Mesh — Restaurant in Indianapolis

Great Food, Slightly Rushed Service Experience

My boyfriend and I came here for a Sunday date night around 7:45 PM, not realizing the restaurant closes at 9 PM (totally our oversight—I work in the service industry myself, so I understand how that can feel for the staff). That said, the service experience left us feeling a bit rushed.

Our server, who was also the bartender, noticeably pulled out her phone to check the time right in front of us while we were deciding whether to wait on ordering dinner until after our appetizer. It felt a little passive-aggressive and gave the impression that we were being timed, even though it was only around 8 PM and we had more than enough time to enjoy a meal before closing.

To add to that, she asked us which appetizer we wanted—even though we had already placed that order about 20 minutes earlier. I understand that mistakes happen, and while I didn’t mind the mix-up too much, it did add time to our visit and contributed to a sense of disorganization. Overall, she wasn’t rude, but the phone-checking and general vibe gave off a subtle feeling of being unwelcome as closing time approached. I just believe every guest should receive consistent service, regardless of how close it is to the end of the shift—especially when they’re spending good money on a full meal.

We also both ordered one cocktail each. I can’t remember the name of his drink, and the physical menu didn’t match what’s listed online, but it was just okay—nothing bad, just not memorable. My drink, however, was a standout. I asked the bartender to surprise me with a fruity mezcal cocktail, and she absolutely nailed it. It wasn’t overly smoky or sweet—just really well-balanced and genuinely enjoyable.

We were also told about their half-priced bottles of wine, which was a great surprise! We decided to take one home, and that really added to the overall value of the evening.

Now onto the highlight: the food was phenomenal. We both ordered the 6oz filet mignon—mine with the Roasted Mushroom & Red Wine Demi, his with the Lobster & Sherry Cream. Both were absolutely delicious. I picked out a wine to pair with the meal myself, though I do wish the server had offered a recommendation or tried to upsell a pairing. That little touch of engagement would have made the experience feel more elevated.

We also ordered the Charred Broccoli as a side, and the whipped cheddar fondue it came with was to die for. They did plate it a bit too generously on a small dish, so it was nearly spilling over, but the flavor more than made up for it. I ended up putting some of the fondue on my mashed potatoes—and honestly, I could have cried, it was so good.

All in all, we spent a good amount of money and were really happy with the quality of the food and drinks. That’s why it was disappointing to feel rushed—when you’re investing in a full dining experience, the level of service should reflect that from start to finish.

Still, I will definitely be back—just a little earlier next time to avoid the...

By far the worst dining experience that I have ever experienced. I would not encourage my worst enemy to visit this establishment and here’s why:

To begin, the waiting staff had bad attitudes and did not want to serve our party. They were very short, rude and unpleasant. It appeared our server had a preconceived notion regarding the party that I was with, whom by the way was comprised of all persons of color. However, we continued our dining experience. Later, one member from our group overheard a conversation between two servers negatively talking about our group. Mind you, this group is comprised of doctors, lawyers, nurses, educators, entrepreneurs, and business professionals. Not that it matters but that is what happens when you believe black and brown people cannot spend money in your establishment. What Mesh reminds us that the Confederate South is not only still alive, but very much present on Mass Ave.

We have heard a lot of negative things about the experiences of persons of color on Mass Avenue but we believed those to be in the past. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The Assistant Manager refused to allow more than 25 people into the restaurant, requiring that we needed to have a reservation! Now, last time I checked, Mesh was not by reservation only. It does not even say anything about it on the website. The manager informed us that they don't cater to groups more than 12 people when in fact, you can use Open Table to reserve a party of 20 people. Yes, we had a party of no more than 30 people, but were told that we could not have more than 25.

There were five guests who were refused service and were not allowed to enter into the establishment. Treated like criminals when bringing business to this place. Later, we find that we were characterized as “people who don’t tip” and “people who wanted free drinks.” Are you kidding me?!

The manager then decides to tell his wait staff to “Call the 'Po Po' on them.” The bottom line here, we were a group who decided to have brunch at Mesh. Not believing that it would be such a difficult task to eat and commune in the same dining space. Furthermore, there were 5 booths and 3 tables that surrounded us. Management told us, they were reserved. We were there from 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM (not one table was used during this experience).

Finally, this place is not a good place if you’re in town visiting. Their treatment of patrons is despicable. Never, ever, have I been told to leave from an establishment and had the police called on my party. Unbelievably nasty experience and the Assistant Manager could have chose to handle this matter in a different way.

I can only imagine what he told the General Manager about our party. Fortunately, everyone has an experience and can share with others.

Beautiful place but the people are not nice...

Cannot say enough about the food and service from Cameron and his girlfriend, and also the host who was kind enough to get us in with our late arrival.

We had drove from Appleton, Wisconsin to Indianapolis for the eclipse, and we had left at 11:00am (normally the trip is 5 hours) but due to traffic we did not arrive at the hotel until 8:35pm (already over an hour late for our RSVP).

We were seated near the bar at a table for two. The environment was modern yet cozy at the same time. Cameron promptly greeted us and got us water and menus. He was very polite given we had just gotten seated at 9:10pm. He gladly went through all of the wine options with me and was extremely knowledgeable about the selections even describing the vineyards in Napa Valley where the Riesling I had chosen was from.

We had ordered the calamari appetizer to start and it was phenomenal. Breading was light and the Kung Pao sauce was sweet, tangy, and not overbearing whatsoever.

For entrees we had ordered the Brussel spouts, Scallops, and Crab cakes. All of the entrees came out perfectly prepared. The sear on the scallops was spot on, along with the risotto. Crab cakes were definitely not lacking in crab. They prepared them with what seemed like the least amount of breading I have seen in a crab cake, and they were absolutely mouth-watering. Lastly my now fiancé absolutely adored her Brussels sprouts.

The wine selection definitely is not lacking whatsoever. Many options to choose from for picky pallets.

and to top it off the creme brûlée was the perfect finishing touch to a wonderful dinner.

10/10 highly recommend going just for the customer service alone. The food was impeccable.

The Hostess (I wish I could remember her name), Cameron and his girlfriend knocked it out of the park. Anytime you three are in Appleton, come to OB's Brau Haus and I got you dinner on me and whatever drink you want!

You three didn't know it, but that dinner was the dinner before the night I was proposing to my girlfriend (at the eclipse totality) of five years that I run OB's Brau Haus with. You made our entire trip extremely special and we will make a special trip back to visit you again.

She said yes by the way!

Also if you need work and job I gladly take you...