Excellent wine list and creative dishes. We enjoyed the vibe and the service was great.

I had a wonderful time dining at the Beholder. I still daydream about the eggplant tartar, it's wonderful. The rye pasta with dried chicken was savory and the perfect size portion. The wine selection was strong and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the sommelier was captivating. I can't wait to return and try the cabbage salad and Iberico as several of my friends have tried those and rave about them even weeks later. read more

By far my favorite restaurant in Indianapolis so far! The food was interesting and excellent, and our server was very helpful. I loved the ambience, too. In particular, the Raghu currently on the menu can't be missed. I can't wait to come back for a milkshake! read more

First time dining here! Food was amazing! The cocktails were delicious! I can't wait to go back! Great service too.

Great spot! Unique and well done. Food was fantastic. Drinks were also! Neighborhood gem. Jonathan Brooks did it again!

Love this place. The setting is awesome and the food is excellent. My favorites from this last visit were the red wine braised lamb pasta and the cocoa + corn dessert (amaranth brownie, corn ice cream, whipped ganache). I really hope people go and support this place... it could be a highlight of the Indy restaurant scene if they have more time to really settle in. read more

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Amazing, unique, artfully paired food and amazing service. Can't get much better than here. It's become one of my favorite restaurants in Indy. read more

Pricey but good. Had the fried and cold oyster appetizer, the monkfish and a taste (or two) of my partner's blackberry vennison (super good) and a very pretty but ok tasting lemon curd dessert. The real story here were the cocktails - wow. read more

Indy is really upping it's restaurant game! My wife and I tried out this former tire shop turned cozy and fun vibed restaurant last night and we were not disappointed. We had reservations but had to wait 10 minutes for our table because I guess the couple before us was not in any hurry to leave, can't blame them. The host offered us drinks (which we declined) and was very pleasant to chat with until our table was ready. Upon seating we ordered drinks. I had the Gold Dust Woman which was so damn good! My wife had a glass of Viognier which was a great choice for pairing the smoked beet and parsnip appetizer with a addictive bed of hummus? I ordered the lobster risotto with a Korean kick and opted for the winter truffle treatment. It was excellent and interesting though a bit salty. My wife had the Bucatini and she was WOWED (she also got the $20 truffle upgrade). It's not a huge portion which was appreciated - Just right. Desserts were equally amazing. I got the passion fruit beet, weird sounding I know; there was also a bed of cake and peanuts. The beet by it self was out of place but combined with the other ingredients it tasted like a firm fruit, kind of like pear maybe. My wife got the bacon, cornbread, maple ice cream and pickled hazelnuts - madness!! Ok, our bill was about $200 but the truffles did a lot of that damage. We will be back. Oh, the music was excellent and not to loud. Service was excellent. read more

What a great spot. We sat at the chef's counter and would highly recommend sitting there. All of the food was great. Some reviewers mentioned small portions... I couldn't disagree more. If you are looking for a Cheesecake Factory size plate, you are at the wrong place. However, if you want spectacular flavors Beholder is the place for you. If i was asked to be critical, I would say the wait staff service may not be at the same level as tinker street, vida, or nesso. That said, watching your food be prepared more than made up for it! read more

You would never guess the lovely place used to be a gas station. Layout consists of bright pink grandma family seating area, large bar, open kitchen (I mean really open) and several nooks surrounding the main dining area. Small plate menu is provocative and contains more then a few surprises. While our starter of hen of the woods mushrooms with squash and tarragon buttermilk was a bit boring the next course of pigskin pad Thai more then made up for it. Traditional in flavor with maybe more anise then usual, the noodles were actually sliced pigskin fat which had pretty much the exact same texture which made my skeptical paleo eating date pretty happy. It was very small but had a lot going on with ingredients. Then we did something we never ever do: ordered another. The skate was so sublime and delicious we had to get two. Seriously amazing. I did get talked into dessert which was two ghostly macarons and a pink jelly candy rectangle. Light flavors with some toothy sweetness was a perfect end read more

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A wonderful treat! I couldn't afford to eat here every day but the food and ambiance were were great. I went on a Monday night so not sure how loud it would be when there are more people. I'll be back! read more

Need to be adventurous and trusting of the chef to go here. If your idea of a high end meal is a big steak and baked potato, then this may not be for you, and that's just fine, can't be everything to everyone. If you are open minded, it tends to be a great meal. They try a lot here you won't see anywhere else and it usually hits. Their menu is hard to execute, I worry about that when Jonathan Brooks isn't around, but haven't seen issues. The chef is controversial but give him a break, he's taken big risk to do something no one else is here, and that's been a big overall positive to Indy. read more

This was the best dining experience I have had in Indy. The food and service were phenomenal.

