Octave Grill

Great veggie black bean burgers for all the vegetarians and vegans around! Any burger can be made into a black bean one, so that’s a plus too. I always go for the classic Original that comes with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a garlic aioli. Being vegan, I ask for a vegan bun and no aioli. Burgers come with a couple of different (all equally delicious) sides, but I always opt for the tater tots. Honestly my favorite burger place in Chesterton.
The place is small, so there is often a nice sized waiting time, but it’s totally worth it. Staff is generally nice, but you’ll occasionally get one that can be a bit unpleasant. Still, the food is amazing and Octave Grill really deserves all five stars!

We walked in the door and it was standing room only and a wait of about 45 minutes. That was no problem to us. One on the waitresses made an immediate comment about coming in and closing the door. We found it uncalled for and extremely rude. We will not be back!

Probably the best burger I have ever had, as simple as that. The staff are very friendly/​helpful and the décor is interesting/​quirky. As an added bonus their rotating selection of draft craft beers is very much appreciated. Prices are very reasonable for food this good.
You may have noticed all my reviews to date on Unilocal have been 5 star, this is deliberate. Life is too short to focus on that which does not make us happy. This is why I restrict my reviews to those things/​places that make me happy and appreciate life. Sure, I have been to some really dreadful hotels and restaurants, but, like I said, life is too short to spend time thinking and writing about them.

First let me start by saying that the food was really good. The burger was uniquely phenomenal. Yes, the restaurant is super small and there will likely be a wait any time you go because of the size (or lack thereof) of the restaurant. I didn’t mind the wait, the food was worth it. What wasn’t worth it was the way I was rushed through my meal. The server asked me if I wanted dessert while my mouth was completely full from the bite that I had just taken and half of my burger still on my plate. I quickly swallowed and said that I wanted the key lime pie. He brought out the pie slice while I was still eating. Then brought the check before I finished my burger or even touched my pie. Needless to say that ruined my experience altogether and I probably won’t go back. I was really appalled by the service. People go out to eat to enjoy the experience, not to be rushed like they’re in prison.

Spectacular burgers, but not even get me started on those tater tots. Best. Things. Ever.

I chose this place based on the pretty stellar reviews on Unilocal.It is a very small little place in downtown Chesterton not far from the Indiana Sand Dunes. I got here relatively early for the dinner crowd so it wasn’t busy at all. I imagine when it does get busy it can be uncomfortable to be there, I would not recommend dinning here on a weekend evening unless you enjoy feeling like a cramped sardine. That all being said, it’s a cute place and the two employees working were friendly.
The drink menu is impressive for such a small place, a bunch of great craft beer choices, some wine and some super interesting cocktails. Unfortunately I had a drive back to my hotel so I did not partake.
Every review suggested to order a burger so that is what I came here for. The two things that appealed to me were the fact that they use grass fed beef and that they offer gluten free buns. I ordered the fried cheese burger but got the cheese non fried to make it gluten free, it was topped with cheddar cheese, olive tapenade and roasted red peppers. It sounded delicious and had so much potential, sadly I was underwhelmed. I ordered my burger medium but it was more toward medium rare. The burger was a bit dry and needed a sauce of some sort to dress it up a bit. The gf bun was good and not papery like some I’ve had. The best part was the sweet potato tots with the stone ground mustard they come with.
Warning: they fry in peanut oil so if you have an allergy steer clear!

Great burgers!
Again… Place is small … Plan accordingly. They don’t even take to go orders on Friday and Saturday. Seems like they wanted to make sure they made it before going big. Well… They have. It’s a top 25 restaurant in all of Indiana.
I hope that they will move to a bigger location soon with the tons of business I’ve seen leave instead of waiting around for 1 hour for a table. The old papalanos restaurant just closed… Perfect location

Grass Fed beef! Yes please! Everything we had was delicious. Fried pickles, mexi tots and sweet potato tots. You might not know this place was here if you just drives by. Very limited seating so come before or after peak hours or be prepared to wait a little. Coming back to try every other burger they have.

