July 10th, 2007 By Justin Williams
Open Thread: Best Local Evansville Restaurant
For this week’s Open Thread let’s focus on local restaurants. What’s your favorite local restaurant? I’m not talking about chain restaurants that have the same boring flavor here as they do in Des Moines, Iowa. I’m talking about the Turonis’, Firefly’s and Yen Ching’s of Evansville.
What’s your favorite and why?
Use this open thread to discuss it in the comments.
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We have a review of Angelo’s scheduled to go up Monday.
For several years now, we have had dinner out once a month with two other couples. The only rule – we can’t visit the same place twice.
Some of our favorites:
Firefly – went there last month. The menu was different for the area and the food was very good. I had the crayfish etouffe and it was really, really good. The service wasn’t great, but we tend to go for a long, leisurely meal so that gave her a bit of a bye.
Lorenzo’s – It’s always good.
Cavanaugh’s – I’ve never had a bad meal there. The French onion soup is to die for.
Jimmy Jeng’s and Ma T (that new place, subtitled China Bistro). We pulled up to the outside of Ma T and thought we had made a mistake and picked a buffet type, trashy place. But once inside, we found the decor to be very nice. The food was good and had some really fascinating garnishes (like a butterfly made out of carrots).
There are others – but these stick out in my mind as some of the really good, non-chain places that we have enjoyed.
Jimmy Jeng’s is excellent. Yen Ching previously hold the crown in my mind, but the service and the food there beats it hands down.
Ma T 888 China Bistro is good too, but not amazing.
Angelo’s is great too, best Italian in town.
I don’t understand why Justin likes Acapulco… it just doesn’t have much flavor. I didn’t like it the first time I went there, and I’ve gone back several times, trying different things every time. Haven’t liked it yet. Los Bravos or El Charo, or La Cabana are much better.
Madeline’s is excellent, I’d eat there more often if I could stomach the cost. I’d say it’s on par with nice restaurants in bigger cities… too bad Evansville has only one of them.
Oooooo I love Acapulcos, I think the quality of their food is much higher than Bravos and Charo. Though I’ve yet to go to Cabana it’s on my list for you all. Of course that’s not to say I dislike Bravos or Charo, I think they are fantastic. But Acapulcos is just a notch up there for me.
I haven’t yet tried Madeline’s but it’s definitely on my list, I can’t wait!
Madeleine’s
Jimmy Jeng’s
1st Ave Diner (breakfast and burgers)
Knotty Pine for meat and three
Smitty’s for pizza
Coffee Cottage (near UE on Weinbach) for pastries
Tin Fish for crabcakes
El Rio on N. Green River
Kanpai, Nagasaki & Iwataya (all great)
Firefly
Gerst Haus
and Stockwell Inn for anything fried
Dilegge’s is the best place for italian! Their lasagna is amazing, and the prices are decent too.
Fresh Harvest Deli (located downtown) is really good for lunch. I always get the green salad (the dressing is so good you will want to drink it) and chicken salad duo. They always have fresh salads to choose from, soups, and subs. My co-workers and I have lunch there about twice a week!
Other favorites include: Gerst Haus, Turoni’s, Yen Cheng, and Cavanaugh’s.
I don’t know where to start. A lot of people are quick to criticize Evansville’s selection of restaurants, but I’ve lived in and have been to worse cities and towns. The best place for Chinese is Jimmy Jeng’s Szechwan. To me personally, Yen Ching is just slightly above average. The Chopstick House isn’t too bad, but the last few times I’ve been there the service was sub-par. In my opinion, we have a nice handful of good Italian places. A personal favorite is Milano’s on Main Street. My fiancé and I go there every once in a while on Saturday evenings to enjoy a nice quiet dinner and a glass of wine. They have great service and a nice quiet atmosphere. You usually can’t go wrong with Biaggi’s, and Angelo’s is certainly one of the best. A lot of people aren’t big fans of Pasta Grill, but I think it’s an above average restaurant. I especially enjoy eating there when they have live jazz (usually Friday nights). As far as pizza is concerned, I’m partial to Deerhead and Turoni’s. Roca Bar is good too as long as you visit the original on South Kentucky Ave. I have not had any luck with the Newburgh location. And you can’t forget the strombolis at Pizza King. But again, I have not had very good luck with the Newburgh location. El Charro and Los Bravos top my list for Mexican. I have yet to try La Cabana, but numerous people have told me that is the best place to go for an authentic Mexican meal. I’ll just throw a few other “miscellaneous” places out there: GD Ritzy’s is good for fast food and they also have good salads. The Hickory Stop (across from Bosse Field) is a good place for old-fashioned BBQ. It’s just a hole in the wall, and the “locals” may stare at you when you first walk in, but the good BBQ is worth the trip. Overall, I think Evansville has a great selection of restaurants.
