Popular Pies & Pints Restaurant Opens First Indiana Location In Carmel
Photographer: Brian Brosmer
A new Carmel restaurant is encouraging patrons to come and “get some.”
Pies & Pints officially opened its doors in Carmel on August 13, and they’ve been busy ever since. If you haven’t heard of the restaurant, it has quite a popular following in the Midwest and the south. The pizza pubs started in the basement of a bike shop in Fayetteville, West Virginia in 2003. Since then, the company has grown at an accelerated rate — opening restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and Alabama.
The Carmel location is Pies & Pints’ very first in Indiana, and the company is ecstatic to finally be in the Hoosier state. The new restaurant is located in Clay Terrace next to Starbucks.
“Carmel seems to be growing, and as it grows it is looking for unique restaurants like Pies & Pints to add for the community,” says Director of Operations Christopher Warner. “Clay Terrace has been a great fit for us. With Carmel, we felt that we were going into a great market. The people here are friendly and seem happy. We are very excited to be here in Indiana now and bring our concept to people who have never heard of Pies & Pints.”
The restaurant’s concept sounds simple — pizza and beer. Still, Pies & Pints sets itself apart from other pizza pubs by delivering unique recipes and specialty pies that have won awards over the years. They also make sure to provide local craft beers at each of their locations.
Some of their specialty pies include Grape & Gorgonzola, Sriracha Shrimp, Thai, Chicken Gouda, Cuban Pork and many more.
“We focus very strongly on quality, legendary customer service and really cool facilities,” Warner says. “We take something that is very familiar to everyone — pizza and beer — and we add our own twist to it. We look for unique toppings on our pizzas that people absolutely love. We are very conscious about the menu items and quality of the ingredients. We don’t slack on the quality.”
Other menu options include house pies where you pick and choose your own ingredients, Char-grilled Hot Wings marinated in sriracha hot sauce and served with creamy Gorgonzola for dipping, Pork & Pepper Nachos, salads, sandwiches and more.
Unlike chain restaurants that typically open the same layout for all their locations, Pies & Pints gives a different look and feel to every one of their locations. The Carmel restaurant includes a rustic look with exposed wood and brick that ties in well to Clay Terrace. The Carmel location also includes wood in the bar design, garage doors that can be opened in warm weather and an outside patio.
Warner says that is by design. The company wants each of their restaurants to have an atmosphere that the community recognizes and enjoys.
“We don’t take the same blueprint and just open that across the U.S.,” Warner says. “Each and every location has its own feel and atmosphere. What Pies & Pints here in Carmel looks like is completely different from what you might see in Lexington, Kentucky or our other locations.”
While they’ve only been open less than two months, word has traveled fast about the restaurant. Pies & Pints has continued to be packed each night as the staff continues tossing up dough and pulling pizzas out of the oven for guests that flock in.
“The community of Carmel has been nothing but welcoming to us,” Warner says. “Everyone has loved their experience and been really excited about the concept and what we do. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback so far. There are many people that live in walking or biking distance that are coming frequently to our area already.”
As Pies & Pints continues to serve guests in Carmel, they also plan on staying involved in the community as well.
The company has a solid track record of giving back and participating in local events and festivals in each of their locations. Warner says it’s a crucial focus for Pies & Pints, and that will be no different in Indiana.
“We are always seeking to stay involved in the communities of our locations,” Warner says. “There are always certain programs most cities focus on. We will certainly do fundraisers for those programs. For example, it could be the Carmel football team. If they were trying to raise money for uniforms, we could get involved by donating some of our proceeds back to them. We will also be involved in those events that happen in Carmel as well — potentially donating pizzas.
“Overall, we want to treat our guests like family. We don’t want to just be a place to eat.”
Pies & Pints is located at 14550 Clay Terrace Blvd, Suite 100 in Carmel. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 11:00 am. to 12:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is also open Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
For more information, visit them online at piesandpints.net or give them a call at 317-688-7477.
