Was in town for Brickyard 400 and tried this place. Was excellent. My wife had the Greek salad and I had the hatch double smash burger

Those of you reading this review are in for a treat. You not only get a review, but a story. But first the basics. This is a whole in the wall bar. They have a lot of local regulars. There is parking on both sides of the bar, with the majority of parking being on the side with the patio. The bar has a pool table and dart boards and as I mentioned, there is also a patio. There is patio, dining room seating, and bar seating. They have a menu filled with pub favorites, like burgers, salads, cajun food, chicken, and barbecue. I was excited to try their wings, so I got some mango habanaro wings and then the pork rinds caught my eye, so I got an order of cajun rinds. That was not my first choice though. They were out of a lot of items including chicken and gator. I really wanted the gator. Well here is my story. While I was waiting for my food, a woman, that was sitting at the bar, feel out of here stole and hit the ground hard. Strangely no one moved and then eventually the guy that she was with helped her up. As soon as they got her back up she feel again. They said she only had two drinks and could not be drunk, so they asked her what she was on. She said quaaludes and that she could not move here legs. At this point I am frozen. No one at the bar moved. She was then propped in a chair, looking like a zombie. They guy she was with went back to the bar and finished his beer while she was drooling at a a table in a chair. Eventually, in zombie fashion, she arouse and left on her own, by herself. All the while, I am sitting there like is anyone else seeing this? It was very odd. I finally got my food and I would say I was not impressed. The wings were ok. They did not have much sauce on them is my main complaint. Some of them were almost plain. I did like that they were smoked. That give them a nice taste. The blue cheese that I got with the wings were small and only lasted through about half of my wings. The pork rings where ok, but hey were light on the cajun seasoning and the main difference between those and the ones you can get from the gas station is that they make the occasional cracking noise. I think that some of the store bought ones are actually better. The server/bartender was very friendly. It took her a while to get my order in though. My main issues with this place are that they were out of a lot of food, the food that I ordered was ok. It could have been better. And even though I know it is not in control of the bar, someone having a drug episode while I am trying to eat lunch is a major turn off. I am all for a dinner show, but that is not what I had in mind. read more

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If you're a gear head, Indy 500 fan, or just love kitschy neighborhood bars, The Checkered Flag Tavern is worth your time. Stopping by for lunch on a weekday, Checkered Flag makes you feel like a regular as soon as you walk in. I needed to work through lunch, cracking open my laptop, they kept my tea filled, checked on me regularly and gave me space to do my thing. I ordered the house made breaded tenderloin. Solid. I could get used to this place. Unpretentious, standard bar food lid some surprises. I really appreciated the service and the 80's tunes. read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - House made breaded tenderloin - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I got the quesadilla & my friend got the fried bologna sandwich. Both were spectacular! I've returned to have the fish and chip special that is offered on Fridays (delish), and the "jumbo" meatballs (sadly, just so so & def not jumbo). The place is usually busy during lunch time. Our waitress was very friendly, & fast in getting our food to us. Don't let the exterior discourage you from coming here! It's another one of those diamonds in the rough places that locals know are great. Friendly people. Great food. read more

Highly recommend this place! Drinks are cheap, food is delicious, and service is personable and attentive. Amber will make you feel at home and like you're part of the Checkered Flag family. Couldn't be happier to come here every week. read more

Go take out. Pork tenderloin with fries and pretzels with cheese was very good. Fast service. Friendly staff. Whole menu looked good and everyone had food and that's how u know it's more than just a good bar spot. read more

The mother-daughter bartending staff was amazing. The smoked wings are a once in a lifetime experience if you don't live in town. And I live in a Texas BBQ/smoked meats haven. The brisket sandwich was also very good. read more

Love the Bloody Mary Bar! A lot of fixins'! Great selection of in-house smoked meats. read more

Only came here for drinks but definitely going back to eat. All of the staff were friendly and we had a good time. Stopped in for lunch and good solid food at a good price. Laid back neighborhood bar with good food. Had a Mac N Cheese dish and triple pork sandwich with coleslaw. Highly recommend! read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Great bar! Wings are great and the staff are really attentive and ensure you never need anything.

Nice little hole in the wall with great food and drinks. Don't be intimidated by the exterior - it does look rugged, and the parking was interesting. The interior is nice and clean. The service was really good. Even the bikers at the bar were cool. I had smoked bone in wings with bbq rub (very highly recommended), loaded fries and fried mushrooms. It's good at Checkered Flag! read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Bar scene. - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Great spot for lunch and their wing day when their wings are on discounted. Parking can be tricky but worth it.

