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The capital of US state Indiana, Indianapolisis has a multicultural population and an incredibly diverse food culture. Follow our guide and enjoy the some of best food this Midwestern State has to offer.

Downtown Indianapolis Monument Circle

The Greek Island’s Restaurant

Restaurant, Greek

The Greek Island’s Restaurant has reasonably priced authentic Greek cuisine that ranges from gyros, to unfamiliar dishes like dolmades: grape leaves filled with ground beef and rice with lemon sauce on top. All of their entrées are served with a Greek salad, bread, rice pilaf and olympic beans; if the dish has an asterisk next to it, it will be served with tender Greek potatoes. You can even enjoy a Greek frappé or the sweet, baklava to finish off the evening.

St. Elmo Steak House

A 28-ounce Porterhouse steak, a 21-ounce Indiana lamb Porterhouse, 14-ounce rib-eyes and many other steaks, chop and chicken options await guests as they venture into this award-winning steakhouse. Famous for their shrimp cocktail, St. Elmo Steakhouse was included in Forbes’ list of the Ten Great Classic Restaurants Worth Visiting. This list included restaurants from food hubs like London, Paris, Madrid, and they have even been acknowledged by North American steakhouses as a Top Original Steak House in North America. Their menu, that is made of locally grown products, is deserving of these praises and is worth your visit.

Cerulean

Restaurant, American

Black cod
© stu_spivack/Flickr
This brightly lit establishment is like a scene from a magazine. Their white-on-wood decor matched with the crisp appearance of their dishes and glasses is highly picturesque. Both a lunch and dinner menu is available at Cerulean and includes fine dishes, like Alaskan black cod which is roasted with cauliflower, kohlrabi, dill, cilantro, kombu mussels. House cocktails and wine by the glass begin at lunch as well as non-alcoholic beverages like coffee, Voss still water, soft drinks, and lemonade.

Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur Room

Restaurant, American, Vegetarian

Chef Joseph’s at the Connoisseur Room is an independently owned restaurant in central Indianapolis. They are conveniently located walking distance from popular attractions like the Phoenix Theater and The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Hilbert Circle Theater. There’s a Saturday and Sunday Champagne Brunch that makes a wonderful start to the weekend. For dinner you can enjoy well-seasoned dishes, like the grilled swordfish served with Israeli couscous, artichoke, roasted peppers, and a spiced tomato broth.

Soupremacy

Market, Juice Bar, Snack Bar, Soup, American, Healthy

Soup
© jeffreyw/Flickr
Soupremacy is essential for the long winter that Indianapolis endures every year. The soups change regularly and according to the season and are all made with fresh ingredients. Chilli is a popular everyday soup, made using their own secret recipe; it’s a combination of slow-cooked beef, beans, and peppers with a sprinkling of cilantro. There’s also a delivery service available.

Three Carrots

Market, Vegan, Japanese, Vegetarian, Middle Eastern

Three Carrots is located on Market Street and serves baked goods, breakfast, lunch, and other healthy options. Their special, the fall salad, is seitan bacon or tofu served with kale, apples, roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, candied pumpkin seeds, red onion, and beet-habanero vinaigrette. This recipe is just a preview of the capabilities and deliciousness that Three Carrots offers to their fellow vegetarians and vegans.

Iozzo’s Garden of Italy

At Iozzo’s Garden of Italy, quantity and quality go hand in hand. They do not cheat customers out of a hearty meal, especially with entrées that are served with a small house salad, a side of spaghetti, and the vegetable of the day. The medium-sized brick oven pizzas are also served with a small house salad, as are the pastas. There’s a good wine list that includes an ‘Interesting White’ and an ‘Interesting Red’ section among usual categories like pinot grigio, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon. If you have a larger party, large format bottles at one-and-a-half and three liters are also available.

Shapiro's Delicatessen

Deli, Restaurant, American, Vegetarian

A kosher style restaurant with more than a century’s history, Shapiro’s Delicatessen has grown from a small Russian family owned grocery and deli in the early 1900s to one of Indianapolis’ most revered breakfast, lunch and dinner establishments. It attracts everyone, from the typical lunch-hour crowd during the business week, to hungry presidential candidates on the campaign trail. Shapiro’s fresh-made sandwiches — corned beef, pastrami, brisket and more — are served in large portions, loaded with your choice of homemade sides, pie slices and more. With daily specials and an authentic delicatessen atmosphere, Shapiro’s is ideal.

The Rathskeller

Restaurant, German, European

The Athenaeum
© HalloweenHJB/Flickr
Located in Indianapolis’ historic Athenaeum Building just off of Massachusetts Avenue, The Rathskeller brings authentic German cuisine to the Circle City. Open for lunch and dinner, The Rathskeller’s menu of various bratwursts, schnitzel, pork tenderloin and more are all served in the dining area. A full list of European beers served at the restaurant’s Kellerbar or outdoor Biergarten make for a welcome treat for adults. The Biergarten is also home to live music and entertainment throughout the year.

Bazbeaux

Pizzeria, Restaurant, American, Vegetarian

Mimi Blue Meatballs Vegetarian Options
Courtesy of Mimi Blue Meatballs
Bazbeaux is the place to go for a great slice of Italian-style pizza. The restaurant’s humble beginnings trace back to pizza sold out of the small home of a grave digger in Broad Ripple in 1986. Having since expanded to their current Carmel, Broad Ripple and downtown Indianapolis locations, Bazbeaux restaurants have always remained at the heart of greater Indianapolis’ arts districts. At Bazbeaux you can create your own pizza with the restaurant’s traditional, exotic or premium toppings, or try one of Bazbeaux’s specialty pizzas like the colossus or pizza alla quattro formaggio. Bring friends because Bazbeaux’s 10-inch, 12-inch and 16-inch pizzas are sure to fill.
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