Great neighborhood type bar. The staff is fun and friendly. The food is good. The drinks plentiful. During our trip to Indy we came in to watch two US World Cup games. They turn up the volume and encourage cheering. The bartender remembered us from our Saturday visit (today is Tuesday). Check it out if you want a fun, less expensive and laid back Indy experience. read more

Coaches Tavern - Sports Bars Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Honestly I'm rather shocked that this place hasn't been posted yet, but that's ok I take pride in all my firsts. Coaches holds a weird spot in my mind. It has good food so I like it for lunch, but it's personality come night time really just makes me angry, so I don't know what to rate it on the star scale, so I'll just do three and call it even. As I said the lunch is pretty good, relatively cheap and tasty, served hot and with little delay. The service is marginal, but really it's one of those places that you really don't care much about the service anyhow. I tend to go with the pita and hummus for lunch, when you go here you'll no doubt wonder who would order such a dish in such a place, but let me assure you that the stuff must be laced with crack because I can't get enough, somehow it's more than just hummus and pita, they serve the pita piping hot, lightly coated with olive oil, it's great. Moving on to the night life scene here, I hate it. Imagine a small local sports bar, just a local style watering hole, small place, friendly bartenders...someplace like Cheers. Now, take that pleasant thought and blast, I mean, just blow your ear drums out BLAST jukebox music and live R&B. You cringed...I know you did, made weird contorted faces and thought how terrible it was....that's Coaches at night. Simply foul. I do still come here for lunch, but I really won't even consider it for a place to get a beer. And by the way, if you're not an Notre Dame fan, you should probably stay away during Irish football games. read more

Coaches Tavern - Sports Bars Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This is a really good city tavern. I like that they serve food late. During the week, most downtown kitchens pull in the welcome mat early-- It's not called Naptown for nothing. Great place to get good food after 9. The sliders were really excellent. I could eat those as a meal. Classic Midwest gastrobar feel. While I was there, I read that news about people revisiting Brittany Murphy's regrettable passing. I always enjoyed her most on King of the Hill. No illegal drugs were in her system. read more

Service was awful, bartender was inattentive and spent most of his time chatting and eating with his friends at the bar. We were told that the kitchen was closed (which, fair enough, it was a few hours before close) but the next 3 parties all ordered food at the bar, clearly friends of the bartender as he was eating off of their plates. I had to ask for each order at least twice, and had to be quite aggressive to get any service at all. He was acting as if his shift was over and that we were disturbing him although like I said, it was hours before close read more

Sammie was an amazing bartender and her vibe is off the chart!! She was busting her butt! I can't wait to come back!

If you live hip hop. Solid drinks and a good reason to come come out on a Tuesday night, Coaches is the spot. I have come to this night since the beginning, and have never had a bad time or bad service..... just ask anyone in the packed bar on a Tuesday. Scotty and Andrea are literally the best on a Tuesday. Ladies and gents you will very much appreciate the eye candy of these bartenders. Just know your order and order like a person old enough to be in a bar. It's busy but they drink will be worth the wait. And don't forget to tip. read more

A dive bar that's a bit cramped but that's because Notre Dame was playing that night. I should've taken that into consideration before coming here but nonetheless it was popping. After we got settled at our hotel, we settled on this place so we could watch the games. It's a solid atmosphere with college football gear on the walls. The food is ok, I ordered the BBQ wings; very sticky and taste was a bit bland but wings are huge. Also split the chicken tenders with my buddy. Not bad, I wish the breading didn't fall apart so easily but we polished them off. I'll have to try their burgers next time, my buddy got the spicy burger and said it was one of the better burgers he's ever had. I'll take his word for it. I'll be sure to stop here again. I enjoy the sports atmosphere and the uniqueness of their college football patrons. read more

This is my favorite downtown tavern. I usually frequent here 2-3 times per month for lunch. They have THE best French Dip I've had in Indy and their pork tenderloin sandwich is one of my favorites. Love this place. read more