Absolutely amazing made me download help and leave a review. You will like it. Simple read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Had the Whiskey Melt was amazing! Patty was cooked perfectly medium rare, sauce was so good! - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Philly Steak is a Speedway version of Philly Standard and quite honestly this may be my favorite... I complimented my meal with Cauliflower 'wings' which makes them healthy option... this is a Covid conscious and clean Pub to eat at and approach a lunch option with common sense tavern fare. read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Philly 'Indy' made with Brisket. - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Amazing food and drinks . Definitely a west side intuition with a racing theme. Groups of friends hanging out having a good time ! read more

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We are on the patio and told we had to go inside to get drinks. I bought two buckets from the inside bar tender when I got outside a waitress arrived said she wouldn't take our food order unless we compensated her well ....excuse me. She should be terminated! How rude!! Pleasure view with your staff customer service. Some one at our table had to take our oder to the kitchen. What is wrong with this!! read more

We sat at the bar and shared the buffalo cauliflower and fried pickles and both were very tasty!! Service was great!! Prices were very reasonable. read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Fried pickles and Buffalo cauliflower. - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Excellent food and service! Will continue to return for sure! Everything was great and the atmosphere was welcoming...will return for sure! read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Hangover burger ...yum - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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So we found this place on New Year's Eve because it was open still serving food until 10 and the place I'd originally tried to go closed early. I was pleasantly surprised most the prices are pretty reasonable. I did feel that the mushrooms for nine dollars were a little overpriced cause it was just six good size mushrooms but still I don't think they're worth almost $1.50 apiece would've liked more mushrooms maybe smaller pieces the breading was pretty tasty. They were hot and fresh and the dip was not bad. It was spicy horseradish. It was pretty good I had the big pig it came with fries they were pretty good little salty I thought, but nice and Krispy crunchy, the sandwich itself had two slices of deep fried bacon on top, which was really tasty. I've had deep-fried bacon before that was chewy or not so good but this stuff was tasty spot on the pulled pork was perfect. The fat was rendered. It was very tender. It was a really nice smoky sweet sauce that I read somewhere they make on site and it had a really nice little ham steak on the bottom, which was also very juicy well smoked good flavor tender I was pleased. They serve Coke products and I found their Coke mix to be pretty good and when the better ones I've had in a while she got a ribeye sandwich which was really huge. It had a little more gristle than she would liked and she would've liked it a little more rendered, but it was still fairly impressive and it had really tasty grilled peppers and onions with it as the service was really nice refills did come pretty regularly tonight because it being New Year's they had a band the band was a lot of fun they were very buried and their music styles. We heard some Ozzie and some Waylon Jennings and some Johnny Cash. It was pretty fun, I don't live at a bar like this the bathroom maintained clean. We both look forward to going back someday and trying the tenderloin. read more

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Why the high stars? Food looked and tasted like it was heated up in a microwave. I couldn't finish it. Service was fast but made with bureaucratic impassion. Looks like a race themed honky tonk (yes, probably the planned theme). Furniture is tired and entire interior is well worn. Food needs to improve, everything is second to that need. read more

I am constantly craving a Peanut Butter & Jealousy Burger. Their food menu is amazing and they never disappoint. Classic dive bar feel with above and beyond menu. Baked potatoes are a must , but don't sleep on the bacon and cheese stuffed tots either! read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - a burger and fries - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Took two of my buddies today for Walleye. Food and service was EXCELLENT! The place was packed..... everyone knows where to go on Friday for fish! My friends were soooooo impressed! We will all be back! read more

This place was fine. My food sucked. They didn't ask how our food was. Don't recommend read more

I've lived in Indy nearly 6 years and never been here. This place has incredible food! I came with about 10 coworkers and everything we got was delicious. I will definitely be back. read more

If you are looking for authentic America, this is it food and service were both great. They have a pool table and dart boards; it's as authentic as it gets. Race memorabilia is everywhere too so it's a great place to enjoy the race. Great vibes, and the restroom was very clean. read more

I see some bad reviews here about service... well it is true to an extend... sometimes you just have to wait a few minutes. If you're overlooked, make yourself known. The food is great and once ordered, usually arrives pretty quickly. If you like big portions of yummy food at a reasonable price, this is the place. I have personal experience with their in house freshly made potato chips that come with their also in house made ranch dressing... so good. Careful though, if you order additional ranch, it will cost you and I don't think they mention the upcharge. I have had wings with various sauces and have always enjoyed them. The skin nice and crispy, the meaty wings nice and juicy. Flavorful all the way around. And again I chose the ranch dressing, it is so darng good. Another favorite of mine is the pulled pork sandwich. Piles of shredded bovine at it's best. I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it. The shrimp po boy was pretty good. Loved the spicy shrimp, the bread could have been a bit better though. Nachos come piled high with everything you ever wanted on them. One of my favorites. Ok, I better stop and run on down there because I really need some of this pub grub now. I advise you to check it out, knowing that you may have to wait a little. It is worth the wait... Oh,don't forget to ask for the food and drink specials, they are usually great bargains. read more

Waste of time- took the family all the way down there only to arrive at a sign on the door stating that no one under the age of 21 is allowed inside. Not sure what's going on in there but it's probably just as well that we didn't end up supporting the place. I'm read more

Great local place with delicious food! We had the blackened chicken salad, ribeye sandwich! The spicy mozzarella stick things were A+!

