The Ale Emporium is located in one of what seems to be a thousand strip malls in the Castleton area of Indianapolis. From the parking lot, it appears to be an average sized place with a nice outside dining area that has a couple of very nice outdoor firepits.
Upon stepping inside, though, I was struck by just how HUGE this place was. It’s multi-leveled, with a bar area, dining room, and a massive back room that has a well appointed stage, and there are flat screen TVs all around. They appear to feature live music Thursday through Sunday nights, and it is a smoking, 21 and over only venue.
The decor is dark woods…mostly cherry and walnut, it appears, and their 4 page menu lists everything from burgers to pizzas (Which a regular told me is better, even, than Bazbeaux), salads, and several delicious looking desserts.
I was there for a special music event, and, of course, had to review the tenderloin while I was there.
The menu lists it as a beer battered tenderloin, my favorite, and it was certainly good. The sandwich is huge, and served on a nicely toasted bun. The breading is crisp and the meat is flavorful, albeit a bit on the dry side. The sandwich was served with the exact condiments I ordered (mayo, onion and ketchup) and they condiments were plentiful.
The breading it self, as I mentioned, was crisp, but…well, a bit bland. I would’ve expected a little flavor of the beer to come through, but it didn’t.
The meat was pounded thin, but not TOO thin. This is certainly a hearty sandwich and a complete meal in itself. The sandwich is priced at $8.95 and that includes one side. I choose fries, and they’re skin on, perfectly done fries.
I can’t think of anything really bad to say about this sandwich, but, unfortunately, I can’t think of anything outstanding to say about it either. It’s a good sandwich, and certainly better than a lot of sandwiches in town, but certainly not the best. After considering it overnight, I’m going to give The Ale Emporium’s Breaded Tenderloin a 3.5 out of 5 bites. It’s above average and certainly worth a try, even if it’s not a “knock your socks off” type of sandwich.
The Ale Emporium is located at 8617 Allisonville Road in Indianapolis, and you can visit them online here.
All tenderloins, all the time. 
I love your blog! If you get a chance, you should check out Alcatraz downtown. They have a pretty interesting tenderloin that they call the “hoosier.” I wasn’t a big fan, but it was different, at least.
Hey Lisa, thanks for stopping by! I’ll add them to my list of places to review. 🙂
I wonder why no one has a “Boilermaker” tenderloin? I’d certainly buy one! 🙂
Hmm… I thought that this would be better. They have a great beer selection and their pizza is top notch. I really like Ale Emporium, too bad this didn’t wow you.
Folks were RAVING about their pizza. I’m playing a gig there in a couple of weeks, and I think that’s what I’ll try!
Thanks for stopping by!