Decent bar with a great location. Nothing with this bar stands out, but the food is good, beer list will likely make any one happy, and the decor/layout works. One negative, the servers. Maybe if you are sitting at the bar, or a large group of guys that are dropping a ton of money, but otherwise the service is slow, and this was a saturday evening with a colts preseason game, wasn't busy and two servers seemed to struggle. The bar area is elevated with a wooden bar, no rail, box foot rest, and wooden chairs (lots of wooden chairs in this place). Normal bar back with bottle shelves and mirrors. Taps on bar, decent craft beer selection. Several 42" hdtvs. A decent place to stop if needing a quick beer or bite to eat, and maybe a great place to watch a big game. Otherwise there are better places downtown. read more

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I've been to coaches a number of times but my last visit was the first time that I ordered food. Coaches is your typical bar --with a twist. Lol. The twist is that on Tuesday nights they have play hip hop by one of the best DJs in Indy. If you like hip hop, head there on a Tuesday night around 10-11pm TO enjoy. They have pretty good drink specials as well. Like I mentioned, this was the first time that I ordered food and I had an order of wings. The wings were okay. Pretty typical bar food. I'll be back on another Tuesday for he tunes. read more

Girls Aaron the bar are rude as hell! Was coming in here on my lunches and will nit be back because of their attitudes every time I was in there. read more

Really really liked this place! Very packed before a Pacers Game. But we arrived 30 minutes before tip off and were able to get in and out without a problem. My food was piping hot! I had a philly cheese steak wrap and needed time for it to cool. But, the beer special made up for the inconvenience: $5 for a 24 oz yuengling. Definitely a quick and cheap option before attending a game and spending money on stadium food! read more

Stopped in before a Pacers game. Food was ok and prices are decent. No happy hour. It friendly would be a major understatement. Waitress was horrible and pissed off at someone. Everyone noticed from the minute we came in. Time to get out of the customer service business if you are that unhappy. First time I ha e had the signed check taken by a waitress before we even finished our beer. Really?? Too many other places to go. It was unanimous none of us will be back. Out advice is to go one of them other 200 bars and restaurants downtown. read more

I've been coming to Coaches for years. For the money, Coaches has the best lunch specials in Indianapolis. The lunch special is different everyday, includes a drink and the portions are incredible. And there is no sacrifice on flavor. Solid spot for lunch. read more

Poor service and lacking professionalism. I waited forever to get my order. I wouldn't recommend coming here for lunch.

This place has the most absolute worst customer service. Bartender was rude and couldn't give us the of day. We ended up leaving and cancelling our order due to the bartender. read more

I will be honest, I have been to Coaches only on Tuesday nights for hip hop night. It is so much fun! I always end up staying longer than I plan to, because it is a school night after all! The food is basic bar food of course, but the wings are amazing! If you've neer been and love hip hop, try out a Tuesday night. read more

Dependable place...especially for the late night hunger (& thirst) with items that'll bnake you happy. Wings are rather good here. Plump, juicy...yet (to my taste, unfortunately) rather mild. No matter...a good option in the early hours of morning as you slake your thirst with an ice cold brew. read more

Finally made my way to Coaches on Tuesday for Hip-Hop night with DJ MetroGnome and I was not disappointed! Starting at 10 the music was great and so was the turn out. Even though it had me out past my bedtime, it was well worth the need for espresso in the morning. Though I didn't have drinks, my friends did and seemed to be pleased with both the quality and the prices. Also good were the fries, perfect for snacking on while dancing and singing along to MetroGnome's tunes. Our waitress was very attentive and helpful. I'm looking forward to my next evening at Coaches. read more

A great chill place to eat lunch. Cool atmosphere filled with sports memorabilia. Coaches has great specials and it's never too packed (unless the Pacers are playing). To eat, I recommend a chicken Caesar wrap if you're trying to watch your figure or a breaded tenderloin if someone already loves you for who you are. Kettle chips are a must side! read more

This is a great downtown bar. The prices are great and the atmosphere is the cozy "cheers" type vibe. Not too crowded and everyone knows your name. This is the typical place where you would go for drinks only but that would be a mistake. They have some GREAT bar food. Adam behind the bar rocks and everyone is friendly. A "Go to" place. read more

