MCL Restaurant & Bakery

Came here with family for a birthday party. After I heard we were going to a cafeteria I was a little disappointed, especially after driving past the critically acclaimed Tacos 46 and such exotic ethnic foods as Yemeni on the way to it. However, trying to be optimistic, I hoped that I would find a nostalgic home-​cooked-​tasting American meal. Sadly, I didn’t.
The pros:
— There was plenty of space for our decently large party.
— The service was decent.
— The lima beans were really good.
— Free dessert for my little cousin (whose birthday it was)
(Unfortunately those were the only pros)
— There were a few issues in the line process (they were out of something that they said they had on the board, for example, creating confusion)
— The rest of the food besides the lima beans… instant mashed potatoes (OK at a school cafeteria maybe. I expected more), tilapia was really dry and extremely bland, my mom’s twice-​baked potato was dry and hard and they gave her enough salad dressing for 7 salads
— The price! I figured it would at least be cheap but for what my mom and I got it was not worth it.
I figured this place would have some good old fashioned American food charm but unfortunately it was what it was… a cafeteria.

I’m not way old. I’m not one who loves cafeterias. This restaurant isn’t close to my house. With that said, I still LOVE MCL! The food at this place rocks. There is always variety, it is fresh and high quality, nothing ever tastes like it came out of a box or a bag. When I was a child, people still cooked and the food here tastes like somebody’s grandma made it (and made it right.) The desserts are always excellent, never frozen or box mix stuff. Places like this are just about extinct. I hope enough younger people will have the opportunity to come here, maybe with older relatives, and get to experience what real food tastes like.
P. S. The iced tea is the best in the whole wide world!

I was delighted to find corned beef and cabbage as well as black eyed peas on the menu for New Year’s Day. My elderly mother was craving it and it fulfilled her desire for good luck wishes for 2016.
Unfortunately, the corned beef was rubbery. Not only did I have difficulty cutting it with a knife but It also was chewy and dry. Not the norm for McL’s cafeteria, especially in Speedway.
As usual, I ordered chicken ‘n’ noodles, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy for my take out order. Why would they put brown gravy on the potatoes instead of white chicken gravy? The corn was okay but would be better with butter added. The chicken ‘n’ noodles was okay but not great.
Probably will make the longer drive to Mooresville next time to Gray’s Cafeteria. McL, what has happened?

I live in Los Angeles, CA. When I come to Indianapolis MCL is one of my favorite place to eat. The food is not over seasoned and the service is great.

I have been coming here forever. The food is always good home cooking. The staff are long timers which says something about the business.

MCl Avon
I have been going to MCL since the one opened in Speedway in the 60’s. The new one in Avon is a far cry from Speedway. The FOOD IS GREAT but the counter service is horrible. Just a bunch of kids with little to no training. One young girl actually took green beans off my wife’s plate. I was told I could not use a coupon (free dessert) for a cinnamon roll even though the roll was half the price of a piece of pie and pictured on the coupon.
I will never go back until things change. Why go to a restaurant and be stressed out.
Come on MCl hire some adults.
RAJ

Never disappointed! I’ve been coming here with my grandparents for as long as I can remember and they always have fresh food, friendly atmosphere, are clean, and well priced. The best place to eat for low-​key outings.

My workplace is close to this MCL and I visit it on average of twice per week. Great food and great service. Really glad it is so close!

I just have to give a shout out to MCL for feeding our race team this week at Indy. There’s nothing better than homemade cooking while at the race track! They were super helpful getting the food into the track for us, which is not easy. We had excellent-​full service meals from them both days. If you need catering, I recommend them! Thanks to the gang at MCL from Skullcandy Team Nissan!

Whenever I feel like being the youngest person in the room by 20+ years, I head to MCL. But white hair isn’t the only thing I can count on at the cafeteria chain, delicious Harvard beets, stewed tomatoes and buttery mashed potatoes and gravy are always in attendance as well. I always seem to favor vegetables that are no longer healthy due to ingredient additions like a pound of butter and cup of sugar. Despite it’s cafeteria status, the food remains fresh and flavorful.
You can easily have plenty to eat within the $ 8 — $ 12 price range. However, if you feel like kicking it up a notch, there is always a stash of indulgent desserts just waiting to land a spot on your ass. My pick goes to the coconut cream pie with an estimated four inches of meringue.

This place is awesome! Great prices and the food is really good!

This is my favorite restaurant in Indianapolis. I’d rather eat here than just about any place else. First of all the food is really wonderful. Home cooked meals using age old recipes, and you can tell the quality is very high. MCL is a cafeteria style restaurant that has been around for a while. The cafeteria style means you choose your own entrée and sides from a cafeteria line – like at school, but with way better food. Each restaurant is individually owned, but they all have consistent high quality. This one in Speedway is my favorite. I love tea and can confidently report that MCL has the best iced tea in town and perhaps anywhere in the USA. You will not be disappointed with any entrée, but you must try the stuffed chicken breast. As for the sides, I love the broccoli and cheese, the mashed potatoes, the fresh cloverleaf rolls, and the spinach salad with oil and vinegar dressing, but heck, even the Brussels sprouts taste good there. The food is a bit pricey but you can soften the blow by just ordering what you want, but if you go all out you will get what you pay for, which in this case is some very delicious food. You should plan on spending about $ 9 per person. There are always lots of older folks there including my mom. She says old people like MCL because they know good food and won’t stand for anything else (it’s one of the few places that serves things like Liver & Onions and beets). However, lots of families go there and it is kid friendly. In short, if you are tired of burgers and burritos, MCL, is an excellent place for a wholesome, nourishing sit down meal away from home.

go before the Sunday School crowd arrives
food is always fresh
usually a Don of Don’s Guns siting @ McLs
a funny story happened here to a friend of mine, his dad was going into surgery & wanted to make sure his son was saved if anything happened in surgery
Dad said i want you to believe in Je$u$ christ, friend said to his hearing impaired Dad, «i don’t believe in jesus, his dad said «What»
just then there was a silence as he SCREAMED «I DON’T BELIEVE IN jE$U$ CHRIST»
we laugh about this story to much!!!
i’m kinda Hungry for McL Cafeteria suddenly