I've been seeing mixed reviews on Yelp about Beholder, but as a huge fan of Chef Brooks' food, creativity and finesse, I knew I had to try it for myself. Living in Holy Cross, Beholder is just a short 15 minute walk from my house. The building interior is intimate and cozy. The music is the perfect volume and background noise to dinner. We started with the red bean noodle crudités and the eggplant tartare fry bread. The eggplant was so delicious and the perfect accompaniment to the fry bread (reminds me of paratha). The red bean noodle crudités was a beautiful dish in which you use the long noodles to dunk in the fois gras and Marcona almond dip. If you like really savory, irony, poultry funky flavored things, you will love this dip. Next we had the pan roasted skate wing (my favorite!) it came with a "curry" sauce and potato skin aioli (it tasted like tahini) but I think the curry was more like a fresh chimmichurri with curry leaves. The skate wing melts in your mouth and leaves you wanting more...and more! Our last meal was the rye bigoli with the crostini of chicken liver mousse (once again, if you love gamey poultry funk, add this!) The pasta was absolute perfection. The texture and al dente-ness was on point! Topped with dried herbs, dried chicken and dried lemon, it was the ultimate comfort food dish. We finished with the coffee crepe cake with cardamom ice cream, and I was taken away with how delicate and spongey the cake was. How does someone make a cake out of crepes?!? Such talent. We were even given complimentary candies at the end of our meal. Chef Brooks has done it again by completely transforming food into delicious art work in which you can taste the passion in each plate. Please don't stop opening restaurants, we need more of this in Indy!! read more

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Well...here we go. Had waited to try Beholder in light of up and down reviews. Well - my experience was on the downside. Decided to give it an whirl based upon the advertised $15 burger beer and a shot... Good way to see what it's all about and if it slays. Well, the burger beer and a shot was not $15 as advertised but $20 (apparently due to nature of burger - ok but don't advertise it otherwise). Not a big deal. But the real issue here was the service and attitude of our server - apparently we, 2 not so young women, were not good enough to dine here - or so we felt. Yes, we wanted to share - not because we are cheap but because we just didn't want to eat that much so don't spurn us for that. Burger was fine but bacon was burned on ends (black!) (and its server's job to reject it and send it back) - could see it the minute burger was placed on table. Server knew we were sharing and didn't even cut it in half - really? Only one of us got a glass for our beers (we each had our own) (apparently you can only drink Old Milwaukee out of a can?). And sitting beside the "kitchen", it was easy to see that the fries were from a 'food service' bag..yikes! Sorta expected more from this place. Yeah, we weren't all fancy but the attitude of our server sucked! And we considered dessert but gave us the bill before asking and then, as an afterthought, as we proceeded to pay, asked us - go figure. Grillman looked like he was hungover or very uninterested in his job. I have no problem throwing 2+ bills/person for a dinner but based upon this experience, and given that there is a LOT of competition in Indy, doubt that I'll be back any time soon. Rating would be a 3.5 if possible but Yelp doesn't permit..so yeah, there you go. read more

Blown away by every dish at this great spot. Shared all the plates and at the end of the meal could not agree on our favorites but the sashimi, mushrooms and the carrots were at the top of the list. Tempted to return later for the secret late night menu but maybe we'll wait until tomorrow! read more

This restaurant is beyond delicious!!! The staff was remarkable as well. They were so polite, explained every dish and always smiling! The chef is brilliant and sometimes brought food right out to us. I would definitely come back again. Bravo to the staff at Beholder!!! read more

This restaurant is a gem. Every meal we have had there has been an absolute treat. The menu is varied and unique. The service is excellent.

Was so glad to see a new restaurant open on the near east side, but boy was it a disappointment. Between the four of us we tried a good majority of offerings on the menu, and only one dish was impressive (squid boudin). The rest were either mediocre or simply bad (their "signature dish" of picked cucumbers was borderline inedible and I love most things pickled). Absolutely all dishes were incredibly overpriced for the serving size (think small tapas for $15-17 a pop) and quality. They were definitely inventive and looked great on the plate, but it didn't help the overall impression. It does have some good things going for it. Beholder has a very good selection of quality drinks, but again most of them are very pricey- average cocktail was $14-15. Wine list was excellent. The service is very attentive and efficient. I expect that many people will like the Beholder, or at least, due to the hype and an embarrassingly large bill, would not allow themselves to admit that it is not actually good. Overall however they either need to change the price point policy or improve the food's flavor, otherwise I don't expect them to last long. read more

