Punch Burger

127 E. Ohio Street

Indianapolis, IN

317.426.5280

Punch Burger

I usually wait a few weeks or months for a new restaurant to find its identity and work out the kinks. After reading the feature in the Indy Star, I decided to break my rule and try Punch Burger. What sold me was the idea of fresh and local ingredients from here in Indiana. The first thing I noticed was the was the bright menu board. It was very easy to navigate. First they list the specialty burgers for those people that like decisions to be made for them. Next are the options to build your own burger. There are three bun options, three meat options, toppings, cheeses, sauce, and extras. You also have your choice to get a grilled cheese, if a burger isn't up your alley. I really enjoyed how this restaurant knows its identity. They want to do burgers and do burgers well. They aren't gimmicky. The menu is very reasonably priced. For around $18, we got 2 burgers, 2 sodas, sweet potato tater tots, and waffle fries. We went on a Monday night and the staff was very inviting. They were patient as we went through the menu, deciding what to order. It wasn't very busy, but you will have that a new restaurant especially downtown. I picture Punch Burger gaining steam through the winter with the Pacers season starting soon. Punch Burger is located at Delaware and Ohio, so 3 or so blocks North of Bankers Life. The restaurant is very bright and clean. It has the feel of a classic diner, with modern accents. There seems to be a fair amount of seating. It wasn't crowded and our food came out quickly, so they can turn tables pretty fast. They also have wine and beer on tap, mostly local breweries, and PBR for you hipsters.

I decided to build my own burger. I started with the pretzel roll (extra $.40), Angus beef patty, lettuce, tomato, grilled red onion (you can opt for raw), house made pickles, pepper jack cheese, and spicy aioli. I like the pretzel roll as it has the strength to hold up to a loaded burger. As juicy as this burger was, it did not make the roll soggy. They butter both sides and grill the bun to a golden brown to give that extra defense against any sauce or juice that can break up the bun. Grilling the bun also gives a nice crispy texture. The burger is 1/3 lb of Angus beef from Fischer Farms in Jasper, IN. At first, I thought that I might want to double the burger, but it was actually just the right size. We both left dinner feeling comfortably full. You do have the option to adding a patty for $2. This was one of the juiciest burgers I have had in a while. It had the perfect amount of fat. It was juicy not greasy. I did not feel disgustingly full after eating this burger. You can tell the patty is formed by hand as it is pretty rough looking. The toppings worked well together. I ate a few of the house pickles by themselves. They were crunchy and had a kind of sweet, kind of sour flavor. The spicy aioli was great. It had a creamy flavor, but added just enough heat. It was a perfect mild heat. They do have Sriracha if you are looking for hotter. The sweet potato tater tots ($2) were awesome. They were cooked just the way I like them, a crunchy outside and soft inside. You could see the tiny diced sweet potatoes. Next time, I would ask for a few sauces for dipping. The waffle fries ($1.50) were average, but I feel like we didn't get that many in a serving. You get more bang for your buck with the tots.

I will definitely go back to Punch Burger. I overheard a patron say, "This place is much better than Boogie Burger." I would rank Punch Burger up with Twenty Tap, and ahead of BRU, Bub's, and Boogie Burger.

"I'm in 'an open relationship' with EAting healthy" -Unknown