Chef Mike’s Charcoal Grill

I decided to try Chef Mike’s Charcoal Grill one Tuesday for lunch (4−19−16). As some others have commented, there wasn’t much front in help working, so I waited to be seated because no staff was immediately there to greet me. But without too much delay, I was taken over the the seating area across from the bar. There was a good crowd for lunch which was encouraging.
After another short delay, I was able to order and went with the Charcoal Grilled Bourbon and Chive Burger (6oz) with Swiss cheese and a tossed salad as my side. I selected it since it was indicated on the menu as one of their most popular items.
The burger was an absolute delight. This was another one of my top 5 burgers this year. All the flavors really worked well with each other and the grill flavor on the burger was perfectly balanced with the lettuce, tomato, and mayo accents.
The waitress was mostly efficient, but lacked the welcoming personality that I get from the best staff. I wonder if having more front end help would have helped her attitude.
Anyway, based upon the food quality, I recommend giving this place a try. Pick a date when you don’t expect the crowd to be at its peak and you can relax to enjoy your meal without feeling rushed to get somewhere.

Walked here for dinner from our hotel. It was all surprisingly good– the service, the food, and the atmosphere. Our server, Kelsey, was amazing and made our experience really great. Try the buffalo brussel sprouts, they were amazing!

Ate at Mike’s for the first time and last time last night. My wife order a filet and I ordered NY Strip. We both asked for them to be cooked medium. They were both under cooked, very rare and very tough. The rolls were stale. The service was slow, about 15 minutes after we ordered to get our salads. Another 15 minutes for our steaks to arrive. We could not eat much of them. They took the wine charge off our bill. We left wishing we had gone to Longhorn’s!

After a long day at my client I was looking forward to a good meal and a great beer. I got exactly what I wanted AND more at Chef Mike’s Charcoal Grill. I decided to have appetizers for my dinner and it was perfect. The Buffalo Charred Brussels Sprouts with Gorgonzola cheese was incredible. The Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aoli and a mini Bourbon and Chives Burger with Pepper Jack Havarti was soooooo good. To top it off a tall Blue Point Summer Ale and I leave a very happy girl. My server Kelcie was fantastic as well. If I am ever back in Indy I will go back to Chef Mikes.

Horrible evening. Seemed short staffed unattentive to customers. Beet salad had no beets.

I had a ridiculous experience there tonight. The «manager» as she calls herself came to the host stand. I told her that I had a reservation for four, she acknowledged that and looked at my companion whom she thought didn’t look 21, but is, in fact, 28. We walked into the family side of the restaurant, so there was no call for her to ask for his ID, but she did, which he promptly pulled out and gave her despite the fact that we had not yet asked to sit in the bar area. What right did she have to ask for ID when we were sitting in the family area? She then proceeded to say once she had the lD, «I’m freaking out here… are you sure this isn’t your brother’s ID? What’s your middle name? You were born in 1988?» These questions called into question my companion’s integrity and honesty. He was quick to give her the ID and gave her no reason to be so persistent. When I took the ID out of her hand and said we wouldn’t be dining here, she had no clue as to why we would be upset. I left and went back in to let her know how upset I was and she asked if I had changed my mind! I assured her that, NO, I hadn’t and I began to speak but she continually cut me off and would not let me calmly explain that I wasn’t upset about asking to see ID but mad because she questioned our honesty and had no right to card him when we were originally planning to sit on the family side. She’s a moron who is uninformed and a poor leader who doesn’t listen when spoken to. I never raised my voice and was respectful till the end. NEVER will I return and have told all my friends of the story as well.

I arrived at 6:45 on a Saturday night and ordered several appetizers, drinks and entrees all at the same time. The restaurant is not full and about an hour later the appetizers came out and they are very good. It’s about 8:15 and the entrees are now here. Food is very good, but I don’t see what could take so long to bring us some burgers, appetizers and soup. There are actually people leaving, I don’t get it.

My food was good nothing spectacular but nothing to complain about. My dessert was the chocolate lava cake which was very dry to the point it just crumbled apart. Drinks were good. Service was slow but waitress was very nice.

The evening started with promise, with a good appetizer of fried Brussels sprouts with buffalo sauce and Gorgonzola. The service was extremely slow, though, and we ended up getting our main courses after a long wait. My kids were happy enough with their food, but my husband’s duck was so-​so, and my filet was ridiculously over cooked. I asked for medium, and it was well done. I sent it back, and after another long wait, they brought another filet, but they had butterflied it to cook it faster (WTF?!?) and it was basically seared raw. Disgusted, I said «why don’t you wrap it up and I’ll take it home and cook it right myself.» They offered to recook it and I said no thanks. Then, they said they could only take ten dollars off of the bill, charging me 15 dollars for a steak I had to bring home and cook myself. The veggies with it were gross, no flavor at all. The potatoes were also bland. I didn’t even eat those once I got home.
With the poor service and bland food, there’s no way our bill should have been 58 dollars. Absurd. We will NEVER go back there.

I wouldn’t even give them one star. The food was awful and cold. When we tried to talk to management about it they said there was nothing they could do. I am a server and bartender so i normally never complain. I will never be back.

