bakersfield mass ave.

fake. great location, but theplaceseems fake. fake dive bar ambiance, fake loud noise, fake food, fake bartenders. it will thrive by location alone. this is for people that don't want to really go to a honkytonk bar, but want to pretend they have.

visited recently for dinner. can't complain about the prices at the end of the day, especially drinking $2 pbr drafts, but i thought it was just a tad overrated. coming back from a trip to austin recently, these tacos paled in comparison to the least tasty street taco i had there. the chips and guac....meh. not bad but not worth writing home about. queso is a little different. i didn't like but others in our party did.

theplacewas packed and as others stated, it is incredibly loud. i'm in my 30's now and prefer to actually be able to converse with people rather than shout at them for dinner.


would absolutely come here for a happy hour but that's it.

my review is based on the food, which i thought was terrible. tacos were bland and overpriced and what's up with the queso??? on the other hand, i really enjoyed the margaritas and had fun hanging out. hip and popularplaceso will probably be back, but not for the food.

on the first night, the first thing i noticed was the noise. seriously, one of the loudest restaurants i can remember. i mean, theplaceis obviously popular, but it also is just really, really, loud.

if i could give 0 stars i would. they told us we could come in with our service animal to the patio but it would be a 45 min wait. when our turn came, we were refused seating after the manager loudly and publicly (not to mention illegally) asked us what kind of disability it was for. they were rude, illegally asked us for disability information, and wasted an hour which we could have spent at another place. do not waste your time or money in this horribleplacethat isn’t even authentically mexican. i will be submitting an ada complaint against this business.

i liked it. good mexican cuisine with a flair. however, i do think the tacos are overpriced. they're quite delicious and flavorful, but small and something you will not fill up on unless you eat 3-4. greatplaceto go with friends for drinks and sharing plates. haven't tried anything i didn't like.

thisplaceis hit or miss with me. it can get easily crowded, and is very much a "hipster bar". with that being said, i enjoy going during non-peak times. it's great for a margarita on a sunday afternoon when things are less crowded and less chaotic. to me, their food comes in small, overpriced, portions. so i typically eat before i go. but definitely a goodplaceto hang out and grab some drinks!

fair food! thisplaceis trying too hard to be unique!! their tacos are okay! their margaritas are way over priced and again okay! the reason people go is because it's trendy!

tacos could be really good, but they are just mediocre, which is too bad, i wonder if the owners taste the food?
it's still a niceplaceto have some chips and salsa and throw back some beers.

not sure what all the negative reviews of the food are about. the short rib tacos/torta, guacamole and queso are all great. their margaritas are really good too. it's usually packed but it's a funplaceto hang out in a great location on mass ave. one of my favorite bars/restaurants in the city.

trending now.. bakersfield certainly is the "it"placeright now. the hipsters of indianapolis crawled out of their skinny jean stores and skipped their liberal arts study sessions to come here every night. but with good reason! they have a small, yet refined menu. their tacos are fresh and flavorful with every component made in house. granted, i think they're a bit on the small side, and they don't double wrap each soft taco like zest! (smartly) does, but they're good nonetheless. want an even cooler ambiance? go downstairs. it has kind of a underground wine cellar/prohibition underground pub feel to it. that's where we sat. we also got a pitcher of their famous margheritta which was more than enough to water the three of us. their special of the day, shots of luna tequila for $3 each, was super smooth and delicious. i loved it. the server was super cool and down to earth and spent a lot of time with us, even sitting with us for a minute or two.

overall, i'd come back here again in a heartbeat. just go on a sunday night like we did because it wasn't hard to get a table and it wasn't suffocatingly cramped inside (as hipsters seem to grow roots into the floor the moment they stop moving).

all show, no substance. thisplaceis the equivalent of a mediocre food truck stuffed into a permanent building with the ability to serve alcohol.

they don't even have coffee. what restaurant or full service bar doesn't even have coffee?

it's almost as if the food is there just so they could get a liquor license to sell alcohol as a restaurant, but the drink's aren't any better than the bad food.

there are plenty of places in the mass ave area to get great food and drinks, thisplacedoesn't need to exist. the only reason to go is if every otherplaceis full to capacity and it's your last resort.

this is theplacei loath going to most, but usually end up there after i've really just had my fill of everything else and need something different.

every time i go, i wish i hadn't.

i would never, ever leave a poor review for a small business that was trying, especially one on mass ave, but my time there last night was terrible.

i ordered 3 of their menu items ( i think they only have 7 or 8 total), and it took over 30 min to get the food. the person i was with asked twice if i thought we should just go.

when the food showed up, it was cold and the plate looked like the food got there by being dropped onto it. it was splattered all over and most of the stuff that should have been in the tacos was scattered on the plate.

the taco's are nothing special, there isn't much to chose from, the service sucks, and every time i leave there i say that i'm never going back again.

it's the least satisfying food/dining/drinking experience on mass ave.

thisplaceis just bad and is making the mass ave area look bad. people are disappointed with it, as am i. something much better could be occupying that space.

females beware!! so.... beyond the fact that you get tiny lil tacos for $4 ($1.33/bite).... this is one of the most unprofessional places in indianapolis!! if you are a female please know that this is a very chauvinist establishment! whether you are there as a customer or as an employee beware! customers... don't get sloppy 2nds (it's actually way more than that but you get my point)!!!! yuck! and employees.... don't put in a two week notice and definitely don't get sloppy 2nds!! if you are a hard working female... this is not theplacefor you! actually, if you are just a hard worker don't even bother. they will lead you on like they will hire you and want you but then leave you dead in water and never return your calls. it's not worth the time or hassle. thisplacewill crumble because of their lack of proper management. (sorry kim, you rock) i did not work there but i have heard plenty of stories and seen 1st hand many of the stories. i have been in this industry for 15 years!! i myself have worked for chauvinists but i cannot say it was ever this bad! sorry to all the females that work there currently. stay strong and one day they will get hat they deserve!

best tacos in indy!!!. to start off the decor and staff is very inviting. anyplacethat pulls off the edison light bulbs with out looking like it was an after thought is ok in my book. when it comes to the food it is great, the best tacos down town. if you are looking for more detail go to the white river post!!!

after a recommendation from friends, steve & karen and the sign, “tacos, tequila and whiskey”, i had to give thisplacea try.  they had me with “tacos”.  as soon as we walked in the door, my friend lisa and i enjoyed the “bakersfield” style rockabilly music, clint eastwood movies on the tv and the patrons seemed happy.  we were promptly seated at a table in a prime location of the restaurant.  it was on the street level next to the open windows overlooking bustling mass ave.  the barrel tables are a bit unconventional.   because the table top doesn’t extend past the barrel base i felt awkward leaning far forward over the table to eat. everything on the menu looked great.  i like restaurants that specialize in a few items and prepare them well.   christen, our waitress, after finding out this was our first time at bakersfield, gave in-depth descriptions of the items.  i’m not going to go into detail about the menu because you can check it out for yourself at www.bakersfield