Upland Brewing Company Carmel Tap House

Restaurant Name: Upland Brewing Company Carmel Tap House
Address: 820 East 116th Street, Carmel, IN
Social Media: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Upland Nachos

A coworker and I took off early on a Friday to enjoy shooting some guns at the local gun range and then enjoy some food and drinks nearby at Upland Brewery’s Tap House in Carmel, IN. Upland Brewing Company is actually based out of Bloomington, IN but this tap house in Carmel is a nice little getaway as not only do they have delicious craft beer but great food too! On this particular visit we shared two dishes. This review is focused on the Upland Nachos with Pulled Pork.

To start my review let me begin with the APPEARANCE of this dish. I will be honest that my first thought was “Wow, that’s a lot of tomatoes!” and the thought had crossed my mind that there was just way too many vegetables on this plate. As I look at the picture above and refresh my memory of the plate the look of the nachos is very eye appealing as the tomatoes have a fresh and vibrant red color and the placement of the fresh jalapenos really jumps out too.

Nachos are a tough dish to review because there’s two main trains of thought on the cheese. One train says to use runny nacho cheese and pour it over all the chips and stuff. The second train says to use shredded cheese and melt it at the end. I tend to lean more towards the first train when it comes to nachos…nacho cheese that’s gooey and sticky and that unique after taste that nacho cheese has over cheddar, mozzarella, or colby jack cheese. So putting my “preference” aside on how I like my nachos, the overall flavor profile of this plate is quite astonishing. The pulled pork topping is definitely a bonus, but the nachos by themselves without the pulled pork are still worth a taste. If you get a little bit of everything on a chip then it will EXPLODE your taste buds. The veggies are crisp, the chip is crunchy, you do taste the cheese, the black beans add a really good texture and a bit of a salty salivating left hook of flavor. Depending on if you have the jalapenos in the middle, bottom or top will determine when the heat and bite of the jalepeno come in but it’s a great accent flavor to the bite. The pulled pork was more sweet than tangy for pulled pork which was a good compliment to the bite and heat of the jalapeno. The sides of guacamole, pico de galo, and sour cream are available if you’d like but it will make for a very messy chip if you try to get all three of those on top of what already usually comes on a chip.

The only “negative” I could come up with is a challenge that every order of nachos has…getting cheese on every chip. The chips on the bottom middle of the plate are always bare by the time I get to them. The struggle is real for the nachos out there…all the chips just aren’t getting treated fairly. The ones on top get everything…but those on the bottom get nearly nothing besides the scraps the chips on top leave for them.

SUMMARY

Overall…the Upland Nachos at Upland Brewing Company Carmel Tap House are great for an individual or sharing with friends. Pair it with a nice craft beer of your choice and you’ve got great food, great drinks, great friends, and a great time!