Our hours here at 115 E. 49th St. are...

Tuesday - Wednesday
11:00am - 7:00pm

Thursday - Saturday
11:00am - 2:30pm (Lunch)

Thursday - Saturday
5:30pm - 9:00pm (Dinner)

Sunday - Monday
Closed

Woof.

Reviews

Many thanks to Jolene Katzenberger for the kind words in the Indianapolis Star...check it out at www.indystar.com

And here is the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine revisit article from June 2010...

The Barking Dog Cafe has us begging for more.

THE SHADED STREETS of the MeridianKessler neighborhood invite leisurely, aimless summer strolls, but we recommend you make The Barking Dog Cafe a destination. Tucked just off the busy intersection of 49th and Penn, chefs/owners Jeff and Mary Beth Gahimer's breezy spot has done a brisk carry-out dinner service since. it relocated from City Market in 2007, but extended hours now give diners a reason to pull up a chair and linger.

Lunches of soups, salads, and sandwiches have long been a draw-the clam chowder is practically famous, and last winter's beer-cheddar soup, made with Newcastle ale, is destined to follow in its footsteps. The lobster roll, when available, is another oft-touted favorite, and salads, with fresh fruits, tangy cheeses, and all sorts of other goodies, are among the best we've tried anywhere.

But the real rewards for exploring this tiny cafe come during the dinner hour. The Frenchbistro-inspired menu changes monthly but always includes simple preparations and a dose of the Gahimers' quirky wit: Halibut early this spring was served sauteed and dressed with a basic lemon cream sauce but also wore thin potato slices arranged to look like fish scales.

Other days, dishes come served with "bark lard"-housecured bacon. No matter the offerings, it's a good deal: Each entree costs less than $30 and includes an amuse bouche (chicken "lollipops"with honey-chipotle glaze, for instance) and a house salad.

If you want an appetizer, go with the buffalo shrimp cocktail, served with cleverly sliced celery coated in creamy bleu cheese, but save room for desserts, which Mary Beth makes from scratch daily. The giant chocolate-chip cookie receives the most buzz, butwe put away more than a couple of slices of the strawberry-rhubarb pie that was a menu regular this spring.

The Gahimers' love of warmer climes peeks through in occasional themed dishes, like the Life's ABeach sandwich (with red onion, goat cheese, avocado, and sprouts) and a Caribbean-themed menu each March, which this year included a mild and tangy jerk chicken over sweet-potato risono, and crispy coconut shrimp.

Normally swift service slows a bit when the 45-seat dining room fills, as it does most weekend evenings, so have another drink and kick back. Which brings us to another important point: Without a liquor license, the place is fully BYO, including glassware and tools. Look at the latest menu online, grab a bottle from the cellar, and make it a gourmet evening on the cheap. -BETH A. CLAYTON

The Barking Dog Cafe 115 E. 49th St., 924-2233 Hours Tues.-Wed. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thurs.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2;30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m. Closed Sun. and Mon. Recommended Halibut. buffalo shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, beer-cheddar soup, strawberry-rhubarb pie.

What a neighborhood place should be

A barking dog in the neighborhood can be a pain in the arf. Then again, if you live around the cozy intersection of 49th and Pennsylvania on the city's Northside, you probably don't mind the pooch at all.

That's because The Barking Dog Cafe, 115 E. 49th St., is the kind of place that makes a neighborhood sing. It's little, tucked around the corner from a gas station - blink as you go by and you'll miss it - but for those who know what they're looking for, it does exactly what a neighborhood place should: serve up reasons to slow down and savor.

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The Hungry Hoosier

There is much I love about the land-locked Midwest but I must admit that I am often envious of my friends who live on the coasts. If someone held a gun to my head and told me I must move to a U.S. coast and that I must choose between the east and west, I think I would head east and most likely to the northeast - New England. One of the compelling reasons for turning right instead of left would be, of course, the food.

Fortunately, Barking Dog Cafe brings some of that upper east coast cuisine right here to the heartland so I don't have to pack up my family and move. Owners/Chefs Mary Beth and Jeff Gahimer bring us the best of New England cuisine and my favorite of their offerings is their rolls - lobster, shrimp, and scallop rolls. These are the kinds of sandwiches you find at roadside stands in places like Nantucket and other seaside communities on the northern part of the east coast.

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