Big Lug Canteen

I came here on Sunday with a couple of friends by biking up the Monon to this place. I love that Big Lug is situated right off the Monon, making it a fun spot to bike up to during the warmer months. We decided to sit inside to enjoy the AC. The place is pretty spacious with seating downstairs, a bar area upstairs, and also a patio outside as well.
My friend suggested trying the Nashville chicken wings, and I am very happy I took his suggestion. I tried the «mild» and they were tangy enough for me. The «hot» style is apparently pretty peppery. I also ordered a side House salad on the side with blue cheese dressing. If you are a fan of bleu cheese dressing, you must try it here! It was so good!
Other orders at my table were 2 Nashville chicken sliders and an Italian beef sandwich with various sides. Everything looked delicious. They have a good selection of beer styles, and everyone was happy, from a citrus-​y beer, to a sour, to a dark ale. I enjoyed a Arnold Palmer (they can make it into a John Daly if you feel so inclined, wink wink).
Service was quick and attentive, and very friendly. I definitely want to keep coming back here and one of the items on my «to try» list is their Poutine.
This is a great Indy spot!

Well I don’t know… this is a place that has potential but just didn’t knock my socks off. Beers were ok, but nothing exceptional (we sampled several on their list and came away sort of underwhelmed). Their menu items sounded great, with a lot of variety and interesting sounding dishes. And I appreciated the fact that they offer a wide variety of sandwich types. Our group had the bahn luc sandwich, Italian beef, and the Burgermeister, along with the Nashville wings as an appetizer. Everything was just… okay. The sandwiches were very bread-​intensive, with skimpy fillings that were not that flavorful, and the Nashville wings were spicy enough, but somehow came off as dull. I don’t know… it’s hard to hit the right note with gastropub food (pub food that is high quality and gourmet style) and I appreciate the fact that Big Lug tries. But ultimately we left not on the high we’d hope to get from a truly exceptional place, but on a meh, that was ok and not that memorable.
On the plus side, they have a great outdoor deck upstairs and the waitstaff were very nice and helpful. The space is good for hanging out on a sunny Saturday afternoon, and I hope to give Big Lug another try some day.

A great place to meet friends and enjoy an afternoon.
The charcuterie plank is one of the best on the north side.
The daily specials are great and ive i forget the name of the salad but its tossed in ranch and has Nashville hot chicken on top and its awesome!
I seriously like this place and its right off the monon with a dog friendly patio!
Ill be back.

We finally stopped in to Big Lug a few nights ago, and there were several pleasant surprises to be had. First of all, they serve food until late — I believe until 1:00 a.m. (when they close) during the week and 2:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Secondly, there were several seating and eating options available — downstairs dining room, upstairs patio or open air «indoor» seating, and the beer garden downstairs. We’ve had several beers now from Big Lug (while dining at Rockstone Pizza Pub next door) and they’ve all been good — B+ beers. The service is friendly and casual, just like we like it. Last fun surprise was the funny touches of children’s bathroom books in the bathroom (Everybody Poops and The Gas I Pass). It just made me chuckle. In an area where most places close relatively early (this side of Keystone anyway) it’s nice to have a solid late night option.

Aren’t we all excited that they finally put a new business in at the old Snooty Fox location?! Bout time! Even if I had never heard of this place before, I would still check it out based off their website and name alone. The whole feel and atmosphere of this place is like hanging out at a friends house — love it! The colors on the walls, the tongue-​in-​cheek phrases on their menus, it’s just fun.
They make their own beer so who doesn’t love that?! And, although they aren’t recreating the wheel with their food items, they still take pride in dishing out quality. My friends and I ordered a few apps and drinks and they were all tasty. I preferred their Quiet Storm beer which was similar to a Founders Breakfast Stout — amen. On our table, the spread went from Beer Cheese dip to their Hoss dip to their Classic Poutine. Now, I had just gotten back from a long weekend in Toronto and had exceptional poutine there. I can’t say that this was better, but it was damn good.
FYI — Looks like they have Trivia Night once a month, but I’ve been warned that there’s a team that always wins here — they must be stopped, so go and have fun and try to beat them!

