Bud’s Tavern

Buds will always have a special place in my heart. Going to Marian University for undergrad, we couldn’t have asked for a better bar to be so close to campus. I will never forget the many karaōke nights, the graduation luaus, and the impromptu nights out. Thanks for all the memories Buds.

I went to Indianapolis and looked for a karaōke bar. Trust me, Unilocal’s reviews are seriously out of date as most places I called no longer offers karaōke. Bud’s Tavern did and I went. $ 5 cover charge, so you have to want to sing to get in here. Other than that, the food was good, inexpensive beer and the KJ was happy to play songs. I sang my heart out that night and had a great time. I don’t know when I will ever go back to Indianapolis again, but Bud’s was a good choice for me.

Sad news, Bud’s has discontinued it’s Tenderloin. The best tenderloin in the city, and it’s gone. I didn’t even get to say good bye. Most of the menu has been replaced by Pizzas, which admittedly I haven’t tried for a very long time. I wish Bud’s the best, but am very disappointed in this decision.
R.I.P. Bud’s Tenderloin.

Great reviews on Unilocal brought me here yesterday while I was waiting on a car repair. My boyfriend and I sat up at the bar and decided to have a bite to eat. There were 5 people there; 2 regulars, the bartender and us.
After we ordered a couple of cold beers I asked for a menu. She sat down at the end of the bar opposite of us and proceeded to chat with a friend that came in. One of the guys left and the other sat there on the same side of the bar with an empty glass. When she finally got up and noticed he needed a drink she told him she didn’t want to hear any of his … Yeah. Meanwhile, I tried to get her attention and was ignored as she sat back down. Someone else came in (her boyfriend?) and she got up so I caught her for a refill and my boyfriend asked if we could order some food (I was ready to yell back to the kitchen myself at this point).
The beer was cold and the burgers were great and the prices were right. Kudos to the kitchen (I made a point to let him know on our way out)! The bar was decked out with racing memorabilia and very tasteful (far from a ‘dive’ bar). They had booths and pool tables, video games, even picnic tables out front. I’m sure during Happy Hour they could be pulling in a lot more customers ($) if anyone cared enough to pay attention.

Great little race bar right down the street from the I.M.S. The burgers we got were terrific, I gor the smothered burger which come with sauteed onions, bacon, and pepper jack cheese (for the extra bit I recommends getting some mushrooms with it). The only. reason I am rating this poorly was the service, the bartender was inattentive to anyone sitting at the bar (mind you there were only four people at the bar). A gentleman sat and waited glass empty for twenty minutes before asking to get a refill, mind you she was sitting three spaces down on her phone with a friend drinking; he shortly after his beer. We tried to order food for about thirty minutes before she finally realized I needed a refill. All in all great place, great food, terrible service.

Experience of a lifetime.

Best tenderloin and buffalo chicken sandwich in Indiana! The beer is cold and the staff are very nice. Some say the neighborhood isn’t the best but it’s a couple blocks from Cardinal Ritter High School and one of the oldest middle class neighborhoods in the city, eagledale. Great place to eat lunch or dinner!

Best tenderloins! I have also heard the wings are good. I am excited to try them. The bar is clean and has an inviting atmosphere.

Absolute good honest service like we should get. The gals waiting on folks are awesome and the food is right there with it. Good job.Ted. I look forward to more evenings there if I most be in Indy. Good job Christeen and Michelle
doc

I am surprised that I haven’t written a review of this place yet. I have been here hundreds of times!
Pros: The drinks are inexpensive, the food is delicious, pool tables, karaōke on Weds and Sats, and the staff are very friendly.
Cons: not the best neighborhood and it can get kind of crazy (which can also be entertaining)
Awesome dive bar :)

This is a great dive bar, and they don’t charge out-​the-​ass for drinks. This is a great place to hang out. I’ve never ordered off the menu, but the food looks great.

There was a story in the IndyStar about a mom who wanted to teach her 11 year old daughter a life lesson so she dropped her off at the intersection of 30^th and Lafayette road at 11pm.
I don’t know what the mother’s true intentions were. I mean there’s an INDYGO bus stop there and an U-​haul center… and there is also BUDS TAVERN!, the former strip joint turned legit west side hang out.
Buds is a neighborhood tavern decorated with numerous racing signs and is illuminated mainly by their pink neon glow. The bar has the typical setup: pool tables, big screens, dart boards, pinball machines, pull tabs, and the touch screen jukebox.
There are plenty of regulars at Buds. I imagine I qualify as one of those regulars. Usually when I sit down there is a beer waiting for me and thats a good thing.
I’ll try to be fair and keep the hyperbole to a minimum. But one thing that can not be understated is that Buds has one of the best Tenderloins in the entire state.
Other Notes
–Thursday is their busiest day. Poker Night
–beware of Karaōke… it can ruin a night if you’re not in the mood. (Saturday)
–IPD is usually there in droves. Buds is extremely loyal to local law enforcement. I think as a result they keep an extra eye out on the place.
–Beer selection is limited (lots of domestics). We are trying to convince the owner to get SUN KING.

I’ve driven by this place countless times and had never thought of going in until I saw reviews on Unilocal.Didn’t try the food, but cheap domestic draft beer was priced fair. Pitchers of Coors Light were $ 7.00 and pitchers of Miller High Life were $ 6.00. The place really started to pick up around 9 or so.
I’ve been there twice and liked the atmosphere. I felt like my girlfriend and I were the youngest there but didn’t think that was a bad thing. If I had to guess, I’d say patrons were from mid 20’s to 50’s on the night I went. Defiantly a working class demographic — you know — normal people. No yuppies here, and I kinda like it that way. Just a good place to go where you aren’t price gouged. Service and quality that is affordable, and I thought the employees were a good and hard working group. All of this tied together for a nice experience. I would definitely go back there.

i think the tenderloins are somehow getting better? not sure how that’s possible, but the one i enjoyed last night was probably the best yet.

High Life on tap, alright!
I hardly ever venture out to the west side, but I was happy to meet some friends here before dinner.

I in no way like car racing but this place grew on me. Picture a couple race cars exploding within a bar setting: wheels, hoods, etc all over the place.
Four pool tables ($ 1 each), two dart machines, a mix of flat screen and old RGB tvs. I believe this place has food but I didn’t get any. I kept getting the $ 6 pitchers of Coors but I hope they have more than your basic swill beer.
I went on a Wednesday night because it was karaōke night. The group of patrons were all very supportive of each other and friendly. The server and bartender were awesome too. Some guys playing chess.
For some reason this is classified as a «dive bar,» but it is not. It is clean with functioning toilets and sinks. There was ample lighting and enough seating for everyone there. Nothing appeared to be broken. I love dive bars but this is not one.