranging tables. I would suggest lifting the chairs when moving or adding felt bottoms to your chairs. It would create a lot less noise.
We won’t be back. Good luck.

Heads up: this review is a LOVE Fest because our evening at The Meridian was OFF THE HOOK! We were there as a large party to celebrate my birthday. Casey, our server, was FANTASTIC– super attentive, informative and went above and beyond to make our evening memorable. (See the goofy sneak selfie he took while taking or group photo — i think he looks like pink panther inspector closseau– lol)
My beverage of choice was the Mango Tango martini, a delicious fruity sensation that was so good you just wanted to dive in the glass!
The food, OMG the food was ahhh-​amazing; everyone at our table loved their dishes. The favorites were:
Smoked Corn purée– crazy good! Brussels sprout salad– try it, you’ll love it. Mac-​n-​cheese, such cheesy goodness. Bone-​in Ribeye was fantastic and Crystal Valley Chicken was really good too– these were popular dishes at our table. If you have a hankering for pasta our table also enjoyed the Wild Boar Bolognese.
Since it was my birthday celebration I ordered one of their carrot cakes for our birthday dessert. (You can order 3 different cakes 24 hours in advance) it was deeeeeeelish – super moist!
The interior is beautiful and adds to the splendor of your experience. GO– You’ll have a lovely evening!

I’ve largely ignored Meridian as I drive by it on an almost daily basis. Maybe because of its location or maybe of its subtlety — for whatever reason this restaurant was not on my radar. And that is completely my mistake.
To say I was shocked by this historic gem is an understatement. The ambiance is fantastic — one friend commented that he would love to see it around the Christmas holidays. Its rough-​hewn log walls are endearing. The service was friendly and knowledgeable. And the food was delicious in its simplicity.
This was an awesome experience and I look forward to visiting again (maybe near Christmas).

This restaurant is located in what once was a house on Meridian Street. It is extremely welcoming and the interior gives off a historic-​but-​trendy vibe. I went with a larger party and was seated at a corner table where it was a little too dim for my tastes.
Staff was friendly but our waitress seemed a little confused — she had to come back to the table a few times to clarify our orders. Why not just write it down in the first place? The menu is eclectic — a little bit of everything different. I got the wild boar bolognese and it was very good.

I went on a Saturday evening at opening for dinner. This is a nice restaurant that looks like a large green house on the outside. It was clean and the server was friendly and professional. They allowed an outside bottle of sparkling cider with a small $ 5.00 corking fee. I had the lamb which was juicy and delicious. I had a side of Mac and cheese. It was Mac and cheese made with a sauce it wasn’t the baked type. It was extra cheesy. The restroom was clean. There is one woman’s restroom. They can get another restroom considering the size of the place. think it’s a great place for celebrations or a nice romantic evening.

Wow. Just wow. Okay, not *just* wow, I will give you a review…
For my birthday this year my husband was asking around his office for suggestions on where he should take me. This suggestion came up (along with a threat containing some salty language regarding the huge mistake it would be to not get the corn purée). So we went. It. was. excellent. The corn purée was ah-​maz-​ing. I also had a lovely cocktail and delicious fish entrée. Everything was just outstanding.
Now let me tell you about the look of the place and how fancy-​pants you will feel eating here. From the outside it looks like a cute little house, inside it’s the most beautiful and romantic log cabin you’ve ever seen. All of the lighting is candles so it’s very warm and cozy. I felt there needed to be a bearskin rug somewhere.
In summation: go here for your next fancy occasion. The food, drinks, and ambiance are all excellent. …and get the corn purée.

I finally made it here for dinner last week and am wondering why it took me so long! I wanted to take my parents, who were visiting from out of town, out for a nice dinner somewhere they hadn’t been before. We had an absolutely amazing meal start to finish!
We started with cocktails, which, just as a warning, they mix fairly strong here, so definitely good to sip slowly over appetizers! I had one with pear vodka that was delicious! We enjoyed the smoked trout a great deal, and, as others have noted, the roasted corn purée was wonderful! Do not skip that course. The fresh rolls that accompanied the soup were warm and seemed to be right out of the oven.
I had the pork cassoulet for my entrée. How can you go wrong with pork belly, tenderloin and a cabbage roll? Everything was so good! Each item was delicious on its own, and the combination of the pork, beans and sauce was absolutely perfect! My dad had this as well, and he was impressed that each item was cooked perfectly and flavored so nicely. My mom had the lamb entrée and enjoyed it so much she was still talking about it the next day.
For dessert we shared two orders of the donuts and coffee which were delicious! Fresh donuts that are shaken in sugar table side just before serving with the coffee cream. Oh, these were good!
The wine list is quite nice. There was a nice selection of reasonably priced bottles that paired well with the menu items.
Service was excellent, and the atmosphere was relaxing and very tastefully decorated for the holidays! We loved the fireplace and holiday wreaths and other greenery! Meridian also gets bonus points from me for doing an excellent job timing courses. Courses came out at a relaxed pace that allowed us to really enjoy everything!
I’d definitely suggest reservations for a Friday or Saturday night as the dining room was pretty full.
I will definitely be back soon!

What a fantastic dining experience it was. I was visiting the second time and had brought along a friend to celebrate her new job. We tried their fois gras (new item) and the corn purée soup for appetizers. For entrée I had the crusted flounder and my friend had the duck confit.
Service — 5 star+ :)
Ambience — 5 star
Food — 4 stars.
Here’s why — the fois gras was not the best I have had. Far from it. I would rather they serve it over real caramelized onion instead of what felt like a paste of caramelized onion. And they added not so crisp biscuits to the dish which quite spoiled it. It’s certainly not worth the $ 20. Of course my expectations were set high since I’ve been to Paris where I was introduced to this dish. The corn soup was par excellent and has won the best soup in Indy for a reason. My founder was mediocre and nothing to write home about. The duck confit which I tasted a bit was also good but didn’t have the wow factor.
Lastly we had the doughnuts which is a must try at this place. They make them fresh bring it in a brown bag with cane sugar and shake it beside your table. Then they pour it on a plate and serve it with a mix of expresso and mustard sauce and whipped cream. Esoteric!
But for the flounder and fois gras they would have got a 5 star. I will be back here again since I have promised myself to try all their meals. Enjoy!

Went here Saturday night for our first night out without our baby in 9 months, so it was special. I made reservations and let them know it was date night so they would hopefully sit is somewhere secluded (they didn’t). When we arrived (around 6pm) I asked if we could be seated by the fireplace. The waitress told me no because people reserve those spots which I understood. That was until we left at 730pm and there was still no one seated there. That really annoyed me.
Besides that one thing, the rest of the experience was awesome. We had a great waiter who made us feel welcome and helped with our selections. I had read a few reviews before arriving so a had a few ideas on what to try. To start, we had the corn purée soup and the potato soup and both were great! For dinner I had the beef and my fiancé had the salmon. We also got the mac n cheese to share which I have to say is as amazing as everyone else (on Unilocal) said it would be. My fiancé could not stop raving about the salmon and I thuerally enjoyed my meal as well. One thing I would like to change is that the entrees are a little expensive seeing as how you have to buy the sides at an extra charge but I will still be going back regardless. Just this time I know to specifically ask for the seat next to the fireplace.