Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
On a corner of Noblesville’s picturesque square, Syd’s Fine Foods opened in 1889 as a tavern and a lodge serving travelers from the nearby railroad. The current owner, Brian Knoderer, understands the fondness Midwest customers have toward the building’s history, honoring that historic spirit of hospitality with burgers, pork tenderloin sandwiches, fried pickles, and Hoosier cream pie. 
Best for: Going toe to toe with a regular on the shuffleboard table, handcrafted in 1945, with some liquid confidence from a few Indiana brews.

Open for: Dinner Wednesday to Saturday
Price range: $$$
Taos-born chef Samir Mohammed, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and Le Cordon Bleu, moved to Noblesville with his native Hoosier wife, Rachel Firestone, to be closer to her family. After starting out selling heat-at-home dishes, the couple gained a following with their 35-seat 9th Street Bistro. A James Beard Award semifinalist, Samir creates a weekly menu of unfussy takes on American classics using international ingredients. He also makes his own cured meats, cheeses, and desserts.
Vibe check: If you sit at the bar, don’t be surprised if you find yourself chatting with the owners.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
Casa Santa in Noblesville comes from the team that created Verde. Breathtaking interiors, including a bright pink dining room for groups and a tropical green members-only area, set the scene for a menu that nods to owner Paul Aréchiga’s native Guadalajara. Standout items include the chunky, pork- and hominy-packed pozole, the quesabirria, and mezcal cocktails like La Milanche (lime, raspberry, ginger) and De Raiz (root syrup, piloncillo, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, lime).
Best for: Celebrating with a group of six or more in the Instagram-ready Pink Room.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Beholder co-owner (and James Beard semifinalist sommelier) Josh Mazanowski teamed up with former Beholder sous chef to open this contemporary Carmel-based steakhouse, which also packs a wine list featuring small producers. Expect food that pairs well with wine, including steak frites, rib-eyes, and a rotating chef’s cut. Most surprisingly, you’ll also find brasserie favorites like cassoulet, roasted cornish game hen, and lamb ragu pasta.
Vibe check: Though the steaks are serious, artwork from Indy-based artist Casey Roberts creates a playful atmosphere.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Chef Nicholas Gattone and his mother, Diane, a former pastor, opened this Northern Italian eatery in a former bookshop in 2023. Wedged between an insurance agency and a nail salon, the transformed space shows off the skills of Gattone — a New England Culinary Institute graduate with a stint at Chicago’s late, legendary Spiaggia under his belt. Dishes like a pan-roasted halibut with potato and baccala puree, house-made casarecce with smoked pork ragu, and a mighty lamb shank bathed in wine sauce on cheesy polenta, might make customers reach for a rosary.
Know before you go: Gluten-free pasta is available.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
In 2024, chef Aaron Bender returned to his roots at Provision, located on the second floor of the industrial Ironworks Hotel. Bender finds depth in dishes like a 14-ounce rib-eye. The portion of crab cake feels generous on a bed of sliced asparagus, corn, and sauteed onion with a well-balanced mustard aioli. The charred romaine bounces on the palate with contrasting chunks of lardon and slivered anchovy. And rotating amuse bouches gives every meal a unique touch. 
Know before you go: If you come for drinks, sit outside by the fire pit.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch
Price range: $
Cuylor Reeves left a D.C. political career to bake in New Orleans, where he learned patisserie and viennoiserie at historic eateries like Compère Lapin, Restaurant August, and La Boulangerie. Upon moving to Circle City for love, he began plying his wares at farmers markets. In 2024, he opened Bake Sale in an unassuming strip mall along Allisonville Road next to a boxing gym and a bar. In many ways, it’s the perfect location: After hitting the bag, a lot of folks could use some ginger molasses monkey bread, buttery pain au chocolat, or mini lemon king cakes. 
Must-try dish: Reeves makes fresh French baguettes in two sizes every morning, but get there early if you want to snag one before they sell out.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch
Price range: $
For 114 years, Taylor’s Bakery has been making quintessential baked goods, the kind that come boxed in white cardboard, tied tight with red and white bakers’ twine. The operation started as a downtown grocer before ditching the veggies and canned goods and moving further uptown in the 1960s. Eventually, a second location opened in Fishers in 2003. Little has changed with the bakery program over the century, though, including a few dough mixers originally purchased in the ’50s. The pies, cookies, bread, and everything else is still made from scratch and decorated by hand.
Must-try dish: Grab some dog treats for a furry friend alongside your human treats.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$
A massive Marra Forni wood-burning pizza oven bakes Diavola’s signature Neapolitan pies and perfumes the restaurant’s interior with the aroma of charred wood, baking dough, and roasting salami. Dennis Gurnell, who was born in Vicenza, Italy, and toggled between Europe and Indiana growing up, holds court, ensuring all the customers enjoy their house-made pasta and pizzas.
Vibe check: The restaurant fills up, so grab a reservation.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
In 2024, Hoosier native chefs Erin Kem and Logan McMahan purchased the restaurant and market Nicole Taylor’s Pasta from beloved restaurateurs Tony and Rosa Hanslits. They’ve since expanded the range of the landmark fresh pasta emporium beyond its Italian focus to incorporate recipes from across the Mediterranean. But Kem and McMahan continue to offer the daily, vegetable-focused lunch experience (which includes dots of poultry and seafood) that has become popular among Indy residents. The menu changes seasonally, but diners can expect grilled artichokes with fava bean puree, sweet potato wedges with tahini butter and dukkah, and a chicken pastilla with North African flavors. The market still features varieties of fresh pasta, olive oils, charcuterie, and more.
Know before you go: The chef’s table dinners, already sold out for 2025, are worth booking ahead.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
El Sabor Catracho serves a primarily Central American clientele in a strip mall in Lawrence. Diners come for the handcrafted baleadas: Honduran staple of made-to-order flour tortillas smeared with refried beans and farmers cheese, plus a scrambled egg if you’re feeling wild. It’s hearty and provides enough sustenance for lunch or breakfast. The carne asada, pollo frito, and pupusas have their own loyal fan bases too.
Know before you go: Ordering can be easier in Spanish.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
In late 2023, couple Adam Reinstrom and Pablo Gonzalez opened Gather 22 in the Fall Creek neighborhood with Reinstrom’s family, who own Byrne’s Grilled Pizza. The family affair provides a full coffee bar and a small breakfast menu for mornings, as well as lunch and dinner. There’s also a stunning bar and lounge overlooking a well-tended and pet-friendly outdoor space. Partake in the famed charred pizzas, but you can’t go wrong with the Gather burger, the brown butter potatoes, or the hearty vegan Philly cheesesteak with house-made seitan. To drink, there are fun cocktails like the Hoosier Horchata (maple bourbon cream and cinnamon vodka) and the Call Me By Your Name (Aperol, orangecello, sparkling wine, lemon).
Vibe check: During the summer, the park-like outdoor area features an array of activities and games.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Price range: $$
Iconic soul food diner Kountry Kitchen opened in 1988 and became known for its star-studded clientele, including Hoosier native and musician Babyface Edmonds, comedian Mike Epps, and then-Senator Barack Obama. When the restaurant burned down in 2020, fans worried it was lost to the history books, but the restaurant team rebuilt in the same footprint. Gone are the uneven wooden floors and windowless dining room, replaced by a glistening full bar and an event space for 500 people. But the menu includes the same great dishes, such as fried green tomatoes, rib tips, neck bones, and roast beef Manhattan (a sandwich of roasted chuck, mashed potatoes, and gravy).
Best for: Multi-generational family meals.

