10 best Downtown Indianapolis Restaurants for Weekenders
Just have a couple days? Consume your way through these leading spots and local favorites
You just have a weekend, however you want to taste whatever good about the exciting Downtown Indianapolis restaurant scene, right? These are the places to discover top chefs, regional food and excellent burgers, pizza and fried chicken. Oh, and mixed drinks, too.
Napolese
Local fruit and vegetables and meats top thin-crust pizzas cooked in a wood-fired oven. Salads are as good as the pies, especially shaved Brussels sprouts with almonds and dried cherries in fall or summertime's caprese tower with creamy mozzarella and rainbow bright tomatoes. High ceilings and white columns stimulate ideas of Rome. There's relaxing little bar and a patio, too.
Milktooth
Indiana-grown fruit and vegetables and Midwest basic satisfaction mingle with off-the-cuff ingenuity. Eater, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Conde Nast Traveler all hail the breakfast/brunch/lunch great diner. Sweet or savory Dutch infant pancakes are legendary. Recently, manchego creamed spinach accompanies grilled steak and eggs. Feeling adventurous? Think about Korean venison heart tartare with cured egg yolk and marinaded pears. Baristas and bartenders put topnotch sips. Prime counter seating deals with the dynamic open kitchen area.
Punch Burger
Indy chefs will inform you that Indiana's Fischer Farms beef is some of the state's finest. Cows stroll big grassy fields in Southern Indiana. That's the beef cooks here utilize to make hamburgers however you like them, even wrapped in lettuce if you wish to skip the carbs. Tailor grilled cheese sandwiches, too. Service is incredibly quick and the environment is incredibly casual.
Rook
Asian street food motivates boom-pow blend tastes. Carnitas may stuff the everyday banh mi. Honey-drizzled, crispy pig ear strips top fluffy rice grits. Seafood is anything however average. Snapper with peaches, chilies and coconut milk maybe? Share at communal tables or get a seat at one of two bars overlooking the open kitchen. This is one of Indy's best spots for cocktails.
St. Elmo Steakhouse
Quickly Indy's most famous dining establishment, St. Elmo has actually been flaming beef because 1902. Every star that rolls into town eats here. You never understand who you'll see. Jimmy Fallon, Clark Gable and U2 have all dined at St. Elmo. Get a steak, obviously, but making it through the horseradish-heavy shrimp mixed drink is the indication of a true pro. If the line is too long, struck St. Elmo's siblings: 1933 Lounge upstairs, timeless however casual Harry & Izzy's next door and Burger Study around the corner.
Black Market
Concealed at the northeast end of Mass Ave, this quiet escape is a favorite of epicures and rum enthusiasts. Considered a "well-provisioned farmhouse," the place hosts communal tables for the rustic similarity apple-brined pork chops, sausage, kraut and mustard flatbread, pumpkin and vegetable curry and, for dessert, salted chocolate brickle with rum caramel. The rum-obsessed bar uses more than 100 labels for straight sipping or cocktails, classic and creative.
Bluebeard
Locals stand by this intimate restaurant named after home town author Kurt Vonnegut's book, "Bluebeard, the Autobiography of Rabo Karabekian." A James Beard award semifinalist right out of eviction in 2013, Bluebeard continues to wow fans with seasonal modern but always soothing New American dishes like beef tongue lentil stew with butternut squash and meatball sandwiches with spicy tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. Cocktails are always spot-on and enjoyable to sip with a generous charcuterie plate on the patio or while thinking about vintage typewriters and old books that decorate bar. Drop in sibling Amelia's bakery next door for a loaf of artisan excellence and homemade sweets.
The Eagle
Legit home cooking satisfies a jamming Americana vibe at the end of Downtown's hot Mass Ave strip. The outdoor patio is substantial and always fun for drinks or sharing family-style fried chicken suppers. The reliable chicken sandwich sports a thick, tender breast with a fiery, crunchy finishing. Slaw, spicy mayo and spicy sour pickles land on the toasted roll, too. It's a tongue burner in a good way.
Cerulean
When it comes to great dining, Cerulean wins the contest in Indianapolis. Chef Alan Sternberg pushes Midwestern active ingredients to just-right limits without being pretentious or fussy. Get your cellphone video camera prepared. You'll wish to explode your Instagram with Sternberg's artistic plates. Pasta is his specialty. Recently, it's corn ravioli with truffle butter and eggplant. Cerulean is equally popular for dessert.Goat cheese strudel with Bing cherries and saffron anglaise? Yes please. Cannot make supper? Pop in for sweets and a mixed drink at the attractive bar.
Vida
Vida is the Spanish word for "life," hence the big hydroponic garden overlooking the open kitchen area. Chefs use the fresh herbs and greens in New American meals instilled with world tastes. Soft-as-butter smoked scallop pieces garnish shrimp dumplings in addition to black garlic, bok choy, crispy onion rings and beech mushrooms. A ladle of pork skin broth is the last touch. Chefs become part of the scene. They complete meals underneath the hydroponic garden. Stroll up and say hello. Noise-absorbing surfaces in the relaxing dining room making conversation simple even when the place is hopping, which is almost all the time.
This post is brought to you by: Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning