We had an early lunch (11:30) to beat the crowd at the Coachman's and had a good experience as usual. Â Prices are reasonable; food is good and fairly consistent with a cozy atmosphere. We had excellent service and our waiter was very prompt and helpful.
We've eaten here for years and appreciate we're supporting an independent and local business with a friendly staff. We would recommend adding more description to the menu items other than just the name on some of the entrees. Salads descriptions are especially bad and server has to answer more questions than necessary, especially for food allergies.
I ordered the Reuben and substituted onion rings for the fries (additional fee of course). Sandwich was good; only thing was one side of bread had steamed while on plate and became little soggy. Onion rings cooked perfectly and not excessively greasy.
Fish and Chips were medium size, flaky fish pieces and again not over greasy or overcooked. Â Comment was" it was okay". Â What you would expect from a local pub.
Outdoor patio is always nice in summer if you prefer sitting outdoors and don't have a problem with outdoor elements (pesky little flying critters). I love the sunshine but my husband tolerates the flies for me.
Ate here a couple weeks ago. Â I have to say I liked it. Â Got the steak sandwich and we were sitting at the bar. Â The staff was very friendly and even locals at the bar were nice to chat with. Â Food was quick and good, not a complaint here. Â I would suggest eating here if your in town. Â Great non chain restaurant to eat at. Â
ENJOY
I felt the need to write a review after I read all of the terrible reviews posted. I live in this area and have been to The Coachman many times. I have always received great service and had excellent meals. Among the best are the shrimp cocktail, fried mushrooms, prime rib, and BBQ chicken. Tonight I had the blackened Tilapia and it was very nice. I will admit, there are some less than stellar dishes (spaghetti being one of them), but very few restaurants knock it out of the park with every dish. You have to remember... The Coachman is not a 5 Star New York Steak house. It is a friendly local restaurant that is not a chain. Independent businesses face many challenges, and staffing is often one of them. Perhaps the other reviewers experienced nights where staff had called in sick. The prices are reasonable, the decor homey and comfortable, and the servers are friendly. They are typically well organized and the food comes quickly. I will continue to go to The Coachman because I enjoy the atmosphere and the food. Do not let the bad reviews deter you.
Review Source:Didn't have much of a problem, I actually wanted to go to another place but couldn't get there. Â Seems like a place more geared to old folks. Â I was the youngest one in the restaurant and I am in my 30's. Â Waitress was fast and nice and kept the drinks full. Â I had the Prime Rib which from reading the other reviews is the goto menu item. Â So I would suggest it as it was pretty good. Â I guess I got lucky compared to the other reviewers.
Review Source:I travel to Indianapolis frequently. Â I've been eating here since 2005. Â Tonight was completely disappointing. Â Service was slow, and poor. Â It took twenty minutes to get a server to get me a cocktail. Â When I ordered my dinner it came at the same time as my starter salad. Â My entree was cold before I could finish my salad. Â As I progressed through my supper my server was no where to be found. Â She was not only absent, she was absent in her concern for getting me condiments for my food, refreshing my drink, or checking to see if I was even satisfied with my food. Â I practically had to beg for dessert. Â When I asked for my favorite, Bread Pudding, she was indignant in telling me that they don't have that. Â Their Bread Pudding WAS the best I've had anywhere in the world! Â It's really a shame. Â This has been one of the best restaurants I eat at as I travel all over the US. Â Tonight's service was so abysmal that I may rethink where I stay and eat when I'm in Indianapolis.
Review Source:We have been sitting at our table for over an hour-and-a-half waiting for our food. Nobody has come back to our table to tell us the kitchen is behind, the cook has quit, or they've completely run out of food...so we're kind of in the dark on what's happening. Two or three tables near us have already got up and walked out. The service tonight is the WORST service I have ever experienced in my 20+ years of visiting the Coachman.
After this visit, I don't think I'll be back.
Best advice is to avoid. Thought I was supporting a local business that might be better than national chains...not. Just had lunch, no biggie, but coffee was bad, artificial creamer (had to ask for milk), and Chef's Salad was one of the weakest (limited ingredients, iceberg lettuce) I've ever had. Service was okay, thought.
Review Source:Ah The Coachman. How can I put this... don't eat here.
We came here because the hotel highly recommended it. I suspect that Coachman must have some agreement with the hotel to promote their restaurant (pure speculation). The food definitely did not match up to the hotel staff's description.
Plus side: The service was great. We received our appetizers blazingly fast - almost too fast, considering what we ordered. Drinks were always kept full and the waitress was attentive (although sarcastic and disparaging about their own food - not a good sign). The bread was good.
Downside: everything else.
The mozzarella sticks and onion rings (the ones that arrived blazingly fast) were cold. The chili was like warmed over tomato sauce with hamburger thrown in - extremely bland, no taste. The stuffed portabella was greasy and disappointing.
The food showed up. It was the most tasteless steak I've ever had. No seasoning whatsoever (for goodness sake Coachman, at least throw some salt & pepper on that thing - it would suck less)!
Either way, it seems like a popular place to eat. We were there on a weeknight and the place was packed. From what I gathered about everyone sitting around us, they were all just passing through though, My guess would be that the locals were all hanging out somewhere else (they probably know better).
Overall, it was a very disappointing experience. And the most ironic part? A sign on their wall says, "If we please you, tell others; if not, tell us." Well there you go Coachman. If you're paying attention to social media at all, then I've just told you.
I was in Plainfield at a nearby hotel for a board meeting and we choose the Coachman on the recommendation of the hotel staff.
I have to agree with the other reviewers here in that the place was just OK, but with issues.
There were 14 of us in the group and I had called ahead and to their credit they were ready for us when we arrived and were able to seat us immediately. Â
Being that large of  a group our choice ran the gambit form their menu. I ordered the baked cod with fries and green beans. The cod was OK. It was slightly overcooked but not to the extent that it ruined the dish. However both the green beans and fries were less than hot when originally served. I really do take issues with restaurants that can not manage to present food and consumable temps so this pretty much dampened the  experience for me. I sent the bean back and the new dish of them was actually pretty damned good when hot. I didn't bother about the fries.
The other in the group seemed to have similar feelings about their orders. Everyone eat the stuff but no one seemed particularly impressed by the place.
There are a number of other options in the area and I doubt that I'd return to the Coachman given other choices.
Pass by this one unless Cracker Barrel is closed.
We went here for an early dinner tonight. Â The one plus that I can give this place is that they have Bass on tap.
I started with a bowl of chili. Â The flavor was similar to ketchup but not that spicy. Â The onions that were served on the side were overpowering. Â Being in central Indiana I of course opted for the "Steak on a Stick" off the new lighter portions section of the menu. Â It was served with a broccoli rice with almonds. Â This had absolutely no flavor. Â There appeared to be no seasoning or salt added to this at all.
My steak on a stick was somewhat rubbery and also had little flavor. Â The waitress kept pushing the A1 sauce so she must have known what it tasted like. Â
The server did a very good job. Â She kept the beers flowing and the table clear. Â This, combined with the Bass on tap is the only reason that this placed earned 2 stars.
Reasonable priced drinks, great outdoor seating! I like to go to coachmans for the great drink specials and the outside seating. The staff is friendly, and the atmospher is fun. When you order food they bring you a fresh baked warm loaf of bread with two different kind of yummy butter for the spreading. They have good sandwiches and I really like their fish and chips. The down side of this place is some of the menu items are quite a bit over priced although the menu has a large variety, you can get anything from good country food to mexican food. I do not like sitting inside at Coachmans, it seems too uptight for a little resturant. They even have a dress code that says "No Tank Tops".
Review Source:Just okay, well, maybe okay minus... to start, 2 positive things to say: a great Gin and Tonic and the Bread was hot and tasty! Â Now for the bad parts: my steak was gray, with fake looking grill marks - unseasoned (not even grilled with salt and pepper); the steak needed lots of A1 Steak sauce; the mushrooms had a strange aftertaste that was metallic; the twice baked potato was okay, but had the same metallic aftertaste. Â My coworker came to a similar conclusion. Â It was odd and I finished my meal a little early.
The friendly staff might have good intentions, and the restaurant seemed busy, but the food is eh. Â In fact, considering the amount charged for a steak, I think the quality of the food should have been higher. Â I could picture what Gordon Ramsey would do and say if he visited this establishment.