The 10 Best Things I Ate in Indianapolis in 2023
I love a top 10 list. I blame it on David Letterman, my alma mater’s most famous graduate. I don’t want to search through hundreds of recommendations — give it to me straight, tell me what’s the best.
That’s what we’re doing today.
Indy is home to so many incredible restaurants, chefs and bakers doing their thing on their own, specialty stores, and kitchens. I’ve eaten way more than 10 great meals this year, but these stood out from the rest. Below, enjoy a range of delicious Indianapolis meals — I know I did.
Cheeseburger from The Workingman’s Friend
Tomato and Corn Butter Toast from Love Handle
1. The Workingman’s Friend Smash Burger
There are very few things that I love more than a smash burger. I’m not a huge meat eater (don’t get me wrong though, a steak is nice every now and then), which makes smashed my preferred burger style. Workingman’s Friend has been around since 1918. If it’s good enough to last 105 years, it’s good enough for me.
It’s a dive, cash only and 21+, so be prepared. But it’s so worth the stop at the ATM.
Workingman’s Friend, 234 N Belmont Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46222
2. Love Handle’s Tomato Toast With Corn Butter
Can you say summer?
On a dreary December day, I’m dreaming of those fresh local tomatoes atop creamy corn butter on freshly baked bread. I still remember being mesmerized by the bright little tomato jewels (sorry, that’s what they remind me of!) when my plate was set down. This dish was Indiana summer, made edible.
Love Handle, 877 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Calamari katsu sandwich from Beholder
The iconic Batali sandwich from Goose the Market
3. Beholder’s Calamari Katsu Sandwich
I ate at Beholder twice this year, and both were incredible meals, but this katsu sandwich stole the show for me.
As you’ll note, there are several sandwiches on this list. This one is by far the fanciest, priciest, and, of course, was part of Beholder’s constantly changing menu. But hey, maybe they’ll bring it back some day!
Chewy-crispy textures rocked my world when I bit into this sandwich. I love the sweet flavor of calamari, and the milk bread that the fish was sandwiched between added the perfect extra kiss of sweet and savory. Beholder, please bring this back!
Beholder, 1844 E 10th St, Indianapolis, IN 46201
4. Goose the Market’s Batali Sandwich
It’s an icon. It’s a legend. It’s nationally-recognized.
The Batali is loaded with coppa, soppressata, capocollo, provolone cheese, and tomato preserves. It’s on a Amelia’s Bread baguette. It’s topped with delicious pickle-y giardiniera (wow, spelled that right on the first try). The Batali is my ideal sandwich because it’s a little spicy, a little sweet from the tomatoes, and served on bread that can stand up to a little (or a lot) of sandwich juice. If you get it, you get it.
Goose the Market, 2503 N Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46205
Oysters served in Goose the Market’s cellar wine bar
Perfect fried mushrooms from Tinker Street
5. Goose the Market Enoteca’s Oysters
The butcher counter at Goose the Market is great — see the previous sandwich.
Walk down the stairs into the cellar of Goose, though, and you get an entirely different experience. One that a surprising amount of people in Indy don’t actually know about. The Enoteca.
Sure, they sell great wines down there (and they have a pretty good selection of wines from Georgia — the country — which I won’t shut up about). But they also shuck oysters, roast escargot in plenty of butter and garlic, and slice up Smoking Goose meats for charcuterie boards while you enjoy a glass of wine or a pint of beer. Be sure to try their rotating mignonette with your oysters when you go. I’ve tried everything from classic shallot and red wine vinegar to an incredibly refreshing, so-good-you-could-drink-it coconut mignonette.
Goose the Market, 2503 N Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46205
6. Tinker Street’s Korean Fried Mushrooms
Every time I’ve gone to Tinker Street this year, I’ve ordered these mushrooms. Tinker Street’s creative, delicious menus always have great appetizer options, but I will order their Korean fried mushrooms every. single. time.
When they’re dropped off at your table, your first reaction is “wow, this is a lot of mushrooms.” It’s a mushroom mountain, if you will, piled high on a plate atop thin crepe-like pancakes, pungent kimchi, pickled daikon radish, scallions, furikake, and an incredible gochujang honey. If you think it’s a lot of mushrooms, just wait until you taste them. You’ll probably want to order another plate.
Tinker Street, 402 E 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202
7. Leviathan Bakehouse’s The Meg Sandwich
I love The MEG from Leviathan for a lot of the same reasons that I love Goose’s sandwich — cured Italian meats (that are actually from Smoking Goose), pickled veggies in the form of cherry-fennel giardiniera, a spicy mayo. They say it’s muffuletta-inspired. I’ve never had an authentic muffuletta, so I can’t speak to that. But I can tell you it’s damn delicious.
The real star of the show, though, is Leviathan’s house focaccia bread. Once they’re out of focaccia for the day, the sandwich is sold out.
Leviathan Bakehouse, 1101 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202
8. Julieta Taco Shop’s Tacos al Pastor
Julieta Taco Shop at the new Stutz Building popped onto the scene this summer and for that I will be forever grateful.
I’m pretty sure there was a period of at least a month* (*definitely more than a month) that I ate at Julieta at least once a week. Their tacos are out of the world.
It’s a family business, which makes the food taste better. Their corn tortillas are made fresh every day by hand. When you walk into their small counter-service spot, you can see the trompo spinning your al pastor behind the cash register. Juicy pineapple, onion, and cilantro are all you truly need to accompany your pork, but a little guacamole or salsa on top is also delicious.
Julieta Taco Shop, 1060 N Capitol Ave Suite 1-103, Indianapolis, IN 46204
9. Rene’s Bakery’s Fruit Tarts
You’re looking at fruit tarts from an Indianapolis baking institution — and I mean that in the least corporate, “institution-y” way possible. This is another family business whose love you can taste in their cakes, macarons, croissants, and yes, the fruit tarts.
Fruit tarts can be finicky, especially when you’re selling them retail and not serving them for immediate consumption. Rene’s has mastered the art of the non-soggy fruit tart, though. Somehow those juicy berries and sweet pastry cream don’t turn a delicious crust to mush. And for that, I love them.
Rene’s Bakery, 6524 Cornell Ave B, Indianapolis, IN 46220
10. Five Talented Baker’s Holiday Baked Goods
Wrapping this up on a squishy (but never soggy) note. When I hosted my first-ever event earlier this month with Dear Mom, I never expected that we’d have a line wrapped around the block for two hours. I didn’t expect that we’d run out of boxes. I didn’t expect that Indy would turn out quite as strong as you did. But you did!
In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised at all — Jordan, Zoe, Ally, Youssef, and Amanda all do incredible work and have hordes of dedicated supporters. Taking what started as an Instagram account and has morphed into a website full of food writing and being able to host an amazing holiday bake sale is more than I ever dreamed of doing, and I’m so, so happy I got to do it.
The cookies, brownies, yule logs, bundts, and donuts all tasted delicious, of course. Again, we had an incredible lineup of bakers. But they never would have happened if it wasn’t for this community!
Here’s to even more good eats in 2024!
