Iaria's Italian Restaurant is an italian restaurant in Downtown, Indianapolis.
Editorially verified June 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
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.
Address: 317 S College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Crown Hill takeout pit from Texan Hank Fields on Martin Luther King Drive since 2004, brisket smoked 8 to 12 hours over Texas mesquite; closed Mondays.
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.
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.
