Forty Five Degrees

Looking for a hip and cool place to enjoy Sushi with friends — This is your spot. First let’s start with the sushi — absolutely fantastic variety to choose from. Every roll that I have had at this place has been well prepared. Next let’s move on to the atmosphere — nice clean look with a small outside dining area. The space is a bit tight on the inside and the tables are close but don’t worry the crowd that normally frequents this spot are with friends and typically not bothered by the closeness of the tables. On Sunday’s they have half price sushi — you are better if you try and go earlier in the afternoon before the evening crowd sets in.

I frequent Forty Five Degrees because of the posh atmosphere and creative group seating. They offer booths that can seat up to 8 people, so I often come with friends.
I always order sushi, so I can’t comment on other foods. They have many traditional rolls, but they excel with their own invented sushi rolls.
Forty Five Degrees did a good job at keeping diet restrictions in mind. There are many options for vegetarians and for those who aren’t comfortable eating raw fish. However, most of the invented rolls have some hot spice added to it. My friend had a difficult time finding sushi that was not spicy.
For anyone wanting Asian cuisine in the downtown area, I highly recommend Forty Five Degrees.

We have only ever visited this location for their half price sushi. You used to be able to just get sushi but now you HAVE to get drinks.
The drinks are always terrible. TERRIBLE. I don’t know if it’s the bar or the crowd or what but I have tried something new every single time and ended up leaving it mostly full on the table when I left. I really recommend getting the cheapest drink you can and sticking to the food haha.
Personally I love their Carona roll! It’s got very thin line slices over it that give a delicious citrus kick to the fish. Otherwise their basic rolls are usually preferable to their specialty rolls in my opinion. A lot of them seem to have asparagus, which I hate, so be aware that I am personally excessively biased because of this.
I often order their roe sashimi even though it is not half priced. I also love their wasabi shooter things, but my boyfriend hates them, which if funny because he’s usually the spicy food lover. I recommend at least giving them a try.

Yes, the sushi is good. Yes, the atmosphere is «exciting» however, I have only been here on Sundays for ¹⁄₃ priced sushi, and the wait for a table is insane (up to 90 minutes), and the wait staff while friendly could be more attentive.
Having come from living in multiple cities on the west and Pacific northwest coast, I would consider myself a good judge of quality sushi. The quality of the sushi they serve is not fantastic, but it is pretty good for land-​locked Indiana.
Their miso soup is not too salty, and their pad Thai was not too peanuty (appropriate use of tamarind and fish sauce).
If I am looking for sushi downtown and have some time, my default is 45 Degrees. I do have to brace myself for the loud atmosphere and slow-​ish table service. The cocktails are mixed very well.
I have heard they turn into a night club on weekend nights, but I have not been witness

Great location for a little sushi and a cocktail. I especially love coming for half price sushi on Sundays with the purchase of a beverage. If you like sushi but find the bill a bit hard to swallow, it’s a great option for you.
The waiters are all friendly, but they definitely provide friendlier and more prompt service to the fellas, so ladies take a good looking guy if you want primo service.

We went here yesterday to grab lunch after marching in the pride parade. Overall the experience was mediocre verging on crappy.
First of, they charged us for water. What place charges you for water? I asked for a glass of water and they brought me a bottle of not even name brand water and charged me 2.50 for it. No cup. Just the bottle. Okay. Weird vibes already.
The place looked really cool inside but all the servers seemed like they were «too cool» or «too busy» to make time for our party of 3. I’m someone who will give a place a second chance even if the food is mediocre as long as the service is good or great. We’re in Indianapolis, not LA so I don’t really understand the pretentiousness behind the service. Midwest hospitality is a real thing, folks… even in your trendy cocktail lounge/​sushi bar.
The sushi was alright. It didn’t knock my socks off. The shrimp tempura was soggy and just tasted like deep fried batter not light crispy tempura batter. We ended up spending over 55 $ just for lunch and NO alcohol and honestly I’d rather go somewhere where I could get a better product and less pretentiousness for a fraction of the cost. There are plenty of places around indy that will satisfy that need.

