City Barbeque — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Never been to this place before but we were looking for a venue with outdoor seating. I was also craving some barbecue as I haven't had it in a very long time. Decided to invite the in-laws out with us. Mother in law is still a little concerned about COVID so she wanted to at least eat outside. The outdoor seating is uncomfortable metal chairs and metal tables. I wasn't expecting ultra comfort but the chairs were actually kind of painful to sit on after some time. We were not greeted by any serving staff as apparently this is a self serve establishment. Wasn't aware of that after looking at the website or reviews. I had to go in and order, get my utensils, my sauces, my drinks, and eventually had to carry my own food out to our table outside. For the prices you would think this would be a full service experience but I digress. The food itself was actually good. Brisket being the best thing on the menu and the chicken probably my least favorite. The ribs are decent but not the best ribs I've ever had by any means. Their collard greens and green beans are on point with meat pieces in them. Baked beans also on point with meat mixed in the beans. Salad was fresh. We ended up staying closer to 9pm just munching and chatting so it was getting dark. Since it's self serve none of the service people even came outside to check on us but I guess they are not expected to. At some point we were basically eating and talking in the dark and I had to go inside and ask someone if they could turn on the lighting outside. They did so promptly but did not apologize or anything. Overall the food was good but service, even basic service or common sense hospitality, was lacking. We ended up paying $145 on our bill for everything (half rack ribs meal, brisket sandwich meal, motherload BBQ platter, drinks, and dessert). I am unsure if I will give this place...

The food (mostly meat) at City BBQ is very good, but not the most consistent. Dining area is cramped and order taking area/process is not intuitive and often clogs-up like Rockville Road at 4PM on a Friday...this combined with it being a work-a-raunt, I have to give them a 0 for service. We usually get the Deluxe City Sampler, which has enough variety and quantity for about 3-4 people. Sometimes the brisket is very good, moist and tender. Sometimes the brisket is dry or under cooked (tough & rubbery). Sometimes you get a good portion of ribs, other times you get a rack of dry, over-cooked 'shiners' (that is,ribs with little meat, where the bone shines though) . The pulled pork is usually good, as is the smoked chicken, however an extra 1/4 chicken (ala cart) costs a CRAZY $5. One of out favorites is the smoked Turkey! One time the brisket gave me some intestinal discomfort, which I believe stemmed from poor cleanliness of the meat cutting table and/or City's holding temperature & method of cooked briskets...but I have been back since, w/o any trouble. Oh yea...the corn bread and the grilled rolls are VERY good too. Once we got some BBQ beans that had lot's of brisket in the beans. That must have been a mistake, as all other times since, the beans have had very little brisket in the sauce. Overall we like City BBQ, but hope they were more constant and maintained a higher level of quality with regard to the ribs. Recent Price Increase -- Some menu items went up 10% to 15%...

UPDETED NOTE FROM MY APRIL 18, 2023 VISIT: I want to file a formal complaint on TYNAE...oops, I mean a Formal Complimant. She was super sweet and as a result, I spent more than I planned, ate more than I should and enjoyed myself far more than I expected....and I am going to blame her. She had me at Hello. Then the Tuesday special...followed by, that ooooh soooo sweetly charming "Can I interest you in a drink and dessert." REALLY, as if I have any self contro. The cholocate cake REALLY, Yes, I ate the whole thing. The Ribs...OMG. And did I mention the mac and cheese (not as good as mine, but it was there and I couldn't help myself). Tynae is an "Enabler" who TOTALLY took advantage of my weakness and well...now you have it. It was all her fault. And to think, I was headed to Arby's. Thank you She is AMAZING. I do hope my Formal Compliment has been heard (or read). In the words of The Arnold, "I'll be back". Can you ask her to go easy on my as I seem to not be able to resist her smoooooth style :-)

Everything starts at the beginning....today it started with Taylor who greened me as a welcomed guest. Oh and the brisket was as good as a Yellow Rose from Texas. Thank you for having good food and service at such a great value. Oh and try the Fried Bologna while...