Rail Epicurean Market

Finally made it for dinner at The Rail. The pork chop with mushroom sauce was extremely tender and the gnocchi was perfectly flavored. The food was well prepared and the staff was lovely, always attentive and apologetic for our wait.
I read through alot of the reviews and many mention the pricing. The cost of offering meats that have been humanely raised or vegetables that have been organically or locally grown is never inexpensive… I am always willing to pay more if it benefits my community, stays local and offers food that has a social conscience. Thank you for opening your restaurant in Westfield. I fully appreciate the efforts you put into this restaurant… and will be back to try everything else!

This is officially my favorite restaurant in Westfield. The Coq au Vin was excellent. Great crab roll for my son and the bartender was awesome as well. Too bad thete isnt a place like this in Carmel, but then again, I guess its better that there isn’t. I’m glad that they builtvthe bar upstairs. It’s only been open about a month. Their homemade Sangria is really good!

Rail is exactly what it says it is on its website… a destination. Located in a quaint, red barn just a hop, skip, and a jump from Main Street in Westfield, Rail offers fresh, local selections such as soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunching and dishes with eggplant, gnocchi, and butternut squash for dining. The whole menu, no doubt, is perfection, but on the day I decided to stop by, I ordered their chicken salad sandwich… in a word, I am OBSESSED! It was substantial, savory, flavorful, and satisfying. The artisan bread was equal parts flaky and soft. My full sandwich including a soda was about $ 10.50. It’ll be hard not to order this every time it’s on their menu, but I do want to try their soups as well as their charcuterie.
This place is special. Tucked back from the main road, beautiful décor that feels both modern and homey, and a staff as friendly as your neighbors, Rail will have me coming back time and time again. It’ll be hard not to want to stay here all day when you visit, but you sure can if you want to!
Epicurean — adjective; having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.
Uh…yeah. :)

Stopped here randomly in the middle of a long drive and scarfed down what turned out to be the best vegetable soup I’ve ever had. Great texture and flavor (not just overpowered with celery), lots of fresh veggies that were cooked through but not overcooked, lentils & fancy grains at the bottom, and a good serving size with tasty bread on the side. Might sound a little silly that I’m all about a pretty basic dish, but in all seriousness every other veggie/​lentil soup I’ve had is a travesty in comparison. My counterpart had some kind of sandwich (ham & brie?) that he liked so much he went up to compliment the people at the counter.
All of the staff were friendly and genuine, service was fast, the place had a nice cozy ambiance (reminded me a lot of New Zealand cafes, actually), and if we didn’t live thousands of miles away we’d come here repeatedly.

Loved this cozy restaurant. Charming décor and design ideas. Excellent service. Wonderful menu which changes daily. We had dinner. We had the Napoleon roasted veggie appy which I loved… could have been an entrée for me. I had the orange & fennel salad and it was a nice salad but not for someone who doesn’t like sweet dressing. I happen to like a slightly sweet dressing. For my entrée I had Coq Au Vin. It was served on a waffle. It was amazing, the chicken was so tender it melted in my mouth! My husband ordered the Pork chop but they were out so he settled for the flat iron steak which he really enjoyed. Great selection of beers and wines. I had the winter white sangria with oranges/​cranberries which I loved! Great Dining experience. We WILL GO BACK!

This place is AH-​MAZING! I don’t know why it took me so long to get there since I live less than a mile away, I’m so ashamed of myself. But I finally made it a priority to go for brunch on a Saturday morning-​ish. I had their quiche of the day. I’m usually not a quiche person, but I was feeling something eggy that day. It did not disappoint. You can taste the freshness in the eggs, cheese, and milk used. There was kale in it, which usually I’ve had spinach instead of kale and this was a delightful treat! It came with a spring salad with a light vinaigrette. I also had an iced coffee and immediately noticed that they were serving Noble Coffee that day which is one of my favorite coffee places. We sat around for over an hour chatting with the owners, looking at all the artisan goods for sale, and reading magazines. It was such a nice morning. I’m glad the city of Westfield opened a new parking lot adjacent to the building or else parking would be tricky. I will definitely be back and look forward to trying their dinner menu sometime. I love how the items on the menu change daily and I love the story of how they resurrected the barn in which the restaurant resides from an uncertain fate. Growing up in barns, it’s great to feel «at home» in the middle of the city.