Great little hole in the wall.
Fried Pickles– so yummy
Great burgers any kind you get.
Sweet potato tots — A must
Make sure you leave space for Brownie ice cream.

I really hate to give this not-​great review to a place I once was crazy about.
Octave Grill is an adorable hole-​in-​the-​wall in downtown Chesterton. The décor is eclectic and charming. The wait staff is super-​friendly. I love that they use all grass-​fed beef. We’ve been coming here for a few years. Up until about six months ago, my review would have been five stars all the way. The burgers were always crazy-​good; cooked perfectly, juicy, toppings on point. Sides = delicious. Desserts = amazing.
Sadly, our last two visits to OG have been disappointing. The burger patties are thinner than before, and dry. The tots were not quite done, and had a raw taste. We hoped it was just a one-​time fluke, or maybe someone new getting the hang of the kitchen. However, a couple of months later we returned and things were even less appetizing. We are so disappointed that things have changed.
Glad to see others still giving rave reviews, but we will not be returning.

Nom! Nom! Nommmmm!!! If you crave the perfect burger (grass-​fed, free-​range, delicious goodness) and a craft beer on tap, Octave Grill will not disappoint. Founders, New Holland, Upland, and Burn Em’ are just a few of the regional breweries represented on tap. If you are not into beer then I highly recommend one of their excellent cocktails. I recommend the lavender gin and tonic. Tucked away in small town Chesterton, the seating area is limited, but it is worth the wait. Their burgers are packed with a combination of genius flavors that pair perfectly together. The Burger of The Month is always the recommended dish, but there are plenty of other faves as well. Keep your eyes open for the Chicago Style Burger of the Month. This burger is highly recommended and do not be surprised if you don’t see Tom Rickets (owner of the Chicago Cubs) and his son in the joint enjoying the burger.

This place has been on my bucket list for a while and I’m glad I kept it on. Today this experience was a highlight of my day. The perch appetizers were good with a slight bite and the hamburger was distinguished first taste. I enjoyed the intimacy of the place considered a detraction by most. Cole slaw brought me reality as a major failure in my fussbudgety personality.

ridiculously delicious burgers. my mom order the fish sandwich. thank you for offering gluten free buns (which I think should be a staple in all restaurants these days). the local beer selection is great.
the blood orange pound cake was a little dry… the sweet potato tater tots were «meh» — change those up a bit.
they offer a mustard for dipping, but I believe there’s a charge for that… I wouldn’t order it again though…

Thank goodness for Unilocal.This hole-​in-​wall restaurant would be the small town’s secret otherwise. You would NEVER find this on your own.
After searching Unilocal in this area, I found this place. Everything I ordered was from recommendations of Unilocalers.
Appetizer: fried pickles. Awesome but thick cut. I personally like thin cut fried pickles… but great here still.
Buff burger which was phenomenal, along with sweet potato tots which I’ve never had before, and very glad I tried.
White chocolate brownie which was obviously home made. Served warm, with ice cream.
Outstanding restaurant. ***And it’s true. Very limited seating. I got lucky and sat at the last available table when I walked in. Phew!
The place was packed for good reason :)

Considering this place is in the middle of NOWHERE, the restaurant receives 5 stars. We were driving from Chicago O’Hare to South Bend, and decided to make a stop over for dinner. At 5 PM on a Tuesday, there was no wait and we were seated immediately. There are extremely limited dining options on this route, and this cute restaurant offers artisanal burgers and cocktails in a creative and cozy atmosphere. My black bean burger included crumbly bacon, blue cheese, on an excellent brioche bun (they also offer a black-​bean vegan burger). My husband had the taco tots which were meh (tater tots sprinkled with taco sauce). The sweet potato tots were definitely the star side. The food is on the heavier side and the portions are generous. A burger and beer here is the way to go. We would definitely stop here again!