I saw Big Lug at an event that I went to earlier this year and didn’t realize they were in Nora where The Snooty Fox used to be. I met a friend on the north side for a drink one evening, and we decided to check it out.
There was seating options downstairs, but we made our way to the second floor and got a table for two right next to the bar. The bartender was super helpful as we decided what to get for our drinks and our food. I went with poutine and a smaller sandwich and it was awesome! The beer was okay… nothing notable I can remember, but I’ll be back for the food!

Tonight was probably my 7^th time dining at Big Lug and I am just now writing a review. First of all, I love this place! It is pretty close to my home which is a huge bonus. I truly love the atmosphere of Big Lug. It is bright and open with an industrial feel. It’s super colorful and I just feel happy when I am here.
Tonight I dined on the patio with a few of my friends. It was my first time on the patio and I really loved it! The only difference with the patio is that you order everything at the concession stand. You can order anything from the regular menu, which is nice.
We each ordered the Kristofferson beer. It has great flavor! We then started with an order of the cheese curds and bone-​in mild wings. I just returned from Wisconsin this weekend and was introduced to real cheese curds. I will say that Big Lug has some great cheese curds that are close to the original! The wings here are phenomenal. They have a great rub on them and aren’t greasy. The mild is quite spicy so beware if you order the hot. I always order the wings when I come here.
As for my meal, I ordered the special «Kronk» salad. It was a mixture of mixed greens with both steak and grilled chicken, topped with Pico de gallo, feta, and guacamole all tossed in an avocado ranch dressing. It had such great flavor! I am a huge fan of their salads, as I usually order the Big Willie.
All in all, this place is a must for Indy residents. It’s relaxed, fun, and serves great food and beer. I enjoy eating both inside and on the patio. I am sure I will be back here shortly!

We decided to stop in for lunch since we were close. –and I’m so glad we did. I really didn’t know what to expect because I hadn’t read the reviews yet. It seems bars that tout craft beers don’t always have good cocktails & we don’t drink beer. Bars serving food are either great or it’s an after thought. This place was great all the way around
Décor – industrial, comfortable & spacious We ate inside due to rain so I can’t comment on the patio.
Music – great entertainment at 1:00 in the afternoon? WTH! Indy has so much talent, these guys were all really good. 3 great guitarists & a percussionist that was all over it. Tin Man? The music was so good we stayed for 2hrs.

Drinks – margaritas were delish. –just as I ordered, strong sour & no salt. It met the criteria & was even better that that. –great bartender Hubsters long island was good too he said.
Food – I had fish & chips. The fish was crisp, not greasy & tender flaky inside. It seemed to be breaded and not beer battered but was still good. They let me sub a side salad. Bill had the wings and OMG were they good. He ordered mild but they were spicy. –don’t know if it was a mistake or the mild are a little spicy. They were still large & perfect.
Service – was very good and she stopped & checked on us often. The bartender/​maybe mngr also stopped & checked on us.
This place was a great place to spend our Saturday afternoon. We’ll be back!

I’ve been to most of the breweries around Indianapolis and I believe this needs to be in the top ten! I got to sample a number of their beers and each one was phenomenal! My girlfriend was extremely impressed with their sour beer as she usually doesn’t care for those at all. Many of my friends also swear by the food and I had to agree. A look through the menu, a nibble of cheese curds and I was sold. The brewery is right on the edge of the Monon and offers free water for pedestrians. It offers awesome outside seating upstairs and downstairs! I was actually most impressed with the bartender who was actually the owner of Big Lug and a few other restaurants and he was extremely pleasant to our group which I can’t say for some other breweries/​foodie restaurants in Indy sadly.