MIND BLOWN! This place is like a real life Pinterest. They took an old barn, completely gutted it and turned it into a beautiful little place. I had the Ricotta and Poached Egg and I wanted more more more! Expertly crafted and a lot of love are put into each dish they serve. I wanted to hang out all day. They have local beer on draft and serve an assortment of local coffee too. They are doing things right here and Westfield is lucky to have such a special place. If you are the kind of person that loves to support local… you can get your fill in this place because that is all they do!

Note to self, when hearing good reviews from strangers take them with a grain of salt. At least if you do, it will be more seasoning than we had in the chicken salad offered at Rail Epicurean Market, which should be renamed Off the Rail.
My daughter and I visited Rail on Wednesday, September 16 for lunch. A beautiful, warm, sunny day we opted for the al fresco experience, which was sullied by Greeks Pizzeria next door undergoing some kind of raucous construction job making the outdoors deafening. (They must have been on a brief break when we arrived, but then back to work once we sat down.)
Also, for the uninitiated, as we were, there is no table service. Patrons place their orders at the counter, pay and are asked for a tip before food is prepared. Tips are not warranted as patrons help themselves to water, flatware, and napkins — I should have tipped myself and my daughter.
The one visit to our table by an employee was to drop off our food. We ordered, to share, a chicken salad sandwich and a spinach salad, which when delivered did not include, at the very least, an extra plate to divide the food we announced we were sharing upon ordering.
The chicken salad was dry as a bone with barely a hint of mayo and even less celery. This item was to include goose bacon, which was scant at best — two pieces the size of maybe a pinky nail. The amount of chicken salad did not even cover the entire roll. The roll itself was warm — the only positive about that sandwich — but as we all know, man does not live by bread alone.
The spinach salad was lifeless — flat spinach leaves with stale sunflower seeds, and translucent slivers of cucumber — two slices, and perhaps four minuscule pieces of red onion just as thin as the cucumber.
The $ 17.50 I paid was an outrage. At no time did anyone come to our table, which only after we had eaten did we learn, «they don’t do that here.» So what was I tipping for? Having expressed my disappointment in specific terms to owner Toby Miles, his only response was that we should have asked for more mayo or seasoning sooner. He seemed completely disinterested and appeared to want us to leave as soon as possible, if not sooner.
Leave we did, never to return again. A word to the wise should be sufficient. Now that’s a tip.

My mom and I were looking for somewhere walking distance from my apartment to eat, and I remembered hearing about the Rail Epicurean Market. We decided to stop in and see what it was all about.
It was an adorable barn turned into a small bar with some local products for sale – hence the second star. However, when we entered, the people behind the bar (I’m assuming the husband and wife that I read about in the newspaper) made eye contact with us, gave us these horrible sour looks, and went back to what they were doing. Wtf?! Is that how we run an establishment these days?
We walked out and ate at Greek’s Pizzeria next door. Which was equally shitty.

It has been a looooong time since a meal in the Indianapolis metro area really blew my mind. Like ‘food orgasm’ blew my mind!
I ordered the chop from the menu a few weeks ago. It was a smoked pork chop with gnocchi, red onion and a wild mushroom cream. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! I’m normally not a smokey profile person, but this was done just right. The pork chop was thick and juicy. Nothing is worse than dry pork, so I was really in love with this piece of meat. The mushrooms were probably my favorite part… so tender and mixed among the beautiful cream sauce.
Too bad the menu rotates, because I could have had this pork chop at least once a week for the rest of the year without getting tired of it. It’s no longer on the menu. I want to cry.
I also had a cocktail with bourbon. It was good, but honestly all I can remember is that pork chop. *drooling*
Other points about Rail Epicurean that I love:
1. romantic, country-​chic ambiance
2. nice little wine selection
3. pleasant service
4. apparently you can buy local produce here
5. why do that when they can cook it for you?
I will be back. I will journey alllll the way from downtown Indy to Westfield again, oh yes.

