18 On the Square

Most of the food here was ok, by the service was horrid. Slow barely describes it.
We had the fried green tomatoes and the antipasto appetizer. The tomatoes were very good and the antipasto was passable.
My colleagues had the Caribbean jerk pork and liked it. I had the chicken fettuccine Alfredo and it was over cooked to say the least with no flavor.
The bar was poorly stocked. Many liquors and wines were out.
I will likely not be back.

Amazing seafood at this great restaurant. Staff was fabulous too! Waitress even modified dishes for food allergies.

Not sure with the king of Indianapolis was talking about but the service we had was second to none. The food had great over sized portions to satisfy my lumberjack style hunger and the bathrooms are clean and well-​equipped. Some of the waitresses were paperthin stretchy pants for a little extra entertainment so enjoy

Unfortunately this is one of those restaurants that I would give a 3.5 if that was an option, but because they are getting an A for effort, I’m airing on the side of 4. The restaurant was remarkably dead for a Friday night and when I asked the waitress why she said that there was a home basketball game, which I suppose made sense.
The cons first: Our waitress was unfortunately less than stellar and kept oversharing about how half of their draught taps weren’t working and how they were out of certain to-​go containers and how the bread was coming but just wasn’t ready yet (we’d never been here and wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t told us). She was very aloof and often on her phone behind the bar. The fans were unnecessary and it was chilly all dinner. Food was a little on the pricey side.
The pros: Great beer choices on draught. The chef offered us a nice amuse bouche that started the dinner off on the right foot. We got salads instead of appetizers and were both really pleased with them. The meatloaf was very tasty and the vegetables were nicely cooked and not over-​done. My boyfriend’s mac & cheese wasn’t as amazing as possible, but paired with his fried chicken it was perfect. The venue is really neat and I love the placement right on the main square in Shelbyville!
Overall, I’d go back, but I won’t be making a special trip anytime soon!

I over promised and 18 on the square under delivered. Maybe I jinxed it when I told my mother this was one of the top places to eat in Shelbyville. Until this time the food and service has always been spectacular.
I had the New York Strip and my mother had the southern burger. The look and presentation was very nice but the food itself not so nice. The bun was so hard she had to take it off the burger because it was not able to be eaten. Her burger was so dry she had to take a drink of water after every bite.
My New York strip steak was at least one-​third fat and gristle and barely edible. The server had to bring me four different knives because the meat was that tough to cut. It was a little undercooked as I asked for medium well and it was more like medium rare as the center was entirely red.
I requested A1 sauce to help with the toughness of the steak and to hopefully give it some flavor, but alas they do not serve A1 sauce here. With the place being barely busy and it taking about 45 minutes to get our food I was afraid to send it back or request them to make another order for both our meals as we did not have that much time to wait again.
And remaking our meals was never an option offered to us by our server, Melissa. She was very friendly, smiling, and nice, and she said she was sorry several times that the meal was so bad. But that was all we received was a sorry. Which to me sorry doesn’t fix the problem.
Melissa was busy running around the restaurant and hard to flag down and get her attention to alert her to things we needed. I had to ask 3 times for some ketchup for my mother’s french fries, and by the time she finally brought the catch up the fries were almost already all eaten. With the food being so dry our water glasses that were over filled with ice kept running empty and it took a while before they were refilled.
Melissa said she would let the cooks know that we were very unhappy with the meal. Before we left I walked over to the kitchen window and told the cooks myself how poor the meal was. They apologized and that was it.
We paid the full price of $ 11 for the southern burger and $ 28 for the New York Strip. And we were not offered anything off our bill or anything for free such as a dessert to make up for this horrible meal and dining experience.
As a regular customer of this establishment I did not mind paying full price but this meal was definitely not worth it. And anyone can apologize and be sorry but that doesn’t fix the issue. And it seemed no one, including the server or the cooks, we’re willing to do anything about the poor service and meal. I guess there was no manager or owner around at the time. A steak and burger from a Roadhouse would have been 5 times better than this meal at less than half the cost.
I hope this is just a one-​time disaster, and that no one else has to experience what we did, because I really did like this place quite a bit previous to this dining experience.

Excellent in every way. The blend of flavors and unique style make this a wonderful dining experience.

18 on the Square is easily the best restaurant in Shelbyville. I had the ribeye with scalloped potatoes and vegetables and my husband had the lobster and crab stuffed shrimp with rice and we were blown away from how good it was. Incredible setting, great service, amazing food.
If you are ever in Shelbyville, you have to stop by.

Meal for us consisted of homemade rye bread which was soft and delicious. Sample of duck confit on flatbread. Fried chicken, mac n cheese, filet mignon, garlic mashed and great chocolate cake and apple bread pudding with cherry glaze. I was on the road in a small town and am usually cautious about trying anything but comfort food in these situations so we ordered the steak and chicken. I was quite surprised that the normal American fare served in this establishment was uplifted to this degree. Filet had a nice char on both sides and was served with a tasty au jus and mushroom. Fork tender and quite good. Mashed potatoes seasoned very lightly with garlic and roasted vegetables on the side. Chicken a breast (deboned and pounded) and a leg with what I think was a buttermilk breadcrumb coating, perfectly cooked juicy and delicious with a light cream based gravy. The mac n’cheese was a homemade noodle with an almost Alfredo type sauce and also very flavorful with a side of roasted broccoli. The desserts were quite good and I highly recommend the apple bread pudding with cherry sauce. This place is one that can take a «normal» family meal and uplift to fine restaurant status. I wish they were near us as I would love to try their more adventurous menu. This place has a nice bar and decent wine list. Service was equal to the meal. Highly recommended!!!

Have always had great service and great food. A very nice upscale restaurant for Shelbyville!