What a disappointment!
I was pleased to see someone finally doing something about this long-​overlooked corner of 86^th Street, but alas, the name «Big Lug» pretty much sums up the place itself.
The space was handsome, if also a little concrete-​y for my tastes. The long, narrow passages lined with concrete, metal, and glass also make it somewhat noisy — unless you get a space on the back porch.
But let’s face it, I came for the food and the beer — and unfortunately, those were equally mediocre. The Nashville Hot Wings were not very interesting, and came sitting in a pool of their own hot red grease. My sandwich, the Elian (?), was soggy and the bread was bland. And wife’s burger compared to my expectations the way an actual Burger King burger compares the picture of it on the menu.
And after sampling six or seven beers, we still couldn’t find one we really liked — finally settling on the Kristofferson as the least offensive of the lot.
A third star for effort and because, on 86^th Street, I grade on a curve.

Loved the outside patio! The twinkle lights make it gorgeous and I can picture this place being a hot spot in the summer.
I love a good stout and there were two Big Lug stouts on tap. I chose the one with «chewy toffee» and «coffee» blends and it was great. I didn’t try the food but would definitely come back to give the poutine a try (I’ve heard they’re known for that!)
The building location itself is in a strange location, but is very large and offers a lot of parking. Don’t be a big lug and go visit!

After several visits to carry out a growler, I finally got he chance to stop in for a weekend lunch on the patio.
We arrived on a warm day in early March, with our dog, with the intention of dining outside. It was a bit difficult to get to the patio. I approached from the monon, and had to walk through Rockstone, it the front, into Big Lug, out the patio, and then open a patio door to allow my wife and dog to enter. Things only went south from there.
We were told that we should order at the bar. Ok, not a problem. I got a few menus, went outside, and came back with decisions. I ordered drinks and our food. Then I watched our waitress tend to a few other people and not put in our order. I retreated outside and sent my wife back in to wait for our drinks, which she eventually had to ask for again in order to get.
Magically, the food finally arrived. It may not have been all that long (let’s say 15 – 20 mins from when I tried to order), but I was hungry and it’s frustrating to watch someone delay your order and tend to other people, when you had more than waited your turn for service.
I had the full Italian beef and my wife had a half and half salad and sandwich (I forget what the veggie sandwich was called). The food was quite delicious, and I have no complaints about the beer. The fries were even some of the best I’ve ever had (I suspect they are battered). But I left frustrated with the service and unhappy about the overall experience.
With the Rockstone next door (same owner), I doubt I’ll be back to Big Lug. Rockstone food is amazing, has all the same beer, great service, and pretty much the same ground level patio.

There are so many reasons why I love Big Lug Canteen. Great menu with some local ingredients from Smoking Goose Meatery. Their Nashville chicken salad and beer cheese are both very addicting.
The staff is friendly and helpful. Solid selection of house brews and they carry a wide variety of bourbons and gins from Journeyman Distillery.
Looking forward to my next visit!

While deciding on lunch today (Saturday), I went through my bookmarks and remembered how much I wanted to try Big Lug! So we took off on the 30 minute or so drive to get there. It’s really hard to see from the street, but it’s on the south side of 86^th St. The pictures of the food here looked so good and sounded so yummy that I was starving by the time we arrived!
The interior is very industrial but cool. I loved it immediately. The bar has a zillion taps and even includes some premixed artisan cocktails! It’s probably a good thing I don’t have one of those at home! My husband picked out a booth for us at the end of the row, and the bartender was very friendly and took good care of us.
My husband is from NW Indiana (Lake County), and he immediately recognized some Chicago standards on the menu, including Chicago Dogs and the Italian Beef sandwich. He decided on the Italian Beef, dipped, with au jus on the side. He said it was better than the ones he’d had while growing up! I always love it when places I pick are a hit with him. He had the red ale (Chelios) which was very good.
I had the Nashville hot chicken sandwich with fries. Nashville hot chicken is everywhere right now, and I just had to try it here. I got the hot version and was very pleased! It was kinda drippy, but they have good sturdy napkins to wipe your hands on so that was very helpful. The fries were fresh cut, you can tell, very similar to those at Penn Station, but better. I ate a few before I even thought about putting ketchup on them! I love when a standard side, like the french fry, is above and beyond. It makes my food-​loving soul happy.
I had the Old Country Goodness which is one of the cocktails on tap this week. It’s made with Journeyman white whiskey aged with Michigan apples, cinnamon, and organic Michigan apple cider and served over ice. (Side note: Journeyman is a Michigan distillery by way of Valpo so I love a good «local» spirit.) It. is. magical. It tasted like apple cider but not overly sweet, and you don’t get the burn of whiskey at all! Very smooth, and quite dangerous if you aren’t paying attention. The perfect pour! This would be an amazing fall drink, but I’m very happy to have it late winter.
We will definitely return. I just hope that for future visits the traffic isn’t such a mess. (I doubt that will happen though.) Big Lug definitely delivered on the hype I’ve been seeing around social media!