Rail is the absolute best thing about living in Westfield. Hey, we might have high taxes, endless road construction and Chicago-​style politics but we have Rail!
The passion and energy of the owners and employees make it so much fun whether you are dining here or just grabbing a famous cruffin, sugar cream tart, or Texas brownie to go.
There is an amazing variety of local products available and we like to try something new and different every time we stop in.
And did I mention beer from Tin Man Brewing?
You will come for a famous cruffin, come back for lunch, come in for a beer, come back to purchase some local products and come back again and again.

There’s just something about a small red barn on a side street in Westfield that makes Rail über charming. Just look at the pictures of it. It’s gorgeous! And it used to be a dilapidated barn. New purposes for old buildings? Yes, please!
Reasons to rave about Rail:
1) The owners are super sweet and clearly passionate about their business
2) The red barn vibe with a rustic country kitchen interior — it may only be able to fit 20 or so people in there, but the long wooden tables make it feel like you’re dining in someone’s home!
3) nice + spacious patio seating area for warm weather days
4) Rotating lunch and dinner menu w/​delicious eats, and now serving Saturday brunch! Check their Facebook page for the menu
5) A smörgåsbord of local products. We’re talking Traders Point Creamery, Tulip Tree, U-​Relish, B Happy, McClure’s Pickles, Local Folks Food, Sage’s Simple Syrups, Broad Ripple Chip, Xchocol’art and 4 Birds!
Westfield ain’t the most happenin’ place, but Rail is going to get me to venture up there more often!

I love the farm to table and local food emphasis here. It’s a really cute place and very warm and welcoming. Have had the cruffins here a number of times. It’s like a bread pudding muffin made out of croissants. Ask them to warm it up for you, or if you’re taking it to go — pop it in the microwave for 15 – 30 seconds.
For the cheese plate I was expecting to see a bigger variety of cheeses. You only get two soft cheeses with bread, pickled veggies, mustard, jam, lettuce and strawberry. So don’t expect your typical hard cheeses.

I’ve mulled over this review for about 4 weeks now. I had convinced myself I wasn’t even going to write a review because I just didn’t want to say it, but I wish someone would have for me.
I would like to start by saying that before I visited Rail it had been on my list for weeks of a place I must visit soon. (I live near Greenwood and Rail is quite a drive) After seeing all the other Unilocal Elite comments and the cruffin pictures! «Oh my goodness I have to have a cruffin!» I thought to myself. Oh I was so terribly wrong! Why didn’t I google what a cruffin was?! Why didn’t someone tell me?!
I finally made it to Rail about 4 weeks ago on a Sunday. As I’m walking up to this adorable barn with country chic table settings in the front I start to get excited. «It’s so stinkin cute!» I walk in to a beautifully decorated dining/​bar/​cashier area. Let me tell you, if all of the make-​the-​old-​new-​again people from Pinterest got together and designed an eatery, this would be their love child. Yes, it’s gorgeous and quaint and all these things. And they support local businesses to boot! Who doesn’t love that?
I spotted the infamous cruffin in a small bakery case (Yes! I’m finally getting my cruffin!) I’ll take two cruffins and oh those chocolate chips cookies are huge. I’ll take two of those also.” I tell the nice man behind the counter. The bill comes to $ 18 and some change but at this point I don’t care because I finally have my cruffin! Victory is mine!
When I get to the car I quickly open the cruffin box and find my cruffins and icing (Icing? Score!) I’m thinking these cruffins are so good that I’ll just save the icing for later. I dig into the cruffin…“hmmm that’s kinda dry… oh well” and I pop the piece into my mouth expecting this heavenly cruffin to satisfy my curiosity. It was bad. REALLY bad. Okay… maybe I do need that icing… so I dunk the top piece (muffin tops are the best part… but this is awful. I start to wonder if I’m doing this right) into the icing. The icing covers the entire piece and makes it somewhat edible for me. So then I thought that maybe I should try the bottom. The bottom is more moist than the top so I have a small amount of hope that that is where the flavor is. Nope. Just something that tastes like bread and milk. So disappointed in my cruffin.
Maybe those chocolate chip cookies will save the day? I reach for my ginormous cookie and take a big bite. Big mistake. To this day I don’t know if I grabbed a healthy cookie made with bran or what was wrong with that cookie but it was awful! Dry and terrible.
I chuck my bag in the trash at the next gas station I see and drive home feeling defeated.
I wish I would have done more research on a cruffin and not believed the hype. I wish I knew what kind of cookie that was, and I wish Rail best wishes. They really are a great place and support local businesses but I just don’t think I’m in their target market.
I gave them 3 stars for décor and the fact that I only had the two items. Their dinner could be good but I don’t know. I would only give 1 star based on the décor.

