86th Street Pub

I’ve had my eye on the 86^th Street Pub for quite awhile as a result of their hosting the Indy Drinking Dead Podcast, a podcast devoted to weekly watching and ranting about television’s The Walking Dead. Located on the Northwestside of town, which I don’t exactly frequent but grew up around, 86^th Street Pub is your traditional American pub located in a small strip center just West of Michigan Road on West 86^th Street. Truthfully, I hadn’t realized it was that far West and every time I went toward that side of town I just figured I was missing it.
Finally, today I had a chance to take my time to find it.
I really wrestled with my rating here, mainly between a 3 – 4 star rating, acknowledging that most bars tend to be a little bit off during off-​peak hours. As I was arriving squarely in the middle of the afternoon on a holiday weekend, I kind of expected things to be fairly casual.
I’d heard good things about the pub’s food from some friends and figured it was a great place to try a new meal for Unilocal.There’s an accessible ramp at the end of their building and some accessible parking. The front entrance is your typical glass door and didn’t prove to have any obstacles. I instantly really loved the interior — it reminded me a little bit of Manley’s Irish Mutt, though with less Irish and it was a whole lot cleaner. It’s tempting to call this place a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but that feels derogatory as the interior is definitely nicer than such a label would imply. You have a nice bar area to the left when you enter and a larger area with multiple tables that are nicely spaced. There’s multiple televisions that were playing sports upon my arrival (golf and soccer, as I recall). The pub has been open since late 1990 and features several events throughout the week including karaōke, Texas Hold ‘Em, Trivia, and live music. They also have multiple electronic games, an electronic jukebox and other fun items. It’s my understanding the event nights can get quite busy.
I would disagree with the reviewer who felt an «outsider» would not be accepted here. This was my first visit and I definitely had no such issues. Admittedly, it wasn’t as populated being an off-​time but I thought it was a friendly atmosphere.
They seem to specialize in craft beer, though I was not in the mood for beer today. Instead, I ordered off their fairly traditional bar menu (the Tenderloin Connoisseur, Rick Garrett) recommends their tenderloin) and grabbed a build-​your-​own burger that came with fries or chips for eight bucks. My entire meal was just over $ 10 including my unsweetened iced tea.
The burger was delivered as ordered with mayo on the side. The fries were basically steak fries. The serving size was plentiful, but not over-​the-​top. They have a lunch menu, dinner menu, steak night menu and daily specials.
The atmosphere is appropriately lit and felt very comfortable to me. I was able to sit and read my magazine and enjoy some quiet time without feeling like an oddball.
When you visit a pub during an off-​hour, you’re typically dealing with the bartender also being the server. This bartender was attentive and didn’t take too long to see me when I came in to sit at a table. It was a tad slow, but nothing extreme at all. It certainly wouldn’t and won’t hinder my returning. If anything, the only service issue was the lack of a refill offer on the iced tea — I lingered for a bit and that would have likely encouraged me to move the rating up to a 4.
The food was good and I would order it again. I wouldn’t say it blew me away, but I definitely enjoyed it.
If I could, I’d likely go 3.5 stars. I have to be honest and say 3 does feel a bit low, but this just didn’t quite get to 4 stars for me. My gut feeling? If I return more during a meal time this may change. Ultimately, I expect a return visit to likely yield that 4^th star. Definitely above average, this is a solid option for a brew or a decent meal in a relaxing, friendly atmosphere. I will likely return in the near future during a meal time and see if my gut is right.

Great location and service! I absolutely love this location! It’s a hole in the wall place but, I love the service no matter if they are slow or busy. Definitely give this place a shot. Matter of fact have a few shots while you are at it!

My husband and I came here for dinner on a Tuesday night. My husband ordered the Tuesday night special a 14 oz ribeye, and baked potato (he did not want the salad) he said it was so good he didnt need to add steak sauce. I had the build your own chicken sandwich, it was delicious. We had the cheese balls as an appetizer they were sooo good. The atmosphere was nice, I highly recommend this place, we will definitely be coming back.

86^th Street Pub is a laid back local hangout where the décor is not much to look at, nor are the dishes gourmet, however the staff, craft beer, and food are great! Upon entering, one walks into the dimly lit bar/​dining area where you seat yourself. If you want to play a game of pool just hang a left. Whenever I’ve eaten here the servers have been nice, professional, and prompt.
The craft beer selection is excellent, and that alone makes it worth your while to check this place out. Additionally, the fish and chips, pork tenderloin, French Dip and pretzels with spicy mustard are all dishes that taste good. I particularly love the Three Cheese Cubes appetizer, which are rich gooey delights of fried cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack cheese cubes. These and a nice craft brew are enough to keep me coming back. Everything else is gravy.
This is definitely an establishment that I intend to keep visiting. It is a down to earth pub where one can enjoy a good hearty meal, a brew (or something else from the bar), and a lively atmosphere where card and pool games are in full swing all around. It’s not fancy, but it has character, is very affordable, and I am definitely a fan and am therefore giving four stars.

