I'd like to pretend that I had some sort of influence on the development of Liter House, the latest and greatest of the Sahm establishments that recently opened in the increasingly foodie-centric SoBro area of Indy. I've established myself within the Sahm's world as a trusted Yelp critic, often both criticism and praise with equal enthusiasm and fairness and, according to their leadership team, with the kinds of details necessary for effective follow-up.It's also well known that I'm a wheelchair user, a fact that I mention in nearly all my reviews or, at minimum, that influences my reviews as I inevitably mention accessibility. So, I couldn't help but smile when I pulled up to Liter House and immediately realized that they had, in fact, taken great care to ensure easy wheelchair access from multiple appropriate parking spots to the side to a delightful, ADA compliant concrete ramp to the left of their main entrance and a floor plan that offers multiple options for wheelchairs. While they didn't go to Next Door American Eatery extreme of adding in automatic doors, the truth is I would definitely consider this A-grade accessibility.I had intentionally held off on being an early Liter House customer because of what I saw as one red flag - the website wasn't done. I arrived about 3pm on a Friday, an odd time to arrive at any restaurant and perhaps a death knell for a new restaurant. I would describe the decor as a weaving together of retro Indy and German traditional with a warm kitschy feeling accentuated by the short, winding hall at the entry, the ever dominating presence of the brewery area, and the intimate, darkly wooded main dining area that made me think of 1950's Indy restaurants. There's a combo of booths/tables and hosting area that greets you, though this being an odd time for lunch/dinner the hostess was actually away from the area but did quickly identify me and immediately turned her attention to me. The menu looks intimidating. I promise you - it is not. The tagline on the website says it all - "Bavarian Inspired. Indiana made." If you're a German delicacy purist, you'll likely say "Nice try." If you're used to the usual Sahm's menu, you'll probably get a little lost at first. Liter House was lucky enough to snag Chef John Adams, formerly of Bluebeard, whose creations here for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch lean toward German-tinged and German contemporary with hints the Midwestern sensibility necessary to survive in this market. Liter House is definitely an experimental effort, but it's a rather grand one with a 110-seat family dining area and bar with private meeting spaces and a 200-seat banquet room also available. The still under construction complex is also adding a barbecue and beer pavilion and a rooftop wine and whiskey bar are in the works. I was a little thrown off to be told that I had arrived during "Happy Hour," a time with a somewhat limited menu that didn't exactly make me happy. Fortunately, the week's specials plus starters were still available and I had no problem finding something for what I considered lunch. At $12, the Alles Geht: Kubanisch includes house made Cuban bread, Serrano ham, smoked pork loin, emmentaler, pickles, and kraut mustard with choice of side. Appetizers/Starters range from $5-10, meals tend to be in the low-to-mid teens (some go higher). I would place Liter House comfortably in the mid-scale price range and fairly consistent with most brewery/pub type establishments. I will confess I was a little concerned about food given my tendency toward "plain" foods and my somewhat sensitive system. The meal came with a side (I'll confess I chose boring yet delightful house cut fries). The food was sublime. While I had never had anything like this, I believe essentially a Cuban with a German twist, it was absolutely spot-on. The fries, while maybe not in keeping with the restaurant, were a perfect complement. While a meal delivered at 3pm may be suspect, this was top notch.My server, Hannah, was a friendly and somewhat introverted delight. She was helpful, attentive without being overbearing and had a low-key sense of humor. She gave me time to linger, though it's my understanding Liter House can snag bigger crowds later on and the lingering time may be more difficult. The only slight glitch, very slight, was plopping down the check not two minutes after telling me I could linger. If nothing else, psychologically that sends a "time to go" message. The hostess also gets kudos for spying my empty iced tea glass and filling it while Hannah was off serving another customer. Again, little touches mean a lot.I did not try beer, though definitely will in the future. Check out their website for the list, though you shouldn't be surprised to see mostly German-themed brews. I could likely go 4 stars, but Liter House really is a bold culinary statement in Indy and what's already good should only keep getting better. So, 5 stars it is.
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"This restaurant serves food cafeteria style. They have a huge parking lot and it consists of 2 sides. The front side of the restaurant is where you will find the kitchen style dining room, with tons of seating. The other side is where you can get to-go food. This part has its own special designated parking spots. I went to the dining part. This is where you go through a cafeteria line and sort through pies, entrees, sides, bread and drinks. I got the meatloaf, with sides of creamed potatoes and stuffing. Of course I got a slice of their pecan pie, since I had heard so much about their desserts.The staff there is very friendly and helpful. They have staff working the floor, cleaning tables and bringing people refill drinks and to-go containers. I found me a table after going through the line and started to dig in. My meal was mediocre at best, even for cafeteria food. It looked SOOOO much better than it tasted. The meatloaf was pretty bad. It had an odd taste to it. The stuffing was even worse. I could not even finish it. The deviled eggs were decent. I have had better and I have had worse.Then there was the pie. It was exquisite, well worth the price of admission. That is the only highlight of what was a blahhh meal. The pie definitely lived up to the hype. I highly recommend their pies.I found the food not only bland, but also a bit on the pricey end. I dropped $30 there. Oh well, at least I had the pie. I would probably check out another eatery, if I was considering this place. On the flip side though, I would run, not walk here, to get my hands on one of those pies (they are pricey too, though)."
"BBQ is pretty good.. but honestly, almost prefer their takeout over eating in the restaurant. We ended up coming for a late fathers day dinner and I was really hoping for an ice cold beer. Unfortunately, their liquor license didn't get renew, so no beer for dad and I. I ended up with a brisket sandwich and mac n cheese. Both were good, with great flavor. Wife had the pork nachos, full size. Good amount of food overall, we enjoyed them for lunch the next day too. Kids had a hot dog, drink and chips. They were fine, $8 for the kids meal possibly? Overall, a fine experience.. but this food travels well enough, take it home and enjoy your back patio, additional sides and own booze."