Ok, let’s face it, it is extremely difficult to find true fine-dining in Evansville. I have dined at some top notch restaurants in larger cities, and it’s frustrating trying to find something comparable here. Anyway, here’s my list:
STEAK: This is frustrating, because you really cannot get a prime steak here—F’s in Newburgh is generally consistent, and the service has always been decent, or better. Cork used to be my top choice, BUT their quality has drastically gone to hell in the last year! Cavanaughs can be great, but I’ve also had really bad cuts there as well.
SEAFOOD: Probably Madeleins, but I agree with Brian Buxton—the service can be absolutely horrendous! I have NEVER had good service there, and refuse to go back!
SUSHI: You have to try Zuki (where Wasabi used to be). I believe they have the freshest sushi I’ve had here lately.
KOREAN: Jayas, hands down—ALWAYS GOOD!
CHINESE: Jimmy Jeng’s Szechwan
MEXICAN: LaCabana is the best! El Rio is a close second.
PIZZA: Roca Bar and Deerhead. Sportsden isn’t bad either
ITALIAN: This is tough—-either Angelos or Dilegges. Biaggi’s absolutely sucks, and the service is worse than the food!
I just recently moved here from Chicago and quickly realized that
Evansville is not exactally a treasure trove of fine dining, however it does have some hidden treasures for those who are willing to do some searching. The following are some of my personal favorites…
Chineese: Jimmy Jeng’s Schezuaun
Sushi: I like Iwataya , but have been told that Zuki is exceptional
Seafood and Steak: Tin Fish downtown in the Riverhouse Hotel
Korean: Jaya’s
Pizza: Little Italy or Deerhead
Italian: I have eaten at DiLegges, Biaggi’s, and Angelo’s and found the food to be ok at best. Shame because I love Italian food
Mexican: El Rio on Green River Rd
Contempory Fine Dining: Madelines
My son called tonight asking for suggestions for where to take his girlfriend after he proposes this coming Saturday. He asked about Angelo’s, Haub House, Edgewater Grille & Western Ribeye. Are there other quite spots around? Her out-of-town parents will join us for a surprise celebratory meal after he pops the question. (It’s also her birthday & all of us have never met.) I need suggestions QUICK!
During evening hours…I might suggest Angelo’s or The Jungle…both are downtown on Main Street and quiet…nice atmosphere in both and away from all of the traffic and noise.
I really like Angelo’s, it’s a quiet and nice atmosphere, though nothing fancy–I’d say it’s more casual-nice. You know, wear something appropriate to look nice. The food is great.
Milano’s is also downtown, it’s pretty good Italian also, I haven’t been in quite a while, but I believe the restaurant is smaller than Angelo’s, and has that dark-nice-quiet atmosphere to it
I have never been to Madeline’s, but you may want to look it up to see how you’d like it. That is also downtown, but since I’ve never been there I’m not sure if that’s a proposal type of place–though looking at the website it seems to be a very very nice place! ( http://www.madeleinesfusion.com/ )
I would stay clear of Haubs simply b/c the food is good, but it’s just not a romantic atmosphere and is is decorated in a really old fashioned way. Western Ribeye just seems to be a place completely inappropriate for a proposal.
The Edgewater is a choice, a few years ago I was there on Valentines Day and saw a proposal happen. The food is just average though, pizza is great, but nothing there is too special.
My vote is Angelo’s and Madeline’s (I bet at madeline’s he could call for the reservation and say that he will be proposing there and ask for an appropriate table and wine/champaign)
(let us know how it goes!)
I absolutely love to eat at privately owned restaurants. I recently moved here from louisville. There were tons of great places to go and spend some quality time with friends and enjoy a good meal. On the other hand, Evansville has very few really good private restaurants. There are a few such as madelines, Firefly and probably the best privately owned, Turoni’s. I have many friends who have worked for Madelines. They were good employees who moved on to better jobs. This brings me to my point. Tim Mills has made sure that finding a good job is almost impossible. He recently had someone fired from their job at a separate company because they had previously worked for him. This is wrong. Does he not have enough money. Tim Mills thinks he owns this town because he now 2 restaurants. I say boycott him. If you really knew what he paid his employees or where he gets his Asian spring rolls for madelines. $7 for 4(Sams Club, 100 for $10). Lets not let someone with such disregard for the community have free run. Please check out my information, you will be surprised at what you find about Tim Mills, and how much he doesn’t care about people or the city of Evansville.
