Barbecue and Bourbon

I enjoyed the rib tips, but give a pass to everything else we ordered: brisket, mac & cheese, fried cabbage all we sub-​par. The coktails we ordered — old fashioned and moonshine something-​or-​other were good. Server was friendly, but not so good at controlling our service or her other tables. Still in search of awesome bbq in Indy, but maybe it’s a purple unicorn.

Not a bad place if you’re passing through Indy/​speedway area. I had the dirty lemonade. It was flavorful but a bit weak for my tastes. I had the heart-​attack, which is a generous portion of pulled pork with bacon & house bbq sauce on a warm bun (also a fried egg, but I ditched the egg). It was pretty good, but the real flavor was in the sauce; I wish the pork itself was as flavorful. Also, for kicks I put a few of their onion rings on my sandwich. Nailed it. I’m thinking if the onion rings became a regular part of this sandwich, I’d up my rating from 3 stars to 4 easily.

Legit! Too legit to quit! Introduced me to bourbon in a way I actually started drinking it! Mac and cheese is amazing! Service is awesome!

First off, let me say that the barbecue is first rate. We tried the pulled pork, the brisket and ribs and all were great. The sides were good, especially the mac and cheese, and the wife had a dessert, which she liked a lot. The service was efficient and friendly.
Ok, if everything is so good, why only 3 stars? There are a lot of things that keep this from being a 4 star place. First, if you are charging $ 16 for a plate of barbecue, you shouldn’t be serving your sides in little plastic cups. This makes it looks like you are doing this on the cheap. Invest in some small cups or ramekins. Second, if a bar is going to be a major component of your seating, you definitely need a foot rail. I’m guessing the owners have never owned a bar before, but this is the difference between 10 extra seats for dinner and 0. Finally, one last thing: BEER! It is great that the place has jumped on to the local craft brew wagon, and the 6 beers they had on draft were nice, but when you are serving local beers, you need a list or other description to explain what they are. Simply putting the name on a board will not be sufficient for folks that aren’t familiar with the choices. (Especially on a board with dark blue writing on black).
I’m hoping they will read this review and take some action, because the food here is really great. They just need to move up their game to justify the prices they are charging.

The tenderloins are maybe the best in town… Especially when they are Monday’s special!

We came in for lunch. Found all of the positive reviews on here, but my experience was lacking. We both ordered the special of the day, pulled pork sandwiches. I will say the service was good but the sandwiches were very inconsistent. One was overflowing with meat while mine was very slim. I bit into a large bone on my first bite. There were 2 large rib bones in my sandwich and the meat was far from fall off the bone tender. But 2 stars cause the server made it right by bringing more meat for the sandwich and comping my meal.

My wife and I have gone here 5 times now in the last couple months. We love it! Savory food. Great pulled pork and chicken. We’ve gotten the sandwiches, ribs, salads, baked potatoes, and mac and cheese here — never in one sitting, haha. We keep trying more items, because everything we’ve had so far here is delicious! The one thing we do continuously get is a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, they even have it on tap — very hard to find in the Indy area! Love the atmosphere too. It’s not huge inside, so you may wait a while if you have a large group. There are fun things to check out near by too, like Dare Devil Brewery and AJ Foyte’s winery.

Best margaritas in Speedway, Indiana. Love this place! The staff is super friendly. Everything I’ve gotten here is wonderful! Small building, so expect a wait for a table, but well worth it.

When I first heard that barbecue was coming to speedway I was very skeptical but the food is awesome and the service is even better! I got the pulled pork with the mac & cheese and baked beans on the side. Best bake beans I’ve ever tasted from a restaurant. The pulled pork was melt in your mouth delicious juicy and the sauce was was very good but wasn’t even needed. If You’re in Speedway this is definitely a must stop

Went there for the first time on a Sunday night and was not disappointed. Started with the fried pickles and they were great. The server suggested mixing the hot sauce with the ranch dressing and it was amazing.
I had the three meat pallet, pulled pork, brisket and rib tips and wife got sausage and pulled chicken. All the meat was very well flavored and juicy. Also there was a ton of food with each order. I don’t think either of us cleaned our plate! Cornbread was great as were the onion rings and green beans. I got the fried cabbage and not sure I will do that again but some might enjoy it.
I drank Blantons and wife had the dirty lemonade with cherry bourbon which was very good.
Can’t wait to go back soon.