This is my 2nd review. For some unknown reason the first review is gone. Was it because it was not a favorable one? While I appreciate the beautiful upgrade to the building, I don't think the menu is a good one for the area. read more

The food is overpriced for what u get. & The prices and workers of this restaurant do not represent the demographic area it is located. I do not support this place and will not be back. read more

The wine selections and type were something I have never experienced! Many choices and. natural aka less sulfites. The food choices were very fun! Service was excellent! read more

To put it simply, there is nothing quite like Beholder in Indianapolis. Dishes are perfectly executed and are like works of art: beautfully plated, creative, and full of flavor. People might complain about portion sizes, price, or bang for your buck, but in my opinion, if you want to stuff yourself on the cheap just go to a buffet somewhere. Not everyone will like it, but it's the type of creative, experimental restaurant that Indy has been missing. Some highlights: pork secreto (perfectly cooked), squid stuffed with squid ink sausage, cabbage and crispy okra salad, and the mushroom and squash. Desserts were excellent as well: roasted strawberries with cheese custard, and a cake topped with a blackberry puree, raspberries, and vanilla ice cream. The atmosphere is spot on. Music was great and loud enough to hear it but not so much that you have to talk over it. Dishes do add up and it can get pricy, but it was well worth the experience for unique dishes and quality food. Can't wait to go back! read more

Although this restaurant has been open for two weeks and is supposed to be right down our alley, we had not yet been until tonight when serendipity got us there with friends. I'll say it up front. We have never been fans of Jonathan Brooks' breakfast/brunch place, Milktooth. And we know that Chef has achieved a number of accolades and awards, but, for us, it is too rich - too much. We expected to have the same kind of experience at his evening restaurant. To our great and happy surprise, we had a lot of different tastes and we were happy with each one. We started with a number of the smaller plates, warm local asparagus, eggplant tartare, wild mushroom and yellow squash. Each was tasty with a little twist, a little difference. Nothing slapped us in the face and said notice me. Each was subtle and delicious, and yet, emphasized each component of its makeup. We accompanied these dishes with a Ligurian Vermentino, Lunae, that was a perfect accompaniment. We then moved to grilled sardines (not too fishy and not too salty), and bbq octopus (grilled octopus with bbq sauce, confit potatoes and baby scallions). The tricky part of serving octopus is making sure it is not too tough and has good flavor. This dish was excellent in both respects. Our final in this list of starters was the squid boudin, a piece of a squid tube stuffed with squid ink sausage, caramelized sweet corn and sea beans. This dish may well have been the hit of the evening and easily will make the list on any future trips down 10th Street. We then all shared the pan roasted skate wing as our "mains." It, too, was very tasty with a little fresh green curry sauce and just enough pepper in the skin. To be brutally honest, the skate wing was not better than skate wing we have had at other emporiums, but it was not worse either. It, too, is a dish that I would not hesitate to order again. These last three courses we enjoyed with a lovely Sicilian Nero d'Avola from Donnafugata. While I would not have believed that this wine would be light enough for the various fish courses, I was wrong. It was. Each wine was relatively reasonably priced and was selected with the excellent help of the resident som, Josh Mazanowski. We finished with tastes of two desserts, the White Balsamic Posset that had blueberries in it and the chocolate lovers' favorite, Teff Crepe Cake. The Posset was a little reminiscent of a panna cotta with less gelatin. I would love to describe the Teff Crepe Cake, but by the time I turned around, it was consumed by one of our number. Since he inhaled the dish, I surmise he really enjoyed it. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent service we received at the hands of Patrick, a young man who has served us at other of our favorite restaurants. My bottom line is that, despite our low expectations, we were very pleasantly surprised and will enthusiastically go back. read more

We loved the unique dishes that everyone is raving about BUT there wasn't enough food on the plate. We had two starters, two entrees, shared a dessert and 4 glasses of wine an by my standards one should be quite full. We weren't and came home and ate. Mr. Brooks is not a small man and I doubt if our meal would have satisfied him. Is he laughing at us because we are will to pay 33$$ for 3 oz of halibut?. I think so. read more

Internationally inspired menu with an interesting vibe. The playlist left something to be desired as far as ambiance went, but we'll be back (but seriously, change the music). read more

I would give this place 0 stars if I could. It is overpriced and not worth your money. The owner is just as bad. I really wanted to get behind a new Eastside business but just can't. read more

