Indiana · best-of list
The 7 Best Restaurants in Indiana
All 7 restaurants our route editors picked in Indiana, across 3 destinations, gathered in one list. 3 come with an insider tip.
Our curated picks
7 restaurants in Indiana, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Downtown Indianapolis 3 picks
Harry & Izzy's
Downtown Indianapolis · On our Indianapolis New Year's Eve route
St. Elmo's sister grill on Illinois Street, with the same shrimp cocktail in a livelier, more casual room.
Tip: Easier to book than St. Elmo on NYE and a two-minute walk from the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
St. Elmo Steak House
Downtown Indianapolis · On our Indianapolis New Year's Eve route
The city's oldest steakhouse, open since 1902, famous for a horseradish-heavy shrimp cocktail and a deep wine list.
Tip: Reserve weeks ahead for Dec 31; the bar seats walk-ins early in the evening.
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0The Rathskeller
Downtown Indianapolis · On our Indianapolis New Year's Eve route
German restaurant and beer hall in the 1890s Athenaeum building, serving schnitzel and steins since 1894.
Tip: The Kellerbar side has live music most weekend nights; good for Dec 30.
Indiana Dunes 2 picks
Lucrezia Café
Indiana Dunes · On our Indiana & Ohio City-Nature Loop route
Northern Italian restaurant in a historic Chesterton house.
Photo: Lucrezia Café · Google
Wagner's Ribs
Indiana Dunes · On our Indiana & Ohio City-Nature Loop route
Porter rib house known for slabs of barbecue ribs since the 1970s.
Photo: JagG · Google
Indianapolis 2 picks
Garage Food Hall
Indianapolis · On our Indiana & Ohio City-Nature Loop route
Food hall in Bottleworks' old Coca-Cola bottling garage with local vendors.
Photo: The Garage Food Hall · Google
Shapiro's Delicatessen
Indianapolis · On our Indiana & Ohio City-Nature Loop route
Family-run deli since 1905; cafeteria line for corned beef and pastrami.
Photo: Shapiro's Delicatessen · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the restaurants in Indiana?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 7 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Indiana has the most restaurants on this list?
Downtown Indianapolis has the most (3 of 7), followed by Indiana Dunes (2) and Indianapolis (2).
More lists for Indiana
Best restaurants nearby
Destinations on this list
- Downtown Indianapolis 3 on this list
- Indiana Dunes 2 on this list
- Indianapolis 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.