Richard P.
Yelp
I've wanted to visit New Bethel Ordinary for quite some time. I've always managed to convince myself it's too far of a drive. Located in the heart of downtown Wanamaker, New Bethel Ordinary is only a few minutes outside the Indy city limits heading Southeast. It's an easy drive and worth it.
"The Ordinary," as it is most often called, has a wonderfully retro vibe and feels as if it belongs in the heart of a small downtown area (That's a compliment). While you can easily feel like an outsider with some small-town diners, there's a quick sense of welcome here in The Ordinary. Wanamaker is part of Indy and the school district is Franklin Township. It was annexed in 1970.
The Ordinary is most known for its pizzas. I seriously contemplated pizza but having had a large meal yesterday I decided ordering an entire pizza while dining alone was out of the question. So, I took the opportunity to check out the hand-breaded tenderloin. You get two sides with it - I choose fries and cole slaw.
Of course, I ordered my usual unsweetened iced tea. I resisted the urge to get a beer.
The Ordinary is right on Southeastern. This is the downtown Main Street for Wanamaker. Downtown is a bit of a stretch, but it's the business area for this unincorporated town first settled Reuben and Mary Adams in 1825. A year later, Reuben died and left Mary as a single mother of 11 in what was then Indiana wilderness. In 1834, it was Mary who arranged for the laying out of the town. Originally, Wanamaker was known as New Bethel and you'll see Bethel on quite a few things within the town's boundaries. It is now named after John Wanamaker, the U.S. Postmaster General when New Bethel got its first post office.
Okay, back to The Ordinary. This is a free-standing building. It's a decent size and they also have a nice patio off to the side. There's also a deck in the back that has 2-3 tables. Today, everyone was inside but I'm sure that would change by day's end.
If you're in a wheelchair like me, you'll want to use the front entrance. The back entrance has a step going into it. The front is level to the ground. There's a couple parking spots directly in front and a parking lot in the back. However, the parking lot isn't the greatest for wheelchairs as it's semi-crushed gravel. I was able to maneuver it fine, but it was a bit of a hassle. Going in, a customer helped me with the door. Going out, a server grabbed the door.
As you enter, you're immediately in the dining room. It's a combo of wood booths, tables, and 1/2 booths. There are widescreen televisions. The place just feels relaxing. It seemed very family friendly and it seemed like most of the servers were high school students and/or younger servers.
The vibe is very friendly, and the servers seemed to enjoy working there. It was relaxed but professional.
My server, Jaida, was spot-on. She was friendly, attentive, helpful, and personable. I got an iced tea to go which I always appreciate. She also knew to pull the chair out for the wheelchair.
The food was wonderful and generous in serving size. I thought I was cutting back by not getting pizza, but I was wrong. The tenderloin was wonderful with a nice thickness and moist meat. The fries were generous and nicely seasoned. I had low expectations looking at the cole slaw, but I really enjoyed it.
I was honestly stuffed after my meal. The meal came in at just over $13 without a tip.
The menu is soups/salads, appetizers, sandwiches, pizzas, wings, bar drinks, craft beer, and they do have a kids' menu. They also cater.
Ordinarily, I'd take off a one-half to 1 star because of the parking lot and minor accessibility issues. However, I really enjoyed this experience and will go back. The service was wonderful. The food was great. The prices were fair. This was exactly what I needed on this Sunday afternoon!