To pull myself out of my current soup and smoothie phase, I decided to try a food that doesn’t often appear on my list of favorites — barbecue. It seems for most U.S. holidays, Americans can’t wait to grill up their favorites and smother their creations with barbecue sauce. Me, not so much.
I love grilled foods, but it’s the barbecue sauce that doesn’t sit well with me. The North End Barbecue and Moonshine is a place I pass often, and one Saturday afternoon, I decided to challenge myself to try new barbecue sauce.
First impressions always stick, and the outside decor, specifically the main door, caught my attention. The enormous black door made me feel as if I was attempting to get inside an ancient castle. It was about twice my size in width and height with a modern finish. I guess the cool part was, it didn’t look much like a door at all.
Once inside, I took a seat at the bar. My server, Brad, seemed delighted to see me and placed two menus in front of me. One was the restaurant’s food and drink menu and the other read, “North End Liquid Catalog.” I thought to myself, “This place is clearly serious about their liquor.” Brad then informed me there were more than 234 brands of whiskey available. This menu also included a glossary of alcoholic terms for visitors.
After looking over the food menu, I couldn’t decide between the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich and the BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Both sounded delicious, but I thought the BBQ Chicken would fit best, considering my mission for the visit. For my side, I chose macaroni and cheese topped with rib jam. The restaurant’s other sides included roasted vegetables, cornbread, green beans, baked beans and collard greens. Smoked Salmon Dip, Memphis Baby Back Ribs, Texas Sausage and brisket also appeared on the menu. While The North End does offer some non-barbecue dishes such as burgers and salads, this isn’t the place for vegans or vegetarians.
Despite the style of food, I didn’t expect sides with such southern flair. I also didn’t expect the western and rustic charm of the interior decor. Another surprise emerged as I patiently waited for my meal to arrive — the music played was similar to a ’70s R&B playlist. Although it was odd, I did enjoy it.
My dish arrived on a tin food tray lined with brown wax paper and looked delicious. The sandwich was quite large, and the macaroni and cheese was creamy and well seasoned. For my big moment, I took one bite of the sandwich and fell in love. The sandwich had juicy, shredded pieces of chicken drowned in the restaurant’s classic barbecue sauce, and the bread was toasted lightly with butter.
I truly couldn’t have asked for a better sandwich, and as I’m writing this review, I wish I had another. That has never happened to me before with any meal including barbecue sauce. I guess there is a first time for everything!
The North End Barbecue & Moonshine
1250 E. 86th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240
Hours:
Monday – Saturday: Lunch
11 a.m. – 4 p.m.,
Dinner — 4 – 10 p.m.
Sunday: 4 – 10 p.m.
(317) 614-7427
TheNorthEndBBQ.com
