I love this spot

Great little place...best kept secret in Broad Ripple area. Great music, good food, nice people (staff, and patrons) and plenty of parking.

Just wish it wasn't so smokey. If they had better ventilation, I would be there every night!

Live, Original Music Bar

I'm no bar historian, but I believe this place has been around for about two years now or so. Over that time it has evolved slightly, but mostly keeping its original intentions intact. One of its additions includes liquor on the menu, as it was once a beer/wine bar only due to alcohol licensing regulations. The beer selection here is pretty decent. You'll find some nicer brews available here than many of the nearby bars.

The name represents the bar well - Locals Only: meaning not only to serve the locals of Indy, but providing a great venue for local artists to play. Don't be fooled entirely by the name though. They frequently have musicians from other parts of Indiana as well as some occasional out-of-town bands, however the bands that play there are almost all exclusively independent.

It has a slightly dirty feel, just enough to offer up that homely vibe many enjoy at a down-home music bar without being too nasty. They offer some treats to eat too, although I have never partaken. The place is somewhat small, made up of basically one room filled with a hand full of chairs and tables and a small dance floor. Because of its small size, there's really no place to escape the music, other than outside (if escaping the music is something you need or want to do while not leaving the venue).

Overall its a great place with a convenient location located right next to another bar that often offers live music, The Mousetrap and just about 1.5 miles down the street from Birdy's live music venue. At this Local's Only, they showcase a wide variety of musicians and musical types there. As far as I know, the music is always live and the bands almost always are play original music. The sound of the venue is pretty good, although sometimes its better than others (and I'm not sure why this is - perhaps different soundmen working the stage).

Either way, this is a great place for a night out, and its close enough to other live music and non-music bars to stop in even if its not your only destination of the evening in the Broad Ripple area.