6120 Thompson Road
Guinness Tag: $7.00 | Overall Rating: 3.85
A lot of folks look at Indianapolis on a map and say that it's just a lame cornfield full of boring white people. I look at it as a blue-collar city filled with decent history, a little bit of architecture, and hardworking chaps. There are some pockets and things about the city that are quite bland however, and Murphy's falls into that category. Whenever you see an Irish Pub on the corner of a strip mall then your expectations immediately turn into "this can't possibly be very authentic". Well, Murphy's sits on the corner of a strip mall, and it surely isn't very authentic.
The best time to grab a pint or a Reuben here is during the early evening. It's a good gathering hole for the after-work crowd. Don't get the wrong idea; you can still have a good time and meet some lovely people. The bartenders are very kind and the for the most part, the demographics of the place seem rather engaging. They pour a rather lousy pint of Guinness that will come with a fruit fly or two, but the whiskey selection is surprisingly above par. The prices all around are typical, although for the area and overall return on your money, the Guinness could probably be placed a dollar cheaper (but hey, opinions are like bung holes, everyone has one).
They offer live music; however, we can't tell you if the local artists are any good, so you'll have to find that out for yourself (and let us know, of course)! There's a "Big Murph Challenge", which gives you the opportunity to purchase a 1lb cheeseburger. If you finish the entire burger then guess what? You win... bragging rights. Wooh!
The interior of the place is very plain Jane. You'll find more drywall than decor, and the decor that you will find appear to be from Hobby Lobby. To each their own, but sometimes when you go into a Pub and see money spent on useless stuff you think "why did the owner do that when they could have used that money to 'better up' their other problems?" For instance, behind the bar you'll see a big lit up Murphy's sign. That sign probably cost at least $500 and in return you have a very commercial looking sign that you'd find outside of an Applebee's. Instead, the owner could have paid a retired lady down the street $50 bucks to paint or craft a fun looking sign that would not only have more charm than the $500 sign, but also come with a fun little story attached to it. The owner could then use that $450 in savings to purchase some authentic signage for the walls or on quite literally anything else. But hey; that's just our bung hole of an opinion).
The furniture in here is also very generic. It's the type of furniture you'll find in every basic restaurant that doesn't care about providing any charm or uniqueness to its guests. The owners and the staff appear to be hard working and lovely people, so it's too bad to leave a few harsh statements. Sometimes the truth hurts. Murphy's is the prime example of "if you build it, they'll come". It's just a boring restaurant with TVs that offers all of the basics for people to congregate before heading home for the night. There's nothing wrong with running a business like that; if that's feeding your family then by all means; more power to you! However, if you enter your establishment into the Irish Pub scene, then you can't get mad at someone for comparing you to every other Irish Pub in the world. With that being said, it would be insulting to a place such as The Dead Rabbit in NYC to even put them in the same sentence as Murphy's in Indiana.
Come here to watch sports and have a few laughs with the locals if you're in the area. Do not go out of your way to get here though and definitely don't visit this place if you're seeking some true Irish culture.
Thanks anyway, Murphy. Good luck to you and we truly wish you success as the years pass by. Slainte!
Comments