Ember Urban Eatery

Do yourself a favor and visit Ember Urban Eatery! Everyone was so kind and friendly. The food is delicious! We were told that all of their sauces and dressings are made in-​house. They have something for everyone. I had a pasta dish and my husband had a reuben. We took our toddler with us and she shared from our plates because there is no kids menu. They offered five desserts and I wished I had room for them all!

Very nice restaurant with good service. Located in a strip center and family owned and operated. I had the best pork tenderloin sandwich in my life! Everyone else in our party enjoyed their entrees as well.

We went in for lunch right after they opened. Service was great but we were the only ones there for a while. We ordered the brisket nachos. Everything they put on top was amazing. Good spice, lots of flavor and it looked great. The small downside was the cheap tortilla chips they put it all on. Made it fall pretty flat which was unfortunate. My wife had a Caesar salad which was pretty standard. I ordered a spinach salad. They hadn’t made the dressing that came on it so he swapped it for a regular vinaigrette which was bland and made it all pretty boring. They did have a few decent local beers but the TVs and the bar area made me think I was in some hotel restaurant. It wasn’t anything special enough to draw me back for another visit.

So after a few weeks of bugging my husband for a date night, he surprised me with dinner reservations at Ember and tickets to a Pacers game! What a good guy! Since we were going to the game we had early reservations at 5 and the restaurant wasn’t too busy. We were kindly greeted and were seated immediately. Our server was friendly and helpful as we tried to decide what to order from the Devour Downtown menu. He also noticed our Pacers gear and made sure to get us out in timely manner.
The Devour menu allowed us to order two apps, two entrees and two desserts. We chose the potato croquettes and the side salad for apps, the smoked brisket ragu and the ½ amish chicken for our entrees and the mini pecan ball and double chocolate cake for dessert.
So here is the lowdown on the food. The side salad was just that, a salad. Nothing impressive but satisfying. The potato croquettes were delicious. Perfectly fried and the BBQ sauce served on the side was a good balance of smokey, sweet and spicy. The ½ amish chicken had a wonderful flavor to it, however the hubby said some of it was cold. The ragu was fantastic. The combination of brisket and cheesy grits is a true flavor explosion. I also really enjoyed the crispy shallots that were served on top. The ragu is served on their regular menu and is noted as a signature item. The desserts were a perfect way to end our meal. The double chocolate cake was moist and chocolate-​y! The pecan ball was the best thing I have ever eaten. Vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted, candied pecans, drizzled with caramel and topped with whipped cream. Jealous? You should be. It was delicious and I want one right now!
Food was great, service was great, restaurant atmosphere was great! We really liked Ember and will be back!

I visit this city for business and random bartender suggested this place as a really nice place to go to. I was pleasantly surprised!

Their devour downtown items and the even the brisket sandwich I had were just ok. But their Urban Wings are awesome, tender juicy with a really good smoke flavor. The white barbecue sauce they serve it with, is a nice add on for some acidity, creaminess, and a kick ass cracked pepper taste. Has to be at least 2^nd place in my book for the best wings in Indy. Seeing us going back easily just for the wings.

We visited the restaurant during Devour and that is exactly what we did. They were quite busy but we were greeted by a lovely hostess that made our small wait delightful. The staff were all very prompt and courteous. As i said before we devoured our choice of menu items. We had the baked goat cheese which was prepared just right, and if you are looking for a great Hoosier tenderloin you need to try Embers breaded tenderloin, simply delish! We also had a burger also prepared to perfection. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are eating off the menu or just stopping in for a drink. You won’t be disappointed !! Also they gave a great patio area to enjoy outdoor dining. Hats off to the owners, staff, and especially the chef for making our dining experience one of excellence .
Five stars!
Kharon S

We had reservations for 7pm. We waited at the bar for 45 min, I checked back in with the hostess and I think we were forgotten about. We made due and the 4 of us ate at the bar. They were very apologetic and attentive after this. We ate off of the devour menu so I had baked goat cheese… as expected, delicious. The smoked brisket ragu was decent. The pecan vanilla ice cream ball was the highlight… it was like roasted cinnamon nuts from a ball game crushed on top of vanilla ice cream with carmel… yum. We did get a drink comped due to our wait, which was appreciated. Overall, the service was great but they were busy… overwhelmed even.