Flavor if India is one of my favorites in Evansville. If you’ve never had Indian food, give their buffet a try–that’s how I got attached to this place. Good service, nice people and really great food.
Always loved Franco’s, too!
We went to Angelo’s to “Meet the Parents” last Saturday night after my son popped the question earlier that day at a special spot. Service was GREAT! Food was just okay – not extra special, but certainly above average. In the end, the event went the way he had hoped – she said “yes” and all the in-laws/out-laws like each other! Thanks for the tips, Chanda
@jeff, I used to eat Indian food fairly often when I was at school in Bloomington, and have been wanting to give this place a try
@Chanda–glad everything went great! I’m sure it is all exciting!
It was great to read through peoples comments on the best restaurants in Evansville. As Chef de Cusine at Flyte World Dining and Wine Restaurant in Nashville, it is good to see what peoples idea about good food is. I am a native Evansvillian who would love to open a place back home and this is giving me a better idea about the food scene there. Looks exactly like I was thinking it would. Keep your eyes peeled for something in the next year or two….
Prost!
Blake Kollker
Blakekollker.com
Moved from E-ville to Indy in 2003-
YOU guys don’t know what you have in Pizza King West Stroms, Hickory Pit Barbecue, Dogtown Fiddlers, etc.
Can’t wait to get back home when I retire.
I recently had Thai Chow – It was amazing food. The owner is so great, she runs the place by herself. Service isn’t great, but it is definitely a great time and the best Thai food ever
If you want the BEST and I mean BEST steak you have EVER had, make the drive to Ft. Branch and order the Delmonico at Gemeca Inn. Around $17 I believe but worth every penny. Haub’s isn’t even in the same league. I have eaten steak all over the world and I am telling you, if you have never been there, try it, you will be shocked how good this steak is!!
If you haven’t tried it yet, Thai Cuisine on the East side (Virginia and Burkhardt, next to the License Branch) is very good! Their service has had its ups and downs since they opened, but the food has always been great. The spring roll appetizers are handmade and are fabulous!!
I strongly disagree with Diane about Thai Cuisine. My husband and I love Thai, and have eaten it often in other cities. We both ordered Spicy Thai Rice at lunchtime, it was absolutely HORRID. We couldn’t eat it. We went to the register, told them it was unacceptable, they charged us $18.00, yes $18.00 for LUNCH, we left, went to Yen Ching and had a delightful lunch.
I feel we were totally ripped off, we should NEVER had to pay $18.00 for something we couldn’t eat!
Go Yen Ching! I love the owners, staff, and food at Yen Ching
Yen Ching is one of my favorites as well. I personally think that it’s the second best Chinese restaurant in Evansville (behind Jimmy Jeng’s). The food at Yen Ching is great, the atmosphere is superb, and their service is second to none. As far as Thai food goes, I love it, but have only found palatable Thai food in larger cities. There is a decent Thai restaurant over in Louisville, but I have to admit that I can’t think of the name of it off hand. I have not yet tried the “Thai Cuisine” on the east side, as I have heard mixed reactions about it and the handful of people whom I know that have been there have said that it was only average at best.
Thai Cuisine has been absolutely wonderful every time I’ve gone…. and I’ve been taking friends and family frequently since they opened. It’s so nice FINALLY having a decent Thai place that isn’t a 2 hour drive away.
Their Spring Rolls are the best I’ve ever had… EVER. Pad Thai, amazing. Mango and Sticky Rice delicious.
They’ve got really great Lunch Specials now, too!
I don’t eat Thai (or SE Asian food…some flavor they use just doesn’t sit well), but I’ve always heard the Thai place of 4th Street in Bloomington is great. That street, 4th street had some pretty killer restaurants, I loved Bombay House (Indian), Anatolia’s (Turkish), Dats (Cajun/Creole, just off 4th), Cafe et Crepe, and of course Casablanca Cafe (Moroccan)
I have been madeline’s a couple of times lately. Poor service and very high prices. It is not worth the money. Neighborhood is very dark. I did not feel very safe in the area.
