Frugal Sew Beauty Foodie: Nine Mile Restaurant

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Nine Mile Restaurant - Review

This is a small restaurant/bar that seems to be in the middle of nowhere on 27 South between Fort Wayne and Decatur, Indiana.

it is a place I took a pass on in the past as I figured it would just be a roadside dive with a minimal menu and barely passable food until a friend advised the food and service was good.

I found I had been missing out as it is a great low key, casual place to get some good comfort food and think about a piece of local history.

While the accommodations are modern, this restaurant/bar is on the site of a historic primitive tavern and store that had been there since 1837 when there were no real roads, just traces of worn paths that had been used by native Indians an was a stop for weary travelers coming to the area to have a drink and a bit of hospitality. The place is named Nine Mile as it is nine miles from the Allen County Courthouse.

Upon entering the place, the lobby is spacious and has a bench on each side if either side is full up and you would need to wait. A sign on the podium there indicates they do not accept reservations after 4pm. The place is divided into two sections: Bar on the left and restaurant on the right.

On the way into the restaurant there are swinging doors, not the type that you would find in a old saloon, but full length metal ones more like you would see on a boat. I think it would have more charm it it had the old saloon type of doors but guessing what is there is to cut down on heat/air conditioning loss and noise.

Upon entering, there about a dozen booths and 9 tables and some decorations on the wall, but not high on ambiance. If the place was full, it would be fairly cramped quarters so if you are the least bit claustrophobic, you would probably want to go during non-peak hours. It does look like from the website they have patio out back for additional seating during the Summer. They also offer carry-out.

In browsing the menu it was much larger than I had anticipated. It had standard bar/pub type food along with comfort food dinners of beef, chicken, and seafood, the latter which is served with two sides. They serve Pepsi products, but if you want something a little stronger to wet your whistle they do have been, wine and flavored Martinis.

We both ordered the Chopped Sirloin with home fries and a salad for $9.99 and my guest had his topped with sauteed mushrooms for an additional $1.99. The salad ingredients were fresh and crisp and the dressing served in a plastic container on the side so you could add what you liked.

The chopped steak was cooked to well done as ordered as well as the home fries which were ordered as extra crispy (many places we have gone never get this right). Service was excellent with the waitress being friendly, checked back frequently to see if anything needed and refilled drinks and cleared plates without having to ask.

We were going to check out the bar side on the left side but there was a full house and no two seats were available together so we will check it at on a future visit as we do plan on adding this spot to one of our go-to dining spots.