Breaded pork tenderloins, sugar cream pie, and a Mass Ave renaissance.
Indianapolis eats off Hoosier heritage and immigrant pantries layered into the Midwest grid. The breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, a pounded-thin cutlet, dredged in seasoned breadcrumbs, deep-fried to a plate-wide oval and served on a comically small bun, traces back to Nick Freienstein's German Wiener schnitzel reworked in pork at Nick's Kitchen in Huntington in 1908. Sugar cream pie, Indiana's official state pie since 2009, runs at Long's Bakery, Wick's, and on the holiday tables of Quaker families. St. Elmo Steak House has poured its eye-watering horseradish shrimp cocktail since 1902 at 127 South Illinois. Shapiro's Deli, started by a Ukrainian Jewish family in 1905, still grills the Reuben at 808 South Meridian. The new chapter sits in Bottleworks District, Mass Ave, Fletcher Place and the Near Eastside: Jonathan Brooks at Beholder and Arlene's, Thomas Melvin at Vida, the Late Harvest team in Keystone, Sun King anchoring a craft-beer scene that grew up around the Indy 500. May is a month-long food festival around the Speedway.
Every restaurant, cafe, market and bar we cover in Indianapolis, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
The plates that define eating in Indianapolis.
Indiana's unofficial state sandwich, a pork cutlet pounded paper-thin, dredged in seasoned breadcrumbs, deep-fried until plate-wide and served on a small hamburger bun with yellow mustard, pickles and raw onion.
Where: Workingman's Friend, The Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant
Where to eat Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in Indianapolis →
Indiana's official state pie since 2009, a single-crust custard pie made with cream, sugar, flour and butter, baked golden and finished with nutmeg dust at every Hoosier bakery.
Where: Long's Bakery, Taylor's Bakery, Shapiro's Delicatessen
The most famous appetizer in Indianapolis, a chilled jumbo-shrimp cocktail set in St. Elmo Steak House's house horseradish sauce so fierce it brings the eyes to water from across the dining room.
Where: St. Elmo Steak House
Shapiro's Delicatessen's New York-style Reuben, stacked with house-cured corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on house-baked rye,.
Where: Shapiro's Delicatessen
Ground ham mixed with breadcrumbs, milk and egg, formed into meatballs, baked under a brown-sugar and mustard glaze. A reliable Indianapolis pick.
Small pillows of yeast biscuit dough deep-fried until puffed and golden, served warm with a side ramekin of spiced apple butter. A reliable Indianapolis pick.
Where to eat Fried biscuits and apple butter in Indianapolis →
A thin, cracker-crusted pizza cut into small squares rather than wedges, the Midwest tavern style common in central Indiana neighborhood bars.
Where: Iaria's Italian Restaurant, The Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant
Where to eat Indianapolis tavern-style pizza in Indianapolis →
Buttermilk-brined chicken, seasoned, breaded and fried to order in cast iron, the Hoosier standard threading Upland South and Black migration cooking through Indianapolis neighborhood rooms.
Where: The Eagle Mass Ave, Workingman's Friend
Indiana State Fair classic. A flattened circle of yeast dough fried in vegetable oil to a wide, ridged disc and dusted heavily with cinnamon sugar.
Where: The Garage Food Hall, The Original Farmers' Market
Two thin all-beef patties seared hard on a flat-top, with melted American cheese, mustard, onion and pickle on a soft white bun. A reliable Indianapolis pick.
Where: Workingman's Friend
Where to eat Workingman's Friend double cheeseburger in Indianapolis →
A grilled Italian sausage on a soft bun with sweet onions and peppers, sold from a smoking grill outside Holy Rosary Catholic Church during the Italian.
Where: Iaria's Italian Restaurant
A dense, dark-spiced steamed pudding made with the puree of native Indiana persimmons, served warm with a spoonful of softly whipped cream and a fall-only run at Late Harvest Kitchen.
Where: Late Harvest Kitchen
Where to eat Brown County persimmon pudding in Indianapolis →
A handful of the places we send friends to when they are in Indianapolis.
