Vollrath Tavern

This place sucked

I sort of remember the first time I went to The Vollrath. I don’t think they had started really having shows yet. If they did, it wasn’t all that often. I remember thinking I was in a vampire bar. It was cold and rainy outside and warm and creepy inside.
Fast forward to now. Most of the time, the bar is pretty packed. If this is the case, it can take quite awhile to get a drink– They need more bartenders on these nights. Just the other night, it took about 20 – 25 minutes each time I needed another drink to get one. They ran out of cold PBR, but if they had enough bartenders to stock, this wouldn’t have happened. The women’s room ran out of TP and also had a super long line. I think we need another restroom!
I’m glad there is PBR, and there might be *some* craft beers, but there isn’t much. They’d benefit from increasing the variety.
Despite a few things that need some work, this bar is still pretty special.

The Vollrath is a cool bar/​venue for sure. They have good beer and strong drinks. They have some good shows too. The place is sort of «L» shaped so you can escape the music (to some extent) and hang around the bar in the other section if you wish to have a conversation or whatnot. It’d be nice if they served some sort of food/​appetizers as this place is back in a neighborhood and not really close to anyplace with grub.

This is my favorite venue in town, a lot of unknowns play here which is a nice break from the consistently terrible local faux-​hemian faves and the top-​40-​from-​15-​years-​ago cover bands. It’s divey but not dirty, roomy but not overpopulated, loud but not obnoxious, real but not snobby/​cliquey/​pretentious. It feels good, man.

Dillinger hung out here. This place has been around for quite a while. I’ve been for a couple of friend whose bands were playing here. It a neat place. Kind of in a weird location.

The Vollrath Tavern is my refuge from suburbia strip mall pubs and the socialites in Broad Ripple. The history of this establishment and the character of the local working class neighborhood makes my weekly visit very enjoyable. The Vollrath Tavern also has Sun King craft beer on tap which is an added bonus. This is the place to discover an excellent regional touring rock band while looking at the downtown Indy skyline from the rustic bar.

I came down for the Bottoms Up Burlesque last week and have great things to say about that troupe, but the venue can suck a cheetah’s dick. I put all the blame on shitty management and ownership.
Beer selection and price were quite reasonable — Upland and maybe Sun King on draft as well as cheep Peebers. Well drink were reasonable too.
However, at Vollrath, one can’t enjoy a show or applaud the performers without being tagged a troublemaker. I’ve seen plenty of burlesque and those girls thrive on audience appreciation. The douchebag owner had one of his minions tell me to shut up during the show, then have the bartenders cut me off (I’d had three beers and tipped like a bartender should), then got manhandled on the way out — BY THE OWNER! Sure, I flipped him off on my way out the door, but that’s illegal. I’d likely give the bar 3 – 4 stars were it not for it’s poor, poor management. Yep.
In summary, fuck this place and its methlab neighborhood. Bands — grow a pair and play the Mel.

The Vollrath has recently piqued my interest while perusing NUVO for things to do. Last night it turned out to be a nice set-​up for a bar/​music venue. I haven’t been to one of these types o’ joints in Indy yet and it had all the things you would expect – an overflowing toilet, PBR and Highlife for two bucks a pop, a mediocre sound system. I love this stuff! Well, maybe not the overflowing toilet, but the other hallmarks of a good, grimy, comfy music venue. It’s even in the somewhat downtrodden neighborhood you would expect. (Though I really didn’t get the sketch vibe mentioned by Tristan. I actually really appreciated that going to a show took me to a new part of the city and I love to see strong businesses in working class areas.)
I almost gave the Vollrath four stars because the promoter and the bartender were both very friendly, which goes a long way toward making show-​going great (F the rock snobs who can make it unpleasant). However, there wasn’t anything truly remarkable here. I definitely expect to spend more loud, boozy nights at the Vollrath, but it’s not a place I’d go out of my way to bring visitors.

I’ve been to the Vollrath twice since it’s been under new ownership. So far it’s a solid enough place that I’ll go back, though since I live half an hour away, the soundsystem’s questionable, and they don’t always have local beer on draft, I’m not sure how often I’ll return.
I first went a month or so ago for a concert by an Iron and Wine-​sounding band called Blind Pilot. The Vollrath is in a rather shady part of town, and the residents on the corner of the street across from the tavern made me feel like I had to watch my back as I left at the end of the evening.
Regardless of the location, the bar itself is super-​cool: nice copper bar top, wood floors, and a cozy ambiance I’ve yet to find in most bars in Indy. Apparently the place has lots of history, which makes it even cooler.
The first time we visited, they had some local beers (Upland) on draft, which I appreciated, minus the fact that they were expensive for small servings. The second time, though, it was only the big beers on draft, rather disappointing.
Back to the first time: the show was fun for the most part, but the headliner’s speakers crackled and went in and out. I wasn’t sure if it was the Vollrath’s system that messed up, or if it was the band’s PA.
At any rate, when I went back the second time, it was for a night of totally different music: bass-​heavy electronic/​hip-​hop. The sound was worse than the first time: even though it wasn’t crackling, the speakers sounded of sub-​par quality and did no justice to the music being played. It could’ve been this, or the thunderstorm outside, but the crowd was dismal, only 20 people or so versus the dozens and dozens of the first time.
So hopefully they upgrade their soundsystem. Either way, I’ll probably be back, hoping they have some more local beers on draft.
One more note: if you don’t like cigarette smoke, stay far, far away from the Vollrath. When it fills up, it’s like walking into a smokehouse. You can see the ventilation ductwork on the ceiling, but apparently it doesn’t work very hard to filter the air.
Anyways, kudos to the owner for enlivening this historic hole-​in-​the wall. I wish it much success and hope others post their opinions to help in this endeavor.