Dawson's is a gem along the Main Street drag in Speedway. I was shocked that at noon on a Tuesday, it was PACKED for lunch. By the time we left, every table was taken and people had to wait or sit at the bar area. What is this madness? It makes sense, though, because there really aren't many other options on the street. Speedway is trying hard to revitalize (and it looks great with the new streetscape) but the businesses just aren't hoppin' quite like Broad Ripple or downtown. I indulged in a double cheeseburger with fries and it was good! A word of warning: you get bang for your buck here. All of the dishes are huge, including the salads! Maybe share your food if you're not that hungry? read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Dawson on Main reminds you of a neighborhood all are welcome restaurant. We headed from the Far East Side to the Speedway area. We went based off of a review that was saw earlier in the week. What we didn't realize is the weekday and the weekend is two different menus. I had my taste buds on the Shrimp and Fries. I quickly learned that was on the weekday menu. I expressed my disappointment to the waitress., she quickly said I'll ask the cook if he can make it. She comes back and says we can make it for you! I was so excited. My husband ordered the Pizza and I had my Shrimp, both were delicious! I also noticed that the hostess wiped down all menus and anything that customer touched. This place is a must! They have both inside and outside dining, great food and great staff! We will be back! read more

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Haven't gone there during "lock down" but apparently they decided to change the menu without updating their online menu. Not too cool. New version of Sticks&Stones Penne is not good. Why change an excellent dish? If you're going to make changes, at least advertise the changes so an informed decision can be made. Especially since you've been essentially closed for 3 months. Pizza was fine. read more

Dawson's is one of those unique local finds that make you believe again in patronizing the smaller restauranteur. Have dined there for years without a single misstep on their part. Have reserved space for catered private parties and have ordered out for their catering service during the race events in Speedway Dawson's is a loyal and dedicated community partner that routinely does more than it's share towards showing everyone Speedway is "BACK!" great food super staff and fun location Come check them out! read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Not my first time at Dawson's but my first review. First off, the environment is very friendly, and relaxing. When it's not cool or windy we especially like sitting in the outdoor seating areas, as Main Street in the evening is pretty calm. For this visit I had an appetizer as my dinner which was the calamari steak, and mashed sweet potatoes. Oh my, the sweet potatoes are to die for, perfect mix of brown sugar, not too sweet but honestly just rite. The calamari was amazing as well, these are thick strips of calamari that are fried. Not too greasy, but crunchy and just how I like them. If your in the area, definitely stop in and give it a try! read more

Dawsons On Main - Calamari Steak - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Very cozy mom and pop kinda place, menu is massive and the food is good. Our server Heather was very helpful and attentive. We shared a tenderloin and fries and it was perfect. The coolest thing I've ever seen is on the menu if you loved your service for 6 dollars you can buy the kitchen staff beers for the end of there shift and I did read more

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The wait staff is friendly, helpful and polite. Our table ordered 3 Breaded Tenderloin Sandwiches. 2 with French Fries and 1 with Onion Rings. The Onion Rings and BPT's earned 5 out of 3 stars. read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Food is always good no matter what it is. Good soups and great salads. I love the horse radish crusted steak! Yum

Came here for the first time the other day and we are back again today. My husband and I are in town for the race. All of the staff was so friendly even though they were really busy. We had the pretzels with cheese, snake pit pasta and Alfredo. Everything was absolutely amazing. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for a fabulous place to eat Recommendation from mark jaynes on the IMS radio network. Thank you. We will definitely make this a yearly tradition read more

We have been to Dawsons twice now, and will be back! I have been on a restrictive diet due to medical issues and both servers that we have had went out of their way to accommodate me! The French onion soup is delicious, and the rest of my family really enjoyed their chicken tenders and beef tips. There is plenty of parking around the restaurant. Overall was a great experience! read more

Visited this little hidden place on Race day a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised! We ordered the nachos and the quesadilla and both were surprisingly good! I love that the nachos has strips of chicken and fresh peppers and onions, almost like fajita nachos. The quesadilla was also hearty with fillings and very reasonably priced. They had $12 bucket on domestics, and $2 draft pints on special. Cocktails were also strong but refreshing as well. Their entrees looked great as with good portion sizes, and will definitely order one if I get the chance to go back! read more