Rail Epicurean is an adorable place for lunch on a summer day. The barn building sits on a quiet tree-​lined street, surrounded by great big trees providing plenty of shade to enjoy an outdoor meal.
The menu is short and simple, service is friendly and quick, and our salads were made of flavorful, fresh ingredients. The white sangria I sampled was excellent, full of fresh fruit — not the watered down icy drink so many places tend to serve.
The only thing I’d change about Rail Epicurean is having more vegetarian options on the menu — but we’ll certainly be back again.

I simply adore this place so much. Seriously, it’s incredible. Westfield is lucky to have this local gem. I was originally introduced to this place at a Unilocal Elite event and finally had a chance to return.
I excitedly drove 20 minutes from Indy to Westfield. I arrived within minutes of opening, so I was the only one there. This place may be small, but it is might. Such a stunning and inviting place. The dark woods and low lightening make you feel at home. I enjoyed perusing the shelves and refrigeration units full of local goodies. They sell local staples such as Broad Ripple Chips, B. Happy Peanut Butter, U-​Relish Farms, Tinker Coffee, and so much more. They also featured Joy Chai, a local product I wasn’t familiar with. This is a Zionsville based company specializing in hand made chai mixes. I had to pick up a bag to try. At $ 10 it was a bit pricey, but no more expensive than Starbucks.
I decided to stay for lunch. The offer a variety of sandwiches, desserts, drinks, and specialty menu items. I couldn’t resist trying half of the smoking goose ham and brie sandwich on Amelia bread with a cup of brie, asparagus, and squash soup. Mmmmmm, boy! So delicious. I didn’t want my bowl of soup to end. For dessert, I tried the Texas cake. Sinfully delicious. So light and not too chocolaty. This trip was definitely worth the drive from Indy.
This place has it all, and is well worth checking out. Not to menu, the customer service is stellar. This will definitely not be my last visit. I am seriously smitten with the place!

Rail Epicurean Market is my dream turned into a reality: a small restaurant in a rustic red barn with a select, locally-​sourced menu accompanied with a market that highlights our Unilocally-​beloved local artisans. Seriously, how could you not fall in love the moment you talk through the door?
The only way to see the menu is though Facebook, as it changes frequently. I’m always in a bit of suspense when I look at the menu to see what’s available, and I’m delighted by what I find. On the dinner menu, I’ve ordered a salad with the best feta cheese I’ve ever tasted in the States with a black pepper vinaigrette that has a magical ability to taste like pepper without completely overpowering the salad. Further, I’ve experienced the utter joy of Rail’s comforting shepherd’s pie with a heaping amounting of creamy mashed potatoes, a beautifully moist zucchini cake with a luxurious, subtle cream cheese frosting, and the creative «cruffin», a hybrid of a buttery croissant and a muffin. Although it’s nothing sophisticated, Rail tastes like home. In this Midwesterner’s eyes, nothing tastes better than that.
Don’t you dare leave Rail without picking up some artisanal specialties crafted by local purveyors like B. Happy Peanut Butter, Liberation Roasting, Traders Point, Tulip Tree, Broad Ripple Potato Chip, and 4 Birds Bakery. It’s guaranteed that you’ll walk away from Rail with your arms and belly full of Indiana love. Stop putting off the «too far» drive to Westfield; make your next food destination Rail Epicurean Market.