Madeline’s may have opened with a big splash…fusion cuisine in a renovated historical district house, new daily menu with a snobbish wine list (read expensive) etc. But after the big splash, Madeline’s has settled into just another hyped, over-priced, short on delivery place. The last and final dining visit for me was last September. A group of ten business associates and I had reason to celebrate a milestone. Someone from the group suggested Madeline’s for our “special occasion” celebration. Three of us ordered Red Snapper from the evening menu. Once the food was served and the conversations quieted, it occurred to all three of us, the Red Snapper was, in fact, something else. We couldn’t identify the fish we were served, but we all agreed it was not Red Snapper. We decided for the sake of not holding up the group meal any longer, to go ahead and accept what we had been served. We also agreed it would be our last visit. This was an example of “bait and switch.” It was also an insult to the average Madeline’s customer. It was as if Madeline’s staff was saying, “let’s not tell them it’s not Red Snapper and they’ll never know the difference.”
I believe the consensus here, and in general with everyone I know that has dined at this “wannabe” big city restaurant, has left with a feeling of discontent. The food (depending on the evening) is average at best, but priced comparably with Mortons, Ruths Chris, or Oceanaire. This is still Evansville, not Indy or Chicago;therefore the pricing should reflect that, right?
As far as the “bait and switch” I agree. My wife ordered a “filet” and it was definitely not a fliet. Since it was her Birthday, I refrained from commenting. Listen, the owners are extremely unfriendly, the staff is horrendous, and it’s just a matter of time before the people of Evansville send this jerk out of town for his next failure!!! Too bad, because the place did have a cool concept, and could’ve been a place I would’ve enjoyed dining at. It’s obvious that the owners insult the intelligence of their patrons!
The old switch is exactly what happened to us. I have heard nothing but bad things about Mr. Mills and how he treats people. What goes around comes around. Just a matter of time before he closes his doors. SWIRCA used them last year for a large fundraiser. The food was from Sam’s and he took advantage of them on the pricing.
My experience with Thai Cuisine on the east side has been wonderful every time I’ve been. Try the Pork Satay for an appetizer and the Pad Thai. Joe, the owner, is really great and makes personal contact with his customers.
Blake Kolleker come back and bring with u experience, vision, creative, fresh quality food and u will make a killing in this town
I have recently moved to the area. My wife and I have been dining at Madeleine’s since late last year. I find Madeleine’s to be if world class restaurant, one Evansville sould be proud of. I have also met the owner/ chef and his wife. They have been most accomodating. It is the only place in the city to get a Prime cut of beef and I have found the seafood to be fresh anf flavorful. As far as pricing, Madeleine’s is priced like any bistro style restaurant that serves fresh, quality food. I find the wine list to be priced about the same as local package stores. Where can you get a $100.00 bottle of wine for under $45.00? Madeleine’s has my favorite wine Cyrus for $65.00, we were at a restaurant in Indy last week and the same bottle was $125.00. Madeleine’s Thank you for being in Evansville.
Zuki for Sushi. Hands down! I could probably just stop with Zuki. I could eat their everyday. Hibachi or Sushi. Everything is fantastic!
Sandy’s for Pizza. (Fort Branch) Go on Wednesday Nights for Smorgasbord!!
G.D. Ritzy’s for salads & ice cream and the occasional burger.
Cheeseburger in Paradise for the Pressed Burger & Signature Pina Colada.
Mandarin Garden or Yen Ching for Chinese. Depends on my mood. I must say though, I’ve NEVER had a bad meal at Mandarin Garden.
And as far as steak goes…I’ve not yet had the BEST steak in Evansville. Longhorn & Logan’s are always good, but chains of course.
But the absolute BEST are grilled up in my backyard :)
Madeleine’s is a joke. It’s just a place for the “elite” people in Evansville/Evansville proper(read Newburgh) to be seen and say they have been to. Exclusion by pricing. I’ve been there on business meetings/meals, and it was mediocre at best. I remember the desserts tasting like the kind I could get from my local Schwan’s delivery man.
Back on point.
Evansville has a few good gems of places to eat. You just have to be willing to possibly try something different, and get out of your comfort zone a little.
Ma T’s has been a hit everytime I’ve gone, as well as Thai Cuisine. I just recently have eaten at Taj Mahal at the lunch buffet, and was impressed with the food. I’m excited that the diversity in Evansville restaurants is growing a little.
I’m also glad I found this place to read up on Angelo’s. The wife and I may venture out to dinner there tonight.
I’m surprised a lot of people haven’t really hit on BBQ. If you want good food, try Marx out on the west side. Also Wilson’s just a bit west of USI. Both good BBQ places, and friendly people too.
What about good breakfast places? Any suggestions? I'm visiting Evansville next week for a job interview.
For those of you that think Thai Cuisine is good food, I would assume that you’ve never eaten authentic Thai? This place is a joke, and a generic replica of true, authentic Thai restaurants. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there are NO authentic Thai restaurants in Eville!