McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks

M&S is a mainstay in Downtown Indy for good reason - the food and the service. I know that I can always visit, and have a good meal, quality drinks, and be treated well. Though the service during my last visit left room for improvement, that experience is certainly outside of the norm.

One little secret, that a lot are not aware of, is their happy hour menu. You can receive a variety of items from pub-style burgers to calamari, salads, fries, and everything in-between for under $10. Pro tip: visit with friends and share a variety of menu items.

The dinner menu is what you'd expect from a fine dining restaurant attached to a nice hotel - surf, turf, and bird are the order for the day. The wine menu is fairly extensive, allowing for some nice pairings.

The space itself is filled with dark woods, leather, and plush upholstery, all of which give a feel of substance and "weightiness" to the bar and main dining areas. If you're a fan of classic comforts, and in the area looking for a traditional meal, McCormick & Schmick may be worth a visit.

We chose this place on a whim after being told there was a 2.5 hour wait at another restaurant. I suggested we try this restaurant because I enjoyed my experience at the McCormick & Schmick's that used to be in Virginia Beach, Va. We were quickly placed in our seats upon entering. There was not a lot of customers on this Saturday night. Unfortunately, the heating system they share with the Hilton was not working and it was cold inside of the restaurant. While it was a tad uncomfortable, I didn't want to deduct any stars for something out of their control.

For the appetizer, we had the calamari that had the sweet & sour glaze with Thai chilis. I had the Raspberry Mule and it was a delicious drink. That was probably the best calamari I've ever tasted. I would go here again just for that! For the main course, I ordered the dry rubbed black Angus ribeye steak (medium) and lobster mashed potatoes. The ribeye steak was perfectly cooked and the lobster mashed potatoes were great. My family enjoyed the food they ordered.

The place has a beautiful decor and our server was great. I'd like to check out happy hour the next time I come here.

5 stars.

Happy hour is a great time to feast on a few different items and save a few dollars. But I also enjoy the regular menu items, as well.

The sea bass is amazing.
The clam chowder is delish.
The fresh squeezed lemonade is refreshing.
Fish tacos were so good I ordered more!
$2 Taco Tuesdays are fantastic.
Calamari are excellent... when served hot & fresh.
Thai sauce on the calamari is soooo good.
The cheeseburger is better than most. My fav!

Service is always great - even in the bar area.
Street parking is available. And there's a garage, too.

If you're not aware, McCormick & Schmidt is a well-known upscale steak and shrimp chain located in the Hilton Hotel on Illinois and Market St. Parking can be found at metered street parking, parking garages, or valet parking for $14. The valet will offer you a coupon for a free appetizer (up to $13), but it can not be used during happy hour. Bummer!

Four of us met today to take advantage of Happy Hour offered Monday through Friday from 3:30 - 6:30 in the bar area only. The attached menu photo reflects an excellent variety of appetizers ranging from $6, $8, $10, and $12 with at least 3 items under each price category. On a couple of specific days, a special item is offered at happy hour prices. For example, on Wednesday, there is a flavorful, well seasoned shrimp boil for $15. Beer, cocktails, and wines are also on the happy hour menu. A one drink minimum of $3.40 per person is required to order off the happy hour menu (non-alcoholic or alcoholic). Sigi ordered the Gold Margarita ($9) and said it was excellent with a small kick. Kerry ordered a bottled beer, and I started off with a Millionaire Coffee , under desserts, with three types of coffee liquer topped off with a large dollop of whipped cream. It was delicious and exactly what I wanted. The second drink was the M & S Ice Tea (a long island), and it was well made as well.

The bar area is casual with an attractive decor but isn't extremely large and doesn't accommodate groups well. They have a large bar top but not conducive for the conversation of a group. There are only 3 regular height tables, with the remaining tables all being high tops. 1 6-top is available, and the remaining tables are 2 tops.

Each of us ordered a Shrimp Boil ($15), which is the Wednesday, Happy Hour special. My bowl had 7 unpeeled shrimp, 1 medium boiled potato, 3 thick pieces of sausage, and 2 very small chunks of corn on the cob. Afterward, I felt some type of bread would have been nice. Everything was well-seasoned, not overcooked, and by itself is enough for a smaller appetite. Next time, I'll most likely split either the Tomato Bruschetta, Asian Calamari, or the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps with another person at our table. I have to say peeling the shrimp was a messy ordeal, and we could have used extra napkins (our fault for not ordering), but we especially needed wet wipes.

Our server, Dee, was friendly, attentive, but not intrusive, kept beverages refilled (ice tea, sodas, and waters), and promptly removed unclean dishware. She, of course, would have to disappear for a quick trip to the kitchen to grab customer orders, plus she was the only server in the bar area with the exception of the bartender.

We sat next to the large windows overlooking the valet driveway on Illinois Street. This is a great spot to people watch.

I'm sure I'll visit again during happy hour in the near future. I enjoy many of the appetizers on the menu and look forward to sampling more of the menu.

I was in town for a convention. I got to town on Sunday and went to M&C for a work dinner on Wednesday, the last night of my trip. This was without a doubt the worst experience from start to finish during the trip.

We had a reservation for 8 @ 630P. When we walked in there was another group of people already waiting at the host stand but there was no host. The host came back to a packed entrance with around 15 people. She sat the party that was ahead of us. As she walked them back, I looked at the dining room and it was empty. Maybe they let the other host go home early because it was so slow.