«Oh, the poutine» I heard from Unilocalers. My response: uhh… what’s poutine? Turns out it’s a Canadian delicacy consisting of a pile of French fries, gravy and cheese curds. So my next question was: what’s a cheese curd? (Clearly, I live under a rock).
My Wisconsinite friends rave of the magic of cheese curds. These people are so passionate about their cheese that they don cheese hats at football games. I figured they knew a thing or two about their queso, so after the suggestion from the waitress, I went all in for the classic poutine.
For $ 7, you get a hefty portion (read: two meals worth) of poutine. It was a solid first poutine experience, seeing as I don’t have anything to compare it to. I was stuffed after eating not even half my meal. Side note: I weirdly liked the cheese curds better when they cooled down a bit and I ate them as leftovers, when they weren’t so melty. It reminded me a lot of mozzarella balls.
Other highlights:
–Our waitress was awesome. I wish I remembered her name! Super friendly and explained the menu well.
–The easy-​to-​read, colorful menu and branding materials.
–Bang for your buck meals.
–Quick service.
–Rotating poutine of the week and weekly specials (this week: dishes named after politicians. Think «Nacho Rubio»).
–Great view from the second floor!
I wish the entrance was a little easier to find, but otherwise, a solid first experience at Big Lug!

I’m kicking myself for not getting here sooner! This place is awesome. Although — I’ll be honest I was a bit confused on where to go when I walked in only because there wasn’t someone there to direct me at that very moment. That could have just been my lack of awareness for my surroundings. I was hangry!
But on to the good stuff — we didn’t drink but this place has a ton of awesomely home brewed beers and other cocktails with fun names.
I did eat however. And eat I did well!
I got a half salad and a slider. I could have eaten a regular size of both but the half/​half is honestly an amazing deal and so filling!
I got the shrek salad which was delicious and the Nashville HOT chicken sandwich. This sandwich — my oh my it was delicious! I’ve heard so much lately about Nashville hot chicken. So much even that it seems KFC has gotten into the trend (ironic eh Kentucky?) our waitress (Hammah) warned me it would he super spicy but I am a lover of the spice so I was fine with it. My friend got the mild in her The Willie salad and said it was rather spicy — so he prepared if you aren’t one that’s able to handle the heat. But I will for sure be coming back for this sandwich. The green goddess (herby ranch type dressing) was a perfect accompaniment for the spice.
Can’t wait to come back, Big Lug!

Big Lug deserves five stars, and they’ve become one of my favorite places to drink beer in Indy.
First, their beers are ridiculously awesome. This is the finest lineup that I’ve seen roll out from a new brewery in a long time. Not only that, but these are beers that I enjoy drinking, not high ABV imperial whatnots. Great beer, well-​orchestrated, for regular drinking. Props! The Quintana is my favorite.
Second, the menu has a ton of killer options, reasonably priced with half portions available. Don’t sleep on their beer cheese (add fries for maximum dipping) and a raging hot Nashville chicken sandwich. And honestly, their salads are fantastic too.
The seating area has a small footprint with «open seating» upstairs. And the service has improved because of additional staff on board for peak times.
To summarize this long-​winded review: Big Lug is a great brewery, fully backed. World domination is on the horizon.
UPDATE: Visited on a busy Saturday with no service issues. In fact, the woman who waited on our table of six was super attentive and friendly, didn’t miss a beat. Five stars!

