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    Melody Inn

    4.3 (80 reviews)
    InexpensiveDive Bars, Music Venues
    Closed 4:30 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    Melody Inn Photos

    Business Info

    MELODY INN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Loud
    Divey
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Melody Inn

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    Reviews With Photos

    Live music tonight!!
    Mark W.

    This small little bar is one of my personal favorites to see live music. The stage is like right there and the musicians are like right there in front of you. It's a more personal setting with a nice little bar that keeps up with food and drinks like magic. On a busy night, you might see 2 bartenders, but usually its just one, making pizza's serving drinks and keeping the place cool. Back patio for smokers is nice place to hang out as well. Lots of personality in here and everyone seems friendly.

    Heartless - Heart tribute band
    Jemmie W.

    It's a dive bar. You get to watch live music, drink, and watch/interact with the local wildlife. It's what you would expect.

    Neon sign outside the Melody Inn.
    Ericka S.

    I cannot vouch for the inside of the bar itself, but one evening before catching a flight out of Indianapolis back home to Texas, I stopped to take a photo of the exterior of the Melody Inn just to pay respects to the late legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale, who played gigs at the Melody Inn. Love the cool neon signage gracing the bar's exterior, which really lights up the street at night.

    Socks i bought from the Bobby Lee's
    Adrian B.

    Exactly everything you'd want!! I saw an amazing line up here, featuring The Bobby Lees, Nuke and the Night Shift, and local group Potty MoVth.. one of the best shows I've ever been to... the people working here were warm and helpful. The food was amazingly priced and for bar food it was excellent. This was my first punk show and The bands were seriously incredible.. and I was basically just able to kick it and drink with all of them. A+

    The Mel Pizza
    Christine C.

    We've been coming here for a while now post Covid-19 Part II. Amazing staff and great owners that actually serve drinks. We leave the pretentious people of Geist/Fishers and come here instead. It's an awesome dive bar with eclectic decor, that gives it an "I don't care" vibe. We go to house - punk - and today's bluegrass music night.

    a drum and a can of beer

    Found this place on Reddit and was absolutely blown away by it. The punk scene was the coolest thing I've ever experienced, loud music and good drinks. 11/10

    "Flipper"
    Mishelley M.

    Punk rock & rock club. Divey & super fun! Cheap drinks- Loud music. Go if you like all these things!

    Gloria D.

    Hidden in the Illinois and 38th area of Indy lies The Melody Inn a beaten up dive bar that surprisingly host punk rock bands throughout the week! I found out about this place when one of my favorite Texan punk rock came to play here. I missed it but I knew I had to come visit this place. Fortunately, an acquaintance of my boyfriend invited us to visit this place. They play in a punk rock band and are close with the owner. It was pretty awesome! It is small but you can tell there is so much history in this place for all the bands that have come to play from around the world. If you like dive bars that play punk come on over! Each night there's a different theme and specials. There is a cover at the door for this place is 21+. In the back of the place there's an outdoors patio for people to smoke and hang out. They have a selection of beers and alcohol drinks. I went during Halloween weekend and met some awesome people!

    Kristie K.

    This is another local bar that I'm positive hasn't changed in the last 30 or so years. Staff behind the bar is always friendly, and beer is always cheap. Eat before you get here though. #protip There is a parking lot across the street on the east side for patrons to use. We've seen a lot of our friends play on stage here and we always have a good time. Interesting crowd makes for superb people watching. If you go for their Saturday Night Punk Rock night, plan on it being a LATE night. Some of those bands don't even start until pushing 1 AM.

    The Rootlight. From Melody Inn's Web site.
    Jennifer L.

    Everybody just loooves this place. At least the local media do. It made Indy.com's "Cool List '08"; Nuvo newsweekly voted its bartenders into their recent "best of" list. I can see the allure. Want to get accosted by the resident drunk/homeless guy? Come to Melody Inn. I don't mean to misrepresent--he's not actually dangerous. I mean, he did show my boyfriend his pocket knife. But then the two played pool. If you don't like to play pool you can listen to the myriad, usually decent bands that play here, mostly local or regional acts. Listen real good, 'cause there's a cover for this place, demanded by a not-always-friendly doorman. He also looks homeless. Points, though, for the place's frequent "Banana Nights." I'm still not sure what they are outside a regular Friday or Saturday night, but they are always advertised with cool pictures of personified bananas. I was a banana for my 25th birthday. I like bananas. They also have a cool chandelier made out of sticks called The Rootlight. You can see it in spots and circles when the smoke clears periodically. Guess I'm a bit pretentious for this place.

    Photo courtesy of Melody Inn website
    Sarah A.

    Eh...ehhhhh. I'm easily turned off to bars. I'm hard to please, somehow, when it comes to them. The "hotspots" tend to irk me in some inexplicable way, and The Mel is no exception. It's cool... I guess. But it just...knows it's so cool. And that bugs me. The drinks are nothing special, and frankly, to my taste? Neither is the music. It's a fun place to get drunk, show your rockabilly side, and feel awesome because you're patronizing one of Indy's 'coolest' bars. If you're into that. Yawn.

    Measley F.

    Yes! Go! Must go. Old? Young? Reminds you to keep going ! Next sat Santana night and Tuesday Aphrodite dj mix night.