Open late till 2 am, good place to get a bite late. Bar food rather than a restaurant but decent

This is the first time that I have ever eaten in an Indianapolis establishment or for that matter actually stopped in Indianapolis period. I have to say that if this is one’s first impression of the place it is a pretty damn good one.
First of all, I was happy because I had just driven from Florida and was lamenting the horrible cold temperatures of the northern states, but luckily for me it turned out to be unseasonably warm here on my visit and it was about 80 degrees, so from the get go, fate just brought me here lol. I was not even planning to go to 45 Degrees, there was another eating establishment down the street that was on my original itinerary. But 45 Degrees was hard to pass up, just based on it’s curb appeal alone. It had an outdoor covered patio full of people and it is located in this really hip area of the city with an awesome bike/​walking trail surrounding the place. 45 Degrees is casual yet very classy. It is full of diversity with all different kinds of people coexisting peacefully. I’m not trying to be corny but that is so refreshing to see in this day and age where divisiveness seems to be the order of the day. Seriously the crowd in this place could make for a great political ad of a happy America or something.
The service was above average however the host at the door was a stereotypical gay character with some what of an attitude, he wasn’t rude but he needs to take it down a few notches because some people will view it as such. The place is classy on it’s own so there is no need for the Studio 54 type stuck up host at the door.
Now for the food: We started out with the Fish Tacos. If I were to give this a grade it would be a C. It was very bland and in great need of some sort of sauce to bring it to life. The extras that were provided with this dish like the corn relish, guacamole etc were not enough to do this. However in their defense, you can order a spicy version of this dish. I did not try the spicy version but I’m assuming that it probably gives this entrée the kick it needs.
Next we had the Spring Rolls with Chicken which was a solid dish that I would give a grade of B+. And lastly we had the Shrimp Cocktail which was also quite good and I also give it a grade of B+.
Overall 45 Degrees is a place with an extremely nice atmosphere and vibe with above average food! My experience here was a good one.

Ok… I’m going to be politically incorrect with this review but it is my experience and I’ve talked to others who have had the same experience but won’t say it out loud.
Food — it was ok but a little pricey. I love sushi and had much better at comparable or better prices.
Facility — awesome and well designed. Very trendy and on the weekend is a good place to people watch. Drinks are good too.
Service — well this is where it starts to go downhill and my political correctness goes out the door. I’ve been here several times and each time the service is consistently slow and the severs often act like I’m bothering them. Now… I’ve never had this issue with the female severs. However, I notice that the type of male servers they often have working are a little arrogant and pretentious. sometimes I believe prejudice when it comes to…“breeders”. Well there it is. Someone who has fought for equal rights and fairness for ALL actually felt uncomfortable multiple times with SOME of the male servers. Just attitude and feeling like I’m in a trendy pretentious LA restaurant with a velvet rope. Multiple times I’ve had attitude after attitude and one time the guys kept talking to each other and I had to ask for service. And I was one of two tables with people in the joint!
Please keep the trendy and hip feel, decent food, but remember all people should be treated with respect and good customer service regardless of their life style. My wife and I are good tippers as we had to work in the industry and understand how tough it can be to serve people.

This has been my go-​to for sushi for many reasons! First of the environment is great, modern, inviting, and the staff is friendly!
Depending when you go there could be a long wait so call ahead to figure out the wait, not sure if they take reservations though.
They have great drinks and my favorite is the cucumber one.
Now on to the sushi, I’m not an expert on it but this is so good! There’s so many choices and I feel like every time I come they switch it up. Also, Sunday’s are half price sushi!!! So make sure to hit it up for the pricier sushi rolls

Stopped in for a late dinner on a Wednesday. Our waiter suggested the salmon diablo roll, which was a good recommendation.
The food here was a bit pricey, but okay. I get that fresh fish is expensive, especially in landlocked places, but $ 6 for edamame is obnoxious.
But the drinks were very reasonable, and well-​crafted. Which is probably how we ordered extra $ 6 edamame.
The décor is nice and trendy, just like the staff.
Have only been once, but will probably be back at some point.