Open for: Weekday breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunch
Price range: $$
Celebrity pastry chef Zoë Taylor — Eater Young Gun 2016 semifinalist — and her husband, Josh Kline, make elevated Midwest food. Their extensive food hub consists of a market, cafe, and bakery, all within walking distance of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From Kline, a native Hoosier, expect quirky but delicious takes on pimento grilled cheese, smoked salmon rillette tartine instead of tuna fish on white, and an all-day breakfast featuring a potato rosti that takes 48 hours. In an aromatic corner of the cafe, Taylor bakes sweet and savory confections, sometimes marrying the two into one item. You might find a cardamom orange glaze danish or a vegan squash and Brussels sprout brioche. 
Know before you go: After a meal, hit the market for produce from Madfarmer’s Collective, Becker Farms chicken, or other pantry staples from Hoosier-based vendors.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch
Price range: $
In 2020, local pastry chef Pete Schmutte opened Leviathan Bakehouse with four other local bakers of repute — Jessica Kartawich, Matt Steinbronn, and brothers Jesse and Sam Blythe — to a tsunami of attention. Four years later, they still craft the area’s best croissants and breads, including a signature porridge sourdough, sandwiches for lunch, and coffee under the hungry eye of a leviathan mural by Indy artist C.S. Stanley. The rest of the offerings include a strawberry-guava Danish, pretzel croissant, and a lemon-cinnamon braid, to name a small selection.
Must-try dish: Order a pitcher of mimosas made with sparkling wine and the herbal house lemonade.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch
Price range: $
Nationally acclaimed restaurateur Martha Hoover provided the Meridian-Kessler area with years of fluffy omelets and croissant French toast at the first Cafe Patachou. She now has locations across the city, including this newest iteration inside the historic Stutz building. Hoover commissioned local artist Kaila Austin to decorate the space with colorful art, complementing the rich, matte blue walls and oxblood countertops.
Vibe check: Downtown hipster hangout for breakfast, lunch, and brunch.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Coming off the success of the award-winning brunch-only Milktooth, chef Jonathan Brooks teamed up with business partner and sommelier Josh Mazanowski to open Beholder in 2018. Housed inside a repurposed garage, the dinner-only restaurant offers “sexy, delicious food.” Brooks focuses his energy on Indiana’s agriculture and traditions, with high-end variations on Indiana’s pork tenderloin, a pan-fried walleye, and fried local smelt and fries. Mazanowski ups the ante with a hand-selected global wine list to pair with the Midwest flavors.
Know before you go: Reserve a seat at the chef’s counter to get a view of the kitchen in action.

