Marrow

What a creative restaurant! Loved the chicken, the ribs, the fish, the corn muffins, the bone marrow, ETC!!! Our server suggested we share and did we ever. Oh my, ended with cobbler and strawberry short cake. Want to go back immediately!

Marrow is awesome! We had dinner there with some friends and I was a little hesitant over the menu going in due to the fact that I’m currently pregnant (not that anything on the menu is BAD – it all looked and smelled amazing, just limited options!) but I had a fantastic time and the service was wonderful.
They were able to make virgin mocktails for me and seemed to put a lot of consideration into what ingredients to use that wouldn’t take away from the flavor of the alcohol that wasn’t there – I was really impressed! Aside from the fact that I didn’t get wickedly inebriated, I couldn’t tell that I wasn’t drinking an alcoholic beverage by taste :)
Tandoori chicken was amazing. Had a really great tamarind chutney and mint cilantro sauce that really worked well with it. Portion size was overly generous.

I went with friends early on a Friday night (4−29−16) to celebrate their anniversary. I had suggested going to Marrow based upon the Top 25 rating in Indpls Monthly for 2016. I had also read a number of good reviews, so we showed up around 5:30.

I really was hoping for a great evening of inventive and delicious food, but we got off to a strange start. First, I thought I knew where the restaurant was, but there wasn’t a sign that spelled out «Marrow». Instead, there is a shingle with an artist’s interpretation of a bone with marrow hanging over the front window. When we went to the door which did have the name, it was locked even though the restaurant was supposed to be open for a half hour by then. We saw customers inside and through hand gestures, figured that we were to wait. After a few minutes, the door was unlocked without any explanation. Very strange start indeed.
We sat about half way back in this shotgun layout restaurant. The lighting was very dim and somewhat difficult for reading the menu when your eyes aren’t as young as they used to be. Still, Charlie our waiter was very attentive and welcoming and turned the initial impression around. He seemed inviting and very knowledgeable of the dishes and beverages.
Now part of the problem was our own… I had read that it was best to come with friends and share the dishes. Unfortunately, each of us wanted to try something different so we ordered way too much food!
I started with a Smoked Deviled Egg… not a whole one, just a half… and I shared it with one of my friends. The flavor was delicious and I didn’t want to fill up on appetizers… Still, I would have thought one whole egg for $ 3 wouldn’t be asking too much.
One of my guests ordered the «Pickles» which was a play on words for five different pickled items. Some were delicious, others were just okay to my palate.
I had read a number of reviews raving about the Shells & Paneer and the Fried Tandori Chicken and Rice Grits. I thought the Shells were pretty good, but I rarely eat curry flavored dishes, so the cumulative effect of eating that much (probably two cups of noodles were in the bowl) even after sharing, was a bit too strong of a taste for my palate. And quite filling too. The Chicken was good, but the grits were not memorable… more filler.
One of my guests ordered the Hillbilly Cassoulet and she absolutely loved it. I thought it pretty tasty too. She also ordered the corn muffins with sorghum and miso-​honey butter. Again, that was a hit. (She was the most satisfied with her selections of all of us and would probably give a higher rating.)
Her husband ordered the spare ribs after his appetizer. He thought they were pretty delicious, but when he offered his wife a bite, she made an unpleasant face because she thought it was far too spicy hot. I thought the heat was fine, but only had a small sample and didn’t get a cumulative build up that the husband did. He likes things hot, so he was satisfied.
I applaud the creativity and appreciate the effort to go «family style» on portions to encourage guests to sample and share. And the visuals of the dishes were generally very appealing.
My advice is that if you plan on dining at Marrow, take time to look over the ingredients instead of just trusting other peoples opinions. Everybody has different tastes for what appeals to them. I will need to follow my own advice the next time I plan a visit.

A friend and I were feeling a little adventurous and decided to check out this Fountain Square «globally inspired soul food» gem. The menu changes often, which I suppose is a good thing for the freshness and creativity of the food, but I am hoping they’ll still have the morel & noodles dish when I go back next time because it was YUM.
As for drinks, get the house old fashion!

What am I thankful for you ask? Great friends who like to share because everything on Marrows menu sounds creative, inventive and has that overwhelming drool factor. Global soul food is how Marrow describes itself and I think that description is very fitting. It’s as if they take the standard comfort dish you’re all so familiar with and take it to interesting new places, basically plan to take a comfort food overseas adventure in your mouth. We opted to share the Root Vegetables, Shells & Paneer and Ramp Spaghetti in effort to save room for dessert. All were beautiful however the root veggies and shells were the highlights. Fun fact: I dream some nights about warm cheesy curried bowls of Shells & Paneer.
Our service was top notch! Bravo! We were celebrating my birthday and at the end of the meal we were presented a complimentary mammoth sized slice of smokey sweet potato pie. What a beautiful ending to a fabulous meal with a great friend in Fountain Square! I’m looking forward to returning and trying additional dishes!
Note: Wednesday nights they feature live jazz from 8:30 — 10:30!