When in town a few weekends ago, friends and I wanted to try a new sushi spot. Since we were planning on sticking to the Mass Ave area for the night we chose Forty Five Degrees. We arrived later, around 9:45PM. There were still lots of people in the place — granted it was a Friday night, and Fridays mean sushi date night. Our server seemed annoyed that our party of 8 came in so late.
First thing you notice is the atmosphere, swanky and modern. Very upscale-​vibe. Started off with miso soup and a friend had their soup of the day. All arrived cold… very unfortunate. We were starving so I gulped down the soup before our edamame was to arrive. We shared several rolls, and honestly they were all just okay.
The overall experience was lacking something. I would best describe 45 Degrees as mediocre. I can name many more places I would rather indulge in sushi in the Indy area.
Our bills arrived and noticed our server had charged us for Ketel One Vodka… when I know I will not be drinking «the good stuff» all night I usually just get the well. I hate when servers give you a vodka with an upcharge when you don’t specify! We paid and left and overall everyone had the same take. Cool look/​atmosphere but food, service, and drinks were nothing to come back for.

Great Sushi! Super fresh, big selection, nice presentation.
We tried several… Rainbow Roll, Philadelphia Roll, Spicy Scallop, and Orange Crush. They were all great. Each plate was appealing with plenty of ginger and wasabi. I like to load on the wasabi, so my water glass could have been refilled a bit quicker (and more ice please!), but overall service was good.
The place itself is very cool. Great location right on Mass Ave at College. Nice décor, plenty of TVs throughout, restrooms are sleek and clean. I always checkout the restroom! For me a bad restroom = bad restaurant — but 45 degrees is good here too.
Full bar with extensive cocktail menu.
Server told us about ½ price Sushi Sunday! HELLO! Yes please!

I haven’t tried very much food here, so I’ll make this brief since I can’t review the sushi (other than some basic roll, edamame, and a slider, all of which were solidly fine but nothing to write home about).
I come here for the drink specials and the atmosphere. It’s frequently pretty busy but never super crazy. They have a large selection of good (not quite mixologist level) cocktails that are totally worth the discounted prices. The hostesses sometimes seem confused, but the bartenders and servers are attentive and friendly. And they generally play awesome indie/​alternative music when I’m in there, which I fully appreciate (and sometimes sing along, much to the embarassment of my friends).

I honestly don’t understand what my problem is… this is one of my most favoritest spots in Indy… I know that isn’t a word but it’s my review… I say what I want ;) This place is one of the «Indianapolis Greats». I typically go on Sundays for date nights. I don’t know how many times I’ve been here. It got so bad at one point where they knew me by name… maybe that isn’t a bad thing… I need to get to know the new staff better now.
This place is very friendly, so if you are opposed to people who live an alternative lifestyle… stay at home, because you are going to encounter people like that every day. Anyway, on sundays they have ½ off Sushi. The DJ is there, playing hits, each table is candle lit, the blue neon lights are on throughout the building… Mind you, it’s super packed on Sundays… wait til it gets warm outside, people will be sitting on the patio. It’s such a great place. The food is really good (the actual food, not the sushi… well the sushi is really good but that isn’t my focus right now). Their salads are great. I remember one time a while back I ordered a salad and I ordered chicken breast to go with it… it was expensive but I went on ahead and purchased it to go with my salad since there wasn’t a protein… mind you this was a few years ago, once again I don’t know why in the world I have yet to check-​in to this place. Whatever salad I ordered with a grilled chicken breast added was simply amazing.
The Sushi… I’m addicted. You can easily spend 20 dollars and feel really full off of Sushi alone. I’m such a huge fan. I would say that I love the presentation of each roll, but the one I like watching the most is the roll they set on fire, which is wrapped in aluminum foil. I just find that exciting, I guess it’s the pyromaniac in me… Anyway, when I order, I always try to get something different, that way I’m not burned out on eating there, which also makes it difficult to find a favorite. No lie, I tend to go for the rolls that are the most expensive, only because they have a lot of stuff on or in it, and have different flavors combined that you may not normally see. I just love it here. Next time I go, I will write a better review. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been. Till then, Unilocalers… keep Unilocaling!!!