Open for: Thursday to Saturday afternoons
Price range: $
Pizza started as a hobby for former NFL SkyCam operator Jeffrey Samuel Miner until he won fifth place for his Detroit-style pie at the International Pizza Expo in 2023. In 2024, he came in second and opened Sam’s Square Pie on the city’s Near Eastside, serving up pillowy crusts topped with zesty and savory toppings like smoked maple syrup, garlic jalapeño ricotta, pesto, and three types of pepperoni.
Best for: Pies and drinks with friends, especially after the restaurant recently snagged a beer and wine license and set up rotating beers on tap.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $
Born in the Philippines and raised in Fishers, Carlos Salazar switched from accounting to food in early adulthood. Along the way, he has become one of Indiana’s most celebrated chefs for his masterfully prepared noodles and Asian dishes with dashes of Western cuisines, which he serves at the Garage Food Hall. Stellar combinations include beef birria ramen with wagyu tallow, Mexican herbs, Chihuahua cheese, and bao stuffed with braised steak, giardiniera, and Kewpie mayo.
Vibe check: Come with a friend who can scope out some seats during busy weekends; otherwise you might have to eat your ramen standing up.

Open for: Breakfast, lunch
Price range: $$
Husband and wife Chris and Ally Benedyk have been making rich and creative food on Mass Avenue since 2018, amassing a following of breakfast and brunch lovers with braised meats and decadent desserts. Mornings bring sandwiches of buttermilk fried chicken, passion fruit tea jam, scrambled egg, and cheese, as well as hanger steaks with pickled blueberries, sunny side eggs, remoulade, and local wilted greens. Ally bakes up tart cherry-pistachio brownies and espresso-maple cheesecakes. The garage sale-like interior exhibits three decades of pop culture, including VHS tapes, old-school clowns, salvaged paint by numbers, and a vintage arcade game.
Vibe check: Check out Love Handle’s social media for specials and events, always worth seeking out.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $
Kadeesha and Antoine Wiggins began Burgeezy, their all-vegan success story, in 2021 at Indy’s Kitchen, a commercial space catering to entrepreneurs. Soon after, they participated in Be Nimble’s restaurant accelerator at AMP’s Melon Kitchen, receiving an investment towards opening a permanent location after completing the apprenticeship. In 2023, they opened their first store along Canal Walk, serving tasty sandwiches like Fishhh Fillet, Crispy Chick’n, and Double BBQ Bacon — all without dairy, meat, or eggs.
Best for: A lovely lunch outside along Indy’s famed Canal Walk.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$
Located inside the Bottleworks District, a former Coca-Cola bottling plant turned food hall, the pan-Asian Modita combines popular street food items with local ingredients, putting an Indianapolis-specific spin on the flavors. In a breathtaking spot in what used to be the building’s loading dock, executive chef Megan Stoller presents sushi, chicken tandoori, grilled pork bao, and lumpia, among other treats.
Vibe check: While many of the Bottleworks’ venues are casual vendors, Modita is more of a sit-down experience.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$
The modern Italian Vicino takes a 21st-century approach to trattoria specialties. Chef Sean Day presents pasta coated with lively sauces and hand-crafted pizzas in a stunning interior of blue crushed velvet seating and green and gold accents. Vicino is located around the corner from the chic Oakmont, the first collaboration between owners Chris Burton and Gus Vazquez.
Best for: A meal on the dog-friendly patio with your pup.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Two-time James Beard semifinalist chef Thomas Melvin artfully designs seven- and four-course tasting menus at Vida, a fine-dining experience in the charming downtown Lockerbie Square. As one stares through the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows at the neighborhood’s enchanting 18th-century architecture, perfect dishes arrive on the table, stealing the spotlight and highlighting Melvin’s deft skill with flavors. Expect items like seared scallops with crisped Brussels sprout leaves, powerful chunks of salty bacon, and a swirl of gochujang maple brown butter, or an ever so slightly seared bluefin tuna topped with salty bubbles of smoked trout roe, yuzu kosho aioli, and sesame ponzu.
Know before you go: Sit in the bar for a more casual dining experience.

