The Library Restaurant & Pub
| Address: | 2610 S Lynhurst Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46241, USA |
| Phone: | +1 317-243-0299 |
| Site: | thelibrary-indy.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 4:30–10PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
A
A Private User
I travel a great deal on business, which - lucky for me - means lots of nice meals on the company dime. But Im not looking for adventures after a long working day in a strange city, so the closer the restaurant is to my hotel, the happier I am. After a 15 or 20 minute drive from my airport-area hotel to Downtown Indianapolis for a pricey but excellent dinner last night, I was thrilled to find out that The Library was scarcely a mile away. I looked online and these six or seven reviews were pretty much all I saw. Not a great sign, but they were largely positive, so I figured "why not?" After asking the waitress which was better, the Cajun Chicken or the Chicken Parmesan, I followed her recommendation and ordered the Cajun Chicken, with French Onion Soup to start (which is hard to get do perfectly, but equally hard to do poorly). The soup was lukewarm and extraordinarily salty - and I love salt to an unhealthy extent - with rubbery, not entirely melted cheese. It tasted like microwaved soup from a can. The chicken was just ... strange; it was three pieces of boneless chicken breast, each of which was approximately the size of a chicken thigh. It, fortunately, wasnt cold, and it had the other kind of heat (spice) to it, but no real flavor. I think it may have been frozen, or at least pre-prepared. The sides - a heap of slimy green beans and something that was alternately defined as "cous cous" and "rice pilaf" on different menus but tasted like neither - were, uh, lets just say "uninspired." The decor was bizarre, with weird yellowish pleather tablecloths and odd statuary and "art" inside and out. The service was fine. All told, the meal came to about $25 plus tip. My complaint wasnt the price, but Ive had better for around $10. I was eagerly looking forward to having a place close to the hotel that I could return to regularly, but this place was just not good. Ive had terrible, and I reserve single-star ratings for those places. This is a small step above that, but dont be fooled. Its well below average. Eat someplace else.
JA
James Hall
The resturant is very nicely decorated, and well priced. At the door I was very warmly welcomed by the host. I ordered a jack and coke and the ribeye, the person I was with ordered the new York strip. Our salad was wonderful, as was the bread. Both steaks were perfectly cooked, medium as ordered. My friend absolutely loved his. The sides were great as well. Now for the reasoning for 3 stars instead of 5. My jack and coke seemed, by taste and sight, to be mostly water. I even had my friend try it and suggested it tasted and looked watered down as well. My ribeye, while perfectly cooked, had a bit of a strange taste about it. It was also extremely lean, it had no fat marble at all. The only way I can explain the taste is that it tasted like the burnt meat mixture you would pull off a charcoal grill cooking grate after a day of grilling a lot of meat. By the 4th or 5th bite it was very overwhelming. I felt I had eaten to much to feel ok about sending it back so I just didnt eat anymore of it. Its been about an hour and a half since I stopped eating it now and the taste is still in my mouth. I would recommend the resturant. The drink was likely a fluke, perhaps they scooped a lot of water with the ice. The ribeye on the other hand, I would absolutely recommend staying away from. Even if the burnt something flavor wasnt there, it still seemed like a bad ribeye cut. I would be surprised if it was actually a cut of ribeye, and not a mistake of sorts.
FR
Francisco Llanas Jr.
Despite my 3 star rating, I would eat at The Library again. I might try it again soon in fact. (Im in Indy on business) I have no doubt that the prime rib is the reason to go to The Library, indeed, even while I was there, several people were raving about it. I however did not feel like prime rib and wanted something a little more Italian. I ordered the Penne Vodka since the Italian sausage sounded good and I really wanted to try the sauce. The salad and bread I received before my meal was fresh and delicious. Even the desert; the signature "Venus Delight" was very good. Unfortunately, the Penne Vodka failed to do more than just taste "okay." The meatballs were clearly from a bag as they were misshapen, salty, and only slightly burned. Ive tasted meatballs from a freezer section that tasted better than these. The pasta and the sauce were really the only good things about this dish. the pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was accented delicately. The restaurant itself was very clean and very roomy. I enjoyed the ambiance and the choice of dinning room or pub experience. I really wanted to like this place especially since there really is no equal to it in the area, but if there are more choices besides the prime rib, shouldnt they all taste as good?
JO
Joshua Clouse
Had I not signed up for the 5-course dinner and whisky pairings special event, I would never have known about this gem of a location. The exterior and the decor of the interior would have led me to believe the restaurant was priced outside of my normal budget for anything but a special event, but the pricing for the regular meals is actually quite reasonable and I saw people of all walks of life enjoying the food. The dinner special I attended was a real gem, allowing us to enjoy a talented chef unleashing his full creativity around a theme while enjoying the company of like-minded individuals and an array of fine whisky samplings. Unexpectedly, there was also a lighthearted quiz given at the end, testing our attention span and memory of the whisky histories given to us by one of the hosts of the event. I can happily report I walked away with an entire bottle of one of the whiskies that we sampled! I certainly plan to return to later special events, if I can find the time in my schedule, as well as trying their normal menu at least once.
SE
Seth Matthews
Bad management. Stayed at a hotel near by; First night was great, food was delivered quickly, it was a pretty good steak and probably would have received 4-5 stars. Second night... not so much. I tried to call for delivery and was told it would be an hour and a half wait because of large parties, thats understandable for a delivery. I then asked how long it would be if I came and picked it up, still I was told an hour and a half. They said they would service the big parties first then put in my order. Not sure if they are new to the restaurant biz but thats not really how a kitchen is supposed to work. Wont be going there next time Im in town. Management = inexperienced. Bad management = an hour and half wait time for a pick up order no matter how busy. Disappointing
MI
Michelle Wetzel
I had a lovely experience here tonight. I was looking for a place nearby where I could dine alone in a nice environment with good food and if I was lucky some local beer on draft. I found it all here! I sat at the bar and was greeted and served by Eric who is wonderful! He recommended a great local beer that I really enjoyed. I was torn between the house specialty prime rib and the duck breast special for dinner. I went with the duck and it was delicious. As a bonus there was great conversation among several of us sitting at the bar supported by Erics careful choreography and his extensive knowledge of food, wine, and beer. It was a treat that I did not expect! Definitely go here if you are staying anywhere near the Indianapolis airport!
