A SALOON NO MORE

Sangrita grows up and expands to the Yard.

Written by Neil Charles/Photographed by Adam Gibson

When the state of Indiana offered up a number of new liquor licenses at auction in 2013, a couple of friends - Tarek Mercho and Christopher Chabenne – both successful business professionals, decided to buy one, as Mercho puts it, “for next to nothing.” Having made the acquisition, the next decision was what to do with it; they knew that by law it would have to be put to use before it could be resold for a profit. “So we parked the license, and decided to open a bar,” he recalls.

Tacos feature a variety of meats slow-cooked on premise.

As it happened, Mercho owned a small building that had housed Greek’s Pizza on 64th Street in Broad Ripple. At the time, the craze for craft cocktails was in its infancy, and bars catering to this demand were starting to pop up around town, offering an alternative to microbrewery taprooms that were becoming ubiquitous. Most of these cocktail bars focused on traditional white and brown spirits, with a strong emphasis on whiskey, a product on the verge of becoming a national obsession.

The Tostada Cameron

Tequila and mezcal were starting to hit the scene, but at the time, there was no legitimate tequila bar, Mercho continues.

“We both liked Mexican cuisine, and there seems to be a lot of carryover with that from our families’ national cuisines, which are Middle-Eastern. So that’s how we ended up serving tequila and tacos.” Although craft tequila would not hit its stride for several more years, there were still plenty of good selections around which to build an impressive list.

Honey-butter-glazed sopapillas are a traditional dessert.

Having settled upon a theme, all that remained was to gut and remodel the building into a cozy, intimate space, and the dream concept would become a reality. “We wanted to be a cocktail bar, and knew that we would have to serve food, but we were limited,” explains Mercho. Constrained by an incredibly small kitchen – just 160 square feet – the new restaurateurs had no choice but to keep things simple. Picking up valuable lessons as they went along, such as the fact that residential refrigerators are not permitted for commercial use, the partners learned their new profession by immersion.

The menu offers five different types of nachos.

Needing to keep the minimum of ingredients on hand, and multi-tasking products wherever practical, tacos became the mainstay of the menu, with an emphasis on the freshest and highest-quality produce available. So limited, in fact, was the available space that the restaurant did not offer guacamole for the first four years, as there wasn’t adequate refrigeration to handle the volume. The menu to this day remains short and to the point: convivial and bustling, Sangrita is the perfect spot to enjoy one of the best margaritas in town and share a few small plates among friends.

Sangrita Saloon hit the ground running. “We were packed with a two-tothree hour wait for the first couple of years,” says Mercho. Word spread fast, and soon it had become one of the must-visit spots in the Village. Fast forward a few years, and the opportunity arose to open at the Yard in Fishers, a restaurantoriented development that had already attracted the likes of the 1933 Lounge, HC Tavern + Kitchen, Sangiovese, Havana Cigar Lounge and Rize.

Cozy banquettes provide a view of the room.

Bringing on another longtime friend, Chris Szymanczyk, a self-described serial entrepreneur as a third partner, the trio set about scaling up the operation while maintaining the charm of the original location. Day-to-day operations for both locations are handled by Michael Kosene, who also co-owns Mimi Blue Meatballs. “We almost opened this restaurant in two other places,” says Szymanczyk. “We even looked as far away as New Albany, but I can’t imagine making that trek now. Then this amazing location popped up.”

A close-up of the gorgeous bar.

And what a location it is. In all likelihood the largest and grandest Mexican restaurant in the state, Sangrita Grill + Cantina takes the charm and quality of the original and blows it up on an epic scale. The sheer proportions are impressive, from the surprisingly high ceiling with its outsized chandeliers, to the bar that runs the length of an entire wall. Upstairs, a separate space provides plenty of room for private events and business gatherings away from the bustle and agreeably boisterous volume of the main dining room below.

Churro Sundae

Now offering a larger selection of tequilas than before, with a number of margaritas and signature cocktails familiar from the Saloon, Sangrita Grill puts quality drinks front and center. Ingredients are top notch and proportions are spot on, and lower-carb offerings such as La Americana are available for those watching their waistline. Juices and mixers are fresh and vibrant, as is the food. A trio of bright and invigorating salsas is a fine way to start the meal: savory roja, hot but balanced habanero and a fresh, invigorating verde complement and contrast each other. We enjoyed them all, followed by a handful of well-seasoned and beautifully presented tacos, including the al pastor and asada.

There is nothing mass-produced here; meats are all slow-cooked on-premise. Sensibly, the owners have decided to keep the menu short and fresh; slightly expanded from the Broad Ripple location, the focus remains on tacos, tostadas and fajitas, again with a strong emphasis on freshness. Churros and ice cream ensure a sweet end to a meal, should one desire, and of course, there are many intriguing after-dinner cocktail options. With a fresh spin on Mexican cuisine, Sangrita Grill + Cantina is certain to become another hot spot in Fishers.

And yes, they do serve guacamole.

For more information, visit sangritacantina.com