Cool place to chill and enjoy a friendly game of trivia the DJ was funny and the nachos were delicious. The pork ribs were tasty per my friend we played a couple of games of pool and had a few drinks that were decent.

We decided to try 86^th street pub because they had pretzels and cheese as an appetizer, our favorite! We were pleasantly surprised by their delicious sandwiches and fries as well. Our bartender/​server, whose name I unfortunately can’t seem to remember (Greg? Jeff?), was very friendly and on the ball. Our food was served fresh and quick. The only drawback was that someone was controlling the jukebox and playing some music that we didn’t quite enjoy. We’ll probably be back, though!

I’ve only been here once but it was delicious! The fried pickles are amazing and the burgers were to die for. Felt like home.

I refuse to tell you what I like about this place because I am selfish and don’t want you to overcrowd the joint and spoil my fun.

I came here for the pork tenderloin and it did not disappoint! I read that this place had one of the best pork tenderloin sandwiches… as it was the only PT sandwich I’ve ever had I can’t say if it was the best but it was so good! One weird thing was that my fiancé and I both had to present 2 forms of photo ID even though we didn’t order any alcohol. The food was good, the atmosphere was a typical dark bar and the waitress was friendly. Overall: Yum! I would go back.

I’m a big fan of dive bars and I thought this would be cool with the prior reviews. But I wouldn’t recommend it to friends or even people I don’t know! The food is very bland (even for bar food) and the service just adequate. Servers really focus on the locals — so they made me feel like a stranger and not welcome to their bar when I was in town for a business trip.
The client base is primarily «trolling» old men. I brought a female date here once, and they were busy hitting-​on her the entire time and trying to get her drunk and then offered to take her home! I was shocked! Really a weird place and I couldn’t recommend this place to single ladies at all!
The only positive is the beer seems reasonable priced and the place is clean. But I can find that anywhere. Will go to Rock Bottom or other places in the future — especially with my dates!

I love the staff and the karaōke at this place. It’s laid back and very easy to enjoy the atmosphere here. A good place to kick back and have a strong drink.

86^th Street Pub has really upped their game since the first time I visited several years ago. I’ve tried several things on the menu now and they have all been really good. My favorite thing about 86^th Street Pub is their craft beer selection. They change the options weekly! If you like trying craft beer, especially local and regional ones, they do a stellar job at keeping a variety of choices available. I’ve also heard great things about their events and live music.

Some of the best bar food in the city. The tap is also refreshing which changes every week. In my opinion they get better and better every time they change the tap. This venue is also great for 1^st dates one side bar the other side is pool tables and arcade games. Overall a great place to eat drink and mingle.

It had been a few years since I’ve visited here. My understanding is that they are under somewhat new ownership since the last time I visited.
The first thing I noticed was that, for a pub, it was very well lit and clean. It was warm and inviting, and I appreciated that quite a lot.
I saw they had a hand breaded tenderloin on the menu, and that’s what I ordered. Let me tell you, it was absolutely sublime. A nice, thick piece of meat, and obviously hand breaded. The breading was nice and crisp and didn’t get soggy at all. One of the best tenderloins in Indy, hands down. For my side, I chose onion rings for an upcharge, and they were also fantastic. I suspect this will be my go to meal on return visits!
My wife had the black and blue salad, and said, while not perhaps the very best she’s ever had, it still was quite good.
The service was just a tad on the slow side, I thought… but not terrible.
All in all, a VERY positive experience. We’ll be back soon.

Terrific pub much improved over the past couple of years with the new owner and much more pleasant and profession staff.
Very good craft beer selection as well as some top shelf bourbons and other spirits.
WAY above your average pub quality food. Steak specials are phenomenal and karaōke nights are not to be missed !
Great regulars and visitors of all kinds… where everyone is truly made to feel welcome !

Psychic servers. Friendly clientele. Great selection of local and craft beers. Food has been consistently excellent. Loving the live music on Thursdays!

I love coming here when I’m looking to unwind and enjoy some good conversation. The bartenders are all great. The Southwest wrap was very good with a cold IPA… thanks J for the tip!

Great food, great drink prices, great people. It’s a cool neighborhood bar. Friday nights are the best. Saturday night is cool, too with trivia. If you don’t have a good time here, its your fault!

This pub has been sold… it is now a bad Rap club.

This place is pretty much your standard friendly neighborhood pub. Decent prices, good booze selection, good food (although I tend to show up after they close the kitchen, unfortunately), and the same friendly-​ish waitresses every time. The clientele is a bit older, but most of them seem like nice enough folks.
The place is actually much larger than you would think — there’s a good-​sized main dining area, as well as a separate room with pool tables and a couple of Golden Tee machines. Good luck getting a table on a busy night though — some people are jerks about it and hog the tables.
It’s a bit more welcoming now that the Indianapolis smoking ban is in effect — although the smoking area to the side is really, really sketchy looking.
While you’re there, try their new house bourbon, as it’s actually pretty decent.