Out in Indianapolis earlier this spring, I was looking for a place where I could get a burger and a craft beer. I happened to encounter a place that was tucked back in a strip mall near the hotel I was staying at, a place called Big Lug Canteen. The name sounded interesting enough that I had to check it out.
Ed Sahm is well-known around Indianapolis for many of his eponymous named restaurants in the area. He opened his first restaurant in north suburban Fishers in 1986 (click here to read the Road Tips entry on Sahm's Restaurant in Fishers) and branched out to other locations around the city from then on. In 2009, he was joined in the business by his son, Eddie, who focused on developing new ventures for the family's business. (Today, the Sahm's operate 15 various themed restaurants in the greater Indianapolis area.)
The Snooty Fox was a longtime English-style pub on the north side of Indianapolis. It had fallen on hard times and in 2010 the owners agreed to be part of a makeover by the reality television program Restaurant Impossible. The menu and decor were changed to be more like an English pub, but it became apparent after the makeover that the restaurant wasn't going to make it. The owners closed the Snooty Fox in October of 2011 after 29 years of business. The Sahm's took over the building about three years later and announced they would be putting in a brew pub/pizza place in the space that Snooty Fox vacated. The second location of Sahm's pizza venture - Rockstone Pizza - and the new brewpub Big Lug Canteen opened side-by-side in October of 2017.
The brewpub became a popular destination, but things weren't working out too well for the pizza place. People who came in were looking for more than just pizza out of that location. In the summer of 2017, the Sahm's revamped the Rockstone Pizza side of the business into Sahm's Ale House, a somewhat upscale craft brewpub with a more eclectic menu of food to choose from. It seems to be working as when I was heading into Big Lug Canteen, I took a peek inside the alehouse to see the place nearly full that particular evening.
Big Lug Canteen is located along E. 86th Street on the north side of Indianapolis, just west of Westfield Boulevard. (see map) It is located right next to the popular Monon Trail bike and recreation path that runs just over 18 miles from downtown Indianapolis to the far northern suburb of Sheridan. Behind both Big Lug Canteen and Sahm's Ale House, there is a large outdoor patio that caters to the riders and walkers who use the path in the warmer months
The outside of Big Lug Canteen was a little confusing to me - it's a building with a metal facade and bright red accents around the front door entry way. It didn't really look like a functioning business, let alone a brewpub. But upon entering the place, I found a small, but lively spot with two levels. Most of the patrons that evening where one the main level, but there were a few people hanging out at the upstairs bar area when I roamed around the place after I finished my meal. The upstairs had many more televisions hanging from the walls than the downstairs space.
The upstairs bar was much larger than the one on the main level, but I was able to find room at the downstairs bar. One of the bartenders that evening came over with a food menu for me and I also took a look at the beer list to see what they had to offer. It was a short list with just three full-time "house" beers on tap with another 7 or 8 rotating brews they offered. They also had some guest brews on tap and I got a Wooden Tooth IPA that they had that evening.
The food offerings at Big Lug Canteen were pretty basic for a brewpub. They had an assorted selection of hoagie-style sandwiches, a half-dozen poutine dishes, small dishes including tacos or wings, a large selection of salad plates, and handful of burgers and sandwiches - available either in full size or slider-sized options. For the health conscious and vegans in the crowd, Big Lug Canteen also had Impossible Burgers available for a $4 up-charge.
I really didn't know what I wanted to get. I almost pulled the trigger on the pork poutine - traditional Quebec-style poutine with fries, cheese curds, gravy and some pork belly mixed in - but I just wasn't feeling it that evening. Really, none of the hoagies appealed to me, nor was I wanting a salad with a choice of chicken (grilled or Nashville hot), salmon or tuna and egg salad. I was really in a food funk that evening.
I ended up getting one of the burgers they had on the menu, the Kevin Kline. (The venerable actor Kline, who is one of my all-time favorite film performers, went to school at Indiana University in Bloomington before going on to study at Julliard in New York.) The burger consisted of a Fischer Farms ground beef patty (no Impossible Burger for me) topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and American cheese finished with an herb mayo spread. Sides were extra with the burger and I was sort of torn between two things - tater tots and a cup of their chili. The bartender told me that their chili was outstanding, but the tater tots kept calling my name, as well. In the end, I ended up getting both. What the hell, huh?
The burger turned out to be pretty good. The Fischer Farms beef was flavorful and really stood out amid all the toppings on the burger. The lightly-toasted bun was soft, but not overly chewy, and held together very well. It was a well-above average burger.
The tater tots were fine - crispy on the outside and flaky inside. The Cholula hot sauce that I poured on nearly every single tot helped kick up the taste. And the bartender certainly didn't lie about the chili - it was excellent. I got it loaded with corn chips, onions and sour cream, and I was somewhat sorry I didn't get TWO cups of the chili as I laid waste to the serving I had in a short amount of time.
For the most part, I was happy with my visit to Big Lug Canteen. Much of the food menu didn't appeal to me, and they seemed to have a somewhat short list of beers to choose from that evening, but that didn't really faze me all that much. The burger I had was very good, the tater tots were also good, but the chili - I thought - was outstanding. Big Lug Canteen is a nice little place, but if you're looking for a wider selection of both food and craft beers, you may want to try their sister restaurant - Sahm's Ale House - next door.
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