Third time is a charm! I went back and have no complaints. Great service and good value on the Devour menu.

Holy sh*t! Really awful!
I came here on a Sunday night for the ½ price sushi with a friend. Expect to wait for a table, that’s fine. This is a Mass Ave Sunday night staple, and I’ve always considered it to be so even without having visited but one other time several months ago. The wait was reasonable.
We started with drinks and appetizers. My friend ordered a $ 5 Long Island (Sunday special) and I ordered an iced tea. The waiter kept bringing more tea but NEVER refilled the ice which was completely gone by the end of the first glass. I drank room temperature tea throughout my meal.
My diet is pescatarian and my friend’s is vegetarian. We ordered spring rolls (vegetarian unless otherwise specified) as our appetizer. You receive four rolls. When they arrived, I took a bite and it was full of chicken. We sent it back and our waiter apologized. When he came back with the new rolls, there were only two on the plate. «These are the last two spring rolls in the restaurant, I’ll see if I can get them to take half off or something,» he informed us. So they come out wrong, then they come out as a half order, and we’ve still gotta pay? We both work in the service industry, and we’re generally not complainers, but we thought this was an appropriate time to remove an item from the bill. We decided not to bring it up until the end of the meal, maybe he would do us a solid. As far as spring rolls go, I would say 4.5÷5. They could’ve used some more filling.
Next came the sushi. I ordered the Thai Kiss and the Ultimate veggie. The Thai Kiss was delicious. It was full of flavor and crunch. Expect a chewy roll in a Thai chili sauce glaze with notes of ginger and a bit of crunch on top. The ultimate veggie was a little bland on its own. Dipped lightly in soy sauce, it just tasted like salt. I gave half of it to my friend. Neither would have been worth their full $ 16 or $ 9 price tags, respectively.
When the bills came, we asked the waiter if he could get the spring rolls taken off entirely. He went to see what he could do. We had to wait a little longer, but he did get them taken off. When we looked at our bills, we realized we had been charged full price for the sushi on ½ of Sunday. This also happened to me on my first visit. This is their biggest day of the week and every other order has been half off. Easy mistake? Or trying to slip one under the radar? I’m not so sure. Anyways, there we were, stuck waiting for our bill for the third time.
Finally we got the hell out of there. I never stiff anyone. I work for tips myself. This guy got the big stiff. I don’t wanna drop his name, that’s rude, but the restaurant would be better off without him. Even if your product sucks, your service can make up for it.
I work as a concierge in one of Indy’s top downtown hotels and have always considered this the place to be for sushi, even with the wait. I live in the neighborhood and try to support local business! I sent all of my guests here. Never again. I can only send them places where I know that they will receive exceptional service that I can keep my word on.
Trust me, I’m not that picky. I tend to frequent dive bars and diners and I’ve seen better service a hundred times over in all of them. On the hunt for a new sushi destination. If you still decide to visit this restaurant, please only do so on Sundays. I could never see myself paying their full prices for such a crummy time.

We recently visited for the ½ price sushi special on a Sunday evening. As to be expected it was very busy with a long wait but the hostess was friendly and efficient. The sushi was good, some fun varieties, not as authentic as other joints for a fun change of pace and atmosphere. Service was a little below average, multiple servers left water pitchers and other items on our table for convenience while serving others nearby. The half price special will bring us back again but otherwise not rave worthy.

Let me start out by saying you are a fool to go for sushi any day but Sunday! ½ price!
They don’t open until 3 on Sunday’s, but once you enjoy all the half-​priced sushi goodness you’ll never come another day!
The Thai kiss, dynamite, and rock n roll are my favorites! Plenty for two people to share. (Remember, you can’t take left overs on Sunday so don’t overdo it)
The atmosphere is modern and clubby– which makes sense because it’s a club at night. I think it is 21+ no matter the time of day though. They have great drink specials and a full food menu for those who have not embraced the wonders of sushi. Outdoor seating too! What’s not to love?!

