checkered flag tavern

what a great transformation!. haven't been here since 2011 (reference 2011 pics) and wow! they did a great job remodeling this place! very clean, fresh, and open looking compared to before! we started with the "hotzzarella jalapeño cheese stix" and they are good and just as hot as the name leads you to believe! we each ordered an item and split them. the "big pig" was just as it sounds. a big sandwich with pulled pork, thick cut bacon, andsmokedham. fairly impossible for us to eat, but all the meats were great tasting as we ate them with a fork. the accompanying bbq sauce is pretty good too! the "cheeseburger w/bacon" was very good. charbroiled tasted with some of the good bacon they offer. the service was spot on too! we will be back. pics included. enjoy!


-----04 nov, 2011-----

old time establishment with new dressing and menu!. back in my older days this place was considered a lesser than desired type bar to visit. aaaahhh many years ago. it's fallen under newer ownership and they've spruced the place up. wife and i recently tried this place to measure it up.

we seated ourselves at a booth. the bartender was our server and did a superb job of ensuring our food and drink orders were fulfilled.

the "loaded fries" were pretty good. while i didn't partake with an entree, my wife had the "cheeseburger with bacon accompanied with slaw" and raved it was very good!

not to take away from the tasty burger, but as a note, some may know that slaw can in vary in taste throughout the year based on season and location. a very common complaint i have due to my many years of travel. however, this place has nailed the slaw factor at least this snapshot in time. ;)

we will be back to try other items. this establishment hangs their hat on the bbq, but we hadn't tried it yet. look forward to this on our next visit!

well ladies and gentlemen, this is a bar. a bar that dates back to the 1940’s. a bar that was redone about a year ago. a spacious bar with pool tables, about a dozen beers on tap and a grand out-door seating area with a fire pit. it also is a bar with some of the best tavern food i have had. they offer blackened catfish and frog leg appetizers, as well as real dealsmokedpork sandwiches. we ordered some breaded mushrooms to start. fresh breaded ‘shrums are always a bonus and they offered theirs for $5.50, with a horseradish sauce. nothing prepared us for the monsters we were given. we received 5 mushrooms that were in excess of 3 inches in diameter. each one was impeccably breaded in a thin breading reminiscent of a cornmeal breading usually reserved for catfish. the horse-radish dip that came with the mushrooms matched well; as did the one buck pints of pabst blue ribbon. as for our “entre” pat and i were both conflicted. pat for the “big ass bacon burger” and the “big pig”. me for t

spicy catfish,smokedwings, tender pork, toasted buns, crispy fries, cheap, cheap, cheap. i hear there’s walleye on fridays and a uniquely delicious special every week? what else do i need to say?

it is sort of a "dive bar" but we had an excellent dinner. the owner/bartender, stacey (male) really knows how to smoke some meat! pulled pork was excellent and so were thesmokedwings. service was excellent and friendly! if i had to criticize , i would want carolina style sauce or maybe just some heat in a sauce. stacey said his regulars like his sweeter bbq sauce. really good place!

simply one of the best hidden treasures when it comes tosmokedbarbecue you will find in indianapolis! not only was the place clean and the staff was courteous but the food was unbelievable and the price, well i'm just not so sure how i can get away with such great food at such a reasonable price. we will definitely come back to this place every time we visit indy.

had the gumbo; one of the best i've ever had! a dark roux with chicken, shrimp and sausage, chef stacey cooks this for 18 hours! the taste is incredible! also sampled hissmokedpulled-pork and beef brisket from the smoker installed out back; epic flavor! go there before he moves to a bigger restaurant!


-----15 mar, 2012-----

had the fried mushroom appetizer. these were the biggest fried mushrooms i've ever seen! stacey, the cook, does everything better than the chain restaurants and makes this an undiscovered culinary gem on the west side of indy! check out their ever-changing menu!

food that you remember - now if you are looking for a new hip bar this is not for you. if you are looking for a dive bar on the upswing with food that will blow your doors off the checkered flag tavern is your bar. since this place changed management the place has become a cajun infused food staple. the wings are the best that you can get on the westside of indianapolis. the wings aresmokedthen tossed in homemade hot sauce, yes you heard me homemade. if wings are not your thing you should try any of the daily specials, the chef likes to try new thing and if there good it becomes a special for the day. i have never had a special that was bad; everything ranging from cajun shrimp to bacon rapedsmokedquale. try anything and i guaranty you will love it!!!

best wings ever!!! i come here every week just for the wings! i saw their van around town..it said bestsmokedwings in indy! i decided to stop in and give it a try & they didn't lie... i'm hooked! i've tried all the sauces..my favorite is the ranchy garlic. you gotta give them a try!!!