Oakleys Bistro

We had a fabulous dinner! Food was amazing! Oakley’s is our new favorite spot! Tennessee egg rolls are the best!!!

My husband and I have been here twice; most recently, we went for their New Years Eve prix fixe dinner. It’s one of our favorite restaurants in Indianapolis and consider it one of the more sophisticated ones. We don’t like going to pricey restaurants and being served mediocre food (like some other joints around town), but this place is legitimately delicious.

We had an absolutely disastrous experience tonight, December 31^st. I am a fan of this restaurant since 2008. I had a reservation for 6 plus a child for 5pm tonight, new years eve.
First course: the waiter muddled up all of our courses and didn’t even put in my order of Ahi Tuna
Second course: the waiter muddled up all of the orders and again didn’t put in my meal, which therefore arrived about 10 minutes after everyone else. My girlfriend’s order of Filet Mignon medium well appeared to be medium rare. In order to cause the minimum of fuss I took her meal, and we asked the waiter to do another order of filet medium well done. I’m afraid his colleague brought out another medium rare and we had to send that back
Third course: the waiter took orders for individual deserts and failed to let us know that the desert was a sampler, so no-​one got what they were expecting.
Most appallingly, the waiter completely failed to cater for our 2 and a half year old. All he managed to bring for her the whole meal was mashed potato.
Finally, when we asked him for bread he said no, there was no bread tonight. When my father asked him if the two and a half year old could look in the kitchen he also said no.
Its new years eve and Im trying not to be upset but this was just terrible beyond belief. I love this restaurant but I don’t think I can go back after tonight.

Just had the most disappointing experience at Oakley’s — the scene of our first date. The waiter messed up my boyfriend’s first course, second course, brought me two medium rare filet’s instead of medium well and then didn’t understand that the dessert course was a sampler and confused all of us who placed individual orders. Plus was disagreeable in trying to find a few simple foods for a 2.5 year old and claimed they had no bread. To top off, the manager did not apologize for any of it and they still charged us full price for entire meal. I am so sad as it was a restaurant that had very special significance but after that poor service I will not go back.

I love Oakleys! It’s my favorite place to eat of all time. I love that the menu is seasonal, also the appetizers! The menu changes often so it’s very seldom run out of things to try… But I eat there about every 2 months or so, and I can maybe catch a meal that I really love still on there. Except I never do, because picking any entrée is absolutely astounding! You can never go wrong with the deviled eggs and shrimp corndogs, excellent choice! I have eaten there so often, I’ve never had a bad experience. Im always telling people that I know or meet that they should try it out. And I’m always apauled when they say they have never heard of it. I will rant and rave of this place. And I will be very disappointed if someone doesn’t have the same experience as me. It’s nice seeing the chef and owner of the restaurant right there cooking your meals across from the dinning room. I believe the chef won the ACF for best resteraunt of the year in 2014. I’m a huge fan of this resteraunt and of Oakley! Keep up the amazing work!

I can walk to this location from my home, but I had not tried Oakley’s yet. I regret having waited so long.
The entire experience felt very polished without being too frou-​frou. The service was impeccable at lunch even though I sat at the small (4-​seat) bar. I asked for a fall drink recommendation and my server/​bartender created a perfect concoction for the season.
The menus (separate lunch and dinner) were also seasonal and I was very happy with my lunch selection (French onion soup and short rib tart). The price was reasonable ($ 15) for the quality of the food I received. My one criticism would be the portion size for the tart was a little on the small side and the petite greens seemed a bit of an afterthought.
When my server mentioned the crème brûlée, I had to try it (I usually don’t order dessert at lunch, but I have a crème brûlée problem). Boy am I glad I have no willpower. It was absolutely perfect. The crème was the ideal sweetness and consistency and the bruleed top added just the right crunch to every bite.
Note: I must try the gravy sometime. I had only been sitting at the bar for 20 minutes when 3 people came in to pick up their Thanksgiving gravy orders and another 4 or 5 people called about their gravy orders or to try and order some. Those who had not reserved the gravy were out of luck as there is a limited quantity (it’s made in 1 big batch and that’s it).