Each time I’ve visited I’ve had a great experience. The wait staff is kind and attentive. I love how modern the interior is as well. It seems like the clientele is a mostly hip young crowd.
On weekends and specifically on Sunday’s when they have great menu deals it can be pretty packed. However, because service is quick the wait is never that long.
I’ve had sashimi to noodle dishes to their speciality rolls. The sashimi was great! Very clean and fresh. FYI the speciality rolls can be big and pretty filling so maybe order one at a time.
I look forward to my next sushi with friends night here!

We went to dinner here on Sunday for their half priced sushi. We all loved our food, and our server Donny took great care of us. He made sure to be very careful with my friend who has GF dietary restrictions. Definitely will come back!

I really want to like this place, but it’s been pretty disappointing thus far. The location is obviously phenomenal and the half priced sushi on select days is for sure good deal if you’re on a budget, but the sushi and food doesn’t cut it for me. Also I work in customer service and I’m the lowest maintenance person in the world, but the hostess’ here always have a sour disposition. Restaurant work is tough and sometimes annoying, I get it, but just give me a table or ask me to wait… Don’t give me or my crew a death stare. It’s hard to judge a facial expression, but it feels awkward every time. It’s fine for stopping in for drinks, but (I hate to say) you can do better food wise elsewhere. Downtown’s definitely lacking in good sushi, most of it is on the north or west side imo. My rating is mostly based on food quality though, I can deal with staff not being happy go lucky. I’d try again, but 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, to 4^th time has not been the charm so far. :/

Cool interior, nice staff, half price sushi on Sundays (but the sushi itself couldn’t be called the best).

I was visiting family in Indianapolis and was invited here for dinner. I was very, very impressed with the creativity that went into the sushi creations here. Being well-​versed in many different types of cuisine all over the world, I must give this place my highest compliments. Our waitress was super-​friendly, witty & funny. The service was impeccable and the sushi-​creations were incredible. This was not your normal, run-​of-​the-​mill sushi that you get everywhere. The chefs definitely put a lot of thought into what is being created here. The rock and roll sushi was heavenly! SOOO crispy! I often long for a dinner at this wonderful restaurant again soon!

This was our second time visiting forty five degrees. The service was fast, we had the same waiter as last time! It was great! I didn’t really expect authentic sushi since I found out what it’s like here last time and that made this experience alot more enjoyable.

Four and half stars…
Cool ambiance, nice cocktails, good sushi, hip crowd, and great service. We live in California and my husband has Japanese connections (and been to Japan a few times) so we’re not your usual mid-​west sushi diners (whatever that may be.) The ambiance is cool, hip and young. The sushi is fresh and good, but not the greatest flavors we’ve experienced. We were very happy to satisfy our sushi cravings tonight (Sunday) with half priced rolls! Our server was great. Salads are delicious! Good cocktails too.

I honestly don’t know if I just had a couple of bad experiences or if the hype is over the location/​setting, but I’ve truly had better sushi elsewhere. Given the price point (IE: $ 7 for a basic spicy tuna) I had expected more flavor/​better quality. The service also left a lot to be desired, even with a very quiet dining room.
Thursday is ½ price drinks so a fun place for Happy Hour but I’d leave it at that.

Great sushi in a wonderful area of town! I recommend going on Sunday’s for their have price sushi special! It is a great way to end the weekend! The drinks aren’t my favorite– hence the four stars. I got an Old Fashioned here once, and I’m not sure what the bright orange pre-​mix they put in there was, but it was not good. The service is good and efficient!

Great atmosphere, service, and fresh, inventive rolls. I went for half-​price Sunday and enjoyed the food very much. Other reviewers are right about the lack of sashimi and more traditional Japanese options. The menu has more of a fusion theme, and definitely caters to Midwestern palates (cooked items in rolls, cream cheese, limited raw choices). So, if you’re not a purist this is a great go-​to spot. Try Sunday during Colts games to miss the wait.