Dawsons On Main - Quesadilla with chicken - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Had dinner with colleagues here, place is casual with an interesting formal air! Had steak Susan with mash potatoes, topped with my favorite (you guessed) Moscato, and finished with sharing a slice of cheesecake. read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Great place to eat near the raceway. The tenderloin sandwich truly lived up to the reputation. And the French onion soup was outstanding. Can't wait to visit again. read more

food was very good our sever was awesome although i didnt catch his name. we had a party of 8 family that doesnt get together much we got there at 6 as that was our reservation time and at 720 the manager asked us to wrap things up they had a reservation at 730 for that table. kinda thought that was rude. read more

Thank you Cade for the great service today! We had a small family get together, they put us in a room that accommodated to our needs. The food was amazing! First time for some of our gang to be there and we will definitely go back with the family again! Highly recommend when visiting Indy. read more

I work not far from speedway and Dawson's has been a great place to meet the folks (out west) in route home. Always great food and great service. You won't be disappointed. read more

We had Dawson's on our list for a while, and we went for dinner after the IMS Lights! Tuesdays is their half price wine night, which our group definitely enjoyed! We shared a Malbec and a Cab Sauv between the six of us. We didn't order appetizers, but a couple of us got the French Onion soup which was really, really good! I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and loved it! The portion was generous and I definitely had leftovers for lunch the next day. The chicken was perfectly breaded on a bed of noodles and sauce. I appreciate that my meal was super hot when it arrived at the table, and all of the flavors were really tasty. I really enjoyed the little roll that came with my meal too. We will definitely be back! read more

We are adding to our prior review of 5 years ago. Still great. We are usually there several times a year....and its a half hour drive. We were there today on a Sunday in the Bar. Football games on. The place was jumping with people. Food Delicious. WHY isn't their PORK TENDERLOIN Sandwich on every single BEST TENDERLOIN in the State of Indiana list?? We have eaten many that make the list but they don't hold a candle -- this one is the BEST. HANDPOUNDED. They need to promote it more. JEREMY was our server and GREAT. Ask for him !! read more

The food is really good & the drinks have been amazing (especially the Long Islands that Ron makes!). Food cost is great for some things, high for others, but overall, not bad for what you get. I recommend trying it out. The tenderloin & fish sandwich are good & priced right. If you want to spend a bit more, the Tonys Favorite Chicken is really good and the Black n Blue Steak is awesome! Also, the drinks are priced right, as well. read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

There are only two things I can rate here: Service and soup. I'll start with the service. Our food and drink orders were taken promptly. When our server noticed that my drink needed refilled (which was pretty much right away), I also told her that I drink a lot. What does she do? She brings an entire carafe of unsweet iced tea to our table. Yeah baby! And you better believe I drank all of it and got another drink to go! I love me some unsweet tea (no calories, ladies!). For my food. I only had soup because my dinner plans included all you can eat sushi. Therefore, I had to keep it light here. I chose their signature French onion soup. Boy was it cheesy! Yum! My only complaint...I wish the cheese was a baked until it was a little firmer on top. But that is a minor complaint. The soup was very good. I hope to come here sometime and get some more of that excellent fresh-brewed iced tea and explore more of the eats they have to offer. read more

Dawsons On Main - Signature French onion soup - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Good food . Outdoor dining . Older crowd but that's Speedway . Fast and great food. I will be back

Checked out this place for the devour Indy event. Was a great deal. 2 dine for $50. Share an appetizer, each get a salad and a meal plus each get a dessert. Warning.... the entries are huge! There were 3 of us and decided to do the 2 for $50 plus ordered a pasta. The plates were overflowing with food. We really didn't need the 3rd entree. We had the horseradish encrusted sirloin, chicken and shrimp pasta. All were good and we brought her me 2 boxes of food! We'll be back but we'll try to restrain our appetites and order a little less than usual due to the large portions. read more

First time there, we had a reservation and didn't have to wait, They did have Yuengling draft on special for $3 too, so i got one while we waited, expecting it to take a while, but it was only about 5 minutes. Surprising for 7:00 on a Saturday night. Staff was very kind and friendly, we asked the waitress a million questions about the menu. There was also a large variety on the menu, definitely something for everyone. The waitress also said they made almost everything in house, which i definitely appreciate! We started with the crab cake, which was delicious, not fishy at all, and it was a great value, we got 3 crab cakes with a delicious sauce. For entrees I had the horseradish crusted steak, it was to die for, and the sides I got were a salad and mashed potatoes. It also came with a roll, so plenty of food! overall a great value and i will definitely be back! I would probably order the same thing again next time, but i will definitely be back! read more

