Southern Indiana Living Magazine - Sept / Oct 2023

#EatLocal
A Beautiful View
The Overlook Restaurant offers a tranquil setting for a relaxing meal with family and friends
If you’re looking for a pretty
drive to take in Southern Indiana,
wander along State Road
62 in the Leavenworth area. At
one point you’ll be up on a high
ridge, overlooking the majestic
Ohio River, and you’ll come up on
The Overlook Restaurant and Walter’s
Pub. Food — and an incredible
view like this — you’ve just gotta
stop for it.
A long-time staple in the community
since 1948, and also considered
an Indiana tradition, the
original structure was a chicken
hatchery, built in the late 1920s.
Then a small café and grocery store
opened at this location. Then it became
a Greyhound bus stop. It’s
come a long way since those early
18 • Sept/Oct 2023 • Southern Indiana Living
years, to its current cozy, country
décor.
Once you walk in the front
door, you may be greeted by Cathy
Mills or Brandon Howell, co-owners
of the Howell & Linton Hospitality
Group, which operates the
restaurant now. They recently celebrated
their first anniversary, having
purchased the restaurant on
July 1, 2022. As it is with owning
any business, there have been a few
minor challenges, but the rewards
of doing something you love make
it all well worth it. Mills has been
in food service for over 30 years,
so this isn’t her first rodeo. And as
you talk with her, it becomes apparent
how much she loves this place.
She enjoys putting her own spin
Story and Photos by Michele Hardman
on some of the menu items, such
as slightly tweaking their original
meatloaf recipe and hearing all the
positive reactions from customers.
If you can make it past the
pastry counter in the entryway
without stopping to snag a tempting
sweet treat, you’re in for a
down-home dining experience you
won’t forget. A couple other things
The Overlook is well known for are
their fried chicken and their coconut
cream pie. But there are lots of
other comfort foods here, too, that
will remind you of long-ago Sunday
dinners at your Mom’s, so you
may as well plan on coming back
here from time to time to try more
of them. Daily specials are available
Monday through Thursday for