Updated “I’m Visiting Indy For The First Time”

We were due for a new sidebar thread and I decided to volunteer to put this together. This thread is intended to provide information to those who may be coming to Indy for the first time, or for those who may want to try something new. I will do my best to update this post periodically as businesses open and close, and as people make suggestions for new items to be added.

# Steak Houses / Restaurants

**St Elmo’s ($$$)**\- Located at the intersection of Georgia Street and Illinois St. The Indy staple that has been around a really long time, and it’s hard to go wrong here. A bit pricey but if you are in town to indulge you should check out St Elmo’s. It’s a bit cliché, but it’s almost a right of passage, get the shrimp cocktail. Haven’t had anything bad here before.

**Harry & Izzy’s ($$$)**\- Sister restaurant to St Elmo’s with a very similar menu and same exact location. More sandwiches and other offerings here when compared to St Elmo’s. Haven’t had anything bad here before.

**Fogo De Chao ($$$)** \- Located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Street and Washington Street. Unlimited meat “buffet” with other food offerings. If you haven’t been to one before you buy a buffet pass that gets you their fresh salads and other offerings, along with unlimited meats that will be brought to you at your table. You receive a card that is either green or red. Green = keep those meats coming, and red = waiting to digest or done.

**Salt on Mass ($$$)** \- Located at the intersection of Michigan Street and Massachusetts Avenue. If you like seafood this is one of the better places to eat Downtown. Their menu is mainly fish and shellfish, with a decent offering of other meat options.

**Prime 47 – Indy’s Steakhouse ($$$)** \- Located north of the intersection of Maryland Street and Pennsylvania Street, as well as a second location in Carmel. Prime 47 is another good steakhouse to visit and try different cuts of meat. They feature 47-day dry-aged steaks and various grades of Wagyu beef.

**Mesh ($$ to $$$)** \- Located along Massachusetts Avenue between Walnut St & St Clair St. This place has a lot of different foods from several different cultures. Lots of options here across several price points.

**The Eagle ($$)** \- Located at the three-way intersection of Delaware, Massachusetts and New York. This is the place to go if you are just looking for some good fried chicken and some spoon bread. Only open for dinner during the week, but offers lunch on Friday and the weekend. Nice outdoor patio eating area that is nice when the weather isn’t awful. **Update: It now appears that the Eagle is open for lunch all week.**

**Kilroy’s Bar & Grill ($-$$)**\- Located at the intersection of Georgia St and Meridian St. Another Indy staple that’s been around for a while, and is also one of the busier places during gamedays. Typical American cuisine with a decent selection of beer and liquors. Known for their stuffed breadsticks.

**Conner’s Kitchen and Bar ($$)** \- Located at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown (right across from the Convention Center on Maryland). Another American Restaurant, but this one offers breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner. This location is pretty close to Lucas Oil from what I have recommended so far, and depending on what’s going on at the Convention Center, you may be able to walk through some of the tunnels to get to the Stadium.

**Shapiro’s Delicatessen ($$)** \- Located at the intersection of McCarty St and Meridian St. If you guys like traditional delis this is the place to do in Indy, and it’s pretty close to the Stadium. They have other offerings besides sandwiches, but why are you going to Shapiro’s for anything else?

**Greeks Islands($$)** \- Located south of Shapiro’s along Meridian Street. If you like traditional Greek food, then this is a good place to go. Their website is awful and hasn’t left the late 90s / early 00s, but the food is solid. Traditional Saganaki (flaming cheese) is always a favorite as its flambeed tableside.

**King Dough ($$)** \- Located just east of downtown near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Michigan Street. This pizza place offers handmade pizzas and plenty of appetizers. Their pizzas are all wood fired, and they even offer gluten free options. They also have inhouse gelato and sorbet as well as some other desserts.

**Kuma’s Corner ($$)** \- Located southeast of downtown in Fountain Square, at the intersection of Morris Street and Olive Street. Do you like heavy metal? Do you like burgers? This place is for you. Offering several unique burgers named after famous metal and heavy metal bands. They also have several locations in Chicago.