I was pretty underwhelmed. We came here during devour downtown and we did their devour menu. The deal was an app, entrée, and dessert for $ 20. I was part of a large group which probably didn’t help my case but my food was luke warm and service was slow. I ordered the tomato basil soup as the appetizer and it was decent. I ordered the brisket which was luke warm and the grits was very underwhelming. They were flattened down like a pancake. I ordered the chocolate cake which was really good. That was the best part of the meal. Overall, I had higher expectations for this place and I won’t be in a rush to come back.

Dined here during Devour Downtown Winter 2016. Our server was mediocre. I ordered the goat cheese appetizer, filet medallions, and the pecan ball. The goat cheese appetizer was good. The filet medallions on the other hand were not good. The meat was stringy and tough. A steak knife had to be used with quite a lot of force to cut the meat. The sauce over the meat was more like a gravy. The meat and gravy were lacking flavor. I would never order this entrée again based on the stringy, tough, flavorless meat. The dessert was ok. Another diner at my table expressed the same opinion of her filet medallions. Another diner left most of her Apple Risotto Portabella as it was not good.
The ambiance is blah with several tvs. Each course was very slow to arrive. It was a disappointing experience. I won’t be back.

I’ve eaten here twice now, so this review will combine both perspectives. The short version: come for the delicious food, but be prepared to be disappointed in other areas.
Pros: the server we had yesterday was very friendly and apologetic about all of the incorrect menu items, the food is very balanced in flavor and ridiculously yummy, it’s in a convenient location and has nice outdoor seating in summer.
Cons: both the outside sign for daily specials and indoor sign for beers were wrong yesterday — they had no beef stew, no more bread bowls, neither of the beers that were listed that we asked for, the waitress the first time was friendly enough, but frequently preoccupied with her phone.
Overall I’d recommend it, but this last trip was highly disappointing with all of the letdowns. I’d give 5 stars for just the food if I could.

My second run here was extra good.
The ember wings are really good!
I got the steak for my entrée and it was perfectly cooked!
Ill be back.

Great patio, view of downtown Indy skyline, good location, easy parking… I’m sold on Ember.
Started with the Sangria pitcher for $ 20. This is definitely the way to go — my friend and I each got 3 maybe 3 ½ glasses each out of the pitcher. Not my favorite sangria ever — but a good drink regardless.
Shared the Roasted Caprese appetizer. Oh wow, phenomenal! Best part of the experience. Could have been my meal alone. The mozzarella, tomatoes and garlic worked so well together on the bread.
I went with the chicken sandwich on cibatta for my meal and that was good too. Not as flavorful as I had hoped but still good.
I’m blanking on our server’s name but he was kind and didn’t pry but still made sure we had a fantastic experience. Will definitely be back to enjoy a beverage and the patio. A hidden gem of the Fountain Square area not to be missed.

Went for the Fourth of July and had reservations on the patio. We had a great time. The service was spot on and very friendly. I had the smoked wings, OMG fantastic.

What the **** took me so long!!! I had a chance to try a couple of their creations at a Unilocal Elite event and kicked myself for not getting my @$$ into the restaurant sooner. THIS may be the place I bring out-​of-​town guests.
The owner is amazing. She has the biggest heart and a real desire to build a community. And what better way to do that than around a table of incredible food. I’m not sure what all I tried, but everything was divine. A couple other Unilocal guests said they’d been in with a group and ate their way through all of the appetizers — sounds like my kind of table mates.
Who wants to head over to Fletcher Place and nosh with me?

I devoured (downtown) here with a group of 10 (EEK! I hate being those people, but luckily Ember was accommodating and prompt). We started at the bar, which included taps from Three Pints, Fountain Square, and Bier. I started chatting with Shelly, the owner, and she is a real delight: very personable and welcoming, even on a pretty busy night.
After studying the Devour menu, which had the most options I have seen out of the participating restaurants, I ordered the caprese, brisket ragu over cheesy grits, and cheesecake. The food was good, but I wasn’t blown away by the flavors in these dishes (aka no eye rolling to the back of my head and moaning). Out of the three, I’d have the say I enjoyed the brisket ragu the most. You can tell this is a recipe the restaurant is proud of, for they showcased it in two dishes. Thanks to Shelly’s hospitality, I’d like to come back for another go and try it on a sandwich.
NOTE: I second Jon C’s comment about the view… sitting at the front of the restaurant, we had a great view of the cityscape. BONUS: they have a patio, which I hope is utilized in warmer months!

