Mike's Speedway Lounge

The bread was nicely buttered and toasted--rather tasty. There was a lot of hearty-tasting corned beef on this sandwich, folded thickly and had a very robust flavor. I thought that all of the flavors balanced out very well. The staff was friendly and the sandwich was a great bargain.

Don't let the initial appearance of the establishment fool you; there are high quality Reubens to be found on the premises. When joining the Reuben group, I instantly thought of this place. Finally, Mike's was on the schedule. Admittedly, I hadn't been to Mike's in 8 years or so. I remember going there for the salmon patty a few times. From 16th street, Mike's looks like one of those places Mom told you to avoid. Mom, of course, probably never went here to get her Reuben, otherwise she would bring you along on the next trip. Upon entering, you'll find a bar that has been at this location since at least the 1940s. Rumored to have opened shortly after prohibition ended, Mike's is one of Speedway's many neighborhood watering holes. A quiet place (a least at lunch), somewhat dimly lit except for the sunlight filtering in through windows curtained with racing posters featuring ads for all the major breweries. Here and there are signs and pictures of racing personalities. Some of them are signed, presumably by the famous themselves. A large art deco bar (probably original) holds all the ingredients needed to mix any concoction requested. The aroma of an old bar and stew slowing cooking completes the transformation to another world. The service was quick and efficient. The sandwich appeared in no time at all. It was warm, toasted and slightly buttered. A genuine Reuben with all the proper ingredients in good proportion; just enough to taste each, none particularly overpowering. The sandwich came with chips and a pickle. A sandwich that was not too sloppy or dry, in fact quite enjoyable. You'll want another when you're done. Try instead a piece of key lime pie if available. Yummy!

I'll be honest. I was a little anxious on walking into this place. It looks like it's seen better days. The waitress confirmed that the building has been there since the 1800s, and the bar was put into place right after Prohibition was lifted. It was pretty dark in there, and there's no non-smoking section. But on looking more closely, you can see that though the place is run down, it's pretty clean, even in the men's room. The service was excellent, and friendly, even though she thought we were foreign (we're not really sure why, probably just because we weren't dressed like the usual blue-collar clientele). The Reubens came out on real platters with metal utensils, but we still had plastic cups with straws. Potato chips and a pickle spear were included: the chips were of the ridged variety, and pretty decent, but the pickle was soggy and not good at all. The sandwich itself was of good size, nicely toasted, and had a good amount of meat and cheese and dressing. I couldn't taste the kraut at all, and the rye flavor was pretty mild, but it was a very good sandwich for the price. I also had a slice of key lime pie, and with water to drink my entire cost was $6.50 (including tip). And I was stuffed. If you're not put off by the atmosphere and don't care about your pickle, Mike's is a good place for a Reuben. I'd pick it over the Adam's Mark any day.

The corned beef was outstanding. The rest of the sandwich was pretty good, but the corned beef really stood out. I was still a little hungry after eating the Reuben and chips, but a large slice of key lime pie fixed that. Surprisingly, the place wasn't very smoky. I'm really having trouble thinking of something that I disliked. Mike's definitely gets another visit from me. Maybe on a Thursday for some fried rabbit.

"Don't judge a book by its cover". That is what I will take away from this dining experence. The place looks seedy inside and especialy out, but the service was first rate and the Reuben was great. The meat was some of the best we have had. The kraut was ordinary, but the price was on par with our employer subsidized cafeteria here at work. This is the place to go if you are near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Part of my sandwich was hot and part was cold--time to change the batteries in that microwave rotation thingy.

Good sandwich, great value, but she did not refill my water. The atmosphere was "Hoosier" and you just can't beat the 25-cent draft beer.