Marko’s on 2nd

This is a lovely place with wonderful ambiance but the sign on the door said they were closing on May 15 2016.

I’m from the big city (San Diego) so I was blown away by the quality of food and service. You cannot go wrong with this place. We drove up from Portland and it was worth the drive. Not much to choose from in Portland and this was a shocker to get such great food. I had the filet and my host had the pork chop. We were both thrilled with what we ordered. I finished it off with pecan pie for desert. My only complaint was they ran out of Jack Daniels. How does that happen? I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anybody. Don’t let the façade fool you, it is really cool inside.

Not quite sure why people are rating Marko’s «five stars» because this is not quite a five star location. Perhaps some have been apt to rate as such because of the underwhelming number of fine dining establishment options in the area?
We entered this establishment for dinner and were seated in the dining room at a table right away. After being seated it seemed like quite a bit of time before our server came to visit. Noticed this same thing with other parties throughout the restaurant. Our waitress stumbled a little bit in her presentation once she got to the table, but didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to set this location apart from any other dinning establishment.
My menu could have been cleaned off or replaced before being passed to me, as one of the pages was stained with food or something. Bummer.
Our server brought some warm bread to the table with almost softened butter. Other establishments might offer specialized flavored butters, this one did not. However, the bread was nice, warm, and crisp on the outside and soft in the center. A fairly generous glass of wine was poured, which was nice.
We opted to skip the appetizer round and went straight for salads. My $ 8 salad featured goat cheese and should have had pecans, which the kitchen missed. My companion had the Caesar salad featured at $ 7 and the dressing was not very good, as it was lacked flavor. The shredded Parmesan overwhelmed the salad… But again, nothing special with either salad.
I decided to try something different from my first visit… This time I went for lobster over a plate of grits (See added picture). Unfortunately, the dish was a bit on the cold side and was too salty for my liking. My dining companion had the 12 oz blackened New York strip with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. She stated everything on the plate was highly over salted (and I would have to agree as I tried a bite myself).
In our last visit to Marko’s the food seemed to be overly salty too. I was hoping it would be a bit better this time around, but it was not. My lobster dish was $ 26 and the steak came in at $ 28. Altogether before tip our bill rounded out to around $ 78 with skipping appetizers and dessert. I did have one glass of wine… But beyond that, it was water at our table. All in all our food was ok… But I can eat a better quality meal for less elsewhere.
During our dining experience someone in the kitchen opened the door and made the restaurant freezing cold, because someone was apparently blackening tomatoes and the kitchen was smoky? Brrrrrrrrr! Again, all in all, not the best experience. It was not five stars — but also not one.

The meatloaf was seared with roasted whipped Yukon gold potatoes and bacon braised kale that was outstanding. The Asian BBQ Tuna cooked rare melted in your mouth with Spinach in Wasabi hollandaise sauce. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere

Another couple had bid on a chef’s tasting dinner at Marko’s and my wife and I «volunteered» to go along and try a restaurant we had never been to. It turned out to be a great experience. Marco’s is located across from the court house in downtown Decatur. Inside, a large carved wood bar dominates. There are booths in the main room and an additional dining room to the left. The pace has a well-​worn but clean and attractive look.
The tasting menu began with a soup that our friends said was excellent. The second course was a fish called char, with Brussels sprouts and other vegetables grilled like the fish. Excellent, flavorful, with the fish cooked just the right amount to remain moist. Then came a beef filet rubbed with coffee. The meat was very good and the rub creative. Our side of the table ordered from the menu. We had an excellent shrimp cocktail followed by a mediocre chopped salad. While the salad’s presentation was good, there was too little lettuce, compared with the toppings, and it’s crispness was fading.
Our entrée was scallops over pork belly. The scallops were delicious, and when you order pork belly, you know you’re getting a lot of fat. This was fine for our tasting experience, but if I was just having my entrée, I would feel like I could eat a little more.
In our case the «little more» was dessert. We all had white chocolate bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. We’re not big bread pudding fans, but this dessert would score big time in any food capital. The ice cream was flavored with a rich exotic vanilla and had the texture of frozen cream. The top of the bread pudding had a caramelized frosting that added a delicious crunch to the moist bread pudding beneath. If I hadn’t been sharing from other plates all along, I would have helped clean 3 other desert plates.
If you’re not from Decatur, this place is worth the drive.

Always a treat to eat at Marko’s. I have never been disappointed. Our meals have been excellent and the service is wonderful. Try a martini after your meal!

Had the fried green tomatoes, tomato bisque and main entrée was the ribeye and fries… all excellent. Great atmosphere… very NYC like restaurant. Service was pleasant and attentive. Nice find while here in Amish country where there aren’t many fine dining options… this hits the mark.

I’ve eaten here a dozen times and have had one decent meal that I would consider being worth the money spent. No offense to the owner, but the food is way over priced for such small portions that really aren’t that good. I will try again in a few weeks and see if their quality is gaining ground, then adjust my review accordingly.

I’m traveling for business, and this was the recommended place for a good meal. I wasn’t disappointed! The restaurant is clean and historic, with some really nice woodwork near the bar. The kitchen is fully visible if you sit at the bar, and I enjoyed watching them work.
I would highly recommend the Guinness and cheddar soup, but the sweet potato bisque was great as well. Both would be really great on a cold night. I had a spectacular pork chop with mac and cheese and green beans. The glaze on the chop was superb. Portions are large, and the prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. They may seem a bit high for this city, but it’s worth it for a nice night out.
I’m visiting again tomorrow to try the tuna. I can’t wait!

Excellent steaks. Good seafood. Crab cakes good more backfin than lump but good.
Who would have thunk it. In downtown little Decatur, Indiana just across the stree from the courthouse (which was decorated for Christmas) sits Marko on 2^nd. I struck up a conversation with the waitress who was a long standing resident, and she told me that among other things the place had been a barber shop, a restaurant, a speakeasy and – yes you guess it – a brothel.
Now I don’t know what it is about former brothels and me, but I have not been disappointed with one yet. The steak was excellent, the vegetables were cooked just right and there was a nice selection of desserts.

I am from Chicago and travel for business in Indiana frequently. Everywhere I travel, I try to find locally-​owned restaurants and avoid chains as much as possible.
Based on a friend’s recommendation, I have been here twice for lunch and the food, ambiance, and staff have been amazing. With all the restaurants in Chicago, I would frequent Marko’s weekly if they were near me.
I had the seared yellow-​fin tuna appetizer and a salad with balsamic dressing. For a lunch menu, the portion was much larger than I expected. I couldn’t even finish the salad! The salad dressing (balsamic) seemed like it was homemade and was very tasty. The yellow-​fin tuna fused american with japanese tastes and was fresher than some sushi I’ve had.
Now that I know where this is, I won’t mind making the drive from Fort Wayne to eat here.