Outdoor kitchens have moved from a rare luxury to a fairly ordinary request on Indianapolis decks. What has changed is not the appetite. It is that the products got easier to buy.
A generation ago an outdoor kitchen meant masonry, a contractor and a long build. Now a substantial portion of the market is prefabricated: a complete island arrives, gets positioned, and gets connected.
That shift is good news for homeowners and slightly dangerous for decks, because the decisions that make an island work are made months before the island is bought. Paradise Grills opened a showroom at Keystone Crossing, and it is a useful place to see what you would be planning for.
About Paradise Grills
Paradise Grills was established in 2005 and describes itself as the world’s largest manufacturer of luxury outdoor kitchen grill islands and island bars. Its Indianapolis showroom is located inside The Fashion Mall at Keystone, at Keystone Crossing on the north side.
The product line covers grill islands and island bars, tiki huts and pergolas, professional grills, cooling equipment including bar fridges, wine fridges and ice makers, cocktail stations, fire features and patio furniture. Details are on the company’s Indianapolis showroom page.
The company’s signature product is a grill it calls the Hybrid X, marketed with ten conversion options covering a pizza oven, fryer and steamer, griddle and hibachi, charcoal, infrared sear, a wood chip smoker and a rotisserie. The showroom also offers financing and runs a trade in programme.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 8702 Keystone Crossing, Suite 44d, Indianapolis, IN 46240 |
| Location | Inside The Fashion Mall at Keystone |
| Phone | (317) 533-7710 |
| Company established | 2005 |
| Core products | Prefabricated outdoor kitchen grill islands and island bars |
| Also carries | Tiki huts, pergolas, fire features, cooling equipment, patio furniture |
| Format | Showroom, so you can see complete islands assembled rather than in a catalogue |
| Note | This is a mall showroom. Check current mall hours before travelling. |
Why a Showroom Matters for This Purchase
Outdoor kitchen islands are difficult to judge from photographs, and for a specific reason: scale.
An island that looks modest in a large showroom or a wide product image can dominate a deck entirely. Counter height, overall footprint, the space needed to open a fridge door, the room a cook needs to stand and turn: none of that reads accurately on a screen.
Standing next to one and putting your hands on the counter tells you more in two minutes than an afternoon of browsing. Take your deck dimensions with you, because the number that matters is not how big the island is. It is how much deck is left afterwards.
What to Settle Before the Deck Gets Built
This is the part that gets skipped, and it is the part that costs money.
Weight is the one people underestimate most. A full size island carries a stone or composite countertop, built-in appliances, and often a fridge, and once installed it does not move again. That is a concentrated permanent load in one location, not a distributed one, and it belongs in a conversation with whoever frames the deck rather than being discovered afterwards.
Utilities are the second. Running a gas line and outdoor rated electrical circuits is straightforward while a deck is open and awkward once it is finished and the boards are down. If there is any chance of an island in the future, the cheap move is to run the services during the build even if the island comes later.
Fire features raise the same questions in a smaller package. covered patio construction considerations and freestanding fire pits both involve heat clearances, and on a combustible surface the manufacturer’s stated clearances are the number that matters rather than what looks about right.
A note on decks specifically
Anything producing heat on a composite deck deserves particular care, because composite behaves differently from wood under sustained heat and most manufacturers publish specific guidance about it. designing a deck around a fire feature comes down to reading both the deck manufacturer’s rules and the fire feature manufacturer’s rules, and following whichever is stricter.
Prefabricated or Custom Built
Both approaches are legitimate and they suit different situations.
- A prefabricated island arrives complete, installs quickly, and can in principle be moved or traded later. What you see in a showroom is what you get.
- A custom built structure is designed for the specific space, can follow an unusual shape or an awkward corner, and integrates visually with the surrounding hardscape.
- Prefabricated units tend to be faster. Custom tends to fit better.
- Either way, the deck or patio underneath has to be designed for it, and that requirement does not change based on which you choose.
If you are undecided, the sequence that keeps both options open is simple: design the outdoor space with the load and the services in place, then decide on the island afterwards. Reversing that order closes doors.
Location, Directions and Access
Paradise Grills Indianapolis, 8702 Keystone Crossing, Suite 44d, Indianapolis, IN 46240. Phone: (317) 533-7710.
The showroom sits inside The Fashion Mall at Keystone, in the Keystone at the Crossing district on the north side of Indianapolis.
From Interstate 465 on the north side
The mall is located off Interstate 465 at 86th Street and Keystone Avenue. Follow signs for the Fashion Mall from that interchange.
From Keystone Avenue heading north
Keystone Avenue runs north through the city to the Keystone at the Crossing district at 86th Street, where the mall sits.
Access notes
- This is a mall tenant, so opening hours follow the mall rather than a standalone showroom. Check before travelling.
- Parking is surface parking plus two parking garages at the mall.
- Bring deck or patio dimensions. Without them, a showroom visit is entertainment rather than planning.
- Ask about delivery and installation specifically, including whether the island can be got into your backyard. Access is a real constraint on units this size.
- Ask what the unit weighs fully assembled, and get that figure in writing to give to your deck builder.
Planning the Space Itself
An outdoor kitchen changes the whole logic of a deck. The island becomes the anchor, seating orients around it, and traffic has to flow past the cook without crossing the hot zone.
That is a layout problem before it is a product problem. Working through layout ideas for an outdoor room with a specific island footprint in mind gives a far more realistic picture than designing a deck first and hoping something fits later.
Platinum Deck and Patio builds decks and paver patios throughout the Indianapolis metro. Where an outdoor kitchen is planned, or even considered as a possibility, the structural and utility provisions belong in the design conversation at the start. They are inexpensive then and disruptive later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an outdoor kitchen island go on a deck?
Frequently yes, but it depends on the deck. The island’s weight is concentrated in one spot, so the framing beneath it may need to be designed for that load. Get the assembled weight from the manufacturer and give it to your builder.
Do I need gas run to it?
Only if you want natural gas. Propane is the alternative, but then you need somewhere to store and change tanks. Either way, decide before the deck is finished.
Does an outdoor kitchen need a permit?
The island itself often does not, but the gas and electrical work usually does. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, so ask your building department.
What are the showroom hours?
The showroom is inside The Fashion Mall at Keystone and follows mall hours. Check current hours before travelling.
Is prefabricated cheaper than custom?
Not automatically. Prefabricated is usually faster and more predictable. Custom usually fits the space better. Compare complete installed costs including utilities rather than sticker prices.
What should I take to a showroom visit?
Deck or patio dimensions, photographs of the space, and a note of where your gas and electrical service currently runs.
The Bottom Line
Paradise Grills brought a showroom to Keystone Crossing, and for a category this hard to judge from photographs, being able to stand next to a finished island is genuinely useful.
Go and look. Take measurements. Ask what the thing weighs. Then take that number to whoever is building or has built your deck, because the island is the easy part of this project and the structure underneath it is the part that has to be right.
The homeowners who regret an outdoor kitchen are almost never the ones who bought the wrong island. They are the ones who worked out the requirements after the deck was already finished.