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**Hoagies and Hops ($-$$)** \- Located just north of I-65 in the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood, Hoagies and Hops brings the traditional Philadelphia Hoagie to Indianapolis. Located a bit further away from Downtown, but still in driving distances. Suggested by u/hxh22 and in honor of our current HC.

**Wei Ramen ($ -$$)** \- Located right off of Washington Street, Wei Ramen offers a pretty good offering of traditional ramen and other Japanese entrees and appetizers. This is definitely a good place to eat and relax during some of the colder months. Seating is limited, but you can be in and out relatively fast if you just want something quick.

**Chatham Tap ($-$$)** \- Located just north of Walnut Street along Mass Avenue, Chatham Tap offers a some traditional pub food and some other American cuisine. Chatham Tap also offers a unique viewing experience with their “Soccer Breakfast” during the Premier League.

**Bottleworks District / The Garage Food Hall ($-$$)** \- Located at the northern end of Mass Avenue, just west of I-65/I-70. This food hall is located in the restored / renovated Bottleworks development. Offering a variety of food and drink choices there should be plenty of options for everyone. Additionally, the Bottleworks District offers plenty of outdoor dining and event spaces, as well as the Bottleworks Hotel. Recommend checking out their website for additional information on all the food and entertainment available: [https://www.bottleworksdistrict.com/](https://www.bottleworksdistrict.com/).

**Mimi Blue ($-$$)** \- Located immediately east of Bottleworks along Mass Avenue. Known mostly for their meatballs, Mimi Blue offers a wide range of food at a variety of prices. They also offer large to go meals if you would prefer to eat in your hotel room or somewhere else.

**Yats ($) -** Located north of Bottleworks along Mass Avenue, just before it turns north and changes into Bellefontaine Street. Yats offers a quick bite to eat. Their menu tends to rotate, but you can’t go wrong with most of the food that they serve. They state they are a Cajun Creole restaurant, but what they offer is more of a fast food condensed version. Each entree is served over white rice with a side of bread, and you can choose one or two items (typically). Hard to go wrong with the Chili Cheese Etouffee and Drunken Chicken. Additionally, Yats has several other locations throughout Indianapolis and the great Indianapolis Area.

# Bars

**The Whistle Stop Inn** \- Located immediately east of Lucas Oil Stadium on South St. If you want to get to a bar fast this one and the next one are where to go. These will also be pretty crowded as they are the closest you can get to the Stadium for a bar.

**Slippery Noddle Inn** \- Located immediately east of The Whistle Stop Inn along South Street. Pretty similar to The Whistle Stop Inn and will be busy following the game.

**Nevermore -** Located within Union Station, just off of Meridian Street under the large railroad bridge. This bar offers a several unique rooms and event spaces, as well as Duckpin Bowling. Both food and drinks are offered at the Nevermore.

**Brothers Bar & Grill** \- Located along Meridian St north of South Street. This place can also be a cheaper food recommendation since it has typical diner type sandwiches and entrees. Pretty big selection of draft beers that you would expect in a more modern type bar setting (i.e. local and regional craft beers along with typical domestic and imports).

**Kilroy’s Bar & Grill** \- See Restaurants. Place will be decently busy following the game.

**The District Tap** \- Located at the Intersection of meridian St and George St (North of Kilroy’s). Similar to Brother’s, this place can also be a food recommendation if you’re looking for a quick place for sandwiches and entrees. Lots of draft beers and other offerings.

**Howl at the Moon** \- Located east of The District Tap along George St. I haven’t been here before, so I can’t offer anything about it but wanted to at least identify it for you.

**Tin Roof** \- Located at the intersection of Maryland St and Pennsylvania St. Typical live music / bar place. A more limited offering than some of the other places mentioned. It doesn’t look like they will offer any live music on the night of the game for 10/8, but if you want to go here you can always check their website to see if it fills out more closer to the game day.

**The Tap** \- Located at the three way intersection of New York, Delaware and Massachusetts. If you’re looking to get a bit further away from post game traffic you can make your way north to here. Lots of offerings for drinks and food. A bit more expensive than some of the other places, but not significantly.