Open for: Dinner, Sunday brunch
Price range: $$$$
Previously with Cunningham Restaurant Group’s Union 50, executive chef Adan Sandoval now directs the kitchen at Commission Row, where he continues the restaurant’s sublime, carefully orchestrated dining experience. In a contemporary setting, beneath modern chandeliers, a meal includes a curated caviar service featuring roe from Thomas Keller’s Regiis Ova, a seafood raw bar, and an array of beautiful steaks. Overlooking the new Bicentennial Unity Plaza, diners can begin with a cocktail, including several martini options, or choose from the thoughtfully selected wine list. 
Know before you go: After eating, twirl down to the adjoining speakeasy, Mel’s, named after the late local mall owner, producer, and Pacers owner Melvin Simon.

Open for: Dinner
Price range: $$$$
Fat Dan’s Deli owner Dan Jarman envisioned a steakhouse where Dean Martin would drink a martini and perhaps croon a song at the baby grand that centers the dining room. The restaurant is also a tribute of sorts to Jarman’s mom, the titular Geraldine, and his father, a steak lover; family photos hang among other decorations on the exposed brick walls. The menu offers solid steaks, including a 60-day dry-aged porterhouse, rib-eye, 20-ounce chateaubriand, and beef wellington. If you prefer quieter conversation, request a table further inside, away from the live piano player.
Best for: The intimate dining room is perfect for date night or solo diners that prefer to nurse a cocktail at the bar.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $$$
Chef Alan Sternberg became a James Beard semifinalist for a third time for his cooking at Bluebeard this year, adding to prior semifinalist nods for Rising Star Chef in 2016 and 2018. The menu changes daily at this award-winning, decade-old restaurant, honoring Indiana’s agriculture and the historic Holy Rosary neighborhood. Bread often takes center stage, sourced from Amelia’s, the sister bakery next door; you’ll see it show up in appetizers like grilled bread with seasonal compound butters, charcuterie and cheese, and a hearty panzanella with goat cheese crumbles. Wholly satisfying mains feature locally sourced meats, like the Berkshire pork chop with spiced apple, cabbage, and creme fraiche, or the chicken with Tuscan kale, roasted mushrooms, and miso butter. 
Know before you go: Bluebeard takes limited reservations, if you want to be sure of securing your seat.

Open for: Lunch, dinner
Price range: $
Mike and CJ McFarland started out with a friendly backyard barbecue competition in 2016. The duo, who met while working in a barbecue restaurant (she was a server and he was a cook), eventually spun the event out into Smokin’ Barrel BBQ, where they cook all their meats low and slow, arguably showcasing a regional Indiana-style: tender brisket and pulled pork get a proprietary dry rub and smoke for hours over a blend of local woods. Smokin There’s a second location in New Palestine.
Best for: Getting messy. Barrel offers napkins, but diners might be better off with a bib.