Smokehouse On Shelby

I love BBQ.

But I didn't love Shelby's pulled pork sandwich...which is my favorite BBQ item to order. The sandwich was big and the bun was tasty. The sweet sauce was ok (not great) but the meal was just blah. No flavor. Definitely not smoky.

I did like the mac & cheese and baked bean sides, and highly recommend both if you end up here.

I did like the decor...very retro. Our waitress was fine, not very knowledgable though. We were in from out of town and asking about other areas to stay and she didn't seem to know anything beyond a few blocks.

There was a man (a manager maybe) who noticed that we were talking with our waitress a bit and also hovered over my iPad. He checked to make sure we were ok a few times. I appreciate that he was attentive enough to notice! When we called him over and asked him about areas for a hotel, he asked to sit down and took the iPad and helped us pick out our B&B and reassured us that the Mass Ave district was where we wanted to stay. We also asked him about a show we were going to see at the alternative Theater on the Square, and he made me feel comfortable that it was in a safe area and we wouldn't be the only women there (the show as Naked Boys Singing...so I did wonder!).

Honestly, his help was the best thing about our experience there. Whoever this man was should get a promotion. He was great.

Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Indianapolis area, the Smokehouse is part of the Fountain Square Theater Building and I give them extra points for their atmosphere and decor.   As a rabid movie fan, I appreciate all of the vintage movie posters dotted throughout the restaurant.  
**As a bit of Fountain Square trivia, they filmed portions of the 1997 film Going All the Way (with a young Ben Affleck and Rachel Weisz) along the main street. **
While I'm now into a plant-based lifestyle, in the past I have enjoyed their Beer Battered Fish, their Chicken Club, Fountain Burger and Tenderloin.  
However, at this point, I found that they don't seem to have a ton of variety for people of the vegetarian persuasion.   Still, I would recommend them for their solid dishes and I could go and enjoy one of their chocolate malts!

We came here during Devour Downtown on a weeknight, so we weren't plagued by crowds and found the service to be great. With the special menu, we were able to try a ton of food (both in variety and portion size...wow).

-Brisket chili cheese nachos: meh. I wouldn't order them again. The chili was pretty good, but the chips were nothing special and the only other toppings were shredded cheese (clearly from a bag) and some green onions.
-Ribs: I didn't try them, but my boyfriend's first thought was that they were "oddly tasteless"
-Pulled pork: VERY moist, good flavor, a little on the salty side
-Mac and cheese: I love mac and cheese and am kind of snooty about it, and I probably wouldn't get this again. Nothing wrong with it, just nothing special.
-Baked beans: Smoky flavor, again nothing bad about but nothing to write home about.
-Cooked apples: Very sweet, tasted like an apple pie :)
-Curly fries: Very tasty, not soggy, definitely would get them again
-Biscuits and apple butter: Absolutely delicious, probably one of the highlights of the meal
-BBQ sauce: We both got the sweet sauce and it was a little weird...kind of gelatinous. It had a nice taste, but the texture was a little off. I also would have appreciated the ability to test all of their sauces (because part of the beauty of BBQ is mixing and matching sauces until you find your perfect combo).

I will say that about 6 hours after eating here, my boyfriend got sick, and he's pretty convinced it was related to the restaurant. I'm not so sure, since we ate literally all of the same dishes with the exception of the ribs (which looked well-cooked). He's a little digestively sensitive, so if that describes you, maybe this isn't the best option.

Overall, it was just fine. We probably won't be back, but that's only because we know of better options in the area. I will be enjoying the several pounds of leftovers :)