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. In the center of the establishment stands a 1945 handcrafted shuffleboard table, in case the Indiana brews on offer inspire some competition.

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. Samir, a James Beard Award semifinalist, creates a weekly menu of unfussy takes on American classics using international ingredients. He also makes his own cured meats, cheeses, and desserts.

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 birthplace, 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).

Chef Nicholas Gattone and his mother, Diane, a former pastor, opened this Northern Italian eatery in a former bookshop in 2023. In the transformed space wedged between an insurance agency and a nail salon, Gattone — a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute with a stint at Chicago’s late, legendary Spiaggia under his belt — brings a high level of culinary finesse to the area. Dish like whole roasted walleye with fregola and salsa verde, house-made gluten-free casarecce with duck Bolognese, and a mighty lamb shank bathed in wine sauce on a rich risotto might make customers reach for a rosary.

In 2024, chef Aaron Bender returned to his roots at Provision, located on the second floor of the industrial Ironworks Hotel. While the menu hasn’t changed, it feels as if Bender has renewed the depth of flavor in many dishes. There is more char to the 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. Rotating amuse bouches give every meal a unique touch as well. If you can only come for libations, sit outside enjoying the fire pit along with drinks like the Fashionably Late (tequila, sherry, banana, curry, carrot, and lime) or Beauty and Grace (vodka, berries, pea flower, elderflower, ginger, and lemon).

In Hendrick’s County’s far northeast corner, an hour’s drive from Indy, plunked down in America’s farmland sits Perillo’s Pizza, housed in a facelifted 19th-century doctor’s office. Chef Damiano Perillo, a culinary school graduate in his native Palermo, Italy, works alongside his wife, Hoosier-born Meredith, to craft various pies, including a Sicilian and a traditional New York style. Baked on stone and topped with locally sourced ingredients from Indiana farmers, the pizzas are best enjoyed on the outdoor patio with something from the carefully selected list of Italian wines and Indiana beers. Cash only.

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.

When legendary chefs and owners Tony and Rosa Hanslits decided to retire, highly regarded chef Erin Kem, who began her career with the couple, bought their combination pasta shop, market, and eatery alongside popular vegan chef Logan McMahan, known for his meat-free pop-ups around town. Guests can dine in the lunch-only Backroom, slurping up handcrafted noodles made fresh with seasonal ingredients, and then shop for imported Italian goods such as olive oils, anchovies, dried meats, wine, and frozen entrees to take home.

When Kimball Musk closed his last remaining diner, restaurateur Alison Keefer grabbed the location and opened her third brunch and patisserie venture, taking the menu and interiors to new heights. The spot features eggs and crepes during the day and burgers and bowls for dinner, along with a full bar with specialty cocktails. A rotating list of breathtaking French desserts, such as macarons, millefeuilles, and tarts, is on full display too. The space hosts a large fake tree, decorated with dangling oeuf-shaped chandeliers, amongst vintage bohemian furniture.

El Sabor Catracho serves a mostly Central American clientele in a strip mall in Lawrence. Diners come for the handcrafted baleadas, a 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.

MOTW (Muslims of the World) Coffee began as a social media page with 700,000 followers before it bloomed into a coffee shop, run by creator Sajjad Shah and his wife, Fatima. The first location opened in 2021 at Indy’s International Marketplace and eventually grew to six locations across three states. The drinks and pastries menu features a broad selection of flavors from the Muslim diaspora, including specialty lattes with add-ins like date cardamom, vanilla lavender, or rosemary honey. Pastries include a date cookie, pistachio birdnest, and baklava.

In late 2023, couple Adam Reinstrom and Pablo Gonzalez opened Gather 22 in the Fall Creek neighborhood with Reinstrom’s family, who also own Byrne’s Grilled Pizza. The family affair provides a full coffee bar and a small breakfast menu for mornings, as well as lunch, dinner, and 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).

Iconic soul food diner Kountry Kitchen opened in 1988 and became known for its star-studded clientele, including Hoosier native musician Babyface Edmonds, comedian Mike Epps and his wife Kyra, 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).

In 2020, local pastry chef Pete Schmutte, formerly of Beholder, 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.

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, where she expanded the offerings beyond breakfast and brunch with full-service dining and a small dinner menu. Hoover commissioned local artist Kaila Austin to decorate the space with colorful art, which complements the rich, matte blue walls and oxblood countertops.