I come here every November with a group of friends, partly to get the delicious butternut squash maple soup they have in the fall. But the entire menu is great. From all the inventive appetizers to the gorgeous delicious entrees, to the fantastic desserts and the great service. The highlight of my autumn every year! (Not to mention they are great any other time of the year, too!)

Went here on my birthday on a Thursday night. The ambiance was odd. It’s in a strip mall, the average customer age was 55 years old, inside was large with a lot of tables, but not so many booths. Tip– indicate that you want a booth when you make the reservation if you are so inclined.
We were thinking of getting a bottle of wine, but the cocktail menu looked fun so tried that instead. We wish we would have done wine. The basil gimlet tasted like there was lavender in it. I was not a big fan. The mule came with a dried Apple, but be warned should not be eaten if you try it, it tastes like rubber.
The food and service was the highlight of the night.
The risotto that came with the tilapia was amazing! It was decadent and with the crunch of corn added great texture.
I want to come back for their Tuesday night wine tasting.

A different dining experience from the chain restaurants that are on every corner. My husband was not overly impressed with the meatloaf, not flavored enough. I kinda felt the same way about my salmon, actually needed to salt it. Presentation of all dishes was excellent. Sides were delicious and had wonderful flavors. Large selection of cocktails and after dinner coffees. A bit pricey to be a regular stop but maybe a special occasion location.

Wow!
Came here for dinner on a Thursday night and was blown away. I love their creative takes on traditional foods. They come up with combinations of flavors I have never heard of before and everything was spectacular and plated beautifully.
I got the garlic and basil waffle topped with lobster and it was stunning. Then had the tilapia with corn risotto and fresh veggies and it was lovely! My mom enjoyed the salmon and my dad loved his pork. Dessert was the strawberry dome cake. All heavenly.

I came here for dinner while attending a conference and was thoroughly pleased. The pinot wine was delicious, the butternut squash soup incredibly tasty, and the lobster waffle outstanding! I hope to dine here again when visiting Indianapolis.

My husband and I ate here on Saturday night. The service was great, the food was unique and beautifully presented. Most importantly, everything was very tasty. We had the cordon bleu deviled eggs, toad in the hole salad, the chipotle meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and for desert the peanut butter and jelly. I would definitely go again and highly recommend it.

I’m going to get right to the point. If you have yet to try this place (or haven’t been here recently) do yourself a favor, drop everything you are doing and go! Now let’s get to the specifics:
Service– phenomenal. Our server was extremely helpful, knowledgeable (without being pretentious), personable and was there when we needed but didn’t hover.
Food– I must say we couldn’t choose one appetizer so we decided to order several of them and skip the entrees. Our server said the entrees are very large, so we stuck to several smaller portions. The food is very well seasoned and executed and the menu offers a wide variety. There was not one dish of the 8 we had that we did not devour to the last drop.
A big thanks for the staff and chefs for such a delicious and enjoyable evening!

Wow is easily the first word that comes to mind on our first trip to Oakleys. My wife and I went here to celebrate both out anniversary and my birthday and we couldn’t have been more pleased with our evening out.
When we arrived we were promptly seated at the chefs table over looking the kitchen which was an extremely awesome way to experience our meal. Then only difficult thing of the evening was trying to narrow down what we wanted to eat off of the actual menu.
For starters we got a few different items which were bone marrow (which was a specialist for the evening), duck confit almonds, and Tennessee «Eggrolls». All three of these were outstanding with the Bone marrow possibly being the shining star of the three. With that said I would be happy to have a giant plate of all three at any time. After that we had a spicy lentil soup which was the only thing that didn’t jump out as amazing on the first bite. This is probably because we were expecting more spice based on the name which wasn’t really there. This is not a problem overall however as the soup had great taste and texture and got better with every bite.
For entrees my wife was going on get the lobster and waffles of of the starters menu but ended up getting a Cobia special because of the ham and cheese polenta that was to be served with it. I don’t know how the lobster and waffle would have taste but the polenta really stood out, I’m not a big polenta fan, as being excellent and made us both happy that that is what she choose. My choice of entrée was the shrimp and wild boar which was served with rigatoni in a tomato based sauce. Again this was another excellently prepared dish that was full of flavor and differing textures that’s a pleasure to eat.
Finally for dessert we had the Caramel Apple Coffee Cake which continued the trend of excellence for the evening. Despite its name and the cake and apple topping being delicious the star of the dish was the green apple sorbet. I don’t know if anyone makes a green Apple sorbet that I can get at the store to eat at home but if they do then I will.
All in all this may have been the best meal I’ve ever had and it makes me sad that I haven’t made the time before now to eat at Oakleys.