Went here with a group of friends. Didn’t have a reservation, but it was on a weeknight, and they happily accommodated us. The cuisine was all made to share and was fresh and expertly prepared.
Between the 4 of us, we tried nearly half of their daily menu. It only left me wanting to go back the next day to try more!
I was most impressed with the stone crab! It was delicious, so meaty, and marinated so that there was an awesome flavor and it didn’t overpower the crab flavor. In the middle of the claws, there was an awesome guacamole with what seemed like (to me) pickled grapefruit. AWESOME.
It’s definitely an adventure, so come with friends and be prepared to try anything. I even loved the oysters on a half shell here. (usually «meh» other places!)

We had really been looking forward to trying out Marrow. We dropped the kid off at grandmas and headed down. The ambiance is casual and comfortable.
Drink list is a good combination of beer, wine and craft cocktails. There is something for everyone on there.
We shared the tandoori fried chicken and shells and pannier. Wow! The flavor and crunch on the chicken was spectacular. I almost didn’t want to share and wanted to eat all four pieces myself. That may have been too much :)
The shells and pannier was my favorite thing. Ridiculously amazing. Think shells and cheese with an Indian twist. This should be in my weekly menu.
It’s on our list to try again and enjoy.

I guess my expectation was different from what I received. Soul food for me as a black woman, is completely different from what «Soul» food is here. This definitely isn’t your regular «soul» food joint in flavor, selection or cost.
I came here with my daughter after watching Trevor Noah in concert excited to experience something new with her. The interior was nice, with a massive lit bar. I do like that on weekends they are open late and it makes it for a great place to hang out after dancing or duckpin bowling. The menu is small and selective and exotic. For our night we had 3 different choices from the menu.
We started off with spiced peanuts for $ 4 a bowl. The peanuts were roasted in a selection of spices that gave it an interesting Asian/​Indian kick to it. The amount was plentiful as an appetizer. The flavor was good, not as exotic as I had hoped but it did change up «peanuts» from average to a bit above average.
Then came the food… First…its pricey… like $ 18 for 4 pieces of average chicken (I think thighs) that had been fried with slaw in the middle. There wasn’t any sides. Just chicken, with a little bit of veggies. The Thai inspired salad was $ 11 and was of average portion… not large enough to really sufficiently share between two people. See I put this in here because the waitress assured us that the portion sizes were so massive that 2 people could eat it and be satisfied. The prices were that of massive portion food… the reality was not so much. The salad was good… a lot of radishes, but still good flavor. The chicken was crispy, but not necessary (to me) bursting with flavor. The bowl had 4 different chutney’s but I didn’t have a «favorite» they were all just OK.
In the end… I wasn’t overly impressed with Marrow. I may give it a another try if a friend suggests it… but it would not be my first choice in Fountain Square delicacies.

Food wasn’t horrible. But it wasn’t spectacular either. Somewhere in between. Good service, which is why I gave one more star.
Deviled eggs: pricey but WORTH it. Fanciest dev eggs I’ve ever had!
Hanger steak: meat cooked perfectly, wish the crawfish succotash was two notches less salty
Shrimp and grits: perfection. Bravo!
Green tea tiramisu: was expecting more green tea flavor. The alcohol soaked cake was a bit too pungent for me. Otherwise I liked it.
Sweet potato honey pie: reminded me of a toasted pumpkin pie. I may be in the minority here but this was too sweet for my liking.
Overall, this was a pricey meal. My gal pal and I shared everything and left hungry even though we split the bill of $ 75 +tax. Hmm.