They sat us in a table in the back of the dining room straight back from the host stand. The server was very nice, but didn't have a clue what she was doing. She took everyone's drink and appetizer orders at the same time. She brought the drinks out first and gave the first few to the wrong people. After she messed up the first couple, she started auctioning them off to the table. There were 2 or 3 conversations going at at this point, so no one was paying attention.

The appetizers came out a few minutes later and the same thing happened. This time it wasn't our server dropping food at the wrong spot, but it was other staff members auctioning off apps. When there was no response, the apps were dropped at the closest open spot on the table. The server also rung in 1 of the 2 shrimp cocktails as a shrimp kisser. It created enough confusion with the servers that the manager noticed he needed to come over. The manager seemed more concerned with telling us the mix up would be complementary than with getting the order right. I ordered the shrimp kissers. It's hard to screw up shrimp, bacon and pepper Jack cheese and these were pretty good. I tried a couple calamari too. The sauce the cali came has chilis in it so keep that in mind if you don't like spicy.

More of the same during round 3 when the soups and salads came out. People came out with bowls and plates and just started auctioning them off to the table. Bisques were going to people that had salads. There was an extra bisque that was vocally complementary as well. There were so many people delivering food, our server bumped into another server and almost dropped my strawberry salad. She prevented most of the contents of the salad from sliding out of the bowl with the front of her shirt so she had to readjust before dropping it off. I would have said something if I wasn't at a work function. There wasn't much substance to the salad, but dressing was pretty good.

Out of the 8 at the table, my entree came out last. If they would have taken the scallops out of the pan when they were plating everyone else's food, the scallops might have been okay. Instead, these were burnt. I was sitting next to a guy from the south that likes seafood and when they dropped these things off he looked at me and said "I thought you got scallops". He was messing with me because these were so over cooked they almost didn't look like scallops. The sautéed spinach and crab hash were decent. The entire dish was dowsed in a lemon butter sauce. If the sauce wasn't there, the scallops would have been in edible.

I had a Millionaire's Coffee for dessert. It tasted pretty good. It had whip cream running down the side of the glass which made the entire drink sticky. I think the reason the whip cream was running down the side was because it was frozen when it went on top. As the coffee started warming up the whip cream it melted pretty quick.

I'll never go back. I might even pass if I get an invite.

It has been awhile since my last review.

Service was extremely slow. I realize it is casual dining. It took some time to get out our server so we knew what we wanted before she came to the table. We ordered and 15 min or so we got salads. About 30 to 40 min in server came to the table to tell me they were out of the fish I ordered. So I changed my order. Food was all good. Tea were refilled and emptys removed. We ordered dessert togo. They have a small fee for togo orders. For our two desserts it was $1.35 tacked on to the bill. It seems so unnecessary. We were already spending over 140$ on dinner. I would think food prices should off set items like togo containers and a bag? $1.35 is nothing compared to the total bill. But just felt like a cheap tactic.

Had a weekday lunch with Dewayne (sp?, sorry) Wonderful quick service, he was great and knew the menu extensively. We had the shrimp and tuna app. A fillet over wedge and herb sea bass. Steak was cooked perfectly, sea bass was rich and filling, perfect for a mid workday nap Was awesome will return again.

Attended the wine pairing dinner on 1/26/23. The food was really good. The host , Orin, was very nice and informative. The salad with grapefruit, blood orange, fennel was refreshing. Duck with cherry really tasty, the beef cheeks were succulent, the sauce on the gnocchi was drinkable, so much flavor. It was interesting to learn about the Gallo wines and how they came about and how they got their names. The wines were very nicely paired.
The only down part was the coffee was flavorless and luke warm.

We wandered into this bar as we were out walking around downtown Indianapolis. The place was surprising busy, it was Thanksgiving, but luckily did not have to wait long to be seated.
They had a special holiday menu being served and the waitress kindly let us order from both menus. On the holiday menu they had a butternut squash soup and it was surprisingly delicious! I was nervous to try it and the waitress, Leona, told me not to worry she would bring me a sample! I appreciated the offer and took her up on it. The soup was thick and flavorful. From the color I could tell they must've added a lot of broth or was heavy handed with the cream. Either way it worked and I happily ordered a bowl.
We also had an order of fries. I can be picky about fries and these were on point. They were thin and crispy with a hint of truffle and Parmesan. We split a creme brûlée which was delicious. The vanilla was perfectly balanced and the top nice and crisp. There was lots of fruit on top which was different but I liked it.
For drinks I had a spicy margarita which was made perfectly. There was another drink I wanted but was told they were out of the ingredients. Because it was along the lines of a spicy margarita, the waitress said she would have the bartender make me something similar. Mi Amor ordered what we could only to think could be their signature drink and it was good! It's definitely more of a stiffer drink so beware but it comes branded with M&S.
I hadn't been to this location in a few years and there has been some changes inside. The vibe is calmer and the lights are kept dim. It's a nice affect inside if you are out and about on a date and want to feel cozy. The seating is more table style than cozy but they do offer a few booths. We will definitely check this location out again and if you're out for walk.....wander in.

Horrible food. Ordered swordfish, looked like a chicken cutlet with grill marks that was microwaved. It was cold n stiff. One fork into it and I sent it back. The replacement salad took longer. It's an overpriced name, don't waste your time. I'd give zero stars if I could. Obviously only people with no taste eat here!

We stopped in for dinner while we were in Indianapolis for the weekend. Great place. The server was very attentive and took great care of us. Lots of options for food.
I had a steak. Very delicious. Cooked just right. My wife had the fried shrimp. Also delicious. The server suggested a couple options for dessert. We shared the upside down candied walnut apple pie with ice cream. It was very very good.
We had a very nice time. We will be back.