My husband and I had a perfect evening at Oakley’s recently. We went there to celebrate our 15^th anniversary and my husband’s birthday.
We were seated at the Chef’s table (a pleasant surprise for sure) so we had a nice view to the kitchen.
Watching their team work together made us love the food more for sure. It was quiet and like a ballet-​everyone knew exactly what to do and when to do it.
Food was perfect-​every bite. Oakley’s menu changes periodically so you can try something new every time.
I got an off-​menu special — Cobia and Polenta. It was a good amount of food — not too big but enough for dinner. The polenta was cheesy and creamy and Cobia was beautiful.
This place is pretty classy– I’m not sure if I would feel comfortable wearing jeans in here.
Plenty of parking so no issues there. A few shops around too in case you arrive early.
Definitely check Oakley’s out. It’s been around for several years and we’ve never tried it– such a shame!

Oakley’s is an unassuming restaurant nestled in a strip mall behind an Applebee’s. Thanks to positive Unilocal reviews, we gave this place a try. Fantastic meal all around! The menu was full of unique dishes and each plate that came out was refined and elegant. The service was attentive and warm.
Highlights of the night: deviled eggs starter, Duck entrée, Pork and Waffle, Crème brûlée dessert
Least favorite dish: bacon wrapped apricots– the apricot was not sweet or sturdy enough to hold up to the bold tequila flavor.
This place is a little bit off the beaten path, but definitely worth the trek!

I felt under dressed as I walked in, there were some jackets and ties in the place, I was wearing a sweater and jeans, due to location in a strip mall behind an Applebees, I didn’t expect the place would be as elegant as it was.
OK — first impression, accolades on the foyer wall. Lots of them. Warm greeting on the way in, yes we have your reservation, and it did not go unnoticed that the tables were far enough apart we didn’t have to squeeze by anyone.
Very interesting appetizers… we chose a couple of shrimp corn dogs, (recommended) deviled eggs, (with pineapple! it works) We watched the kitchen, talked a bit, our water was not allowed to get below half full.
Soup last night was shrimp and cauliflower. Hmmm, waiter called it shrimp bisque. It was a bowl of steaming hot flavor-​licious. Plenty of small crunchy veggie particles, not too thick, but not at all thin. Whatever he put in there, (basil?) it had a nicely balanced mixture of hearty tastes. I was told I was not the only one that wanted to lick the bowl. My wife tasted it and came back for more, a few times.
This was really good so far, looking forward to entrees. She ordered a lobster waffle. (highly recommended) and I’m normally a carnivore but I went with the study of vegetables, four small portions each on its own plate. A little veggie lasagna with polenta top and bottom, an eggplant rollup, some really tasty corn and artichoke chowder in a little bowl, and a goat cheese morel. I was surprised at how good everything tasted, looked over — gave Chef a big thumbs up, which he returned.
We shared a side of brussel sprouts that were quartered and fried with bacon and I think had some honey on it.
For dessert, we shared a medley of berries and sweet little dollops of creamy custard, with a little blueberry sorbet, all surrounded by cake crumbs —
Will Definitely Be Back. She’s going to drag me anyway… we were pleasantly full, not stuffed, spent $ 80 and felt like it was worth every penny. Next time I’ll dress a little better — business casual at least would be my recommendation.
Oh — the presentation matches the flavors. It looks good, tastes good, and since this was last night, I would call it «memorable». Highly recommended.

