The Local Eatery & Pub

Great restaurant, great food. Best Caesar salad I’ve had. The pickled onions were a great touch & the dressing was incredibly fresh. They were busy, so we might have had one two many of the delicious cocktails the waiter recommended, but am pretty sure the manager was hot and he was really nice and went out of his way to help. Service was great, with how busy they were.

I recently had the opportunity to be on the far north side around lunch time, so I drove over to the The Local (4−16−16). The restaurant is located on the north end of a strip mall, so there is plenty of parking and some outdoor seating.
I saw that the restaurant had been named as one of the Top 25 in Indpls Monthly for 2016. That led me to look for suggestions on what to order.
I went with the «Bird on a Wire» which is a blackened chicken breast sandwich. It was cooked perfectly and the flavors were complimentary and delicious. I also enjoyed the grilled Brussels Sprouts.
Since I was dining by myself, I appreciated that in the bar side of the restaurant, the noise was lessened of some children’s party. I was also able to enjoy the playoff game of the Pacers on the multiple big screens.
There isn’t much atmosphere probably due to its being a part of the strip mall. But if you want to grab a quick bite of some really tasty food, then give the Local a try.

I’ve been to the Local many times prior to my Unilocaling days, unfortunately the chicken gyro last night lacked flavor and it was too dry. The tots were excellent and the service was good. I enjoy the atmosphere and the butcher paper on the tables. I will be happy to update my review the next time I return.

Resturaunt is below average. Tater tots were ok, but it took a while to get us food. Then, the food was bland and terrible. I had a chicken ranch wrap with mild buffalo sauce that I had high expectations for. Chicken was burned. Barely any mild sauce. Just bad plain food.

This is a unique menu with a lot of delicious options to choose from. We started with some of their specialty cocktails and the baked goat cheese, which was to die for if you like goat cheese. My wife and I each opted for burgers — the lamb burger and the black bean quinoa veggie burger. Really good burgers! If we were from the area we would definitely be going back to try some of the other options. Delicious!

Big and well decorated restaurant inside. Nice patio for outdoor seating. Had a group of six people. Buffalo wings were delicious and big. Everyone’ entrée was perfectly cooked and tasty. Wish they had a bigger beer selection. The apple cobbler for dessert was the only average part of the dining experience.

I’ve been coming here for quite a while. Local food. Relatively healthy. Not cheap, but you assume you’ll get a meal worth the price. As the years have passed, things have become a bit meh. Tonight, I could only shake my head. We ordered shrimp cocktail as a special. 6 pinkie-​sized shrimp showed up surrounding a vat of cocktail sauce. Price? $ 12. Inflexible menu and now this insulting menu item. Debating whether we’ll ever come back.

Everyone my husband & I know rave about this place but we weren’t and arent impressed. We’ve gone back a few times but the food just doesn’t work for us. It’s weird and not that great.

Everything here tastes amazing and they have amazing tater tots as sides! In the summer, you can sit outside and enjoy the sun as well.
I love their black bean quinoa burger, which has avocado and goat cheese. Their chocolate torte with strawberry ice cream is so rich and to die for as well!

It pains me to give them 3 stars but after the experience on Mother’s day I see no other way. We were a larger table but one of the first tables to be seated that morning. We got our order in fairly quickly and then proceeded to sit there for over an hour for our food. At one point someone in our party asked about the hold up and he said that since we were such a large table it was taking a long time. We then proceeded to look around and see a number or large tables enjoying their food. Dude, if you forgot us or there is a hold up in the kitchen, just let us know. I would be much more understanding of the truth. I ordered the black bean quinoa burger with pesto and goat cheese. I think it had potential but just was executed poorly. The burger was dry and the goat cheese and pesto just did not give it the moisture it needed. I do applaud The Local on their creative menu items and using local ingredients. Hopefully next time they will step up their game!

I had Mac and cheese for lunch, and it was very good… VERY salty, but very good. The selection of burgers that my coworkers ordered made my mouth water, and I definitely need to go back for the tots. As far as atmosphere, it’s significantly larger than I expected it to be, with two indoor seating areas and an outdoor patio. Bottom line, it was tasty and didn’t disappoint.

The food is always AMAZING and the beer selection is great. Staff isn’t always the friendliest or most attentive, but they are nice when they are present.

Tiger shrimp yellow in curry sauce with garbanzo beans and sweet potatoes was good but I would expect more than three shrimp for $ 21. The apple crumble was okay not amazing. It needed a bigger scoop of ice cream if you ask me. The have a decent selection of craft beers. My daughter likes the Mac n cheese and tater tots. My Wife enjoyed her breaded tenderloin but again nothing to write home about. Plenty of TVs to catch a game. I would give this place a try again.

We went to The Local on a Wednesday evening to talk to a friend about starting a supper club at his family’s farm. This was my second visit to Craig Baker’s neighborhood dining spot north of Indianapolis.
We sat at the bar and our bartender come over and introduced herself and offered us menus. She was very knowledgeable of the craft cocktail menu. I had a very well balanced gin and tonic with artisan distilled. Moody June gin and Q Tonic. It was very herbal and aromatic while still being perfectly dry. Very refreshing.
For my meal I chose one of the sustainable options from the market special section of the menu. Three huge char grilled tiger prawns were perched on top of cauliflower, sweet potato, and chickpeas, tossed in curry squash purée and sprinkled with crisp toasted coconut flakes. It was all the satisfying flavors you would want in a spicy coconut perfumed curry, only lighter and fresher.
Doug had the chicken gyro with mac and cheese. The foil wrapped pita was filled with a generous portion of grilled chicken, tomato, onion, feta cheese, cucumbers, and tatziki sauce. The chicken was missing salt and was also a little on the dry side. Gooey and creamy cheddar cheese sauce over cavatappi pasta, dotted with large bacon lardons made Doug forget about the chicken. He inhaled the Mac and cheese.
For dessert I had a grapefruit and basil martini that was not too sweet. Fresh citrus juice infused with licoricey basil made for a nice contrast after a spicy curry.
The service was excellent even when the bar and dining room were packed full. Our drinks were well balanced, served cold and fast. The food was flavorful and beautifully plated. Matt Strum has done a good job of selecting innovative specials to support the typical assortment of casual crowd pleasers that round out the menu at the Local. If we lived closer we would visit more often.

