gatsby’s Pub & Grill: Food Reviews by Zac
I believe that everybody needs a neighborhood bar that serves as the default fall back dinner option. It has to be a place of comfort and familiarity – a place to call your own.
Back when I lived in Evansville Indiana, I had this type of place. For the past 3 years, I’ve been searching for a restaurant to fill this culinary void in my life. I would describe my ideal make up to be a dive bar that became popular enough to expand without losing its roots. It isn’t the place where you’re ordering espresso martinis or elaborate meals. Instead, you’re indulging in deep fried comfort foods and burgers.
Gatsby’s Pub looks like it was nearly designed to my template. It’s an American pub up in the north west corner of Indianapolis – where 465 and 65 meet. Their menu offers a wide variety of American classics such as onion rings, cheese fries, burgers, and various regional sandwiches.
The basics
Website: https://www.gatsbysonline.com/
Address: 6335 Intech Commons Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278
Cuisine: American / Pub
Type: Sit Down
Review
Atmosphere:
Gatsby’s Pub and Grill looks a bit too nice and modern to be considered a “dive bar”. The restaurant walls are lined with flat screen TVs showing a variety of sports and trivia games. Booths line the outside of the restaurant while the center is dedicated to high tops. The seat yourself policy allows you to pick the perfect spot for you.
On a Wednesday night, the restaurant was sitting at about 85% capacity. The servers were staying busy, constantly making laps. Looking around at the other patrons, I saw people from several different walks of life. I saw “kids” who were likely in college, blue collar workers, and those I assume would identify as white collar. A well blended dining room often tells you how good the food is going to be.
Gatsby’s Pub was nearly full, but there was plenty of personal space. There was ample background noise, but not at a level to interrupt my own conversations. It felt like a popular, neighborhood bar. The type of place I’d go to after a long day of work or a place to swing by to catch a game.
Score: 2.5 / 3
The Food:
The menu covers your typical American items. Appetizers include your standard fried items, nachos, and a dip. Entrees span quesadillas, wings, salads, and various sandwiches. Plenty of variety to keep the place interesting. My girlfriend, Morgan, and I split an order of onion rings. I ordered a burger and she chose the Cuban sandwich.
Onion Rings: The menu labels these as “sweet onions battered, fried, and piled high”. Onion rings are something that I consider a necessity in my favorite bars. I can make french fries all day at home. Onion rings take way more work. The order would easily feed 2 people and would be a decent size for 3 adults. They came out hot with a thick golden brown batter – similar to how some fairs would make them. To me, this is the right way. My main complaint is that our server asked us if we wanted any condiments with our order. My decision ended up on my bill as a separate charge. I’m not a fan of that type of deceit. A $8.75 order of onion rings should come with a condiment. If Gatsby’s wanted to take these to the next level, they should consider stealing a page from Cheddars or Outback and make their own horseradish sauce to complement the rings.
Burger: Instead of offering several different burgers with cute names, they cut to the chase and provide a “Build Your Own” menu section. The default pricing includes your standard toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickle, raw onion, cheese, and a condiment. You can then add on premium toppings like grilled onions, bacon, mushrooms, or a fried egg. The premium sides cost about 75 cents each. For the second time in a row, I’ve loved the burger. It’s a standard sized burger. It’s not some monstrosity that I have to maneuver to take a bite nor a smash burger that leaves me feeling hungry. It was a standard sized, approachable burger cooked to my temperature request. It had decent searing on the outside without affecting the flavor.
With all sandwiches, you get your choice of one side. I decided to double down on the fried foods and ordered fries. They were your standard small town diner crinkle cut, yellow fry. My order came out lukewarm and closer to limp than crispy. For a restaurant that has great onion rings, I was truly disappointed with my fries and didn’t bother with them.
Cuban: This sandwich is a bit harder to review because Morgan ordered without reading the menu. We’re both familiar with Cuban sandwiches. You can imagine our surprise when it came out with tomato? After pulling up the menu, we also realized it also came with turkey along with the other traditional toppings. I have no issue with the combination, but I take issue with reimaging a standard recipe. It’s like ordering a BLT and getting beets, lettuce, and tomato. In other words, it’s wrong.
Moving past my rant of what a Cuban is or is not, this sandwich didn’t work for either of us. The main taste I got from it was bologna. The hoagie bread wasn’t doing the dish any favors either. When I bite into a Cuban , I expect a moist slice of pork with a tropical taste. Something that spent time with lime juice or orange juice. The sandwich didn’t deliver.
The highlight of this order was the side of coleslaw. Morgan and I both prefer a mayo based slaw that has ending notes of acidity to balance out the creaminess. Their slaw nearly hit that flavor profile perfectly. It loses a few points on the final tasting notes as you finish chewing. Oddly enough, the final taste reminded me of celery? It just felt a bit out of place.
The Bill: An appetizer, two sandwiches, and two soft drinks cost us $43 after tax and before the tip.
Score: 3 / 5
Zac’s Thoughts:
I struggled to decide on a final score here. I’m writing my review after my second visit. The first visit went perfectly and the second showed some flaws. The menu prices seem like they haven’t changed in a few years, and I have respect for that. Serving good food at respectable costs isn’t something you get to see very often.
I considered justifying a better score because I could walk in, order a burger with a side of onion rings and have a fantastic meal. If I forget to change my side, I may end up with generic fries they can’t bother to serve at proper temperature. One shouldn’t have to know the secrets of the menu nor second guess how a standard item will be customized. The inconsistency in the quality is a major reason why I second guess making this my default neighborhood watering hole.
Score: 1 / 2