We gave the baby to the grandparents and decided to brave this new hot spot on a Saturday. Luckily we have become pretty lame since the baby was born, so we got there at 6pm. Even getting there that early, we had a fifteen minute wait. I can only imagine how long the wait was when we were leaving and the line was out the door.
We started off getting two of their rotating seasonal beers. I got the English IPA and my wife got the scotch ale. The IPA wasn’t amazing but wasn’t bad. It had a nice hop character with less malt than I was expecting. The scotch ale was great. It had a nice heavy dark fruit /​raisin character with just enough smokey peat to even it all out.
We also started with their poutine special. It had fried onion straws and smoked pork. It was excellent. Poutine is delicious but can sit like a lead weight in your stomach. This was surprisingly light. There was a good amount of gravy without drenching the fries, and just enough cheese to make them nice and rich. The fries were a little but burnt on the edges. Probably from melting the cheese curds in the oven.
I followed that up with their Flanders red ale. This is a traditional sour red Belgian ale. I was impressed with Big Lug’s rendition. The beer was sweet and lightly sour. The sourness was perfect to make the beer refreshing and crushable.
Along with the sour, I got their Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich. I was interested because I had just been to Hattie Bs in Nashville. The sandwich was good. The flavor was very close. My only issue is the chicken was very thin. It looked like it was pounded out like a pork tenderloin.
All in we were pretty happy with Big Lug. The beer was solid and the food was better than average. I’m excited to go for lunch when they aren’t as crowded.

So, you wanna be Indy’s next best brewery? That’s no easy feat in 2015, as everyone is jumping on the bandwagon with big dreams and bags of malt. No longer can you rely on that one batch of really good home-​brew that you made in your garage that one time to be a successful brewery in Indiana. The competition is pretty tough…
Wait, what’s that? Eddie Sahm and his band of Big Lugs have opened their two-​story brew haven in Nora? They’re pouring a large selection of chug-​worthy beers ranging from oatmeal pale ales to paw paw porters to red flanders sours? They have a full menu with a slew of options including walking tacos, Nashville chicken sliders on homemade knots, greekamole, and a weekly poutine special?!
Well, shit. The competition just went from pretty tough to you better up your game and fast. These self-​acclaimed masters of pretty decent are fairly fantastic. I’d say the brewery bar has been raised, Indiana, and if businesses don’t meet up to the expectations of places like Big Lug, then they might as well take their taps and go back to their garages.

I was so eager to try the place when it first opened, I brought my daughter in for a late lunch after school and found out the hard way it was 21 & over only! I guess I was so focused on trying the poutine I didn’t want to let a little thing like rules and legalities to get in the way!
So I came back today for lunch and made sure my friend was well over 21! It was a light crowd, and the gentleman that greeted us at the door gave us the option of sitting on the first floor or venturing upstairs, which was a little funkier. Funky? Yes, please! And indeed it was. Cool tables & chairs, with festive and bright artwork which led to the deck overlooking the Monon. I can’t wait to sit out there when the weather’s just right.
I was all ready to order the pork belly poutine until I saw the weekly special — Szechuan poutine with steak and shrimp. Man! The server warned me that it was a little spicy, and I’m not a spicy fan, but I couldn’t pass it up. It had the perfect amount of kick along with a little sweetness, it was SO good! Did I mention cheese curds? The serving was so huge, in fact I probably will only order it again when I know I can immediately take a nap afterwards!
The service was great, and they even offered to give us a tour. We didn’t have time today, but maybe next time!