I went here last week for a special occasion dinner with family and we had a wonderful experience! We had cocktails to start off; my key lime mojito was absolutely wonderful! Loads of fresh lime and mint and just sweet enough!
Do not miss the starters here! We had the shrimp corn dogs, bacon wrapped apricots and duck confit almonds. The shrimp corn dogs are so good, and at only $ 2 each a really amazing deal! The bacon wrapped apricots are an absolute must if you like the sweet-​salty combo, and the almonds, which are roasted in duck fat, are absolutely delicious!
My entrée featured trout and a variety of delicious accompaniments including bacon spaetzle. Everything is presented beautifully; do not expect that an entrée will stuff you here or that the accompaniments are full «side» portions. The flavors of everything together on the plate are just amazing and this trout entrée was no exception! We did get a side of the fried brussel sprouts which are not to be missed!
The desserts are all deconstructed, and again, the presentation is beautiful! I had a smores dessert that included chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow ice cream and graham cake squares.
Service was excellent; attentive without being intrusive. Courses were timed beautifully; we did not feel we were being rushed through, but also never felt we were left waiting.
This is definitely a special occasion type place, but for such events, well worth the price!

I am so sad to have to write this review. I have heard of so many people having wonderful meals and experiences here, but I just didn’t. I met up with a friend for an early dinner and found the inside charming and the tables comfortably spaced (sometimes smaller restaurants really scrunch you in there!). The initial service was good and even though the restaurant was deserted, I was still surprised at how fast the food was served.
They have a respectable, if a bit pricey, cocktail menu. I forget the name of my drink, but it had maple rum and ginger beer. Just now in writing my review I realized that it was supposed to be garnished with a dried apple slice, but did not have one. Nevertheless, it was delicious.
The food was disappointing. I ordered French onion soup so that I could splurge on a big dessert. The soup was deconstructed with the cheese and bread on the side. The bread wasn’t fully toasted and the butter and cheese were not fully melted, so you couldn’t eat them alone, they had to go in the soup. Again, since they were not fully toasted, the bread immediately became a soggy mess. The soup was ok, but nothing special and not super flavorful.
Now to the dessert. Oh, dessert, you really let me down. I ordered the fresh baked brownie and got ready to dig into some melty, chewy, gushy goodness. The best brownie is one that is just this side of underdone and doesn’t need frosting or toppings because it is moist and fudgy on its own. This brownie was none of those things. It was dry, overcooked, and powdery. I offered my friend a bite (it is easy to be generous with food when you don’t like it) and she agreed it was really dry. I had another bite and decided I did not want to pay $ 9 for a dry and bland brownie.
When our server came over, I told her I did not want the brownie. She asked why. But it wasn’t a «oh I’m so sorry, what wasn’t to your liking?» It was more, «What!!! What is wrong with you that you didn’t enjoy this delicious brownie?» I thought maybe I was misreading her reaction until she came back with our checks. She let me know that she had taken the brownie off my bill but very curtly said, «The chef wanted you to know that the edges are only dry because the brownie was fresh baked. If you would have had a bite in the middle, it would have been fine.» Um, he might be a chef and all, but I’m a hot blooded American woman slash brownie lover. I know dessert and I know good brownie. That was not it.
My husband still has not been to this place and there are so many positive reviews, so I feel like I need to go back and give it one more chance. Hopefully my next experience is a lot better. Review to be updated accordingly!

Wow, what a gem.
My dad and I have birthdays very close to each other’s, so we all went out to celebrate yesterday. Our server Duncan was very attentive. I settled on two small plates: the bacon-​wrapped apricots (so good!) and escargot (a little gritty…). For my medium course, I had the sweet corn gnocchi, and crème brûlée for dessert. Who’d’ve thought there’d be such a lovely place so close to where I live?