Enjoy a cup of afternoon tea and a slice of cake at one of the most Instagrammable places in Indianapolis. The Cake Bake Shop serves elegant cakes, pies, and pastries, as well as a full menu with salads, sandwiches, burgers with pomme frites, crab cakes, and a variety of coffee and tea options. The Carmel location, decked out like a palace with all-white everything and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, is great for a special occasion or just an afternoon pick-me-up. Snacking like royalty makes the price tag all worth it.  

At Sangiovese you might find yourself full after just the starters, with options like bruschetta, mussels, calamari, fried ravioli, and some of the best meatballs you will ever have, made with 100 percent Italian sausage and a small kick of heat. Find room to dig into pasta dishes, ranging from spaghetti and lasagna to seafood options with red sauce, alfredo, and pesto. Sangiovese is equally well-known for their entrees like veal and chicken Parmesan, both for the flavor and portion size. Wrap up your night with a moist piece of tiramisu, with balanced chocolate and coffee notes, or cannolis and coffee. 

Using some of the latest kitchen machines from Italy, Convivio puts a major focus on fresh pasta made in-house daily, topped with poultry, seafood, and other local and organic ingredients. Try their Nero pasta dish: squid ink spaghetti noodles combined with sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp, crab, and lobster in a lobster cream sauce. The menu changes seasonally, but you can always taste the fresh ingredients in the bread, poultry, and seafood options. 

Rize is a true farm-to-table breakfast and lunch spot, complete with hydroponically grown produce from their restaurant group’s farmhouse. But what really sets them apart is the selection of breakfast pastries, in particular the gourmet Pop Tarts and huge cinnamon rolls big enough to feed two. Dig into the chicken hash, the most flavorful dish on the menu, which comes on a crispy potato bed with eggs, mushroom, and pesto, all topped with a tomato-basil gravy. Be sure to check out the drinks: fresh-squeezed juice, mimosas, kombucha, and smoothies.

Caplinger’s flies in fresh seafood daily. Get your catfish, perch, shrimp, calamari, salmon, or other options cooked the way you want, or have your selection wrapped up to take home and cook it yourself. You can even order your fish as a sandwich or a dinner with some great sides like greens, mashed potatoes, or mac and cheese. Anyone hesitant about ordering their fish fried should rest assured the crew at Caplinger’s knows exactly what they’re doing with the deep fryer. Great fried seafood is all about seasoning, batter, and cooking time. Fish emerges from the kitchen with that perfect golden brown color and crisp texture, and each bite is crunchy and full of flavor.

This small deli on Broad Ripple Avenue slings big sandwiches, soups, and salads, but their specialty steamed bagels keep people coming back for more. For breakfast and lunch, you can top a variety of bagels with bacon, sausage, turkey, roast beef, corned beef, or pastrami. Talk with the staff to customize a bagel to your liking, even if that just means spicing up your turkey bagel with some chipotle cream cheese, or adding multiple meats and additional toppings.

There’s a location of Fat Dan’s to serve every side of town with outstanding bar food, but the original in Broad Ripple makes an ideal place to watch some sports with your friends. Smoked, then fried chicken wings, home fries with cheese and other toppings, fat burgers, Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and more are paired with whatever game is on TV.

Yats features New Orleans, Cajun, and Creole-inspired dishes, all served over rice. The chili cheese etouffee — a roux-based sauce, chili seasonings, and crawfish tail meat — is the most popular dish on the menu, but things rotate daily based on location. You can get anything from gumbo to jambalaya, red beans and rice to vegetarian dishes like their B&B (black beans and caramelized corn). Every dish is full of flavor, you can taste each ingredient, and you cannot get a meal like this anywhere else.  

Napolese’s pies are cooked in a brick oven with hand-formed dough and house-made sauces that are light, fresh, and just so good. Choose from the long list of house pizzas, or be bold and build your own from your choice of cheese, meat, veggies, and egg. Be sure to get something with a little meat, which the restaurant sources locally, like the Hamaker’s Corner with Italian sausage, thick slices of pepperoni, provolone, and juicy mushrooms.

