Big Lug Canteen

It's hard to believe that it has been nine years since my original review of Big Lug Canteen, a Nora favorite and yet another restaurant in the Sahm's family of restaurants. I will confess that despite my love for Sahm's (passionate devotee) and generally positive experience here, I'd struggled with accessibility concerns the last time around and have been just a wee bit hesitant to return. Hm. I was wrong. I mean, okay. There are definitely some limits here. As Eddie (Sahm) himself has noted, the second floor is not accessible. The bar has some accessibility, though it's generally high-tops. The inside is an interesting dilemma and I think Big Lug has done about the best you can do - it's a narrow setting. As you enter, there's a row of booths to the right (all with a step into), a group of tables toward the front (all accessible, though a bit tight when crowded), and then the bar. There's a narrow hallway that leads to the now open outside dining along the Monon Trail. It's a shared space with The Roost (also owned by Sahm's). You can also access it from the trail. The outside area is quite delightfully accessible. There are accessible parking spots, appropriate curb cuts, and a double-door entry that's generally workable (NOTE: Eddie noted after my initial review that they were going to make the doors better. I've learned over the years that when Eddie says something is going to happen it does). I decided to sit on the patio for this visit. I was in the mood to chill out and this is absolutely a great patio. I also noted it has a small stage area for live music. The menu has expanded since my initial visit. Yelper Rick G. loves the tenderloin and, as Eddie noted with my initial review, they do actually have fish and chips (which I ordered today). The menu weaves together typical bar grub along with some delightful experimental options including poutine. There's handhelds, pizza, and a host of other things. Of course, there's lots of brews and other drink options. I contemplated getting a beer, but I'm getting ready for a long-distance wheeling fundraiser and decided to behave. I ordered fish and chips with a side house salad and my usual unsweetened iced tea. My party of one ended up being a party of six when some friends walked in. My server didn't flinch and service was friendly, organized and top-notch throughout. I do still think the inside can get a bit noisy, but the patio is an absolute winner. It's also family friendly. I'd originally knocked off a star due to accessibility concerns. So, why am I forking it over when I still do have some concerns? Quite honestly, I'm realistic and I'm seeing an effort to be accessible and staff with an attitude of accessibility - that goes a long way with me. The service was excellent, the food was fantastic (and fairly priced), and the atmosphere just made this an incredible meal with friends. While there are some physical barriers here, there's enough options that you should have no difficulty if you have a mobility impairment finding a place to dine. Sahm's consistently delivers what I hope for from a restaurant and my return visit here warrants that fifth star. If you're looking for a patio experience, you won't find one much better than here.

I've eaten here a few times now and not sure what it is but I've yet to have a good entree that makes me want to ever eat here again, but the sides have been fantastic. They have some of the best fries, love the side salad, their ranch is good, the hot honey Brussel sprouts are delicious. (The sides are quite literally carrying the whole restaurant on their back because it keeps me coming back) The burgers and tenderloin have been super mid. I ordered a tenderloin and it came out paper thin. This is criminal, especially being Indiana and also I'm paying for like no meat? Bread and topping sandwich. The last few bites were nothing but breading. I would expect a smash burger to be this thin but it was the opposite. It was thick and not flavorful. They also don't have tomatoes for your burger, unless they're just not offered on the online menu. I'd come back to drink and have sides or apps but for dinner it's not been a good experience.

The owner reached out after my last review, which I thought was pretty classy, so we gave the place another try. It was winter, so we avoided walking around the entire building complex to enter like we did previously trying to get an outdoor table.We actually arrived a little after 4:00 on a weekday, which allowed us to peruse their happy hour offerings. We decided to try a variety of items to share, so we went with the Cheese Curds ($4), Fried Pickles ($4), Spicy Garlic Cauliflower ($4), two Fish Tacos ($4 each), a Nashville Chicken Slider ($5), and the Hand Cut Fries ($5.49) that we didn't receive last time. Most of these items were standard pub fare. Of the $4 items, the Cauliflower is the star. The fries were to my liking, although they were too unseasoned for my wife. The slider was bigger than I anticipated and tasted pretty good. While I didn't notice it, my wife said afterward that the fish taco had an odor and she struggled to eat but didn't want to say anything while I was eating.So if you're wondering why I still only award 3 of 5 stars (beyond the taco's potential smell), I'll share. We were 1 of maybe 4 tables, yet the service was a tad sluggish and an item was failed to be delivered again. I ordered a beer that never came, so I just made sure they took it off the bill when I paid.So overall, the food is mostly fine to good (although my wife might disagree). The challenge is that we're 2 for 2 on not receiving everything we order and service hasn't necessarily been prompt regardless of the crowd or time of day.

