Restaurant Guide Update: February 2020

Taxman CityWay

310 S. Delaware St., 317-734-3107

A former livery stable was moved up the block to accommodate construction and serve as the comfy home to the third and latest outpost of this popular Bargersville brewery. Soaring ceilings, rustic candelabra lighting, brick walls, and a 3,000-square-foot beer-garden patio make this one of the most welcoming drinking spots for happy hour and pre-game libations. And a menu with favorites from the Fortville gastropub includes some of the city’s best frites, served with more than half a dozen special sauces or loaded with bacon, beer cheese, and scallions. Liège waffles come topped with such hearty add-ons as fried chicken and rosemary-scented maple syrup or cheesy, garlicky shrimp and grits. Grilled salmon, dolled-up mac and cheese, and a seasonal pork shank with mashed root veggies are typical (and elegant) beer-friendly seasonal offerings. And with 20 taps of now-famous house brews such as the Deduction Dubbel or Gold Standard Abbey Blonde, you can visit early and often and always find something new. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sunday. $$

1933 Lounge

9707 District North Dr., Fishers, 317-758-1933

A younger, sexier remake of Indy’s fine-dining institution, St. Elmo Steak House, informs the genteel tone of this modern cocktail lounge. Located in The Yard at Fishers District, 1933 Lounge is among the new ventures from St. Elmo’s parent company, Huse Culinary. The new twist here is that the black-vested servers deliver Oysters Rockefeller, 45-day dry-aged ribeyes, and wedge salads to diners lounging on deep velvet sofas or tucked into noir-lit corners where no one can see their faces melt at that first bite of incendiary shrimp cocktail. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Juniper on Main

110 E. Main St., Carmel, 317-591-9254

Chef Christine Daniel adds flavor every step of the way at this laid-back salute to Southern coastal cooking. That means the shrimp and grits contain heirloom hominy; the grilled salmon is plated with chili-lime butter, coconut rice, citrus black beans, pickled onions, and plantains; and nearly everything arrives with a heaping side of sautéed okra. Even the sweet 1907 house that wraps Juniper on Main in a sidewalk-side porch and pergola evokes the homey charm of its culinary inspiration: Savannah, Georgia. Lunch Mon. Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sun. $$

Moontown Brewing Company

345 S. Bowers St., Whitestown, 317-769-3880

The craft beer and barbecue come with a side of Hoosier hoops nostalgia at this popular Boone County hangout. Its location, a former high school gymnasium, drips with vestiges of its hardwood past, but Moontown’s house-brewed beers are constantly evolving, from the Moon Lite Cream Ale quencher to Moontown’s robust porter, Into the Void. The food is kissed with just the right amount of smoke, served on big, paper-lined trays, and not limited to conventional barbecue. Though the Fischer Farms beef brisket and pulled pork have that thick Southern dialect, the adobo brisket nachos, smoked Portobello burger, and Nashville hot chicken sandwich prove that nothing should be sacred. Dinner Sun., Tues.–Thurs.; lunch and dinner Fri.-Sat. $$

Campbell’s Highland Grille

1001 N. State Rd. 135, Greenwood, 317-300-1696

Owner Steve Campbell’s Scottish heritage makes itself known in this vibrant, soccer scarf–festooned eatdrinkery. While the bar offers scotch flights and serves rounds of beer for FIFA fans glued to the big screens, the menu delivers the smashburgers and house pizzas along with Celtic favorites, like chappit tatties (French fries) offered in a variety of tosses and sauces, beer-battered fish, and a classic bangers and mash. Lunch and dinner daily. $$