In my mind, any town where you have to drive more than 10 miles for good BBQ is no place to live. Luckily, Indy barbecue has proliferated in number and quality over the years, so there’s no issue.
Barbecue and Bourbon is a great example. Run by former caterers who learned the meat-​smoking basics over some years, it offers the basics in barbecue in attractive varieties: sandwiches, dinners and pick-​your-​own platters priced reasonably. The atmosphere is relaxed and authentic.
The owners also picked up on the bourbon trend, which I’m not qualified to judge.
If BBQ is the subject, here’s the verdict. The meats are good, the sides are interesting (fried cabbage is a must-​try) and the daily specials are good deals. I deducted one star for slow service, but it may just have been one of those nights.
Barbecue joints should serve neighborhoods well and this one does. I’m not saying you should drive to Speedway from Kokomo to try B and B, but there’s no reason to leave Speedway if barbecue is what you need.

This place is great! It is nothing fancy and flashy but the food is consistently good and the prices are right. I love to sit out here on a nice night and have a drink and eat some good BBQ. I have been twice and both times have ordered the baked potato. It is loaded with the meat of your choice and has been, sour cream and you can add your own bbq sauce.

Delicious BBQ at a descent price. They also have a really nice draft lineup with yummy local brews. Try a Daredevil brewed just right down the street!
One thing I really love about BBQ & Bourbon is the family-​friendly atmosphere. The owners are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. It’s places like this that are bringing Speedway back to life!

Anytime I hear someone talking about how good a BBQ Restaurant is I pay attention! I was told about Barbecue And Bourbon by a nurse in my Doctor’s office. She said it was the best in the Indy area. Those are big words to me.
We rode our Motorcycle from Columbus to Speedway to eat here and we really liked the area of Speedway it’s in.
I ordered the Two Meat Sampler with Brisket and Brisket, fried cabbage and baked beans. It came with a piece of cornbread that was soaked from the juices in the fried cabbage which was in a small bowl. It had over flowed. The Brisket was okay, the cabbage was good and the beans were okay.
She ordered the Two Meat Sampler with pulled pork, pulled chicken, baked potato and mac and cheese. The pulled pork was okay, the pulled chicken was dry, the baked potato was old and should have been thrown away hours ago, and the mac and cheese was like Velveeta and cheese… just average at best.
Overall, I would never say this is the best BBQ in the Indy area. It was average. I felt like $ 40 plus tip was a little expensive for what we had. Your review helps others learn about great local businesses.
Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.

I’m not much of a drinker, so I can’t vouch for the bourbon (read every other review to reassure you it rocks)
But as for he barbecue — yes and yes please fast and more! The brisket is so great especially paired with their sweet barbecue sauce. If the president asked for me to take him out for barbecue I’d first cover up my Ron Paul 1988 – 2012 bumper stickers and then order him some brisket here in Speedway
Also, if you happen to go on an all you can eat rib tips night, tell them to keep it coming. They bring out the tips 3 at a time, so let your server know often that you’re «almost done with these ones.» They are prepared so well that I’m pretty sure I’ve just convinced myself to go there tonight for dinner.
Freaking screwing up my diet… thanks Unilocal

I love a good beef brisket, and I’m always in search of a local place that serves good BBQ. Indianapolis has a number of great places, and I added this one to my list after a coworker told me about it.
Located on Main Street in Speedway, I chose to stay away from this place during the month of May and instead visited on a quiet Monday evening in June. Inside it fairly small with the back half being taken up by the bar. We chose to sit outside and fought with the bugs. Next time, I’ll probably sit inside.
I went with a sampler that included sausage, beef brisket and pulled pork. A generous portion of each with sweet tea to wash it down. you would have thought I was sitting outside in Memphis.
The brisket was perfect. nice and juicy and seasoned perfectly. Same with the pulled pork. The sausage was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. It was so delicious I don’t think I even used BBQ sauce.
I’ve been told they have daily specials that range from catfish to rib tips and everything in between.

