Get the St. Elmo experience on a budget
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I have a confession. Until last week, I'd never been to St. Elmo Steak House.
Why it matters: It's undeniably an Indianapolis landmark and consistently included in national roundups of iconic restaurants.
The big picture: It's pretty pricey — the steak entrees that most people go there for will set you back anywhere from $45 to a whopping $150 per person and that doesn't include drinks, salad or appetizers.
- As someone who has never really been into steak (even when I ate meat), it didn't seem worth it, but I still felt like I was missing out on a piece of the Indianapolis experience.
Enter: The happy hour menu.
- When happy hour drink specials became legal again in Indiana this summer, St. Elmo was one of many local restaurants to roll out new food and drink specials.
- Theirs includes $5 off all wines by the glass, certain specialty cocktails, $3 off draft beers, $3 oysters, $5 chips and salsa and $5 off the bar menu price for grilled bacon, wings, calamari and spinach dip.
💭 My thought bubble: My goal was to get the St. Elmo experience for under $30 (before tax and tip).
- While the bar menu is available in the bar area and upstairs in the 1933 Lounge, I grabbed a stool at the large wooden bar for the best old school steakhouse vibes.
- I ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc ($9 happy hour price), the warm spinach dip ($10 happy hour price) and a fried shrimp slider off the bar menu — the perfect little sandwich, which came with a side of St. Elmo's signature horseradish-packed cocktail sauce, for just $6.
- A delightful meal and experience for $25.
Here are three more menu suggestions for using the bar menu and happy hour prices to eat at St. Elmo without breaking the bank.
👯♀️ Take a friend and split the warm spinach dip ($5/each) and 10 oysters ($15/each). You each still have $10 left for a drink, which covers a draft beer, many of the signature cocktails and half the wine list.
- Cost $30/person
🐙 Or, start with the calamari ($6.50/person), then split the Asian lollypop wings ($8.50/person) and the chopped BLT salad from the bar menu ($6.50/person). Pair it with a $10 margarita.
- Cost: $31.50/person
🍽️ If you're dining solo, start with the $5 chips and salsa then, off the bar menu, order the two sliders with mac and cheese for $17.
- Slider choices are: wagyu with brie, filet or fried shrimp.
- Cost: $22 and you'll still have room in the budget for a beer with happy hour prices.
If you go: 127 S. Illinois St.
- Happy hour is from 4-6pm Monday through Thursday.
- Pro tip: I'd recommend going on the early side — the bar fills up fast after 5pm.