St. Elmo Steak House on South Illinois Street has anchored Indianapolis steakhouse dining since 1902. The eye-watering shrimp cocktail is the city's icon.
Signature: Shrimp cocktail, Filet mignon, Tomato juice
Beholder is Jonathan Brooks' near-eastside room on East 10th Street in Indianapolis. The constantly-changing menu is the city's most-watched table.
Signature: Crudo, Grilled octopus, Burger nights
Vida is Thomas Melvin's tasting-menu room in Indianapolis since 2016. The six-course menu changes weekly and is the city's most ambitious kitchen.
Signature: Six-course tasting menu, Chef's tasting menu
Bluebeard on Virginia Avenue in Indianapolis runs a scratch kitchen and the in-house Amelia's bakery. A James Beard semifinalist Fletcher Place anchor.
Signature: House sourdough from Amelia's, Wood-grilled pork chop, Pasta of the day
Tinker Street on East 16th turns out seasonal New American small plates and pairs them off a serious wine list. Tom Main runs the kitchen and the room.
Signature: Seasonal small plates, Wine flights
Ryan Nelson's farm-to-table room near Keystone at the Crossing. The menu changes daily and leans into Hoosier ingredients with a chef-driven point of view.
Signature: Pork chop, Daily fish, Bourbon flights
The arts-and-dining corridor running northeast from downtown, lined with breweries, theaters and the city's most-watched new kitchens.
Best for: Fried chicken, Tacos, Steakhouse, Wine bars
Historic Indy reawakened. Murphy Arts Building anchors a strip of bars, coffee roasters and music rooms on Virginia Avenue.
Best for: Coffee, Cocktails, Live music dining
A pocket between downtown and Fountain Square where Bluebeard and Milktooth defined the modern Indy dining map.
Best for: Brunch, New American, Bakery
A canal-side village known for bars, brunch and a Saturday farmers market, six miles north of downtown along the Monon Trail.
Best for: Brunch, Bars, Saturday market
A 2020 redevelopment of the historic Coca-Cola bottling plant on College Avenue, now anchoring Garage Food Hall and the Bottleworks Hotel.
Best for: Food hall, Hotel dining
Tree-lined residential streets between 38th and Kessler, anchored by Cafe Patachou at 49th and Penn and the Hubbard Cravens cafe nearby.
Best for: Brunch, Coffee, Italian
Peak food season: May for the Indianapolis 500 and the 500 Festival's month of food events. June for Italian Street Festival at Holy Rosary Church and the Strawberry Festival on Monument Circle. August for the Indiana State Fair. Lenten Friday fish fries run February to April at Catholic parishes citywide. Devour Indy restaurant weeks land in winter and summer.
Local dining hours: Lunch 11:30-14:00. Dinner 17:00-22:00, last seating often 21:30. Mass Ave and Fountain Square run later kitchens to 23:00 on weekends. Counters and diners open early. Sunday brunch peaks 09:00-14:00 in Meridian Kessler, Broad Ripple and Fletcher Place.
Tipping: Tip 18 to 22 percent on the pre-tax total at sit-down restaurants. Counters and bars get 1 to 2 dollars per drink or 18 to 20 percent. Tasting menus at Vida and the steakhouses may add service automatically; check the bill before adding more. Diner counters and pork-tenderloin shops run cash-friendly with smaller tips.
Indianapolis's signature dishes include Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, Sugar cream pie, St. Elmo shrimp cocktail, Shapiro's Reuben, Hoosier ham balls. See our signature dishes chapter for where to eat each.
TableJourney editors map Indianapolis by district. Mass Ave, Fountain Square, Fletcher Place, Broad Ripple are among the strongest for food, each with its own guide.
Editor picks in Indianapolis include St. Elmo Steak House, Vida, Beholder, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.
TableJourney covers 5 editor-picked food tours in Indianapolis, with what each shows you and how much to budget.
TableJourney's Indianapolis dietary chapter covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten_free, halal, kosher venues, each editor-picked with what to order and how to ask.