The Eagle Mass Ave is a fried chicken restaurant in Mass Ave, Indianapolis.
Cincinnati import that nails the Mass Avenue fried-chicken brief. Brined and dredged in-house, served with spoonbread and a half-dozen Southern sides.
Signature dishes: Fried chicken, Spoonbread, Kale salad
Must order: Half a chicken, the spoonbread, the kale salad. Sit at the picnic tables outside in summer.
Tip: No reservations. Get on the standby list at 5:30 for a 6:30 weekend table, or go for an early lunch.
Address: 310 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Salt on Mass is an upscale seafood-and-steak room on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis. No freezers, scratch kitchen, handcrafted cocktails, coastal wine list.
Signature: Wild seafood platters, Dry-aged steaks
Order: The daily-changing wild fish, a dry-aged ribeye to share, the chef's cocktail off the list.
Tip: Reservations on Opentable for the main dining room; the bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Bakersfield Mass Ave in Indianapolis runs Mexican street fare with over 100 tequilas, an American whiskey list and one of the better Mass Ave patios.
Signature: Street tacos, Queso, Mezcal flights
Order: Three street tacos, the queso, a flight off the mezcal list.
Tip: Late-night kitchen Friday and Saturday until midnight. Walk-ins only; lines build for Taco Tuesday.
Livery in Indianapolis is a pan-Latin room in a restored 1890s horse livery off Mass Avenue, with a long mezcal list, ceviches and a summer rooftop.
Signature: Ceviche, Empanadas, Mezcal cocktails
Order: Whatever ceviche is on the day's board, the beef empanadas, a mezcal cocktail.
Tip: Two floors plus the rooftop. Reserve downstairs for dinner; the rooftop is walk-in and weather-dependent.
Salt on Mass is an upscale seafood-and-steak room on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis. No freezers, scratch kitchen, handcrafted cocktails, coastal wine list.
Signature: Wild seafood platters, Dry-aged steaks
Order: The daily-changing wild fish, a dry-aged ribeye to share, the chef's cocktail off the list.
Tip: Reservations on Opentable for the main dining room; the bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Bakersfield Mass Ave in Indianapolis runs Mexican street fare with over 100 tequilas, an American whiskey list and one of the better Mass Ave patios.
Signature: Street tacos, Queso, Mezcal flights
Order: Three street tacos, the queso, a flight off the mezcal list.
Tip: Late-night kitchen Friday and Saturday until midnight. Walk-ins only; lines build for Taco Tuesday.
Livery in Indianapolis is a pan-Latin room in a restored 1890s horse livery off Mass Avenue, with a long mezcal list, ceviches and a summer rooftop.
Signature: Ceviche, Empanadas, Mezcal cocktails
Order: Whatever ceviche is on the day's board, the beef empanadas, a mezcal cocktail.
Tip: Two floors plus the rooftop. Reserve downstairs for dinner; the rooftop is walk-in and weather-dependent.
Yats Broad Ripple in Indianapolis runs Cajun-Creole on North College for over two decades. Bowls of jambalaya, etouffee and drunken chicken over rice.
Signature: Chili cheese etouffee, Drunken chicken, Jambalaya
Order: The chili cheese etouffee with crawfish, the drunken chicken, the cornbread.
Tip: Order at the counter, find a table. The hot sauce on the table is the move. Cash and card both accepted.
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
Order: Five jumbo shrimp around the eye-watering horseradish cocktail sauce, then the filet mignon.
Tip: Reserve well in advance for race week or convention nights. Coat-and-tie not required but the room rewards it.
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
Order: Whatever the kitchen is doing with crudo, plus the special pasta or grilled vegetable course.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Reservations on Resy are essential for Friday and Saturday; the bar takes walk-ins.