Located on the west side of Indy, right off the expressway, Chapati is the perfect stop for people traveling through the Midwest, but it’s also worth a shorter trip for anyone in town. The restaurant is popular for classics like chicken tikka masala — marinated in house tikka spices for 24 hours, then slow-cooked in creamy red sauce — as well as more unique dishes like goat beets — a stewy combination of dry masala-rubbed beets and marinated goat. There are also many vegetarian options, like eggplant masala and aloo tarkari, while must-have sides include the namesake chapati and the basmati rice.

Chefs Janine Booth of Top Chef fame and three-time James Beard nominee Jeff McInnis each have their own story about how they ended up in Indianapolis. Everyone should just be glad they came together at Root & Bone to serve up amazing fried chicken, brined in sweet tea before being fried to perfection, in the heart of SoBro. Open for brunch and dinner, the restaurant also serves lots of comfort food like biscuits, ribs, deviled eggs, grilled broccolini, mac and cheese, and sweet potato hash. 

A Black-owned staple for chicken wings in the city, with three locations and a food truck, R&R serves up orders of wings and fries topped with plentiful sauce options, like Parmesan garlic and their Founder’s Favorite, reminiscent of a spicy barbecue sauce. Beware, there is always a wait, but it’s worth it.

This neighborhood favorite for to-go meals offers a few surprises on its extended menu. You can get fried chicken, fish, Philly cheesesteaks, and burgers — but don’t forget to order the fried rice, an even greater pairing for most dishes than fries. In addition to the traditional fried chicken options, go for the wings, which pair well with their house-made sauces. People drive from all over town to get the special honey lemon pepper garlic wings, doused in a savory and sweet sauce that lives up to the name. Expect to wait after you order for quite some time, but remember your food will be fresh and well worth it.

Have you ever had peach cobbler chicken and waffles? Or fried chicken pot pie? If you would like to correct the answer to either from “no” to “yes,” check out His Place Eatery, where traditional soul food and barbecue dishes are represented, plus a few twists on the classics. Husband and wife duo, chef James “Mackie” Jones and Shawn Jones, periodically add special menu items, like the pot pie: a deconstructed take with fried boneless chicken breast on top of a croissant-like pastry, topped with a creamy gravy studded with peas, carrots, and other vegetables. The couple do the standards well too, with fried chicken, fish, meatloaf, greens, yams, creamed corn, and more that all taste homemade.

Arguably the best donuts in the world are made right here at Long’s Bakery in Indianapolis. Across two locations, the bakery pumps out thousands of yeast donuts daily, though the moist, soft cake donuts are equally beloved in flavors like blueberry and applesauce, to name a few. Just don’t forget to bring some cash, and don’t let the crowd outside, which gathers early in the morning, deter you from getting your fix. The line is just an expression of the city’s love. 

This sushi and cocktail bar on Mass Avenue sits at a 45-degree angle, with large glass windows overlooking the street and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail, making for excellent people-watching, both inside and out. There are a large variety of specialty rolls on the broad menu, including the popular Playboy Roll, made with spicy tuna, asparagus, jalapeño, and shrimp tempura, topped with salmon, shrimp, and three sauces — and then lit on fire. You can also get all the traditional rolls, nigiri, and sashimi. Stop by on Sunday for half-priced sushi.

You’ll find traditional pizza options at King Dough, but they also top pizzas with signature sauces like hot honey and source seasonal ingredients from local farmers for specials. When you dine in or on their patio, grab a drink from their huge selection of local beers and wine, or order a cocktail or frozen drink on special.

They serve up some of the best fried chicken at the Eagle, and it comes out of a pressure cooker. While the cooking method results in a different bird than you’ll find at most places, the technique has whole chickens selling all day long. You can also order a half or quarter chicken, but on your first visit, try the fried chicken sandwich: a simple formula of breaded chicken breast, topped with coleslaw and pickles, on a toasted bun that lets the bird shine. Be sure to try the hot honey on your chicken, along with sides that include greens, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, fries, specialty spoon bread, and more.  You will not be disappointed.