If you find a queue stretching into the alley beside the historic Stutz Building, chances are it begins at Julieta, the taco shop from former Milktooth chefs Esteban Rosas and Gabriel Sanudo. The duo amassed a rabid following over two years of area pop-ups while working full-time at the Fountain Square brunch spot. Now they turn house-made blue corn tortillas into tacos with help from Rosas’s mother, Yolanda. The fillings change but look for favorites like the suadero (braised brisket), al pastor, and locally foraged fried mushrooms.

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 jalapeno ricotta, pesto, and three types of pepperoni.

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 celebrated chefs for his perfect 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, and Chihuahua cheese, and bao stuffed with braised steak, giardiniera, and Kewpie mayo.

Three generations of Thai women own and operate the upscale Bodhi: Craft Bar + Thai Bistro, which occupies the former Black Market location. With help from her mother, Nicky, and grandmother, Pen Phojanasupan, Taelor Carmine offers a combination of family recipes from Northern and Southern Thailand. The 21-and-over establishment cooks up curries, satays, soups, and noodles such as pad see ewe (flat wide rice noodles), pad woonsen (vermicelli), and a delicious pad thai.

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.

Located inside the Bottleworks District, a former Coca-Cola bottling plant turned food hall, the pan-Asian Modita presents sushi, chicken tandoori, grilled pork bao, and lumpia in a breathtaking spot in what used to be the building’s loading dock. Executive chef Megan Stoller combines the array of popular street food items with local ingredients, putting an Indianapolis-specific spin on the flavors.

Proprietor Chris Eley opened this enormous Holy Cross smokehouse, market, and butchery in early 2011 as the follow-up to his award-winning Fall Creek-based Goose the Market, a specialty deli and store where he sells handcrafted sandwiches, cured meats, local beer, and wines. Here, Eley vends his larder meats, European cheeses, and hundreds of other charcuterie items, meaning there’s no need to drive to the smaller outlet for your weekly restock. Eley has also been a longtime supporter of regional farmers and made Smoking Goose a one-stop shop for artisanal foods from all over Indiana. Customers can also preorder charcuterie boards and sandwiches for events and picnics.

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 scallop with crisped Brussels sprout leaves, unctuous 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.

Under the direction of Hoosier-born chef Corey Fuller, who developed his chops at Michelin-starred Chicago restaurants Alinea and (now closed) Naha, Commission Row creates a sublime, carefully orchestrated dining experience in a contemporary setting with modern chandeliers. The menu includes a curated caviar service featuring roe from Thomas Keller’s Regiis Ova, a seafood raw bar, and an array of beautiful steaks. Not to be missed, the signature octopus terrine offers a revelation of thinly sliced pulpo with chiles and olives. Overlooking the new Bicentennial Unity Plaza, diners can begin with a cocktail, including a number of martini options, or choose from the thoughtfully selected wine list. After eating, twirl on down to the adjoining speakeasy, Mel’s, named after the late local mall owner, producer, and Pacers owner Melvin Simon.

When Vinita Singh opened her first location in Fountain Square, she employed executive chef Kamal Papanai, whose experience included cooking in India’s luxury hotels and Chicago restaurants. At Aroma, the chef presents well-loved dishes, such as samosas plumped full of peas and potatoes, ready for dunking into tamarind chutney, and yogurt-marinated tandoori chicken.

In 2024, Alan Sternberg, a two-time semifinalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef award, took over Bluebeard from cofounder Abbi Merris, who departed after 12 years as executive chef. In addition to focusing on local ingredients and creative aesthetics, Sternberg, who brings experience at Iozzo’s Garden of Italy and Westfield’s Field Brewing, presents heartland food with a 21st-century focus in dishes like rib-eye with eggplant harissa or falafel with gently charred cauliflower and beet hummus.

George Turkette and his wife Amanda DeVary offer one of the city’s best whole-animal, zero-waste butcher shops and, even better, a soccer bar and restaurant next door where customers can taste the wares before purchasing. All the meats are sourced from Indiana farmers, sometimes dispatched by Turkette before being butchered in-house. At the restaurant, guests can order sandwiches made from in-house cured salami, corned beef, hot dogs, and tallow fries, while canine companions can find snacks such as pig ears, smoked bones, and liver treats. Recently, the couple expanded to a larger facility for meat production, leaving room for growth in the shop and restaurant.

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 Barrel offers napkins, but diners might be better off with a bib. There’s a second location in New Palestine.