Plus a half.
Certainly not good enough for a 4 star.
It is okay place. But with a limited raw sushi menu.
Good place with drink specials on Thursday.
More like a nightclub that has good than a restaurant.
All in all good place to come to try out sushi if you’re a first timer in sushi.

There isn’t much to complain about after my first visit to Forty Five Degrees. A friend suggested we do a double date here on a Sunday night, when all sushi rolls are 50% off and they feature $ 5 mojitos and bloody marys. I tried both drinks, I think the bloody was better. The mojito wasn’t anything special. But the sushi was! They had some ingredients I hadn’t tried before, like mandarin oranges, which was very tasty! All the rolls we had, even the non-​specialty ones, were very good. Service was pretty friendly, and the place definitely had the feel of «the place to be» on a Sunday night — it was packed, but in a fun way (not a hassle).
P. s. don’t let the crazy line outside on Sunday nights scare you off — I thought it would be at least an hour wait, and it was more like 30 minutes. They turn tables well, and we didn’t feel rushed.

Went on a Sunday with friends and was seated within 15 minutes. They had decently priced drinks on sale and the sushi of course was half off. But just a reminder ***if you don’t want to finish your sushi and have the rest to be taken out in a box, they will charge you full price***.
I’m not a huge sushi fan, but I did like theirs. The atmosphere is very chill, but definitely very loud, especially because we were seated outside so the streets were crowded with cars and whatnot. Overall, I had fun and will probably be back.

I do like this place alot but stick with the basics. The signature playboy roll was disappointing but the standard nagiri was great.
Drinks are a bit over priced but on par for mass ave.
If you go on half price sushi sunday plan on waiting for a seat.

This place is ultra sleek and modem, and all the cool diverse kids come here. Two things I care about: Thursdays are half price drinks, and Sundays are half price sushi! There! You drug it out of me!

I had only been to 45 for drinks in the past but I am very glad I tried the food today! Half price sushi on Sunday’s…I’m sold.
The 45 Roll and the Yum Yum roll were great. I am a weakling when it comes to spicy food but I enjoyed them both. I think I could even handle a little spicier. The drink selections are vast on the cocktail and wine side but not for beer, which is okay.
The dessert was amazing! The Bacon Brownie A la Mode was perfect. I commented that this will become a go to option for Sunday afternoon and evenings when you don’t feel like cooking.
If sushi isn’t your thing they have a lot of other menu options. We also had the pot stickers which were very good!
The wait staff is nice and knowledgable. I was also pleasantly surprised to be able to eat sushi, listen to Taylor Swift, and watch preseason Football simultaneously, not a lot of places where that moment of zen occurs.

The first time I came here was for the summer Devour Downtown menu. There were 3 of us so we chose to order something extra aside from the special menu. I absolutely loved the Pad Thai, which seems odd for a sushi bar. The dish was very flavorful but wasn’t extremely oily. I haven’t had it since last summer so hopefully they haven’t changed the way they make it. Both the 45° Salad and Spring Rolls were good but nothing memorable.
Then I found about half price sushi on Sundays so I had to drag my boyfriend to try it. They have a pretty decent variety of rolls to choose from. But like another Unilocaler mentioned, they do have a lot of rolls with cream cheese. I would have also liked more choices that didn’t have some sort of tempura ingredient. All the rolls we tried were good but not great. And even for being half price, they just weren’t worth it. So far, I’ve tried 5 different sushi rolls total and none of them have me excited to go back to this restaurant.
I really like the interior of Forty Five Degrees. It’s very modern and has almost of a clubbing type atmosphere. I enjoy the music selection although I’ve never eaten here when they supposedly have a live DJ. I’ve also had great service every time I’ve come here – the hostesses were polite and the waiters have always been friendly and attentive.
Overall, this place gets an honorable mention but me but I would not consider it a ‘must try’. If you want to try the sushi, I recommend coming on half price Sundays.