Coaches Tavern - Lots of TVs for the games. - Sports Bars Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This is a place you can amble up to the bar and enjoy yourself for hours, whether it's a hopping Friday/Saturday night or a quiet afternoon. Although I know many who only end up here at the end of a Friday or Saturday night, regulars get treated very well in this place, making it a great everyday bar. For a quintessential bar that is nonpretentious, the food is actually fairly good. The Pigskins are my absolute favorite, and on the very busy nights like during the Big Ten tournament, when they decide to use a shortened menu, I almost want to cry if they are not available. The enchiladas and the chicken strips have never failed me; the pretzels are not quite as amazing as those that I dream about at Rock Bottom but are among my short list of favorite pretzels in Indy; and the pan-seared ahi may not seem to fit in with the place but is amazing. Sadly, despite the numerous, numerous times I've been to this place, I can't say anything about it's meals. After all, I come here to socialize not to eat. Eating was usually incidental to my trips here. The patio outside is small but makes for variety if you are a regular here. You, of course, still can take advantage of all of the great drink specials and food while getting to focus more on conversation and surroundings rather than the tvs all set to sports stations. It's a great trade off. Get to know the bartenders and waitresses. Make this a place to fill up some time between concerts, shows, games while you are downtown, the place to catch your favorite tournament game, or your place of last call. It's well worth it. read more

One of Indy's finest! Spent many a'fine and fun nights at Coaches. The staff are genuine lifers...meaning they tend the bar and floor like pro's. Always a must when I'm back at home. read more

Was in town on Sunday early for Monday business. Wanted to watch some football, and this seemed like the Yelp no frills place to head downtown. Upon arriving my phone was dying, and I was informed by the bartender, Robin, that it was ok that I charged it behind the bar because she did not want anyone to bump into it or the plug - huge plus and very uncommon in most restaurants. Met the owner Tom, who was very sincere, and gave me the low down about how he took over the place, and the scoop on the downtown/sports bar vibe during gamedays. Golden tee machine trackball was dead on accurate. Good draft beer selection, fair prices, and really good buffalo hand breaded chicken tenders. If you want fancy and sports on TV, there are two prime steakhouses one can throw a rock at right outside the building. This is a very good local, no chain, sports bar through and through. And frankly it suited me just fine on that Sunday. read more

I walk by every day on my way to and from work. In the afternoons, the tables in the small patio are always full - often with people using it as a conference room with cocktails (awesome!). I stopped in last night with a few friends to top off a night of great conversations. It was a great choice. Good service, cold beer, and a never-ending stream of people we knew walking by ... and feeling the gravitational pull of a fun pub. Great after work option. read more

Oh Coaches. You're a bar in the building where I work. We're there so frequently that we call you Conference Room C. We know all of the names of the employees and we love them. There are great drink specials and the food is far superior to a normal bar food and the services is always excellent. I will ding them on their bathrooms...the doors dont exactly lock and that can be a real pain in the ass. They have trivia on Wednesday nights, too. read more

I want to say this is an upper-scale dive bar (does that even make sense??) that caters to a slightly older "salt of the earth" type sports loving crowd. We went here to meet my boyfriends boss after work last week for IU basketball game watching. It was barely after 5pm, We walked in and it was nothing but a sea of red, Creme and Crimson exploded everwhere (as it should be!!) It's funny since we moved here I had never even heard of this place, despite its proximity to us. It is a basic sports bar, they serve your typical domestic beer as well as local on tap. It was basically standing room only and we were unfortunate enough to be standing in the path of everyone passing by. Obviously a popular place and great to catch a game. Just make sure you get there early to get a seat. Also-be careful when going to the ladies, as I am convinced there is the beginning of a sinkhole in front of the bathroom door, "cleverly" concealed by an old rug. My entire foot nearly fell in. We didn't stay here long once the IU game was over. Not much to see here I may go back on the suggestion of others but not on my own accord. read more

