DAISY BAR, Jon Carlos Rangel’s newest, most ambitious food-and-drinks endeavor on the west end of the Factory Arts District, was more than ready for business when it opened this September. The longtime La Margarita co-owner conceived of the spot almost a decade ago, imagining the bright, colorful space and welcoming vibe as he previewed the menu at pop-ups. But unforeseen challenges and construction delays pushed the opening date months later than planned. “Countless days, I’d drive by hoping to see a truck in the lot or some contractors working inside,” Rangel says. “Even the smallest bit of progress gave me hope.”
Rangel’s persistence with the project, which he describes as a convivial, modern take on the great American diner, has definitely paid off. The slender, funky layout with a spacious patio opens onto the intersection of Mass Ave and 10th Street, part of the ever-evolving Factory Arts complex. The cheery decor, with a distinctive blue and yellow, flower and leopard logo and vibrant framed tapestries, was overseen by local creative studio Guide & Anchor, with as many local artisans as Rangel could get to contribute. Custom lamps are from KG Clay Co., and a menu board is from nearby Jamie Locke Art. By almost every measure, Daisy Bar feels like the anchor restaurant of a developing arts community.
Two notable chefs oversee Daisy Bar’s kitchen: La Margarita’s Kirk Engledow handles lunch, while Andy Herrin (Delicia, Rook) is on deck for dinner. The menus are connected by Rangel’s longstanding commitment to fresh, scratch-made dishes with quality components. Salads, sandwiches, and snacks, as well as a quartet of breakfast options, marry daytime comfort with polish, demonstrated beautifully in a two-patty burger enriched with deeply caramelized onions, Wisconsin sharp American cheese, and a tangy Daisy sauce, accompanied with audibly crackly fries with a feather-soft interior owing to an initial blanch and then two trips to the fryer. Engledow’s take on the East Coast–style chopped cheese is lighter than expected with Korean-inspired bulgogi, a judicious amount of melted cheese, and candied chiles on a hoagie roll. Could the roll be a bit softer? Sure, but it’s a lunch you won’t soon forget. A generous mound of pimento cheese with several slices of house focaccia is another good bet, as are salads, including a breadcrumb-dusted romaine preparation with a restrained buttermilk and blue cheese dressing.
Evening offerings fuse small plate and family-style dining. Sturdy yet fluffy savory churros come mingled with flaked Verlasso salmon and a cooling, oniony creme fraiche. “Birria” mandu, Korean style dumplings in a bold soy consommé, are filled with ground pork, not the expected beef or lamb. Horstmann’s expanding options for Indy’s vegetarians include heirloom carrots alchemized into some pretty tasty “pastrami,” as well as a plate of the season’s best tomatoes grilled and dressed up with sour cream, pickled onions, and a mild salsa macha. Omnivores would do well to split his hearty South-meets-South-Asia platter of confit pork jowl in a cinnamon-forward tikka masala with airy house naan, crunchy pickles, and a raita-like cream sauce.
For a finish or afternoon pick-me-up, the familiar ricotta doughnut gets welcome updates with not-too-sweet brown butter apple curd and a grating of caramelized Gjetost cheese. And a small set of well-shaken cocktails with oversight from longtime La Margarita manager Luke Schneider includes the Frooty Buffalo, mingling whiskey with mango and passionfruit, and the delightfully vegetal Windsor Sling with gin, mezcal, celery bitters, and punchy poblano liqueur.
The 12-hour-a-day, seven-day schedule means Daisy Bar seeks foot traffic for more than meals. “I’m picturing work-from-home folks hanging with a coffee or a cocktail and their laptop,” Rangel says, “but I also hope we’re special enough for a celebration.” Those in the neighborhood and the city who watched Rangel’s ideas percolate over the last few years are definitely celebrating.
1125 Massachusetts Ave.
317-390-4002
Hours
Mon-Sun,
10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Vibe
New wave diner
Tasting Notes
Funky, fashion-forward all-day dining and hangout space with dolled-up comfort classics at lunch and globally inspired small plates and family-style suppers at night
Neighborhood
Windsor Park
Must-Order
A generous, not-too-sloppy chopped cheese with candied chiles; light-as-air savory churros with flaked salmon and French onion creme fraiche; a family-style plate of pork belly with a tikka masala sauce and house naan; tender, rich ricotta doughnuts with sweet apple curd and a dusting of grated Gjetost cheese