My aunt is in town & she treated me to dinner last night, a Monday. I was to pick & wanted to try one of the restaurants on Main Street. We settled on Barbecue and Bourbon. There is a narrow parking lot between this building & the next. Messy lines painted on black top made it hard to know just where the spaces lie, including handicapped. My aunt parked parallel to the building behind some other cars that had done the same. Front door SUPER heavy. There were a few tables on the sidewalk, but we thought it was too humid outside. Problem was, it was rather humid INSIDE. There did not appear to be any a/​c on. As it grew darker, it seemed to be less humid or perhaps we just got used to it.
We were greeted right away & given the choice between a two-​top & the bar. It seemed like several minutes for our server to take our drink order & a few more to receive them. I asked about draft beers & she pointed out a sign I could barely see. She read most of them off & described them. There were maybe five in total. I went with the Goldie Hops though I don’t remember which brewery makes it. They only carry Indiana beers, I believe she said, except for one. I enjoyed it, but unless you are prepared to chug, it will get hot, & FAST. It was too warm in there & my beer had sweated all over the table. Our ice waters had, too & we both had soaked napkins from wiping it up. Coasters would’ve been nice.
Nachos for another table looked great. Our food didn’t take very long. My aunt had a pulled pork BBQ sandwich that came with chips. Fries & other sides had an upcharge. Seemed to enjoy the sandwich & the sweet BBQ sauce she put on it from the caddy on the table. It just seemed small to me for price & really should come with fries. I had a dinner salad, the smaller one that is around $ 4. I asked to 86 the egg & cheese. It was basically a cereal bowl-​sized bowl full of iceberg with a bit of diced tomato and green onion on top. Italian dressing was on the side. Used less than half of it. Dressing assuredly bottled. Overpriced & not a great salad, but edible. I also had an order of fries. They were pretty decent. Crisp & thinner than your standard fry. They don’t load up your basket, but alright for $ 1.99. Goes without saying that a BBQ place won’t have much for non-​meat eaters, but I did expect more.
I tried a little of each BBQ sauce. The sweet was probably the best, but a little too sweet. Hot wasn’t very hot, but can’t see eating a whole bunch of it. Teriyaki wasn’t labeled, but I could tell it was soy. Only thing not on the table was mustard, but the server brought some over as soon as I asked for it. Good they had a roll of paper towels on the table for the semi-​messy sandwich, as well as for mopping up the sweat from our drinks.
BB is very small & shot-​gun style. Restrooms were a bit hidden & too close to employee areas. It might be hard for disabled customers to get through here, especially if it were busy, so BEWARE. Dim lighting a plus. Strange jukebox where you pay to listen to the i-​tunes on your phone. Bar seemed alright, but I’m not sure what all they have other than bourbon and draft beer. Couldn’t have been more than four tables inside. There is a drink rail splitting up the rest of the space. Ladies’ room clean, but the auto hand blower about scared the holy hell out of me when I was washing my hands. There were pieces of paper on the wall & a pen where lady patrons left notes, but I didn’t quite get it.
A pet peeve of mine is when the check is placed face up on the table, although she did place it in the middle. She was an alright server, but seemed to not be there when I wished she was & hovered a bit when not needed. It looked like she was responsible for the customers at the bar as well as some of the tables, but it really wasn’t very busy. I won’t be too hard on her though. Friendly enough & I don’t know how many hours she had to work in that hot box. I wouldn’t be my best under those conditions myself.
I went up to the bar & wanted an order of coleslaw to take home to my dad. It was $ 2.17 with tax. I gave her $ 4 and told her to keep it. I am not kidding, it was this DINKY little cup. No more than a few bites of slaw. I was like «WTF?!» in my head. We laughed all the way home about it. I thought I tipped pretty well, giving nearly a 100% tip, but no hook up. I was really expecting at least twice that amount of slaw. Wasn’t even up to the rim of said cup. I had just been thinking I was being too harsh in the review I was already conducting in my mind until I saw that slaw. No verdict on the taste yet.
Barbecue and Bourbon had decent prices on some things, but ridiculous on others. Some portions are a joke! I immensely enjoyed spending time with my aunt and catching up. And I got more comfortable in there from the buzz I got from my beer. I doubt I would return. It’s an interesting concept, but needs some serious tweaking.

