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    Recommended Reviews - Aura

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    Chicken Parm slider
    Luke W.

    Not cheap! For Lafayette off campus, prices slap a bit hard on the wallet but thankfully there's no silly tiny plates like Bru Burger or The Lawrence, both of which I'm happy to report full plates here at Aura, Digbys, McGraws, and many other places for filling me up. My buddy and I tried a protein bowl, chicken parm sliders, and chocolate mousse on a Tuesday evening. We found a fun dark den ready for burning midnight oil on this famous street cornet. The chicken sliders were dry and needing some sauce however my bowl was phenomenal! Currated tasty blend of umami, veggies, and tipping all each taste bud right, can easily recommend, along with the mousse which was a perfect dessert. My sister and I recently did the full on courses. Ahi, truffle fries, espresso steak, wagyu bowl, and wow! It was all fantastic! I can understand some unsavory reports with a new place, other friends didn't quite enjoy their meals. Hope Aura can evolve quickly and get consistent with their excellent menu, bring staff up to par, and keep working this sweet atmosphere.

    Bar
    Cindy M.

    Great space. Smells wonderful. Very clean bathrooms, which I appreciate! Libby, our bartender, was exceptional. Pleasant, and just the perfect amount of attentive. Conversational, informative, and inviting! I had the Pinot Gris, and it was quite lovely! Hubs and I decided we're making this our new go-to. I'll review the food at another visit :-)

    Wagyu burger bowl
    Andrew S.

    Fantastic food and drinks! My wife and I were genuinely excited for Aura to open, especially since it's within walking distance of our home. With kids, having a great spot close by for date nights is a huge win. On our first visit, we ordered the wagyu burger bowls--and they were outstanding. The presentation was beautiful, the ingredients were well balanced, and the flavors really delivered. It was also surprisingly filling. While we didn't try any drinks this time, the cocktail menu looked creative and intriguing. The atmosphere is another standout. It truly feels like stepping into a different place--less Lafayette, more big-city boutique. Think Chicago or Louisville during Derby season: stylish, intentional, and inviting. Service was excellent as well. The waitstaff was professional, attentive, and thoughtful throughout our visit. We tipped well--I'll leave it at that. We're already looking forward to coming back. The espresso filet has definitely caught my eye and will be next on the list.

    Wagyu sliders with truffle Parmesan fries. A+++++!

    This place is tiny. There are three (bar height) tables that seat six, and maybe six standard tables that seat four. Oh, and there are about 12 seats at the bar. Turns out, you can make reservations for before 6 p.m. and after 8 p.m. You'll need them. My group got the wagyu sliders, the filet mignon sliders, the chicken parmigiana sliders, and the pesto flatbread. (See pictures.) It's not mentioned on the menu, but the sliders come with an order of fries. Two of us upgraded to the truffle Parmesan fries. So worth it. The wagyu sliders were really yummy, not because they were Wagyu but because of the pimento cheese and hot honey. What a fabulous combination. Very tasty. I would argue that you wouldn't need to cover Wagyu beef with so many condiments, but they were so good I would order them again. As for the drinks, their non-alcoholic menu was varied and extremely well priced. For those of us that prefer booze, I personally loved the bacon old-fashioned. It starts out sweet, ends smooth and is garnished with two half strips of perfectly cooked bacon. Service was great, clearly an advantage to being a small establishment. Prior to going, I read two cranky reviews and got worried. But as an impartial reviewer, I assure you this restaurant is worth a try.

    Salad

    We were welcomed warmly and seated quickly even though every table was full when we arrived. Our group of four enjoyed the truffle fries as an appetizer, some cocktails, and all of our entrées were delicious. Great little spot, accessible but away from downtown.

    Chocolate martini and s'mores martini.

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    3 months ago

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    9 days ago

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    8 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Great food, cocktails and mocktails in a cozy, adult feeling atmosphere. Very involved and attentive servers.

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    8 months ago

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    Boiler Up Bar

    Boiler Up Bar

    4.0(22 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    Prices are hoping visitors and Purdue tourists cannot go more than a mile from campus. Sadly the…read moremenu has wildly bloated numbers double what many similar restaurants offer, Town and Gown, Bistro 501, RedSeven deliver and reach above expectations unlike the dull expensive dry roast recently eaten this past week. I cannot comprehend this place, after four visits with friends, unable to recommend any dish or drink as a standout win up against the cost. Let me nail down each dish we had this past Wednesday, the grilled bacon was entirely fine, quite tough but nice fatty flavors, I like Teay's River candied bacon app better. Oyster was good, east coast briny does me right. Our Old Fashioneds were insanely expensive without offering any memorable flavors, balance seemed restrained neither giving a forward bite or a smooth sweetness. Strawberry Lemon sprits was similar, an overpriced kid's slushy. Asparagus was fine. Potato sides surprisingly flavorless, we all couldn't believe how dull the potatoes were. My sister's salmon looked half the size of Town and Gown's while costing fifty percent more and offering half the food. She did finish the ocean protein but left most of the rice. Thankfully the desserts were better, bread pudding somewhat dry and needing a sparkle of that smooth actual pudding but the winner was definitely the key lime. Rich and dense, dreamy and tangy, I got happy! Sure the atmosphere and staff is enjoyable, providing some fresh city vibes compared to the homely and old school Mountain Jacks. However Jacks and Mcgraws Steakhouse both do far better as culinary is concerned. Would be exciting to see this place fix up their inconsistency, out of touch pricing, or they'll be the next to go the way of Bowen Bistro during the next economic crash.

