Hank's Smoked Briskets is an american bbq restaurant in Crown Hill, Indianapolis.
Editorially verified June 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: A small barbecue counter on Martin Luther King Drive, Indianapolis. The brisket is the city's quiet best, run from a strip-mall storefront.
Tip: Run out by mid-afternoon. Go by noon for a full plate Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.
Address: 3736 Martin Luther King Dr Ste A, Indianapolis, IN 46208
Old Northside butcher and salumi shop on Delaware with sandwiches, gelato and Enoteca wine cellar; Smoking Goose charcuterie, Bon Appetit top-ten sandwiches.
Why locals love it: A full-service butcher and specialty grocer on North Delaware in Indianapolis with a hidden cellar bar pouring wine, beer and pulled-pork sandwiches.
Tip: The cellar bar opens Thursday to Saturday evenings. Reserved bench seats only.
Haughville tavern on Belmont since 1918, founded by Louis Stamatikin; thin-edged smashed double cheeseburgers, chili and cold draft beer, cash only.
Why locals love it: A 1918 Macedonian-immigrant lunch counter in Haughville, off the West Side tourist map but still grinding out the city's defining smash burger.
Tip: Cash only. Don't ask for ketchup, ask for mustard. Closed Sundays.
Iaria's Italian Restaurant holds the same South College corner in Indianapolis since 1933, off the Mass Ave tourist track, with red-sauce family Italian.
Why locals love it: Same South College corner since 1933 but blocks off the Mass Ave tourist track. Red sauce, the Italian Indianapolis the chains have missed.
Tip: Tuesday to Saturday dinner only. The bar takes walk-ins Word-of-mouth is the only marketing.