    The Venom Cure live at the Mel'

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Delicious green tea shots, good vibes...we went for Authority Zero! Would come back again

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    2 years ago

    Cool venue. Classic brick walls and graffiti. Nice place to catch new bands... Boho's paradise. Limited seats and tables so be warned...

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Melody Inn

    Review Highlights - Melody Inn

    I've been going here for many years (when I'm in town), and Punk Rock Night is the best time you're gonna have in that city on a saturday...

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Red Key Tavern

    Red Key Tavern

    4.1(116 reviews)
    1.6 miMeridian Kessler, SoBro
    $

    I'd heard so many stories about Red Key Tavern and so off we went last Saturday night. While it…read morewon't be everyone's vibe, it was definitely ours. My husband and I grabbed a seat at the bar and proceeded to order a bucket of domestic beer, $14!! I also had a gin and tonic, that was light on the tonic so beware if you're not used to a heavy pour. My husband had the famous burger and loved it, I had the grilled cheese with bacon that was so good. We started with an order of braunschweiger and crackers and it was like a Time Machine back to our childhoods. The clientele were lovely, we chatted with so many fantastic people and the staff were equally as friendly. If you're looking for a true neighborhood dive bar with a slightly more mature crowd, Red Key is it! Don't forget cash! No cards accepted but they do have an ATM.

    Met a friend here for catching up over drinks. Had no idea what to expect but have driven by this…read moreplace a million times and just never stopped was super excited to go! It is a very quaint local bar a bit like cheers. Everyone seemed to live in the neighborhood, or at least a regular if not. They only accept cash but you don't feel bad about it because their drinks are probably the cheapest in the area. Not an overly expansive bar but they have the usual suspects. The bartender talked us into trying the best hamburger in the city (so he says) and of course we had to, right? It was a darn good burger indeed. No frills, just a burger, with lettuce and tomato, very simple. No fancy bun, no avocado, no bacon, just a burger. I can't remember how much it was but very inexpensive. They don't have much else on their menu and no fryer but they have chips if you need something to go with your burger or cocktails.

    Photos
    Red Key Tavern - The outside

    The outside

    Red Key Tavern - Coke & Manhattan

    Coke & Manhattan

    Red Key Tavern - Cheeseburger

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    Connor's Pub - Lemon pepper wings and fries

    Connor's Pub

    3.8(55 reviews)
    3.3 miBroad Ripple
    $

    Connor's is that small local bar where people always return and the staff knows your name. I…read moredropped in after the game and it wasn't too packed. I ordered an expresso martini which was good, but not a typical order at the bar. It was tasty. I also ordered wings and fries. The wings were seasoned well and super crispy. Perfect for soaking up liquor! They had college games and hockey on. There is electronic juke box, so eventually people started playing music. I'll definitely return.

    First of all, when my group of nine arrived, there was no greeting. I may be old-fashioned, but a…read moresimple acknowledgment at the door would have gone a long way and likely earned an extra star from me. Secondly, after we were seated, we waited about 15 minutes before realizing that table service wasn't offered. It would have been helpful if this had been communicated upfront. Third, when we went to the bar to order wings and fries, the wait time was roughly 50 minutes. My food was then handed to the wrong customer, and I had to retrieve it myself. Fortunately, the customer--who appeared to be very intoxicated--recognized the mistake and sat back down. When I finally received my order, it was packaged in a sealed foam container with no ventilation, which caused the steam from the wings to make the fries soggy. Overall, I won't be returning. The lack of basic customer service and attention to proper food handling made this a very disappointing experience.

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    Connor's Pub
    Connor's Pub
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    Thieves - Cheers! Cabernet Sauvignon

    Thieves

    4.4(118 reviews)
    3.2 miBroad Ripple
    $$

    Thieves has stolen my heart. What a great place to enjoy a spritz while lounging on one of their…read morelovely velvet couches. In fact, they have five different spritzes on the menu, which I love to see. Of course, they have the classic Aperol spritz. But they also have some creative takes, like the rose spritz, which is what I chose. It was very tasty, light and refreshing, and not too floral, which can happen with a rose-flavored beverage. Spritzes are amazing but not enough sometimes, so I also got a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum! The pour was generous. I kept my drink orders simple this visit, but Thieves has a whole menu full of creative cocktails. What you do when you enter is just sit down, and someone will come by and take your order. But if you're visiting for coffee (because Thieves is also a coffee bar), you can order at the counter. I don't recall if they offer food. This is mostly a place to get drinks. And it's a lovely place to get drinks. Thieves is located in the heart of Broad Ripple, which means that parking is atrocious. I parked near The Vogue and walked over, but maybe you can find street parking, if you're lucky.

    After a very long and leisurely Sunday brunch at Cholita Tacos (across the street) our girl gang…read moresettled into the cozy and dare I say "seductive" lounge at Thieves. The decor left a lasting impression and is actually quite entertaining and made me want to take ALL the pictures lol. The server was very patient and professional with me and my heathens. I had my go to espresso martini and maybe more than one but hey who's counting right? Thieves is an intimate and cheeky cocktail bar perfect for date night or a night out with friends.

    Photos
    Thieves - Aperol spritz

    Aperol spritz

    Thieves - Bathroom

    Bathroom

    Thieves - Inside

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    Inside

    Melody Inn - divebars - Updated May 2026

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