Bowdie's Chophouse — Local services in Zionsville

We were excited to try Bowdies, seeing as it offered a cool and unique atmosphere. Which hands down, it does. Very cool to see the cars all around. However, that’s about where it lasted for us, unfortunately. And I say what I am about to say because we spent $350 on the two of us (2 drinks each, 2 appetizers, 1 salad and 2 entrees). The service and timing of everything was very slow. It was a bit to get out first drinks out but not bad. Our first appetizer came out, the steak prime tartare. It was OKAY. Really just the actual steak tartare but did not come with egg yolk, capers, etc. the bread it was served with was chewy - I actually had to rip it away from my mouth to bite it off. Next came our shrimp cocktail, very good - no complaints. Then came our grilled Cesar salad which was very lackluster but okay. Here comes the big part - after this you’d think our entrees ($70 bone in filet and the market fish) would come out timely but we waited. WAY too long. It was atleast 25 minutes after our apps that our food came out.. even our waitress came over to offer a comped desert because of the wait. This just shouldn’t happen when you are dropping $350 on a meal for 2. Our entrees came, my steak was excellent to be honest. Very good. We got the seasonal vegetables with it which were super bland - not at all seasoned, really just simply steamed. My husband got the monk fish dish and it was VERY boring and underwhelming. Hardly any flavor. They put they fish on top of a TON of corn that was truly just canned corn. You can tell it wasn’t cut off a cob, no grill marks etc. the fish could have been so much more exciting and it needed SOMETHING more exciting or flavorful to go with an extremely mild fish with no seasonings.

I know I’m being picky, but we spent a lot of money to be extremely underwhelmed with very slow service. This place may be more of a tourist type trap to see the cool cars vs an excellent steakhouse. We will stick to...

Our server Robin E. was absolutely a rockstar! She welcomed us with friendly conversation, gave helpful information about the menu, and was accommodating for our gluten-free food allergy. We got her insight on wine, Indy racing history, and the Bowdie's chain.

We were very lucky to have Robin as our server. We are new to the area and she gave us amazing insight on all the local hotspots and hidden gems. Cannot say enough wonderful praise for her professionalism, charm, and work ethic. If you do try Bowdie's, ask for Robin as your server - stat!

This was the restaurant's second week or so since opening in Zionsville. We went on a Monday night and made a reservation a few days prior. Our wait time was zero. The booths were nice because their seat backs were tall for privacy. One entire wall was an operational garage door with big windows. The ambiance was cool and touched on Indy's racing vibe. Three cars were on display indoors, roped off in the walkway to the restrooms. Complimentary Andie's Mints were available at the hostess booth.

Since Bowdie's is particular about how they cook their steak, I highly recommend putting those orders in as soon as you sit down. The servers will probably let you know about this, but just know that some of those dishes can take 30-45 minutes to prepare. Definitely order an appetizer or starter so that you don't get hangry waiting on steaks.

The beignets were devilishly delicious! Flakey, fresh, and served with three sauce options (chocolate, caramel, and a berry jam). No gluten-free option unfortunately. We dined with an experienced foodie who knew all of the Zionsville restaurants and she said this chef prepared some of the best beignets she'd ever had.

Even though it was a Monday night, guests were dressed on the nicer side (heels, dress shirts, etc.). Some guys were just in shorts and sandals, so the dress code...

We went to Browdie’s Chophouse on July 11th, we had a reservation for dinner for 4, we decided to take the kids with us in the last minute and ended up being 7. When we checked in, they didn’t give us a table right away because we didn’t mention the kids when we made the reservation. Anyway, finally we told them that we would accept a table of 4 and if they can bring 3 kids chairs around it would be great. They ended up getting together 2 small round tables by the bar, and we were ok with it, we said it’s fine. We accepted it because we wanted to really give a chance and try the food. I have ordered for myself Cesar salad, and I have asked the waiter to bring it the classic way because I don’t like the grilled one, and he said it is ok. When I got the salad, it wasn’t chopped, it was whole and full of dirt. I asked the waiter what is that and he answered me very politely that it might be some “earth”! Really? So I was completely confused, is this a new way of serving the salad unwashed? Is that a proof of what? Neglect or a new concept of proving the source of the lettuce? I have tried many fine dining restaurants downtown Indy or other states, but it’s the first time I’ve seen this. Ok, this being said, I asked that I would like my lettuce to be taken back, washed and then chopped so I can eat it. After 5 min. I got it back as I requested, but no apologies neither from the waiter or the chef. While waiting for our food for all of us to arrive, my husband noticed another lady taking her salad back to the bar and asked about the soil found on her lettuce. The other...