Blu Moon Café is a Carmel Hotspot for Foodies
Writer & Photographer / Allison Yates
Under a picture of Blu Moon Café’s Facebook post of Homemade Parmesan Bacon Bagel with pork belly, an admirer wrote, “Now this is worth driving through four states to get one.”
Located in Carmel’s Indiana Design Center, Blu Moon Café is the irresistible eatery that Carmel residents, and even people living four states away, can’t get enough of.
With its chic décor of local art, black and white tables and innovative light fixtures, Blu Moon Café speaks to both the familiar spirit and daring creativity of Carmel. Customers are made to feel like family. It’s the kind of place where customers can expect fast and efficient service if they’re in a hurry or get the dedicated attention of an upscale restaurant if they wish to stay for a long meal. Longtime staff know regulars’ names, and there’s a degree of care that comes with eating here, like the way the staff bring food to the table and box up leftovers neatly.
“The food is always fresh and always good, and their service is always good, too — [they’re] always friendly,” says Carmel resident and regular Jaime Goff. “Their food really is delicious.”
Owners Brian and Shelley Jordan have culinary backgrounds and more than 30 years of combined experience in hospitality. Armed with a wealth of experience, dedication to customer service and commitment to sourcing from local producers, the Jordans opened the café seven years ago and aren’t planning on stopping their success anytime soon.
Their salads, soups, sandwiches and seasonal specials are made homemade daily using mostly local ingredients sourced from nearby Field Farms. There’s a core menu — customers swoon over the chicken curry or the BBT (that’s bacon, blue cheese and tomato) salads — and a handful of daily specials advertised on social media. Mouthwatering photos of Snickerdoodle Cheesecake, Unicorn Vanilla Buttercream and Maple Bacon Cupcakes line their feed, making it impossible not to want to pop in and grab a piece of your own.
But even among the countless desserts, one of Shelley Jordan’s favorite menu items remains her homemade Ding Dongs. She started making them at their first eatery in Noblesville, assuming they’d be popular with the kids. Instead, adults were the fondest of them, and they were so popular she continued to offer them at Blu Moon.
Shelley is proud of many things, especially their customer service (sometimes staff are trained up to three weeks when they’re hired), but something she considers the café’s greatest success to be their ability to provide both local and consistent food. That’s a hard-won, tricky balance that doesn’t always happen, despite an eatery’s best intentions. With Shelley’s leadership and attention to detail, they’ve made it a reality and customers have noticed.
Blu Moon has never advertised. All their traffic has come from word of mouth, proving their mission resonates with customers. The café is open during the day Monday through Saturday, but in the future, they have plans to open for dinner hours and Sunday brunch.