Dawson's on Main is another favorite Westside eatery where the burgers and steaks are great and the company you keep there is even greater. Dawson's outdoor patio's in the warm weather can't be beat for alFresco dinner's. read more

I've been here a few times and wanted to give this another shot since it has been a while. The night life of this place is pretty good but shuts down early for Main St and the patrons that come out in the summer and on weekends to enjoy a full night out. The food that I've had is always different and never consistent unfortunately and I feel it all lies in the kitchen and bringing in the right people that currently are missing from the equation. The waitresses are always very friendly and keeping up with the flow of the peak hours and truly work hard to make sure everyone is having a good time. Dawson's has a lot of potential and I think they are working to move it in the right direction but they just aren't getting there on the flavor, the appearance, and the quality of the food side. I will make a commitment to continue to stop in every once and a while to see how it plays out and to see if the guys in the kitchen can work as hard as the ownership in taking pride in their work and truly owning their positions. The ownership works very hard to ensure a nice and clean atmosphere that is full of fun and smiles, and I wish the kitchen would be able to follow suit. I want to be clear that this isn't a knock on this establishment at all by any means, just need a little TLC in the kitchen where it brings it all together. I couldn't do a 2.5 so I am rating this as a 3 star for being stuck in the middle. read more

I absolutely LOVE french onion soup and this is one of the best I've ever had. I also really like their Southwest salad and nachos. The service is phenomenal every time and that's what keeps us coming back. I've wanted to try their tenderloin because that's what I've heard is also delicious. There is some outside seating but it's hit or miss depending on staff and weather. If you show up on a Friday or Saturday for dinner without a reservation you'll probably be waiting an hour or so for a table but hit up the bar for a drink and it's worth the wait! Dawson's is a great spot because it's local AND there's a variety of price ranges depending on what anyone is looking to spend. read more

We love Dawson's on Main. Always a standard special occasion or just to get out of the cooking rut place Always have excellent service and yummy food read more

Came here for dinner, and we were able to snag a table outside to enjoy the awesome weather. I would describe this place as comfort food with a flair. The menu has a lot of options; it was hard to decide as everything sounded so good! I went with Tony's favorite chicken, which was delicious. Came with two chicken breasts (yay for leftovers) and shrimp with mushrooms, spinach, and a garlic cream sauce. What's not to love?? The sauce had a little heat to it, but definitely manageable. The dish came with garlic mashed potatoes, one side (I got the cilantro rice), and a dinner roll. I'm not usually a fan of rolls but this one was buttery and pillowy. Great spot for a casual meal! read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

We ordered a carry out last Wednesday we had the pot roast dinner and Connie's gulf shrimp and crab cakes. I called in my order only to get there and wait another 25 minutes. I waited at the bar and the bartender didn't even ask me if I wanted a drink, he just said your order isn't ready yet and kept it moving.After 25 mins of waiting my order sat at the other end of the bar for another 5 mins before he acknowledged it or me. I am normally a great tipper but I couldn't let his behavior ride. I left nothing!I've heard great things and had high expectations but I was underwhelmed with the service. The food it self was OK. The pot roast was very tender the portion was decent for the price. Connie's shrimp were my favorite the batter was light and crispy just the way I like them. Alllll SHRIMP.....The crab cake seemed burnt or fried in old oil , I had to eat the thing inside out to get past the scorched taste. I also had a loaded potato and they forgot my sour cream which is my favorite part.I'm a sauce girl! Condiments are important!!!The chili was tasty and had good flavor just not enough meat. With all that being said I'm going to try this place once more. Only because of my coworker who is a long time speedway local he swears by this place. He suggested I dine in this time. He even recommended a specific chef. On a particular day of the week So I'll give them a chance to redeem themselves. Part 2 on the way. read more

Dawsons On Main - Connie's gulf shrimp and crab Crab Cake Dinner I was so hungry I started eating before I could snap the photo. - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

It's one of top down in earth steakhouse with a bit bar style feeling with awesome tossed salad and steaks!!

