Scratch kitchen
Market Street Grill
The downtown room people book when the meal is the point. Made from scratch, which is both the reason to come and the reason to arrive early.
Market Street Grill has been the downtown restaurant in Wabash for decades — a historic Market Street building, a bar along one side, and a kitchen that makes things itself rather than opening bags. It is the most-reviewed sit-down room in town after the Old Kettle, and the reviews are unusually consistent about two things: the steaks, and the staff.
What to order
The steaks get called the best in the county with enough regularity that it stops sounding like local pride. Beyond that: the crab cakes have a following, the breaded tenderloin is the Indiana benchmark done properly, and the pecan chicken turns up in review after review. Steak on a stick is the thing people order when they can't decide.
At lunch there is a serve-yourself bar that rotates through hot dishes — a taco bar one day, sliders or wings another — and comes with soup and salad included. It is a genuinely good deal and the fastest way to eat here.
If you have a ticket
Three minutes on foot to the Honeywell Center, which makes this the obvious pre-show dinner and also means everyone else has the same idea. Sit down around 5:15 for a 7:30 curtain and make a reservation. A scratch kitchen at full capacity is not a place to be checking your watch.
The alfredo is the one dish that draws mixed notices. Order the steaks, the crab cakes, or the tenderloin and you will understand why the room is full.
Worth knowing
- Closed Sunday and Monday — check this against your show date before you plan around it.
- Lunch and dinner are separate services with a gap between; the kitchen closes at 2 and reopens at 5.
- Reservations are accepted and are a good idea on any night with something on the marquee.