QUICKIE REVIEWGreat place for beer.FOODThis is what I tried:-Nashville chickenChicken left a bit to be desired. Came with a friend from Tennessee who got the same thing that said this isn't the right meal for this place. Would be sure to try some other items next time I come.PARKINGYes, it is in a shared parking lot with other businesses.SERVICEWaitress was cool and took care of us. PRICECan expect around $25-ish for an adult beverage and meal.TIP/OTHER THOUGHTSPlace is big with ample seating. Can easily come here with 10+ for an event or just for a big meet up.

We've come here a few times and sat outside with our dogs, but this was the first time sitting inside at the bar. Good vibes only here :) there were two bartenders that were easy to talk to and came to check on us periodically. We came past 8:30pm for their late night menu. Everything is 4 and 5 dollars. We ordered the gunslinger slider, the bagel bite (love it on an everything bagel), a blackened shrimp taco (good, but too much avocado in there for a small taco), and the wings (3 in an order $4, and I got the spicy garlic sauce on them). This is a great way to get some tasty, cheap food. Each person could get 2 or 3 dishes for under $15 and be full. We also got a couple beers and I tried their Severance (!!!) themed cocktail Ready, Aim, Fire and it was so dang good. Would definitely come back here :)

My family is in town and loves trying local restaurants, Big Lug has all kinds of food to choose from that meet many dietary needs as well! Plus you can order half or lighter meals so if you aren't a big eater and hate leftovers then this place is for you! I had the half phrisco melt with hot honey brussel sprouts, everything was delicious. Everyone's good looked good and the staff came around several times to check on us and make sure we didn't need anything. Since we were a party of 5, I added our group to the wait-list on Google and we barely had to wait when we arrived. Love this feature!

This was our first time at Big Lug. The food was spectacular. My son loved his tenderloin. My husband enjoyed his Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich. The Nashville nuggets and the pizza was also delicious. I loved that they served Ash and Elm cider, and my husband enjoyed his beer. We hope to be back soon.

Came in here for dinner one weeknight with a friend. We had wanted to sit outside, so we let the host know. He told us we could head upstairs and thru that bar area to grab a table. We followed those instructions and got a table no issue. We waited and waited for quite a while and no one came to greet us. My friend went inside and found an employee. Turns out no one told her we were there and generally the host seats you. She was very friendly and willing to make recommendations. I went with the Philly. It was good but almost too cheesy. The fries were great. My friend had ordered nachos and they forgot some toppings. When it came time to pay there was an issue with the credit card machine and it took awhile to get our checks and a box in the first place. I would give them another try.

The family and I stopped in for dinner on a Sunday night around 6:30 for the first time.The location is great and it's so cute inside, we didn't go check out the beer garden it was just to hot. We waited a little for a host to greet us, we had limited places to sit since we had minors with us.Hubs and I order off devour menu, and it was obvious the items had been sitting precooked for a while they were very dry.The portions are huge so I would suggest splitting anything you get. Best bites were : beard pudding and crab Rangoon. We had enough leftovers for 3 more meals

What a great night spent on the patio. We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday night, and made our way to the patio. It's honestly kind of a pain in the butt to have to walk around the whole building from the parking lot to get to the patio- definitely should be a way to access it from inside the restaurant. Not too busy on the patio, so we were seated quickly. A live band started playing shortly after we sat down which was nice for the warm evening.Service was a little slow throughout the night, and our waitresses wasn't the most outgoing with us. The food came out less than ten minutes after we ordered- we were surprised when we saw it coming because it was lightning fast.The food was really good. I started off with a house salad. I don't think it was worth $5.49 for the amount you get, but everything looked and tasted fresh, and the vinaigrette was a nice touch. I had the Cuban for my main. I enjoyed the pork belly on it- somewhat unique. Overall, I would definitely get it again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that I was able to upgrade to poutine fries. Instead of having to order a big appetizer for just two people of the fries, it was nice to just get a side order- and they definitely don't skimp on the toppings either.Overall, I would give the food a 4.5/5 for taste and pricing, and service a 3.5/5.