Bartonia’s Restaurant

We live just down the road in Spartanburg and Bartonia is our «in a hurry» go to place. The waitresses are excellant, always friendly, and the food delicious and reasonably priced. We stop in nearly every Sunday after church for a combination lunch/​social time. The Friday nite fish is great and the pizza and subs are unbeatable. Not only a great restaurant, but also a great hangout. You can always find somebody to talk to or eat with. The best I can say about any place is that its comfortable. And it is!

This restaurant is pretty solid for being out in the middle of nowhere in Randolph County. The food is just traditional American food… they have burgers, fried chicken, pizza, etc. They recently closed for a while but have reopened, I believe.

This place is phenominal ! Great tenderloins and steak fries. And their Firiday Night all you can eat Walley Fish Dinner’s are the best you will find anywhere in Indiana. The price is so low you won’t believe it. Dinner for 2 run’s under $ 20.00 and that includes a nice tip. Seating is comfortable and there is usually no waiting to be seated due to it’s location it is off the beaten track and you don’t have to worry about the tourists invading our favorite spot.

4.5 stars for the grub! This place is not a drive-​by.
I’m pleased to pronounce that the authentic Indiana Breaded Pork Tenderloin sandwich is alive and well — though hidden away in a tiny crossroads not far from Winchester and Union City IN.
I’m not sure you can say that Bartonia is anything more than a 4 way stop sign and a smattering of homes in the middle of freaking nowhere — but it’s quite easy to find. Just take Greenville Pike east of Winchester until you get there. When you’re ready to give up — you’re there… about 7 – 8 miles I’d guess.
This time of year the large gravel parking lots are soft and a little muddy. And do not expect fine linen tablecloths and napkins. This is a 100 yr old building, with the old general store floorboards w/​a century of character worked into the finish. My first thought on walking in — smells like fried fish going on — and is this place clean? [It is.]
We had a wide open choice of seating — 5 large padded booths, half dozen or so square formica topped 4 seater table, 7 – 8 banquet tables w/​a mish mash of chairs, and 5 stools at the counter. Take your pick! 10 ft or higher ceilings and 2 televisions. This place probably caters to a large rural crowd of farmers.
We informed our server, Martha, we didn’t live in the area and asked what their best sellers were and proceeded to quiz her over the menu. The 2 of us settled on their specialty house made breaded tenderloin (loaded) and steak fries. It was difficult actually — the broad choice of sandwiches run $ 2 – 4 each — sides are $ 1.25−2.25 each — pie is $ 2 and ice cream is $ 1 scoop. There seems to be 3 different tenderloins on the menu from $ 2−4− ask questions — ours was about $ 4.
She also clued us in on their long running Friday nite all you can eat fish — Walleye — for less than $ 9. No wonder it smelled like fresh fried fish! Mental note: must come back for that — love me some walleye. And they normally have a breakfast bar/​buffet on Saturday and Sundays — but with the weather being crappy that has taken a short hiatus.
Yep — truly a house made fresh tenderloin — thin battered (not bread crumbed) — and NOT pounded out to the size of an old Cadillac hub cap either. It was wonderful. I wish it had mayo on it — make sure you ask if you want. Ketch/​mustard at table.
The side of steak fries were really large and fresh/​hot from the fryer — Pops couldn’t finish his.
So…2 waters, 2 great sammies, 2 piles of steak fries $ 13.80 not including generous tippage.
Pops voted he’d be coming back to this hidden and rustic gem soon.
Its a we-​be-​backer! Its a dive and I’m a fan and its going into rotation.

If you happen to find yourself in the area, be sure to stop by the Bartonia Restaurant — especially on a Friday evening for their famous fish fry! Their slogan is «it’s worth the drive» and let me tell you, IT IS! 5 star rating — and cant wait to return my next time through!