Nickel Plate Bar & Grill

I’d give zero if I could. I ordered a Southern Pacific burger and got something totally different. I had to goto the bar because my waitress was nowhere to be found, oh wait Tara was busy with friends. I didn’t want another burger. At this point I just wanted to settle up and leave. Waitress is blaming the kitchen and the kitchen is blaming the waitress. Either way I don’t care. At least the Coke was cold.

Great server, but food was just ok. Took a really long time for the poutine (just French fries!!) The place was very dated and definitely a locals kind of place, but not a fun locals place. Would not rush back…

Hobo stew! I don’t care what else you get, but if you don’t get some on a nice cold Indiana day, then you make bad decisions.

Great service! Wife and I both ordered the brisket. It was not very good, menu said it was smoked but it had so much seasoning on it after it was sliced that’s all you could taste. Sides were average. The service is what saved this expierence.

No matter what time of the year it is, this restaurant/​bar is a good place to gather with friends for food and drinks. Reasonably priced, decent selection and plenty of beers on tap, you won’t have a problem finding a good combination. Tucked away in the up and coming area of downtown Fishers, this local joint is still a hot spot to be.

Very good tenderloin spot in Fishers, IN. My husband and I HAVE to get breaded tenderloins every time we visit family in Indiana. This place is very good, has friendly staff, and a nice pub style atmosphere. Definitely worth a visit!

You know what’s really awkward?
It’s awkward when you drive from the Northside of Indianapolis up into Fishers specifically for the reason of checking out a restaurant you’re absolutely sure one of your friends has given a review review, then you get there, get seated, check-​in to Unilocal and finally check out your friend’s review only to realize that they actually gave it a 1-​star rating.
D’oh.
The Nickel Plate Bar & Grill is a Fishers, Indiana bar and grill in a killer location in what is referred to as «Old Town» Fishers right alongside the former Nickel Plate railroad tracks. It’s located in a building built in the 1880s and originally known as the Parks Place Saloon.
So yeah, it’s kind of got the coolness factor. Nickel Plate is part of the Central Indiana restaurant group known as Lux Restaurants. It includes this place along with Blind Owl Brewery, Meridian Restaurant & Bar, Binkley’s Kitchen& Bar, Elbow Room, and Broad Ripple Tavern.
What do these places have in common? No silly, think beyond the whole «bar and grill theme.» Give up?
They, for the most part, kinda suck at wheelchair access and don’t have the world’s greatest parking (though Blind Owl and Meridian aren’t too bad with parking).
I mean, seriously, is Lux Hebrew for «Keep out the gimps?»
I am slightly exaggerating, though I can definitely say that dining at Binkley’s, Elbow Room and Broad Ripple Tavern can be difficult if you’re in a wheelchair. In fact, I’ve specifically NOT dined at Binkley’s on occasion because of their dreadful parking/​access. Part of the problem lies in the fact that they tend to locate in older buildings. Thus, they are often exempt from accessibility requirements.
Despite seeing the error of my ways AND the one-​star rating, I’d always wanted to try this place and figured a day off from work was a good chance to check it out.
For the record, I still can’t figure out how government employees get Good Friday off?
Parking around the area is a bit challenging, though likely less so if you’re from the area and used to all the construction going on around the area. I’d ended up parking across the street by Taylor’s Bakery, the Fishers location of one of my favorite bakeries, and just wheeled the couple of blocks. The sidewalks in the area are decent, though crossing the railroad tracks can be a bit challenging. So, wheeling it may not work for everyone in a wheelchair.
I entered through a side door that had the only curb cut on the restaurant’s sidewalk. It wasn’t even close to ADA compliant, though it was pretty workable. The biggest concern is that spaces aren’t real clearly marked and it’s basically in a parking spot. Thus, it could easily be blocked. If so, there is no wheelchair access into the restaurant.
Once I got in the restaurant, you entered a small hosting area but today was a «seat yourself» day. I went through a small dining area to the left of the bar, then I went to what can be an open-​air patio on warmer days. I’m always a bit leery of «seat yourself» in bars — service can be very spotty. However, it was spot-​on today. I sat at a 4-​top and Pearl, my server, arrived in a timely fashion. She took my drink order, the usual unsweetened iced tea, and dropped off a menu. While I’d heard about their tenderloin, named Indy’s best by Indy Men’s Magazine, I was in the mood for a burger and ordered The Amtrak. I ordered it medium-​well, plain and with chips as a side. You can upgrade to fries for $.99. The entire bill came in at just over $ 10.
The burger was fresh and tasty, though I wouldn’t call it particularly memorable. I enjoyed it, it was delivered as ordered, and I would order it again. The chips weren’t anything special — I might upgrade to fries next time. They have a variety of other sandwich options, appetizers, soups and the bar. I didn’t go near the bar, though it did look like it would have at least a couple accessible options for seating. I didn’t have the problem with the food here that some others, including my friend (Rick G.), have had. The burger wasn’t greasy.
Pearl was rock solid. She was friendly and attentive with multiple refills given including one right as I was paying the bill. I always love that. As I was leaving, even though she was by the bar she acknowledged my departure. That’s a definite plus.
If I could go 3 ½ stars, I probably would. The accessibility issues bothered me quite a bit and, as such, I can’t imagine going higher than a 4-​star review. The food was solid, though not memorable. Thus, I’m inclined to lean more toward three than four stars with the full awareness that I would definitely return. On this visit, the service was a highlight but I can definitely imagine their being some issues during busier times.