While the service was good, the food from apps to main entrees were very disappointing. Multiple items lacked the expected flavor and the plating was poor. For a restaurant started by a experienced chef the kitchen only managed to disappoint tonight. read more

Omg!!!!!!!! Truly amazing food and service! This is a must try if look g for a unique experience and great food. The atmosphere is super cozy and warm. If you come, splurge and try as many dishes as you can. read more

First and foremost, this place is great. The atmosphere is dark and romantic. The host and server we interacted with were super friendly and helpful. Our server walked us through the menu and gave us her recommendations which is always helpful. We had the Barrel Roll and Naple Negroni cocktails. They were served in high-quality glassware and looked beautiful. Super tasty super strong. For dinner, we were *slightly* underwhelmed by the starter options as proud blue cheese avoiders. We ordered the House Alkalized Bucatini and the Heritage Chicken Breast. I can honestly say the chicken and the potato puree were unbelievable. I would have ordered three more/licked my plate if that was acceptable. The only other *slight* complaint was the portion sizes. They recommend ordering two plates per person, but they price each option as an individual meal so we didn't take that advice unfortunately. Overall, great place, great staff, great drinks, delicious food. read more

Amazing food. Great cocktails and good staff. Highly recommend.

I went there 3 weeks ago. The lady at the front seats us at the bar and then they came back and said you cant sit there! Get you crap together! I didn't move. I asked for a Ketel martini . They said they didn't carry Ketel. Ok, how about another VERY POPULAR vodka, Titos? They said we only carry 2 vodkas. WHAT?? The most popular spirits segment other than wine and beer. ( although premium bourbon is very popular as well. They carry a vodka called Reyka. It is not very good. Wont be back. read more

My wife and I ate here for the first time and loved it! I had lamb shank with tomato gray over polenta. Loved the taste.....wife had a super tender and flavorful cod. Walked over from our Cottage Home neighborhood. read more

Unfortunately we visited on a day the menu was not being offered, Halloween. However, the kitchen served up some very interesting options for snacking, great pork Gyros, and perfect portobello Carne Asada tacos and classy walking tacos served in Fritos bag. Excellent drinks like the lemony perfect margaritas and Mezcal Old Fashioned (my choice) but could select bourbon or ?? The offerings were for all as you could choose low cost drinks or food OR the premium stuff. Suit your preference. Great fun and atmosphere read more

Five of us dined at Beholder for the first time December 30, 2018. Starting at the top we ordered four offerings including carrots, mushrooms, pate and cornbread and beet salad and then moved on to duck, bass, steak and lamb shank. Universal, high praise for every dish. The only suggestion would be a larger portion of the bass. We finished with three desserts that featured pear, Norwegian cheese and one other. Every offering was thoughtfully and creatively prepared. read more

Food was amazing. Staff were extremely polite and knowledgeable. Accommodated well for a large party and although the cuisine was at a high level, we were able to share and taste what seemed like a surprise waiting to happen as the dishes came out. Would recommend Beholder to anyone that likes refined food and drink coupled with unpretentious means to ends. Wonderful experience! read more

Great place! We went with a big group and tried almost everything on the menu. Highlights were the Rye Bigoli and Pork Secreto. Our server was great and very knowledgeable on the menu and wine list. The environment was fun and laid back. Though we went all in, I could easily see just stopping in for a glass of wine and a few appetizers. read more

My fiancé and I had a fantastic experience all around. We visited on a Thursday and we were lucky to get a table as the room was close to full and we didn't make a reservation. The food was nothing short of spectacular on presentation and flavor as well. We started with a few small plates and decided to keep going. The bbq octopus, the blistered sweet peepers, and the chopped cabbage salads were knock your socks off delicious. Our server couldn't have been more helpful w any questions we had and we decided to try the scallops dish and pork dish as well. We asked for wine suggestions and the owner (josh) quickly came over and walked us through the list and made a perfect selection for our dining experience. Finally we couldn't leave without desert. On suggestion from the staff we tried the gjetoast (spelling?) and the blackberries. So good! This could possibly be my favorite desert I've ever had as it was a perfect way to end the meal w amazing fruit and cheese. We couldn't have been happier. The space the service the food and the cocktails were all 5 stars. This is my new favorite spot in Indianapolis and we will be back very soon. Thank you Jon Brooks and Josh Mazanowski for bringing this to our sleepy east side neighborhood. If you haven't been yet make plans soon as it is a must have experience in the city. read more