A dive bar is a well-worn, unglamorous bar that often serves a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele. This is Coaches Tavern in a nutshell! However this is not a slam against Coaches. And just to clarify, this doesnt mean it is a dirty hole in the wall bar. Atmosphere is casual. Space/seating can be hard to come by for a sporting event. Consider getting there 20-30 min before the game starts to find a seat. Drinks are strong and affordable. Service is quick and attentive. The food I had was below average. But others seem to have had better experiences. read more

A great place to watch the games with better than average food. Excellent beer selection and good selection of pub food (burgers, sandwiches, etc.). read more

Great bar food, great drink selection, one of the best low key bars in Indy..... Tuesday night is crazy good times.. Live Dj and great company read more

If I could give ZERO stars I would. An attractive, well heeled crew accompanied me here on a Tuesday night. The bartenders were understaffed-- a red flag for poor management. I could not get a bartender to even make eye contact for 20 minutes. I raised my hand at the end of the bar and yelled hey in a really loud musical setting. A white male bearded fool bartender came over, was rude as ever-- walked away refusing to take an order for no reason. His overweight colleague backed him up. We all told them to ___ off. Left for Patron a Saint. Your staff are LOSERS. We tip well you idiots. Just the tip. Xo read more

Music is always banging with DJ Metrognome and other Djs. The bartender service is horrible!!! At least give the "hold a sec" finger if you can't get to me right away. I watched to many times people and myself get ignored. Way to many people in here trying to spend money for the TWO bartenders to have attitudes and ignore people. read more

Coaches is a great sports bar. It's never too crowded, and there are tons of TVs. The service is good - all the bartenders and servers are very friendly. They have good drink specials as well. They have good lunch specials as well and get a decent lunch crowd during the week. The food is average, and really the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5. read more

Great location but seriously? $10 for a cup of chilli? A cup of chilli costs more than a burger and fries. Nah. $7 for a Two Hearted? Nah. Fix your prices. read more

We went in on a Saturday. Bartender was very friendly and had very good recommendations. Drinks were reasonable. We were there for several hours just eating and watching basketball. We left earlier then we had planned on. A group of gamblers had plenty to drink, and apparently had placed a wager on every game because they would randomly yell and scream and curse. We were very frustrated because it was a fun place, but that was very annoying and drove us away much sooner than planned. Recommend it otherwise. read more

The beer prices are great for a downtown bar. The food is OK. It's usually pretty empty so there's not much atmosphere. Good place to go before and after a Pacers game. They have a jukebox so you can play your own tunes. read more

Great local bar...always has drink specials...bar staff is waaaay cool...music is usually pretty good. Only issue is size, on a popular night, which could be any night in downtown Indy, it gets way too crowded. read more

Tuesday nights are a sight to see at this venue. They do a Hip Hop night that various Hip Hop DJs take part in on Tuesday's. For example, DJ Limelight, DJ Metronome, DJ Cheech Beats, etc. can all be caught rocking at this venue. Yearly they do an anniversary night for the venue and all the DJs in the city come out to rock the place and the venue is usually packed, but the vibes are positive. The Tuesday night music spans from classic to current Hip Hop. Unfortunately, I haven't eaten at the venue or been on another day, but I have a great time on Tuesday's. read more

I can understand why Byron warned people about staying away from Coaches when it's game time if they don't want to watch the game. This place has been the unofficial place to watch Notre Dame games for the past couple of years. DJ Metrognome plays here on Tuesdays, I believe. He's a great hip-hop DJ that turns out large crowds (he opened for Lupe Fiasco in Bloomington recently). So maybe those who feel like sardines here would do better to go during the week. A decent-looking and young crowd turn out strong on Thursdays--and during ND games! read more

The proximity of Coaches to Bankers Life will surely make it one of our pre-concert watering holes going forward. We met up with some dear friends for exactly this purpose before the Janet Jackson concert. They had several local and regional beers on tap and some decent music playing overhead. I kept looking for a TouchTunes machine, but never found one. Now as I read some other Yelper's reviews, I see that they host hip hop nights, I realize that we're going to have to go back and check that out! read more