**16Bit Bar & Arcade** \- Located west of The Tap along New York St. This place is pretty fun, as in addition to the bar they have a bunch of classic arcade cabinets and pinball machines to play. If you get a drink here you get to play for free at the machines. I don’t know how busy this place gets on game day, but I’ve gone a couple times after work and it hasn’t been that busy.

**World of Beer** \- Located along Massachusetts Ave, just north of Vermont St. This location is even further away from the Stadium, but as the name implies this place has a ton of beers to select from. They also have a nice patio area and typical bar food to select from.

**Ale Emporium** \- This bar / restaurant has three locations in the greater Indianapolis area, which are in Fishers, Indy, and Greenwood. The Ale Emporium offers a large selection of beers, cocktails, and food. The original location is off of 86th Street near the Castleton Square Mall, and offers plenty of TVs to watch the game if you aren’t planning on coming downtown. If you are planning to visit the Ale Emporium please note that the Indianapolis / Castleton location is a 21 and Over Only, whereas the Greenwood and Fishers locations are family friendly.

# Things To Do – Downtown / Greater Indianapolis Area

**NCAA Hall of Champions** \- Located along Wabash St (park at the Indiana State Museum and walk). Do you like College Sports? They have set this up pretty well for families and interacting with some of the exhibits, and it’s relatively inexpensive.

**Indiana State Museum and the Eiteljorg Museum** \- These are separate museums, but are right next to each other. The Indiana State Museum will have a rotation of different exhibit items, so I suggest if you want to visit here you visit the website to see what may be featured prior to attending. Prices are a bit expensive for a state museum, as adults will be around $20. Eiteljorg also has a rotation of some exhibits, but is more a focus on the Native American culture and the American West. Has some contemporary art exhibits as well.

**Indianapolis Zoo** \-Located just a bit outside of true Downtown, the Zoo is along Washington St west of White River. You can technically walk here (or take an electric scooter) along the White River Trail from Downtown. The zoo isn’t bad and you can kill some time walking around the exhibits. They just finished construction on a new entrance, which added and expanded some of their offerings.

**The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis** \- If you have kids and are in town for a while, you need to check out the Children’s Museum. A 10 to 15 minute drive north of Downtown, the Children’s Museum has free parking and quite a bit to offer. Both indoor and outdoor areas for you to explore, the Museum has the opportunity to take up a full day of your time. The outdoor area includes a tree house for kids to explore and climb into, two putt putt courses, a running track, pedal car races, and quite a bit more. Inside the museum offers a large Dinosphere exploration area, ScienceWorks and Playscape areas, as well as various other exhibits across multiple floors. Would recommend visiting their website to see their current and future exhibits: [https://www.childrensmuseum.org/](https://www.childrensmuseum.org/)

**Indianapolis Motor Speedway** \- One of the most iconic places in Indianapolis to visit if you have any interest in motorsports, IMS is located west of downtown Indianapolis by approximately 15 to 20 minutes. IMS offers several different tours, including a “Kiss the Bricks Tour”. Even if you’re not really into racing or motorsports the track is a nice place to visit and just check out. Additionally, if you’re interested in golf the Brickyard Crossing is an 18 hole golf course with several holes in the actual Speedway itself.

**Back 9 Golf and Entertainment** \- Located south of Morris St along Drover St, right across from the Eli Lilly headquarters. If you like TopGolf you will also like this place, and it’s fairly hidden. I’ve only been here once, but it’s pretty fun as you have the options to play a virtual golf course or games similar to what are offered at TopGolf.

**Outdoor Trails / Parks** \- Indy also has a lot of areas to explore and walk if you would prefer to just walk around. I would encourage you to also look at [https://www.visitindy.com/](https://www.visitindy.com/) for additional information.

**The HandleBar (Hangar)** \- Got some time to kill and want to explore Indy while also drinking, this may be the thing for you. Located east of Lucas Oil by approximately 10 minutes, this offers a unique way to explore Indianapolis, drink, and “exercise”. Each pedal bar can hold up to 16 people, so if you have a large group that is looking for something to do. They recently opened up an event space / brick and mortar location (The Hangar) that serves alcohol. Recommend checking out their website for additional information and what you can and cannot bring on the guided tours: [https://handlebarindy.com/](https://handlebarindy.com/).