Definitely would not have known this place existed had a friend not brought me – although I’ve driven by many times, the offset location and general lack of signage (the name is one of many on the building’s waist-​high sign) make it a little difficult to see.
Entering Ember, it’s surprising how much larger the room feels compared to its external appearance. There’s ample seating for groups (a 10-​top was next to us) and big booths that could seat 6 comfortably. The bar area is roomy, too, and pours a variety of local beers like Sun King, Bier, Indiana City, and Fountain Square. They’ve really done a lot with the space.
Food: the menu here is… Eclectic, to say the least. Pasta puttanesca, chili, brisket nachos, and… cod en papillote? It’s an interesting mix of high and low, with lots of vegetarian options if that’s your thing. I tried the pasta arrabiata, which was a pleasant level of angry (spicy) without overwhelming the seasoning of the dish. My dining companion had the black bean burger, which tasted like it was made in-​house and was far better than the typical Boca burger offering.
I noticed on their menu they do brunch on the weekends (also that they have a Four Loko «patio punch,» but let’s not judge them for that); would love to come back and see what the menu offers then.

Such a terrible experience. I thought I had already written this, but I guess not. We decided to try this place out with some friends one night before an Indy Eleven game. We show up impressed by the location and excited for outdoor seating on such a nice night. We sit. We sit longer. Oh! Someone finally noticed they have new customers! We get some water and order beers. We sit some more. Decide what we want. Sit longer. Change our minds on our orders. 15min later… Beers! So we order and let them know that we are in a bit of a hurry at this point to make the soccer game. We get salads and they were pretty decent. We wait another 30min for food. Everyone gets theirs… but my order is something completely different from what I ordered. Different sandwich, different sides. I let the waiter know and this just totally shits on his day. I’m apparently the biggest pain in the ass ever for wanting what I ordered. Sigh.
Everyone starts eating (meanwhile we get the second round that we ordered 20min earlier). One of my friends finds an inedible piece of something that looks like fried chicken… in his cheeseburger. Now look, I’m on board for chicken beef sandwiches, but this was not that type of awesome situation. This was super gross and confusing. How’d that even get in there?!
So about 10 min before we need to be in our seats at the stadium I get my food to go and eat some of it in the car. It’s wasn’t good, or maybe I could only taste the disappointment at that point.

July 4^th. You come here for the view. Not the food. Limited menu options. Some of the items weren’t available (like the chicken fingers). Paper plates and missing items. I’m still waiting on my cole slaw. Service was slow. 20 minutes for our server to split checks.
I honestly think that they didn’t know what to expect. The owner was super sweet, but I think was a bit overwhelmed. The band and radio during the fireworks was great. I’m going to give this place another chance when there isn’t a special event. Lots of potential!

Stopped in tonight to try their price fix devour downtown menu. Without a doubt, they have one of the best options on the devour list. 2 people, $ 35, 3 courses EACH.
We had reservations for 730 and arrived right on time. We were quickly seated, told the drink specials, and given recommendations for the menu. 2 of us ordered a 3 pints beer, which was on special.
We promptly put in our orders within 15 mins of being seated. The place can get a bit loud when it’s full, which I only noticed because it took about 15 – 20 minutes for the appetizers to come out. Seemed odd because 3 of 4 people ordered salads and I had the smoked wings, which I assume they have going all day.
Food: I had the smoked wings. They were unlike any wings I’ve ever had before. Full of flavor, not battered, not fried, not greasy. I touched one with a fork and it fell off the bone. Others tried some of the salads, and said they were good. I will comment that the «unwedge» was actually a normal wedge salad.
Entrees: I had the roasted half chicken and everyone else had the 4 cheese pasta. The food came out, and one of the women in our party tried to move her plate of pasta. More on that later. The half chicken was cooked perfectly and came with a small portion of mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans (veg of the day). All was delicious. I tasted the pasta and it was also very good. Everyone enjoyed our entrees.
Dessert: they were out of cheesecake, so everyone had to have the chocolate. Turned out that was ok because it was the best chocolate cake I’ve had in a while. Maybe ever. Not too sweet or rich. It was actually a layered cake with mouse and cake… similar to an Oreo concept.
Service: We weren’t warned when the food arrived, but the plates had been in the oven. The women mention earlier burned her finger badly and the manager and owner came to the table. They brought her ice, a package if burn ointment, and comped her whole meal. Completely made up for the problem and gave us the chance to learn more about the owners. They are trying to focus as much as possible on local Indiana business, everything from food sourcing to beer to artwork hanging on their store.
Overall, great dinner at a great price. Even if you ate on the standard dinner menu, you’d find all the entrees are priced around $ 15. We will definitely be back.