Cool local pub with great service but the worst corned beef and cabbage I have ever had. I couldn’t force myself to eat anymore. It was tasteless and paper thin. They took their sandwich meat and overcooked it. What happened to slow cooking a brisket? I waited all year for St Patty’s Day and corned beef. Left disappointed and went somewhere else for corned beef. Their chili rocks. Haven’t had much else. Plenty of TVs to watch sports. This place caters to Steelers fans though.

Not only was the food amazing. The service was excellent. The atmosphere is very nice you can have a conversation without loud noise or music. I suggested my sister from Arizona go and she has fallen in love with the nickel plate we will go back as a family very soon.

This was exactly what I expected. Great food. Great hospitality. We went in today with our 2 yr old. The table we were seated at we close to the door way and the very cold wind would hit us each time. Our waitress Tara offered to move us to the stage area away from the wind. Thank you for doing that without having to be asked to.
The breaded mushrooms were pretty amazing.

Nice, old fashion bar type of place with very good food. Would go back, kid friendly for a bar.

My teenage kids and I ate here right before Christmas. It was awesome. We shared the mac and cheese wedges. They were really good. My daughter had the brisket on a pretzel bun and my son had a burger. They both thought they were really good. I had the Nickletine, it was really good too. One of the best meals we had in a while.

Great little place with a lot of character. My husband the BEST Tenderloin in the World!!! That is saying a lot as we are farmers and have had many tenderloins all over the entire country. I had the chicken fingers with BBQ sauce, the breeding is great and not dripping with grease yet crunchy and most of all the quality of the chicken is top-​not «real fresh chicken tenderloins», not frozen and definitely not thin. The fries were good too. Both meals were very filling and the service was perfect too!

I went here with some friends of mom’s before my brothers marching band competition. (He got 1^st place FYI!!!) I very much liked the atmosphere but I wish I liked my food as well, I got the veggie melt which was cold and bland. The waitress was very nice and the food came quick but I would rather go some where else next time I’m in Fishers. Very disappointing.

When I want a good breaded tenderloin, I seem to find myself here. However, I am indifferent on how I feel about everything else.
The service is usually good and everyone is friendly, including the hostesses. But as other Unilocalers have stated, their food is just ok. I have had a chance to taste other menu items and they weren’t spectacular, causing me to stick with my old trusted breaded tenderloin everytime. And on one visit, we ordered an appetizer of mac n cheese bites and they were still frozen inside.
They have a cool garage door style patio on the side of the building and it fills up quickly in nice weather, so that’s a plus. They offer several tvs inside, usually on different sports.
One of my biggest peeves here, is their local beer selection. They only offer a few local choices and seem to concentrate more on domestic beer and having drink specials thru the week, like margaritas and such. I would love to have a good local beer with my meal but usually just opt for diet coke because the beer menu is that boring. Meh.

I used to live in this area. We were pretty much regulars here. Best chicken fingers ever. I know chicken fingers sounds boring but they are damn good. Not premade frozen over battered. Fresh. Juicy.
The service is great too. My lemonade glass never went below half full. It’s good to be back to the Plate! My server was Liz. Ask for her by name!

I can’t recall ever being in Fishers for a long long time, and was impressed with the area. I like that there is a bit of a Main St USA feel and lots of new construction around. We were able to be seated on the patio, as requested, immediately and were promptly greeted by our waitress. The beer selection didn’t really wow me, I went with one of my standard local go-to’s.
We ordered their version of poutine since my friend had it recently and was dying to have it again. It was good, but not great. We barely had time to dig into the poutine before our main courses arrived. While I appreciate good/​quick service, this was almost too fast. I’d recommend any sandwich with the pretzel bun, or by itself. Or getting something to dip into the house honey mustard. That honey mustard was great! Overall, a cool place that I wouldn’t mind returning to.

Meh. Food is mediocre, service is mediocre. Kind of a nice environment if you sit on the patio in the summer, but other than that, not much special here.

As a staple in Fishers, this place is flowing over with potential to be a 5 star hot spot. There is so much charm and character here including many of the original architectural features from the 1800’s. The outdoor patio is a really nice addition for warmer weather. Service is fast and friendly. However, it’s missing the mark with its food & drink offerings. Everything was ok but not great.
When I think of a local bar & grill I automatically think locally sourced meats & beers on draft. I didn’t find that here. I ordered the Bison Burger $ 9.99 & added fries for $.99 and my husband had the Nickle Plate Burger $ 7.99 and added fries. We were hoping to find a juicy burger with a bounty of perfectly seasoned fries. What we got was on the dry side and lacking in flavor. Both of us agreed the food quality for what you paid for was just… Meh. This is a great spot and I think a little sprucing of the menu & the addition of local beers on draft would make a world of difference. Maybe I will return and try the tenderloin and enjoy the patio… perhaps?

Love this place! This place is one of just a couple that really represents Fishers.
It’s an old train depot turned bar/​restaurant so there’s a lot of character and a great atmosphere.
Recommend the tenderloin, burgers (bison is a great choice) and the club. The chicken fingers are great too and you shouldn’t be ashamed to order them as an adult!
Great bar area, dining area and patio area that looks out into 116^th street and the railroad tracks.
Definitely check it out while in town.