By far the best food in Shelbyville or for that matter anywhere east of downtown Indy! The food is amazing and the people are great! We have had people from Europe to NY as guests with us and everyone loves 18 On The Square!

Was excited to try this based off the reviews here on Unilocal.We went this evening with great expectations, but unfortunately I was disappointed.

Went here for my in-​laws anniversary. Wasn’t sure what to expect. A fine dining establishment in a small town littered with fast food and gas stations? This could either go terribly wrong or terribly right. It was actually pretty great!
Highlights: great nightly specials created by the chef. I had a spicy scallop stew and an egg and cheese salad. My husband had lamb ravioli, my father in-​law had a giant helping of fish & chips and my mother-​in-​law had shrimp and grits. We all pretty much tried new things for our pallets. Pretty fast service and lovely ambiance.
It wouldn’t be a review without some criticism so my negatives are:
As with anything on the square in Shelbyville parking is weird. The restaurant doesn’t really stick out with its small sign in neutral colors. I’ve obviously passed it several times without knowing it’s there. Would have liked to see more indiana local beer specials instead of Stella Artois. The portion sizes aside from the fish & chips were pretty small for the price. Our server was wearing regular plain clothes which was confusing and hard to spot her. Like jeans, a leather jacket and heels. I would like to see more of a uniform look to guests. Also the bathrooms were extremely dirty and toilets were clogged.
I’ll definitely be back because Id like to sit outside there this summer or spring. Hopefully some of those things will improve! Hopefully shelbyvillians will keep this place alive for years to come. The variety is definitely needed!

I’ve been here multiple times for Lunch. I try something different each time and it’s all wonderful. Love to do the side salad with the homemade parmesan dressing. One of my very favorite restaurants! HIGHLY suggest.

My boss took me here the first time and ever since we go here as much as possible. Brunch on Sundays is one of my favorite! I am definitely a breakfast foodie! During November they were serving pumpkin pancakes and let me tell you, THEY WERE SO GOOD!
Just recently though, I took my mom to lunch there. She hadn’t been and I had been dying to take her there. I had the «The ultimate grilled cheese 5000.» It’s one of my favorite meals/​sandwiches there. All the bread is homemade and so fresh. I hate sourdough, but theirs is so good I could eat a whole loaf. You can also get a side and I ALWAYS get the sweet potato fries. They are heaven and semi-​healthy! They are sweet but the outer layer gives it a salty crunch.
Now the interior of «18» is glamorous, but a very laid back feel. My boss and I are in boots, jeans, and usually jackets. They welcome you with open arms and glamorous food. It’s not an atmosphere that makes you feel «bad» that you aren’t in a dress and heals. I’m not 21 but my boss drinks mimosa’s and says they are amazing! On Sundays for brunch I believe it is free refills on the mimosa’s.
The waitresses are very respectful and since we go there so much they know us personally. The chef is very considerate and is initiative. He creates these new menu items that are to die for. There is always a board outside the restaurant. It either says their brunch hours (10 – 2), new menu items, or just their name! I enjoy it very much and I would recommend it! If you just want a lunch with a friend, romantic dinner with your significant other, or just a family brunch; this is the place to go!

What a great place. I did not expect to find such a thoughtful menu, great food, and professional friendly service. Instant Fan of 18 on the Square.

Took a client here for lunch as it was the closest place to his office that he would suggest. What a surprise and delight.
I had the BBQ sandwich. The waitress warned me that don’t be surprised if it has a lot of mustard on it. She wasn’t wrong. However, to my surprise it was cooked perfect and the mustard gave it the right flavor that it needed. Without the mustard, it may have come close to my failed attempt of cooking pork in the crockpot a few years ago.
If I’m in Shelbyville again anytime soon this will become my go to spot. I’m not sure there is anywhere else to go.

We stopped here tonight as we passed through town, and it was fabulous! Very inspired fresh menu, service was perfect! The dinner was better than we hoped. I would recommend anyone to go out of their way to find his gem!

It’s always great! Dinner, lunch, brunch… chef Joe never disappoints! The prices are great — if you complain on the price go to Indy and pay more for less, and not nearly as good! Try everything!

Not sure what to think about this restaurant. Our food took an incredibly long time, came out at different times, and one of the people in my party had their entrée completely forgotten until we asked about it. The entrees were very good, but the cake we had for dessert was quite dry.
The restaurant was very busy, but we had made a reservation, so I don’t really understand why they had such trouble with our orders.
I wasn’t impressed with my experience but would be willing to try again.

I’ve been here twice now and I’ve been surprisingly, surprised.
First, I had lunch. I ordered the spinach salad with sweet tea bourbon dressing. Everything tasted incredibly fresh and the flavors worked great together — all except for the candied walnuts. They were too candied and too sweet.
On my second visit, I split dinner with my date. We ordered shrimp hush puppies, blackened mahi mahi, and a side of collard greens. The hush puppies tasted good, but needed more shrimp. The dish was split beautifully between my plate and my husband’s — such pretty presentation. The flaky, fresh mahi was served on two wedges of sweet potato and topped with tart-​sweet fruit chutney. Tons of flavor in every bite. Good seafood in Indiana… A miracle! The collards were great on the first few bites, but as they cooled, they started to taste too rich and heavy. Overall, the entrée itself was a home run.
I love that we finally have a legitimate option for non-​chain, non-​crappy dining in Shelbyville. I love that it has a southern flair to it. I love that the ingredients feel fresh and that the flavors are thoughtfully combined. Great service, great cocktails, and good wine and beer selection too.
With a few tweaks, it could be near-​perfect. It would be great to add a vegetarian option to the menu, cut back on some of the pork ingredients, and add a couple of mid-​priced entrée options.