Hollyhock Hill

Reviews 6

CH

Chris Luth

This came really highly recommended (with chicken fried in real lard!) as an Indianapolis institution, but I have to say it fell short. Take my review with a grain of salt, because I actually dont really care too much for fried chicken, but its nice on occasion and a few times in my life (most recently at Screen Door in Portland) its been transcendentally good. The salad course was very 50-years-ago. Chopped iceberg lettuce drizzled with vinegar is a house salad? The splash of paprika on the lettuce added far more color than flavor. The biscuits were good, light, and fresh, though. The chicken, which is supposed to be what theyre famous for, was decent but not special or outstanding, in my opinion. It was lightly fried with a pleasant but unexceptional skin that was honestly a bit bland. The meat was OK but a touch dry in some places. (In comparison, the one I had at Screen Door was wonderfully spiced and exceptionally moist throughout even the thickest cuts.) The sides of green beans and corn were both edible but forgettable as well--which is too bad, because there is so much good, fresh corn all over this state right now. I wonder if they are using canned vegetables. The star of the show for me was the macaroni and cheese (available for a slight upcharge to the regular dinners, though I didnt actually get charged for it). The perfectly-cooked spiral noodles were drenched in a slightly tangy melted white cheese blend that was quite flavorful and interesting. The assortment of toppings for the ice cream course (including mint sauce) was a fun touch. The coffee was decent. I will say that the value is quite good. The amount of food I got for my $20 fried chicken dinner was bordering on excessive. Perhaps thats because I stopped in as a solo diner (they serve family style), but the other tables around me saw no shortage of food and most left with several to-go boxes. Service was extremely attentive and friendly but in an oddly-not-quite-perfect-attempt-at-being-professional way. The hosts and servers were all young, and it reminded me of dining at a community colleges culinary arts programs restaurant, where they had obviously taken a class on how to properly serve at a high class restaurant but had little experience doing so, right down to the overly forced holding the napkin draped over their arms. Still, I would classify service as very good, and I tipped well. This place may have been here for nearly 100 years, and maybe it was a special destination when Indys food scene was much more Middle America 20 years ago, but now its mostly of interest to me as a throwback to what much of American dining of the boomer generations childhoods consisted of. If visiting like I am, I wouldnt prioritize a visit here.

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RH

Rhonda Stidham

Dont. Just dont. Heres why....but first let me say the fried chicken and all the fixings are pretty good, but certainly not worth $20 person. Now...here is why you keep driving. If you like crowded, dimly lit, funeral parlor decor, in a very closed-in claustrophobic atmosphere, then maybe thats a bonus for you, but we hated it. ..it was my daughters wedding rehearsal dinner, so we called for reservations 6 weeks in advance with a head count of expected guests. About a week in advance we called and updated that number with a lower head count, and we were told that would be fine, it was $20 per adult and children were somewhat less, but still $10-$15 I think. The service was good actually when they finally got the food started out to our tables. It was a good 20 min wait to ask for iced tea first. Now the MAJOR PROBLEM AND THE MAIN REASON I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE....at the end when the check was presented, WE HAD BEEN CHARGED FOR THE INITIAL EXPECTED HEAD COUNT OF 41 GUESTS, AND MANAGEMENT SAID THEY HAD NO RECORD OF US CALLING TO LOWER THAT TO 31. WE WERE ALSO CHARGED THE ADULT PRICE OF $20 FOR EACH CHILD. IN THE ENSUING ARGUMENT, MANAGEMENT WOULD ONLY DROP THE HEADCOUNT TO 35...as a COMPROMISE...WE WERE TOLD. A few days after this, I realized that someone in our party had possibly left a gift bag on the table and I called back to inquire about it with MANAGEMENT....I was told that they do have a lost and found and he would look and call me back. I left him my name and two phone numbers.....it has been over a week and no word from anyone yet.

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BO

Bonnie Madley

We thought wed go to the Early Bird Special Weds., 4/5. Arrived at 4:05. Stood in Lobby for approx. 10 minutes with no acknowledgement. I called their number which rolled to voicemail, so called carryout number which they answered. Now, there are 2 more people in lobby waiting. Told host 4 people were waiting to be seated. He seemed unconcerned and said ok. When server came out he asked if we had reservations, no I replied. The other two did, so he seated them first even though we had been there 10 minutes prior. He said we could sit anywhere we wanted, since there were only the 4 of us in the entire restaurant. We were treated like step-children. The new decor is drab at best. Gunmetal gray, white, no contrast COLOR. The chicken was good. The potatoes, corn, gravy were bland. Canned, hard biscuits accompanied the meal. We almost got a scoop of ice cream for dessert. So disappointed, this used to be a favorite!!! Good Bye old friend.

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GA

Gary Huls

This is an family style, old-fashioned supper club restaurant..if you have an 85 year old Aunt...take her here for the decor and food. I give this a 4 star...because some things are a 5 star and some things are a 3 star. 5 star: The chicken is the BEST... I have started calling in a take-out order and taking it home to add to my own salad...potatoes..etc. Makes for a GREAT meal. I would serve this to company any time. 3 stars: The side orders are cafeteria quality and basic...most coming out of large institutional packaging (cans). Salad is head lettuce and the side vegetables are over cooked. All the 3 star items are based on how my Aunt would have cooked back in 1960s.... out of a can and over cooked...totally OK..but not 2016. Let me say...I love the family style...and the Chicken - IT IS BE BEST. Order the chicken to take home!! I have always found the staff to be friendly.

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QU

Quynhmy Raley

We were pretty excited to come here because the restaurant had character and charm. But as the experienced went on we got pretty annoyed of feeling every servers elephant stomps back and forth from our table. When we got our food it tasted so bland and the quality wasnt at all what we expected. The mashed potatoes tasted like it was from a box and the gravy was lacking all the flavor that is in gravy. My husband and I both like our steaks medium and his came out very well done and dry and mine was still uncooked and very rare. Our steaks also had absolutely no seasoning on them also. Everything but the meat is already pre made- so shouldnt they nail the meat portion of it? The one thing that we did like about it though was our server. Great service from him but we will not be returning.

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JO

Joshua Howard

Three hours before the reserved time, they called to move our reservation up an hour. Once we arrived, they then sat us next to the kitchen door at a table too small for the number of people we had a reservation for. Wait staff was not friendly, we had to ask for half the things that should have been offered (drinks, menu for extra items, refills, etc...). When trying to pay the bill to end the unpleasant night we waited 15 minutes to receive our check back after providing payment. For $19.99 a person you would hope for a better experience, save your money and go elsewhere.

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