Very cute little place. We visited on a Wednesday night, and had to put in our name and number to wait on a table. Hopefully management is looking into moving into one of the larger vacant spaces on that street, because it was somewhat of tight seating as well.
My boyfriend got the Hot Pants burger which was delicious! And I got the Black Bean burger which was a little bland, to be honest, but still good. It’d be nice to see some flavor get added to make it pop. But I also got the sweet potato tots with the maple syrup mustard and that was SO good! Highly recommend it (it’s worth the extra $ 1 by far!!).
The service was somewhat slow, but very friendly. Not sure if they were understaffed, but it took a while for us to get our food. (But it was also the day before of Thanksgiving, so could’ve been understaffed, understandable.)
Overall, we’d go again, but not at peak hours on peak days. :/​Please consider upgrading to a larger space.

Great place! Definitely on the small side, but the wait was well worth it. Their text messaging system for seating is great because it lets you explore while waiting for a table. They cannot serve you drinks while you wait, that’s a little letdown. BUT, We played pool in the bar next door, UpperDeck or something like that, which had a great beer selection. Then they text you when your table is ready.
It was about a 30 minute wait. We first had the buffalo blue cheese fries which were amazing! Then the clawhammer burger and another one with blue cheese. They have a nice, small craft beer selection. The food was delicious! We tried a house salad that was really only okay, but everything else was as hoped for. Both burgers were savory and juicy. Fresh ingredients that really made a big difference.
The service was quick and friendly once you were seated. It’s a small space, but not elbow to elbow with the table next to you. I’m glad I found this place. Great meal! Will be back when we are back in town.

Wow. 9 tables. Tiny bathroom. Big Taste. May your tastebuds feast on creative burgers & sweet potato tots. Local cheeses. Sweet beer selection. Worth the drive to Chesterton, Indiana. My life is complete.

Unilocal released its Top 50 restaurants in Indiana, and it’s not surprising that Octave made the cut!
Driving by, I’m not sure that you would even know it was there. The storefront is small and the signage is subtle. If I counted correctly, about 25 – 30 people can eat there at one time… Which adds to the excitement of actually getting to enjoy the food. I heard a waitress say that they don’t take reservations, but you can call ahead.
Having never been to Octave, the waitress gave me the run-​down on their chalkboard. It lists all of the tap beers, desserts, and burger of the month. On this visit, it was an Elvis burger– plantains, peanut satay sauce, cilantro, etc.
I had the Fried Cheese burger with sweet potato tater tots! Amazing! The tater tots came with homemade honey mustard sauce, which was so tasty. The tots were lightly fried– which almost made me think they were healthy :)
The burger was out of this world. I’ve never had a burger with olive tapenade on it, but I may make that my new burger condiment. Forget ketchup!
For dessert, I had a piece of the frozen key lime pie. It was good, but definitely didn’t top the main course. The waitress recommended the pound cake, so lesson learned.
If you’re ever in Chesterton, you have to check this place out!

The Octave Grill is hard to get into, due to it’s popularity and size. Regarding the former, we put our name in and received a 60 minute wait estimate. We were seated around the 2 hour mark. The space itself is small and I counted around 18 chairs. And once we were settled in, it did seem to take awhile for the food to make it out of the kitchen. So with that, I could end this review at 3 Stars as I hate to wait and dislike it even more when time estimates are wildly off the mark and things seem a little slow inside.
Yet, there is so much to like about this place, starting with: What is a Portland (Oregon) –style restaurant doing in Chesterton IN? I was charmed by this vibe and wood/​brick décor the minute I finally got into this place. Second, the food was fabulous. I ordered some odd burger topping combination (which included blue cheese) and it was probably the best grass fed patty package that I had ever enjoyed. I also picked off my friends’ tater tot choices (I went for a more healthy side) and found their take on this Midwest staple to be stellar.
Then there was the draft beer list, which although small, was well curated from mostly local sources. Who knew that this area of Indiana was such a epicenter for great micro-​brews? I chose well with a beer that brewed with coconut and then a second delicious chose from another Northern Indiana neighborhood.
Table service was fun, informative, and friendly. My friend Jesse T. tells me that it’s run by a husband and wife (our waiter for the evening) team, who actually lived for a spell in Portlandia. If I would have known that I would have asked the owners if the cow I was ordering for dinner had a nice life. :)