Dining Out: Kokomo Alehouse (Kokomo, IN)

This is an electric candle/styrofoam cup kind of place

 Exterior: 4/5

It's definitely a vibe

Kokomo Alehouse is located in the little formerly-industrial strip of Home Avenue that's slowly starting to get gentrified with new restaurants. Now, the slowness of that process means that the restaurant is conveniently located next to a blown-out factory. I'm not saying that's the worst thing in the world. It's kind of romantic in an urban decay sort of medium. And in the midst of all that the Alehouse has built an appealing, well-kept facade with fun lighting and an attractive outdoor eating area for the warmer months. 

Ambience: 4/5

Looking toward the bar

Darts, and I'm thinking this is also the stage where they have their live music on the weekends

The decor in Kokomo Alehouse is an interesting combination of Dive Bar and Cottagecore Kitsch with country music featured on the jukebox. There's ample seating both at the bar and in the dining area as well as comfortable spaces to play darts and pool. Everything looks new and clean. The restaurant functions as an event space, too, because it brings in bands fairly often which is a nice addition to the list of Kokomo Things to Do. The clientele was a lot of older folks in hoodies, some of whom seemed to be there to drink their troubles away (which I suppose makes sense per the dive bar part of the vibe). I saw one person of color in the whole crowd. 

Variety: 3/5

Oh yes, THIS I can get behind

This not so much

The Alehouse is trying to do interesting things within its pub food niche. Our server told us that they're famous for their pizza and wings, although we didn't try those because we were all feeling like red meat on that particular evening. They feature a handful of different pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers as well as a cocktail list that I got excited about before I remembered that it was the end of the month and I couldn't get super spendy. (I would love to try that Cinnamon Toast Crunch drink, though.) My partner is a craft beer snob and we were geared up to sample from their draft list, but it ended up being IPA heavy and that's not my beery happy place. (The draft list was also hard to see from the dining area.) There's enough variety here that if you like standard pub food you'll be content, but if you're looking for something more creative you might be scrutinizing the menu for a while.

Quality: 2/5

Appetizer Sampler with fried pickles, mushrooms, banana [pepper] rings, and onion rings

Jackrabbit Burger

Authentic Brisket Tacos

Honestly we were disappointed with what we ordered. The burgers and tacos were all dry, although the tacos did come with au jus for dipping. Our appetizer platter was standard greasy-fried flavors with the exception of the fried mushrooms, which were fantastic and we were fighting over them. My Jackrabbit Burger (one of the many happily Kokomo-themed items on the menu) was constructed like a Juicy Lucy with jalapenos and cheese stuffed in the middle of the patty, which resulted in a burger with bland edges and then BLAMO! heat in the center. The portions were generous, I have to say: I got two meals out of my burger and tater tots. I can't say I had a super great time eating those meals, though.

Kid-Friendly: 1/5

Hours of baby fun

The picky kid managed to find sustenance through a plain burger and waffle fries

I had read reviews of the Alehouse that said it was kid-friendly, and our server indicated that other folks had brought their kids in to enjoy the pizza, etc. If had known about the vibe ahead of time, though, I probably wouldn't have brought them with. There were no high chairs, no kids' menu, and because the kitchen staff seemed overtaxed the food took a long time to arrive. This wouldn't be a problem if we'd been there to drink beers and yuck it up, but with whiny kids in tow things got a little tense at our table. The let's-get-wasted portion of the crowd was a little intense for kiddos, which I didn't anticipate because we went at like 6pm.  

Would Eat Again?: Yellow Light

I was going to give this joint a red light, but my partner pointed out that it would be a just-fine place to go get silly drunk and not care about the quality of your burger. If that's your goal, this is your place. (Just get a babysitter if you have littles.) I would also go back for those fried mushrooms. That said, I went there expecting creative brewpub sorts of foods but ended up eating dive bar stuff and then paying brewpub prices. I wonder if the Alehouse started out trying for one vibe and then ended up falling into another based around the folks who showed up to enjoy it. I'm happy that Kokomo got a clean dive and fun entertainment venue out of this place, but I hope it gets a chance to step up in other ways and live out its potential.