Me being a random eater, I tend to just go to places that look or sound good via reviews. The food here does not disappoint by any means. The two friends I came with seemed to think from the outside it looked like a dive, but inside it doesn't appear that way and the food is well worth walking it. Parking is in the back. I sampled some wings and the mac and chicken, not really a mac and cheese, more of a cream sauce that was very tasty and very filling. The wings had a great tasting sauce, the wings themselves were not seasoned but were cooked very well and the sauce made up for the taste of the chicken. I seen some of the other offerings and the food looked very good. I would gladly eat here again when I am in the area. read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Blackened chicken Mac and cheese - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Excellent food. Stopped in at lunchtime. My husband had the beef brisket and said it was awesome. I had the pulled pork quesadilla which was delicious. It had corn and jalapeños in it. Great friendly service. Doesn't look like much on the outside, but nice on the inside. We would highly recommend it especially if you like smoked bbq. read more

Great bar. Staff funny, nice and good. Food is great too along with the atmospher! Reasonably priced and love the patio and Indy 500 pics everywhere inside. We come here everytime we are in Indy. read more

A much better experience than the last time I was here. I came in on a Monday afternoon. The place was not crowded. Service was a bit slow as there was only a single server/bartender, additional staff doesn't come in until late in the afternoon (4:30pm or later). The food was good and the prices were reasonable. The staff was friendly and courteous. Started with the bacon and cheese stuffed tater tots, they were awesome! Main course was the Fatty Patty melt with onion rings, also very good. Only thing I had trouble with was wrapping my mouth around the patty melt, double patties with cheese and bacon on a ciabatta bun. I'll have to come back soon to try the rest of the menu. read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Bacon & cheese stuffed tater tots - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Service was great & good was delicious! We started out with a snack size order of Parmesean Garlic Smoked Wings. They were delicious! I chose the Jam'n Burger. It's a burger topped with bourbon-bacon jam, fried egg, Dijon mustard & melted smoked Gouda on a soft pretzel bun. The fries were crispy & delicious! A great find overall on this weekend getaway! read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - Jam'n Burger & Fries - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

What an absolute hidden gem. Best wings north of the Mason Dixon Line, and our bartender Kurt gave us a time I will never forget. Better step up your game next week bitches. read more

The BEST bar food you will ever eat! Been voted #1 for many years! Try everything! And why you there have a specialty drink!

The recent Burger Week special drew me to this open gem. I traveled to that same corner of the street off of I-465W before but do not remember seeing it. I had the smoked beef brisket but held the chipotle mayo for $5. I was not sure about ground beef with brisket but I enjoyed my huge burger. This place represents the Indy 500 theme. They have a wall of fame. They had lots of TV and dart games and a beer pong machine. There is a photo booth and billiard table. Also, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, they have musicians play. I heard some good oldies. read more

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Wings are out of this world, if you are lost just ask Tara she knows what's best! Seriously such a fun bar and great food!

The food is EXCELLENT. not kidding, some of the best dive bar food I've ever had. The only reason I'm not giving it four or five stars is for service. We found it very difficult getting our main bartender's attention. Seemed like regulars were helped immediately but we were like a nuisance. I had the cheesesteak and it was excellent. It was so big I ate it with a fork and left behind the bun. Even the fries were seasoned perfectly. I recommend ordering wings. Wings are my favorite food and I'm snobby about them. These were perfectly smoked and meaty. Worth a try, nothing frilly at all. Wear jeans and a T-shirt so you blend with the crowd and feel comfortable. Crazy mix of music too - one minute the song was Achey Breaky Heart and the next was Fight Night read more

Checkered Flag Tavern - The big pig sandwich - Pubs Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Food was delicious! Service was very good despite the amount of staff available. Big Beer mugs washed everything down! I had the Big Pig Sandwich and the Firecracker Shrimp. read more

Can't really say anything except they seemed short handed. Sat at the bar , one waitress looked at me and something, not sure since it wasn't very loud. The other waitress was literally running back and forth. After about 8 minutes of not any reaction from anyone, I left. It didn't seem all that busy for food customers. Several guys around a pool table, 3 guys at the end of the bar, maybe 6 folks outside in the smoking area. So, I'll assume they were short help and one of them had an attitude. Might try it again in the future. But, till then, at least if you're short on help, say something so folks don't sit and wonder. read more