I ordered the chicken sandwich. When it came out it was terrible. Just not a good piece of chicken. Gristle, like a rubber duck. Ok, it happens....Waitress never checked on us. I took two bites couldn't eat it. I did eat the fries. When she finally checked on us, she brought the check because my friends were done eating. I told the waitress it was awful and she laughed. She had to see only two bites taken out of it. I guess she thought I was joking. I showed her the chicken and said it was terrible. She took 50% off my meal, I guess those were some expensive fries. Terrible food, worse service. read more

It was my first time coming here, and I have no complaints! The atmosphere is very nice, and the food is delicious! Everyone in my party loved their meal, and the staff was very prompt and friendly. The seating was very comfortable and allowed for easy conversation. I would definitely recommend this place, and I will definitely be coming back!! read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Good food nice outdoor dining good service always consistent with food visit to visit

The outside of the restaurant gave the impression it was more of a mom and pop type of restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised when I realized it wasn't. The decor was casual, nothing too extravagant, the lighting was a little dim but it fit the mood of the atmosphere and the people in there. I didn't see dirty dishes on any tables, whether that be with or without customers. The workers made sure that dishes were taken care of and drinks were always filled, which made for a pleasant experience starting when you walk in the door. I walked in later than my party and the hostess greeted me with a smile and pointed me to exactly where I needed to be, which was more convenient than me aimlessly walking around the restaurant. I arrived around noon, which put me in the lunch rush so conversation was limited between us and our waiter, but that is expected when you have numerous tables. Even though our server had quite a few tables he got our drinks and food out in a timely manner. Both of our meals were very good, but they weren't anything mind blowing. They did have an appetizer that caught my attention, calamari steak, something I had never heard of before. The only issue I had was parking can be tricky if you get there during a rush. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I can see myself going back. read more

Dawsons On Main - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I've been twice now and unimpressed both visits. The Wisconsin Grilled Cheese sandwich was barely grilled.....just enough to make it feel like dried white bread. The French Onion soup was good and redeemed the meal. There are too many good eateries to continue to keep trying to have a good experience here. read more

Our server Chad set the tone of attentiveness and excellence for this hometown eatery! Our table tried a myriad of selections from this menu and everything exceeded expectations in taste and portion. My personal recommendations include the spinach and artichoke dip and the side of potato cakes. read more

Kylie has by far been one of the best servers to deal with us year after year at Indy 500. Always remembers who we are and the memories we have established. read more

As one of the first "new" places on Main Street in Speedway, Dawson's feels more upscale than its neighbors. We were there at brunch time but ended up having lunch, since that is what was being served. Nice table outside in the sunshine with a view of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Attentive service. Hubby raved about the bun on his grilled chicken sandwich, which he described as being like pretzel bread. He had coffee, which was a tick below mediocre. I loved the flavor of the buffalo chicken fingers, and they paled in comparison to the best cole slaw ever. Cole slaw sort of creamy but with additional vegetables in it. read more

Dawsons On Main - Chicken fingers, buffalo style with the best Cole slaw I ever had. - American Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

I came in Saturday afternoon/evening the day before the 500. The bar was full, I was put on a list for party of one. Told it could be 30 minutes. As I waited, larger groups were told 1 hour, and steadily this grew to 1hr, 30 minutes. I kept browsing to see if the bar would open up, but to no avail. I saw two small tables cleaned and open, yet none of the party of twos or myself were seated there. The inside got crowed so I waited outside on a park bench, met some complete strangers and got a free beer from them, as they got one to many. Kept waiting and after well over an hour, the hostess came to me. I said politely I had been waiting and when she looked at her list, my name was not on there. One of the other young ladies recognized me and had me seated outside. I waited for nearly 30 minutes, no body had brought me a menu nor asked for a drink. Finally the same lady that seated me came to me and asked if I had been helped. I politely said no. She asked what I wanted to do, leave or stay. I said stay because since it's race weekend, it's going to be packed everywhere. I got a menu and I did see another waitress come by but said nothing to me. I got up and left. Prior to leaving, the hostess asked me why I had not came inside to tell them. My reply was, "I shouldn't have to." Sorry Dawson's, but you have to be able to manage the place better. read more

I've been here 3 times, always during the month of May, and I've had 3 great experiences. I love that reservations are available via OpenTable! The wait tonight (a Friday @ 6:30PM) was running 45-1hr so a reservation was helpful! They have a small kids menu and entrees include a drink and a cookie. The mustard chicken ($16) is delicious. It is rich and loaded with toppings, so I take half of it home every time. The portions are generous here. There are several draft beers on tap and about 8-10 other bottled varieties available. The decor is a bit dated, but I'd recommend sitting outside if the weather allows! read more