I really wanted to like this place since it’s so close to my house but the burger I ordered was very overcooked and dry as a bone. The «potato skins» aren’t what you’d expect. They’re essentially the fried pieces of skin… no bacon or cheese on them either. On top of that we had to wait over half an hour for 3 burgers and there weren’t that many people in there at all for a Saturday night. As much as I wanted to love this place, I won’t be going back.

This is the best burger I’ve gad in a long time. The fries might be the best I’ve ever had. The bar had some great options, and the staff made the experience even better. One of the best places so far.

I was a little doubtful about Mike’s Grill when my family walked into the restaurant and one of the servers automatically started telling us that «the place was really good» and «people give compliments all the time.» We’re already in the restaurant and trying to sit down, why are you still trying to sell it?
But overall, good beer, good food, alright setting. It has a pretty big bar, so it’d probably be a fun place to sit at and watch a game.
I had some of the buffalo brussel sprouts for an appetizer (pictured)! Very delicious! They come with cheese, and are good to split between 2 – 3 people.
And of course, I had to try the Red Devil burger that I heard oh, so much about. Jalapenos, havarti cheese, and a special hot sauce. It was HOT, but great. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of spice.
I had a couple family members who even tried the Burger From Hell, which is the Red Devil burger also including habanero peppers and Sriracha sauce. None of them could finish it because it was so spicy.
Next time I’m in Indiana I’d be happy to come back and try more!

Kind of hard to get to, do to all the ins and outs from all the hotels.”, nice little «Pub». The place is bigger than it looks from the outside. Décor is a bit out dated, and looks like every pub in town. The beer selection was ample with a nice selection. The menu is very eclectic, and a nice mix of chef driven selections and your standard pub fair. I decided on the burger, because it had a blend of different cuts of meat. Not something you would find in the typical town pub. Mine was a bit over cooked, but still tasty. The wait staff was very friendly and knowledgable, and we didn’t feel rushed.

Still a surprisingly-​good grill, a year later.

It’s interesting to read reviews from other patrons. Perhaps we should have done that before picking up a coupon from
and heading to Mike’s.
Our waitress was good. The french fried eggplant was good. The Caesar salad was OK but should have been described as «tossed salad with Caesar dressing».
The steaks were horrible. We ordered a filet and New York, medium rare. The New York was thin and tough like a piece of leather. The filet was unbelievably dry.
We traded the New York for a Rib Eye and that was worse. So tough it couldn’t be cut or chewed. It remained uneaten as did the New York. We finished half the Filet and took the remainder home for the dog.
We came to Mike’s intending to spend more than the $ 50 minimum required by the coupon. In the end, we paid cash for the Filet and the eggplant fries ($ 30) and went home with the coupon unused. Luckily,
allows you to change your mind and pick a different restaurant if things don’t work out.
Sad to say, there is no way we would return to Mike’s. From reading the reviews, it seems like if you want a burger and fries washed down with a beer you’re OK. If you’re looking for anything close to a «steakhouse experience» you should probably ask to see the steak before they grill it.
I highly recommend reading other reviews of Mike’s. Many are quite entertaining.

I love a good dive bar. I’m not sure if this qualifies as one, but it’s close. The place is dark and a bit dated, but to me, that’s part of it’s charm.
The food here is great. We ordered wings, a grilled chicken sandwich, and one of the specialty burgers. All of these items were cooked on the charcoal grill giving the food that great backyard flavor. The burger was hand mixed and included sirloin, brisket, and short rib. It was fantastic. We were told that the sandwich buns were made in house. They were fresh and delicious. The fries are also fresh cut, lightly battered, and not to be missed.
This place has a good craft beer selection and good bourbons. Food and drink prices are great considering the quality and portion sizes.
I’ll definitely return next time I pass through.

The drinks were cheap however it was a little awkward drinking a rum and coke in a wine glass filled to the brim with ice. I ordered the firecracker shrimp for an appetizer. I placed the order, then about twenty minutes later another waitress asked if I wanted the shrimp, then she finally placed the order. The shrinp came out after about forty five minutes. Each individual shrimp I ordered costs me $ 1.50. The shrimp were about the size of a quarter and were the cheap grocery store frozen taste to them.

My husband and I wanted to try something different so we decided to go to Chef Mike’s. The ambience was upbeat, thanks to the crowd at the bar watching a game. Additionally, our server was very cordial. I had the Apple Onion Soup and the salmon. My husband had the pork chops. Unfortunately, the soup was cold and the salmon was dry, so much so that I had to ask for tartar sauce as an accompaniment to make it easier to swallow. I was not impressed and do not intend to return.

For the BBQ lover
I had a wonderful dinner at this unassuming restaurant
I asked the server what her favourites are and went from there and started off with a Sunking local microbrew beer.
Actually they have a great scotch and beer selection to satisfy many tastes
Firecracker cocktail offers grilled smoky shrimps with a zesty cocktail sauce
The Manadarin salad with the house made Poppy seed dressing was very tasty. I was tempted to order a second one.
The grilled Salmon was excellent. The charcoal grill adds a subtle smokiness to the salmon and it was cooked to perfection. Comes with some veggies on the side.
I had the bread pudding for dessert and it was delicious.
Service is warm and friendly
The interior is nothing real fancy and is more bar look than fine dining but people come for the food not for linen tableclothes. Do not be put off by the interior it is still wrapped up in the 70s but the owner may still be wrapped up in that era.
Those who had the Kobe Burger raved about how juicy and delicious it was