Wow! What an exceptional dining experience. My parents receive the Indianapolis Monthly magazine and we saw Marrow as the 2^nd best restaurant to check out in Indy (behind Milktooth). My mom and I were attending a jazz show last night at Hifi and decided this was the perfect opportunity to try out Marrow!
I knew this place was going to be one of my favorites when I noticed they had Three Floyds zombie dust on tap! One of my favorites.
I began my meal with the smokes deviled egg, while my mom chose 4 oysters. Both appetizers were delicious and unique. You are able to order these individually, which I find to be a great idea. The deviled egg was topped with wasabi roe and crispy onions. Seriously delicious!
For our second course, we chose the shrimp salad. This dish included 4 large chilled shrimp with cucumber, radish, snap pea, and carrots with a Thai basil and cilantro sauce. The flavor was amazing! There was also a hint of spice with the addition of some hot peppers.
For our main meal, my mom and I split the Fried Tandoori Chicken and a side of succotash. I cannot even explain the amazing flavors of both of these dishes! The chicken included 3 pieces of lightly fried chicken thighs with a spivey rub. The chicken were placed on top of grilled bell peppers and onions. There were 3 sauces to accompany the chicken: a mint chutney, spicey greek yoghurt and then a smokey bbq-​Esque sauce. Seriously divine! I also cannot say enough great words about the succotash! Crawfish, edamame, corn, sweet potato and celery– all in a light butter sauce. I could have eaten the entire dish!
All in all, Marrow does not disappoint. I can see why this restaurant ranks #2 of best new places around Indy. The meals are prepared with such detail and the flavors are just incomparable to other restaurants! Truly a wonderful dining experience. And reasonably priced as most dishes are meant for sharing!
Marrow– I will be back sooner rather than later!

I thought I had my absolute favorite restaurant in Indianapolis but now I’ve discovered Marrow.
SIDE NOTE: I’m not quite sure why it’s classified as «soul food» on Unilocal (as it is not soul food), but the food is amazing and good for the soul so I guess it’s accurate on some level.
You can actually classify this place as a very high-​quality joint that offers globally inspired dishes. Essentially the chef takes a dish you’ve probably had a million times and then re-​imagines it with a twist. For example, Curried Mac and Cheese (INCREDIBLE) or the Hillbilly Cassoulet (completely different from any French version I’ve had and also incredible). The drinks also come with a twist and you really can’t go wrong.
This place is not for the person who can’t stray from the norm. Nothing comes out like you’d expect it to but everything is outstanding. You cannot miss this place the next time you’re in Fountain Square.

Ate here while in town for a work trip! The drinks, food, dessert and awesome service were, well… awesome.
Here’s what the group ordered:
Popcorn – perfectly seasoned and spices
Peanuts– spicy, sweet, crunchy
Fried tandoori chicken– no words for this, just eat it, it was amazing
Smoked brisket– perfectly cooked beef, tender, great spice, sauce was really good as well, not too sweet
Spare ribs – I didn’t try this, but everyone else seemed to love it
Corn muffins– the honey miso butter is awesome
Desserts: between 7 of us we tried almost every dessert and they were all great, can’t go wrong!
And to top it off, our server was patient, super knowledgeable and accommodating. The bar even made a custom non alcoholic drink for those of us who weren’t drinking!

Ok, I truly love Marrow. It’s a special occasion restaurant because it can get a little pricey, but damn if the food isn’t delicious. It’s billed as Asian-​inspired soul food, which actually fits the bill pretty well.
First of all, the pickles. Get the pickles, because they’re not just pickled cucumbers. They’re pickled shiitake mushrooms, beets, you name it. Not too vinegar-​y, but super tasty. I have heard really good things about the deviled eggs. I kind of hate the concept (mayo+egg = blech) but if that’s your thing apparently they are delicious.
The thai salad is great. The portion they give you on this one is huge, so you could probably feasibly split it between two people and be full when you’re done. Lots of nice crunchy veggies and a delicious thai dressing. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the shells and paneer. This dish is really inspired — curry and peas and cheese and perfectly cooked pasta shells. Yum. My husband adores their catfish any way they feel like making it, which tends to change.
The green tea tiramisu has a good boozy kick to it. Speaking of boozy kicks, order a cocktail. Heck, order two. The bartenders really know what they’re doing.

Have been meaning to get down to Marrow for some time and it didn’t disappoint. Walked in on a Sat night right around 8:30 and was able to get a table immediately, busy but not slammed people moved in and out at a good clip.
Set up on a family style concept multiple dishes are encouraged for sharing, ordered the deviled eggs, rainbow carrot salad, and the fried catfish. Drank a zombie dust, wife ordered a Royale with duck (?), mine as expected hers a little too fruity for me.
Eggs and salad came out fairly quickly with a LONG lag time between those two dishes and the entrée, at least 30 minutes. I actually had to ask the waitress if they had forgotten the main dish. Everything was wonderful, eggs with a slight bit of heat, salad was light and fresh, crisp and crunchy catfish was on top of a bed of grits that tasted like risotto.
Two complaints: One was the staggered delivery of said dishes, really threw your dining experience out of whack, two our waitress was a low talker. I wound up getting two more drinks (that I didn’t order) that I took just because I felt bad for the girl, she comped my wife’s drink but I told her to take it back and ordered another. Neither one of us could hear this girl. Least I didn’t have to wear a puffy shirt. Would have ordered dessert but with the entrée coming out so late and two more drinks on top of that wasn’t really feeling it.
Marrow is a great addition to FS and the Indy food scene, glad I finally got around to checking it out.