Really a 3.5 to 4. They just needed a lil something extra to get them 4 stars. Good service. Good food. Great atmosphere. I love that they use local farms.
I had the black bean quinoa burger minus the bun, with tots (I’m a tot kinda gal). The tots were on point, perfectly crunchy. The quinoa burger was a bit crumbly but still tasty, I mean, it had goat cheese on it!
My better half had the lamb burger. Good. But nothing to write home about. Lacking a little flavor.
The little one had Mac n cheese with tots (that’s my girl!). It was again, good but needed something to make it extra yummy.
OH! And my Bloody Mary only gets 2.5 stars. Very blah. But wasn’t terrible.
I wouldn’t mind trying it again. But it’s a bit of a drive for us. Maybe.

Totally blew away my expectations. We ordered starters: wings with dry rub (delicious and not spicy), hummus platter (HUGE), and baked goat cheese (divine). I would go back and order all the same stuff — that’s how much I enjoyed it.
Everything else on the menu looks amazing, too! Service with a smile, clean large interior… Big TVs.
In fact, the TVs take the place down a notch. If you took them out, you’d think you were fine dining.
We also ordered a bottle of wine. Huge full bar. Other side is great for families.

Quickie Review: The Local shows promise, but falls short in performance.
We came here on a Friday night and of course they were very busy, but that was ok. It would have taken an hour + to get a table so I waited in the bar till a table opened up. It’s open seating on that side and when a table did open up people that had just walked in quickly went and sat down at the table I was waiting for to be cleaned. Because of that I would suggest changing the format for when they are busy.
Eventually we got a table and when it comes to the service our waitress was good considering the circumstances. I could tell, though, that she felt overwhelmed with how many people she was taking care of. Now when it comes to the food we ordered the fish’n chips and lamb burger.
When the food came we were definitely feeling underwhelmed with the portions in comparison to the prices we were paying. The fish only came with 2 pieces and some fries and for it to be $ 14 that certainly felt a little steep. Not to mention Granny said it was one of the worst the she’s had. Now the lamb burger was ok, but then when I got home it didn’t sit well with me at all and I was sick the rest of the night. Hopefully next time, if there is a next time, it is cooked properly.
Finally, there were little kids running around the bar area during this busy time and I didn’t see that as being very safe. That is another reason why I suggest having it not be open seating and someone designated to be running that side so nothing bad does happen. Having the name The Local insinuates that they are THE place to go locally, but, in reality, they still have a long way to go before I start recommending them to anyone.

Don’t get the salmon patty sandwich. Service was terrible, bartender more concerned with her phone than her guests. We’ve given this place way too many chances — never again.

Overall I’d say the experience was above average, but left much to be desired. As this is the closest bar and pub to my parents’ house and I am here during the Holidays without a car, I had to opt for something within walking distance that didn’t involve me freezing my keister off (I live in Tucson, anything below 70 is cold). From the name I thought «The Local… must mean they have all local fare». Unfortunately this was about as true as anything Donald Trump says.
There were minimal local beers. Indiana has a vast array of award winning breweries, including Three Floyds, Upland, and Sun King. I managed to get a Sun King Cream Ale which was delicious. But where are the other local representatives? Lagunitas? Seriously? We don’t even drink that much of it out in the Southwest and I’m 3 hours from California.
Typical Carmel/​Westfield/​Hamilton County prices. I may be back because there’s not much other choice, but it’s more like dialing that person you shouldn’t dial after throwing back a few too many: you don’t want to, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I’ll be glad to be back in the land of Ballast Point, Ale Smith, Stone, Mission, Four Peaks, etc. At least our «local» named establishments out there keep it local.

This place has a well-​earned reputation. You wouldn’t think that there would be such a great (note that I didn’t say «fine») dining experience in Westfield, but you would be wrong.
The ambiance belies the high level of food served here. It definitely has an industrial «pubby» feel to the space. Sealed concrete floors and a high unfinished ceiling give The Local a converted warehouse vibe. However, the large, framed black & white farm/​food photos show that this place is serious to living up to its namesake. Many of the items are sourced locally and there is even a giant blackboard which lists their suppliers and the towns they call home.
The menu definitely leans towards gastropub. I ordered the duck confit quesadilla (a market special so get it while it lasts) which was sublime. It leaned towards an Asian preparation with mango-​sriracha jam, caramelized shallots with a side of Vietnamese fennel-​slaw.
Prices are extremely reasonable. Burgers and sandwiches run about $ 9 – 12. The entrees go from $ 11 – 22.
There is a nice mix of Indiana and national craft beers on tap. The limited martini menu also looked pretty enticing.
The Local is well-​known, but wasn’t particularly busy on a Saturday night making this a great place for a casual, yet excellent dinner. I think this would also be a good bar to just hang out for a drink or two.
Note for families: Children are permitted on the dining room side.