I recently spent a stellar day in the Indianapolis area, carefully curated by Indy Unilocal CM Brittany S., and Rail Epicurean Market was the chic, cozy, bit of rural near an urban area — «rurban» — cherry on top.
And actually, Rail Epicurean Market more than likely has cherries — locally-​sourced, artisan cherries that taste better than any other cherries you’ve ever eaten.
That’s just how they roll.
So, like what Bryant M. has written, Brittany whisked our small group of Unilocal community managers to Westfield. We really didn’t know what to expect when we got out of the car and saw a quaint red barn in front of us.
But what we found inside was a carefully curated selection of goods to buy, handmade lunch deliciousness and some of the nicest business owners I’ve come across.
I ordered the ham and brie. The sandwich came on soft, crusty bread, with thick slices of brie and ham that was the perfect mix of fat and lean. This sandwich is simple, but it sure didn’t skimp. And it came with a side of mustard and a good sized portion of chips.
Rail Epicurean Market also has a great seating area, so we were able to take over a long table and get to work discussing collaborations, events, marketing — all the fun stuff that community managers do. The table we chose had a beautiful, unique flower centerpiece from ePottingShed, and all in all, this spot is just such a cozy spot to spend some time in.
If I was in the area and was just hoping to find a quiet space to read a book, I would think of Rail Epicurean Market as well.
And the business owners were chatty, excited to explain their biz and accommodating. What more can you ask for?
I hope I get a chance to return!

Every time I visit this business I fall more and more in love. A few key reasons for my Rail love:
–the passion and hospitality of the owners, Melanie and Toby (a foodie couple at its finest)
–the fact that the business is in a barn
–the fact that they give my local food business knowledge a run for its money every time I visit — yes, please, tell me more
–their soups, sandwiches and baked goods never let me down
–again, Rail is tucked away in the coziest barn in all of Central Indiana

I want to give the folks at Rail Epicurean Market the biggest hug ever! But since we’ve only met once, that might be weird. Instead, I’ll give them 5 stars on Unilocal.
Picture it: a beautiful red barn somewhere outside Indy. No, really, I have no idea where this place is. I’m from Columbus, and the lovely Brittany S kidnapped me and drove us about 30 minutes outside the city. I thought maybe she was going to murder me… but I digress.
Once you’re inside said barn, the interior is absolutely lovely – lots of light shining in, reclaimed wood everywhere, and gobs of other beautiful things. I instantly felt comfortable here, and I knew I wanted to hang out for a few hours. And I did.
Rail Epicurean Market is part restaurant, part market filled with delicious local goodies. Let’s start with the market…
If it’s edible, delicious, and local, REM has it. There’s nut butters, juices, yogurt, milk, and other random snackies. I’m sure there’s more – but you get the idea. I opted to bring home the grass-​fed yogurt, and it is devine. I’m already getting sad thinking about it being gone in a few days.
And then there’s the restaurant! The menu is small, but everything is super high-​quality and delicious. I also have this annoying wheat thing, and the folks here worked around it beautifully. They were able to confidently point me in the direction of what I could and couldn’t eat. They even carried Udi’s bread so that I could enjoy a sandwich.
I had a chicken salad sandwich, a cup of beef lentil soup, and a hard cider that was also made locally. Everything was nom nom nom delicious.
My cohorts and I hung out at their big community table and co-​worked for a few hours, and we seriously had the best time ever. The folks are REM couldn’t have been lovelier. The space is perfect for eating, shopping, laughing, catching up with friends, and oddly enough – getting some work done.
I wish this place was in Columbus, because I would be here every day. I am already plotting my return trip to Indy, and you better believe Rail Epicurean Market is at the top of my list!