You just might see a Pacers player cozying up to a prime cut of meat on the white tablecloths at Prime 47 after a game. Options range from dry-aged ribeye to filet mignon and wagyu, and you can enhance your main course with different toppings like crab or truffle butter. Sides are also cooked to perfection, like the extra-cheesy lobster mac and cheese, creamed corn, and grilled asparagus, to name a few. There are also chicken, pork, and fish options on the menu.   

One of the oldest restaurants in the city serves some of the best steaks, chops, and seafood in Indianapolis. Since 1902, St. Elmo has been cooking up premium cuts of meat in the heart of downtown. For appetizers, get the shrimp cocktail in St. Elmo’s famous signature sauce, popular for its kick from the horseradish. That’s just one of an array of house-made sauces to accompany entrees way beyond A1, with options like creamy horseradish, truffle dijonaise, remoulade, and more. St. Elmo is a must-stop for any visitor to Indianapolis who loves steak or needs to splurge on an elegant white tablecloth dinner. 

The best lobster roll in Indy can be found at Pier 48, thanks to the fresh seafood flown in daily and the expertise of East Coaster chef Matthew Ace. The New York native knows how to make traditional Buffalo wings too, which are just as good as any cut of seafood on the menu. The beautiful establishment is in the heart of downtown, right across the street from Bankers Life Fieldhouse. You can enjoy salmon, monkfish, shrimp, and steak, but save room for some of the best lobster mac and cheese in the city and vegetables seasoned so well even kids will eat them. Also check out the weekly specials, based on what has been flown into town.

A line forms outside Milktooth every weekend. The restaurant, nationally famous for its daytime menus, is still at the top of its game, made even more impressive by the kitchen team’s commitment to source ingredients nearby and patronize other small businesses. The menu changes seasonally, but the options always include some type of waffle, Dutch pancakes, grits, and fried chicken. While you wait for your meal, order one of the excellent pastries and something from the creative coffee menu. The open dining room and unique tables, chairs, and utensils make the experience even more fun. Keep an eye out for pop-ups from other local chefs, limited-run menu items, and other creative one-offs from owner Jon Brooks, who has developed some notoriety for experimenting.  

If you have a taste for a traditional corned beef sandwich with mustard on rye, Shapiro’s is the place to get the perfectly shaved meat cut to your liking. The place is famous for their deli sandwiches on fresh bread, but the cafeteria-style restaurant doles out a whole lot more. Get in line and load up your plastic tray with sandwiches, entrees like spaghetti and meatballs, stuffed peppers, soups, salads, and fresh-baked desserts.

Siam Square got a remodel just before the pandemic, making it an even better spot to dine on excellent Thai cuisine. Start off with the curry puffs or yum soft shell crab, before jumping into the popular pad thai, drunken noodles, or coconut curry, all doctored to your preferred level of spice. Main dishes are served with freshly fried spring rolls and sweet chili sauce on the side.

Home of the honey hot wings, Chef Tia & Co. is a Black-owned business with a one-of-a-kind menu that spans loaded fries, pasta, lamb chops, and a long list of other special items. Start with your choice of Parmesan truffle, crab, or loaded garlic Buffalo fries. Chef Tia Harrison does what she feels with daily specials, whether that’s Taco Tuesday or Wing Wednesday, but items like shrimp and grits and seafood macaroni and cheese are always available.

Yaso may be relatively new to the Indianapolis scene, but husband-and-wife owners Jermaine and Ja’Net Dennis have roots that go back in Jamaica. The menu ranges from beef patties to seafood, all cooked with spices and flavors just as they would be in Jamaica. The perfectly smoky jerk chicken is very hard to stop eating, while the incredibly tender oxtails begin to fall apart on you as soon as you pick them up. Try a combo meal where you can choose a couple of meats with rice and beans, cabbage, and sides.

Head for this local gem on the south side of Indianapolis in Greenwood, where chefs back up flaming showmanship on the grill with a solid menu and ambiance, whether you choose to sit by the action or in a private dining area. Outside of well-seasoned jumbo shrimp, chicken, and juicy steak, Kabuto offers snapper and other seafood options from a fresh sushi bar. Generous portion size and standout fried rice will keep you coming back, especially since the restaurant offers full dinner portions as a lunch special for under $10, one of the best deals in the city.