    Lovely, classy bar on Purdue's campus! The drinks and mocktails here are fabulous. They also offer…read moresmall bites here. Such a great place to meet up with people or to hang out solo. Highly recommended!

    Photos
    Boiler Up Bar
    Boiler Up Bar
    Boiler Up Bar

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    The Black Sparrow - Caesar salad and fries and and a gimlet

    The Black Sparrow

    3.8(239 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    The Black Sparrow endeared itself to me when I saw a gimlet on their special drinks menu. Aw! Who's…read moreeven making gimlets anymore? Let alone featuring gimlets on a special menu and presenting them as bright, shiny things? No one, except this awesome restaurant in Lafayette. Of course, I got the gimlet. I also got what some might call a "girl dinner," but what I call a "hot mom traveling alone dinner," which is fries and a Caesar salad. The fries were excellent: mostly crispy, but every so often a couple of mealy and soft fries were discovered, which was nice. The Caesar salad was good, and it came with whole croutons, which is typical. But really, The Black Sparrow? Your Caesar salad could have been elevated to excellent if the croutons were crushed into bread crumbs! Just saying! The Caesar had a lot of freshly grated parmesan cheese, which was a nice touch. A good Caesar salad needs a lotta parm, in my opinion. I just sat at the bar, so all I know is that rectangular space at the counter. Is there a restaurant beyond the bar at The Black Sparrow? I have no idea, but if you're looking to enjoy a little drink and a meal at the bar here, I think you'll have a good time.

    We've tried several downtown spots and wanted to add this to the list. The Black Sparrow delivers a…read moregreat mix of rustic historic charm with a hint of a time-traveling vibe. While the menu is comparatively limited, the food hit the mark. The appetizer wings with sweet chipotle were crisp and packed with flavor, the Remmy smashburger was cooked perfectly with great toppings, and the Nashville Hot Chicken had very good flavor despite leaning just a tad dry. A special shoutout to our server, listed on the receipt as "Player 1," who earned the high score for her top-tier level of service. This place has definitely earned a spot on our must-return list.

    Photos
    The Black Sparrow - Inside

    Inside

    The Black Sparrow - Fries

    Fries

    The Black Sparrow - Gimlet

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    Gimlet

    Spot Tavern - spot tavern lafayette indiana

    Spot Tavern

    4.1(31 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    This controversial mural is the work of The Droops, an Indianapolis-based artist collective who…read morewere commissioned by The Spot to do the piece in 2015. It located on the side of the Spot and overlooks their parking lot. It takes up 2 sections of the bar's side wall. The mural is in great shape but as you can see in the photos, its lower park is obstructed by parked vehicles. It is a collogue of random images that include a guillotine, a beer on a folding chair, a tombstone, a skull, a in a bikini with four eyes holding a beer up, a knife, a clown, a bomb, a trumpet, a cigarette butt, a foot, a face being punched by a fist, a hand holding a knife, and an odd character holding a beer while playing a piano. The mural also depicts a naked woman tied to a tree and male genitalia in between a hotdog bun, which caused quite a site as you can imagine. There were calls by the community to have the offensive piece removed, covered up or fenced off. The change.org petition ended with 20 supporters. At one point the Lafayette police issued a warning that artwork was violation of the city's graffiti ordinance. There was a point during all of this that they used a Mike Pence head (who was governor at the time) to cover the male genitalia. Ultimately, the Spot won and the city decided that the mural was not graffiti and did not meet the criteria for a citation. The mural is standing today. Even though there are a lot of images to digest. The artwork is very nice. This is a provocative piece that definitely generates conversation. You can deiced for yourself what your thoughts on the piece are. Parking to get a closer look at the mural is easy, even though it overlooks a parking lot, the lot is kind of tight. There is however, some free parking pretty close to the mural too. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There of tons of murals to check out in the immediate area.

    Good bar with friendly staff. On weeknights it's a chill place that makes good drinks at a decent…read moreprice. They have a turntable and offer to play records if you bring them in. On weekends it can get packed and they open up the dance area with loud music. The vibe is still good, just a lot more going on. The outdoor area is a great place to hang out for a more chill experience on these nights.

    Photos
    Spot Tavern - Spot tavern lafayette indiana

    Spot tavern lafayette indiana

    Spot Tavern
    Spot Tavern

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    Aura - cocktailbars - Updated September 2026

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