Visited Marrow for the first time this week because a friend of ours was playing music.
It’s an interesting mix of styles. It’s almost like part New York Jazz Club and part old barn. The funny thing is, it works.
The food was amazing. Those spicy boiled peanuts? I never thought that peanuts would be the highlight of my night out, but they were amazing. As was everything else! Everything was fresh, well prepared and presented. Although the menu was pretty small, there was a nice variety to choose from.
A couple of things detracted from a 5 star rating. I do believe they could do with a little sound baffling. We arrived before about an hour before the music started, and I could hear snippets of other conversations bouncing off the walls. The music wasn’t loud… matter of fact, the level was pretty darn perfect. But, the space is «echo-​y». I’m not sure if that’s because it’s deep and narrow, or because of a lot of hard surfaces, but it could stand some improvement.
Secondly, I found the service to be prompt but a bit aloof. I don’t expect my server to treat me like a long lost friend… but a little personality would be nice.
All and all, a very positive experience and we’ll certainly be back.

This place was amazing! Went on a Friday night and even though they were busy it wasn’t loud and didn’t feel crowded. We sat at the bar and ordered beer but the cocktails looked awesome. Next time I will definitely be trying one of them.
We ordered one deviled egg each. They had a ton of flavor and were quite spicy. I ordered the shells and paneer as my main dish and it was VERY good and filling. I highly recommend it as do several other reviewers!
For dessert we tried the chocolate miso crème caramel. A very light chocolate dessert which was perfect after such a heavy pasta dish. I was worried it would be super rich but it wasn’t.
I don’t have a bad thing to say. We will be back for sure!

I have been craving a place like this in Indianapolis for so, so long, and I’m so thrilled it’s finally open. This might be the most delicious, exciting food in the city right now.
I started off with a cocktail that perfectly snapped my clogged sinuses to attention, a citrusy drink with habanero bitters. I imagine all of the house cocktails are designed to complement the food, but this one worked particular well, as the next few dishes were going to come in with a kick. It’s also a bit of performance art itself just to watch the cocktails getting made.
As a person of South Asian descent, it’s rare to find a fusion restaurant that does some dishes better than traditional spots. Their Manchurian cauliflower was better than any I’d ever had — a little lighter in all the right spots, but still hitting you in the face with flavor. We also ordered the shells and paneer, an Indian-​style mac ‘n’ cheese that will forever change the way I make and eat mac ‘n’ cheese going forward. Both of these were heavy, in-​your-​face dishes, but that’s exactly what we were looking for, and we were planning on sharing.
The vegetable udon was very good, though a bit of an underwhelming act following the two aforementioned dishes. Even so, it held its ground, and I’d love to see the idea developed a bit with some more seasonal changes to what goes in.
Although I usually hate dessert, we closed out with a green tea tiramisu, and it was the right call. Like so many dishes on this menu, the remixes make you forget the original in favor of that new new. The subtle matcha flavor and the swap in for sake made for a really unique finish.
Do yourself a favor and make a reservation at Marrow — everyone’s figured out by now that it’s the place to eat if you want your socks knocked off.

I was real hesitate since the words ‘soul food’ was used in the description. The portion sizes were shareable and is just what we did. The fish was good and even though I don’t think they expected us to ask for hot sauce (because that’s just the way we were brought up eating it), it really wasn’t necessary because I feel that the slaw it sat on was spicy enough to take that place.
The atmosphere and our server was excellent.

Adding another 5 star notch to the Marrow belt.
Marrow is the kind of restaurant you hit up for double dates with adventurous dining companions. No matter who your date, you’ll want to kick things off with the Milk Punch. I had two — just to double-​check their deliciousness.
Approach Marrow from a family style ordering mindset. What to expect? Comfort-​style dishes with Asian and Caribbean flare. We opted for the chicken phở, paneer mac and cheese, fried chicken, and chickpea fritters. My only regret: we didn’t save enough room for dessert. With dessert options like sticky rice pudding with rum raisin and smoked sweet potato pie, you’ll need to plan better than I.
Last but not least, I am so happy to see this space with a fresh breath of air. The design and lighting reminded us of many ramen shops and restaurants we encountered during our trip to Japan.

The Marrow is a fabulous new addition to the Fountain Square dining scene. Many of the dishes are offered in a small/​regular version, so one can either order the small plate for food to share, or the individual large dish. We tried a couple of appetizers, and shared the tofu dish with a vegetable side — they were all excellent. The vegetables had a nice crunch and lots of spicy flavor. My favorite was the cauliflower hushpuppies, with 3 or 4 different chutneys on the side.
From the cocktail menu I’d recommend The Rorschach — a fun drink with egg white and squid ink.