Unilocal’s description of a 3-​star rating as «A-​OK» is a little problematic in this case. I’d be more comfortable giving Barbecue and Bourbon a rating that was «Just OK» or even just «OK». In giving it «A-​OK», I’m definitely rounding up. But heck, they had good beer and Speedway — though much improved, of late — could still use the positive attitude. Which is why I went in to Barbecue and Bourbon with solid expectations and high hopes.
Unfortunately, the food was just OK. The pulled pork and rib tips were a little soggy; the brisket was a little dry. And the «Pulled Beef» … well, it wasn’t really «pulled» at all, but rather, diced. (In other words, it was just the same dry brisket, cut into cubes rather than slices — a technique that did nothing to hide the aforementioned dryness.) The Mac ‘n Cheese was ordinary. The onion rings were good, though a bit greasy.
All told, not bad. But Indy still lags far behind Lafayette in the barbecue department.

Driving into Indianapolis I searched for Barbecue and was directed here. A good search! This place is in the shadows of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is surrounded by bars and shops, racing garages and industrial buildings related to the industry of motor sports. I have no interest in racing but I’m glad I got to see it.
The restaurant is narrow and actually fairly small. I sat at the bar and was treated like a regular by the staff and locals. I ordered the special — unlimited rib tips with 2 sides and cornbread for $ 13. Great meat. Tender, seasoned wonderfully and choice of sauces. The mac and cheese was awesome as was the fried cabbage, a side that should be offered at more places. Great bbq, very friendly staff, an overall cool experience. This place could hold its own if was in the competitive bbq market of Kansas City. Good job!

We were not a fan!
The building reminds me of a shoot gun home. Its long and skinny. When you walk in the front door you can see into the kitchen prep area. There is a large bar on the right and about 20 tables.
We ordered the 3 meat plate with 2 sides for $ 17.99. We got the the pulled pork, pulled chicken and the beef brisket. You can tell the meat was all sitting in water or a liquid back in the kitchen. The plate was wet. The pulled pork tasted like water. The chicken was the same way but had a red liquid. It tasted better but not good enough to go back for. And last but not least the beef brisket, let it be know I Love Brisket! The brisket was cooked with green peppers and onions. And that is just terrible. The meat tasted like green peppers.
I believe the meat should stand alone. No sauce. This meat needed sauce. I tried 2 of the 3. They have sweet, hot & bourbon teriyaki. The sweet and bourbon teriyaki was good.
The sides we got were fried cabbage and mac n cheese. The fried cabbage was great. It had a ton of bacon and was really good. The mac n cheese Kyle compared to a cafeteria. Just an average blan mac.
It also came with a piece of corn bread. It was ice cold. Straight out of the fridge. It had a good taste but was hard to eat cause it was so cold.
Our waitress was very helpful and was helping us to choose what we want for lunch but you can tell she was just outside smoking a cigarette. She reeked of smoke. It just hit you in the face.
When we left we had parked next to the building so exit the parking lot by the back of the building. There sat the smoker. Cold. Not even smoking. Makes me wonder how old was the meat that we just ate!