**Breweries and Wineries -** I’m not going to list out every individual brewery since Indianapolis seems to be quite the hub for breweries. As of 2022 Indy was voted the #3 beer city in the US, Visit Indy developed the Indy Craft Pass to encourage sampling of one of the many Indy establishments. Several of which are located within 5 to 10 minutes of each other[https://www.visitindy.com/deals/craft-pass/](https://www.visitindy.com/deals/craft-pass/)

**The Monument (Soldiers and Sailors Monument) -** Did you know you can go up into the Monument in the middle of Monument Circle? If you’re around on Friday to Sunday you can get a tour of the observation deck, as well as visit the Gift Shop. Additionally, the Monument gets turned into the “largest Christmas tree” after Thanksgiving.

Mr Bendo – If odd landmarks are your thing, then why not check out Mr. Bendo. Located along 16th Street just outside of Downtown Indianapolis, people have been taking pictures of and with this fiberglass sculpture for decades. Visit him for a picture, and maybe get your car tuned up at Ralph’s Mufflers.

# Parking

**Event Lots -** Want to be as close as possible to the game? There are several lots immediately around the stadium that offer 5 mins or less of walking into the stadium. However, these lots tend to fill up fast and will vary in price. Most of these lots will be operated by Denison Parking with the exception of the South Lot. These lots will also have the most tailgating due to their proximity to the stadium, and all of them are open air / surface lots. Please be aware that there may be several lots that require monthly parking passes to enter.

**White River State Park Parking Garage (801 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204)** \- Planning on doing some sightseeing before the game? This parking garage is located north of the JW Marriott and connects to the Indiana State Museum. This parking garage will be a bit more expensive, but is approximately a 15 minute walk from Lucas Oil. This also offers a bit more shelter during the inclement weather games. Please be aware if there is an event going on at Victory Field or the Convention Center there is a good chance this parking garage may be a bit crowded.

**Republic Parking (401 W Washington St, Indianapolis, IN 46204)** \- Just north of the convention center, this parking garage is a slightly shorter walk than the White River State Park Parking Garage. This garage also offers electric vehicle charging, which does not appear to be offered with the White River State Park Parking Garage. One other item to note about this garage. This is strictly a government employee lot from 5 AM to 5 PM during the weekdays. So if you are coming for a Thursday game you cannot get into this lot early.

**Union Station Garage (301 S Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46225)** \- If you’re wanting to be a bit closer to some of the bars and restaurants before or after the game this lot may be a good solution. Just off of Meridian Street, this gets you close to The Whistle Stop Inn, Slippery Noodle, and some of the other places noted previously. This garage also offers some Tesla Charging stations inside the garage. This garage is also slightly closer than the other parking garages; however, getting out of this garage is a bit trickier as the the single exit lane for this garage dumps out onto Meridian which stays busy for quite a while after the game.

**Virginia Avenue Parking Garage (155 Delaware St, Indianapolis, IN 46204)** \- Don’t mind a bit of a walk, this parking garage has quite a bit of capacity. However, this is also the preferred lot for any concerts, Pacers Game, or anything else that is going on at The Fieldhouse. This lot also starts to push a 20 minute walk to the stadium and is controlled via a traffic light to exit on Maryland. This can make getting out of the garage take quite a while. This walk can be mitigated if you don’t mind taking one of the various eScooters deposited around Indy.

**Alabama Parking (101 S Alabama Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204)** \- Located immediately east of the Virginia Avenue Parking Garage, this surface lot is large and relatively easy to exit and get to the interstate. However, it is also approximately 20 minutes away from the stadium.

**Circle Center Mall (26 W Georgia St, Indianapolis, IN 46225 & 48 W Maryland St, Indianapolis, IN 46204)** \- If you’re planning on eating at Harry & Izzy’s, St Elmo’s, or any of the other restaurants around the Circle Center Mall this garage is fairly convenient. These are probably some of the more expensive lots, and can be up to $30 to park during a game.

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