Weekend Getaway: Indianapolis, Indiana

Welcome to the weekend!

Today we’re off to Indianapolis, which has a food and drink scene that continues to fly under the radar. It’s a place we have been many, many times (in fact, Kenney lived there for four years), and we are overdue in sharing our full list of recommendations with you! If you haven’t been before, add it to your travel list. You could, of course, visit this month and attend the Indianapolis 500, which will be on May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But the city also makes a terrific, driveable long weekend from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and many other Midwest and Southern cities anytime of year. If you’re flying, there is a nice, easy airport that has a collection of local places to eat including Shapiro’s Deli, Harry & Izzy’s, Sun King Brewery, and Tinker Street Coffee. Our Weekend Getaway newsletters, which are for paid subscribers, feature all our recommendations for a particular place, including coffee shops, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.

If you’d prefer to get our recommendations in a handy downloadable guide, go ahead and snag our Field Guide to Indianapolis, which features 30+ vetted picks for where to eat and drink on your visit. It’s included in a paid subscription, or you can grab it for $15 on our website.

Before we head out for the weekend, our Weekend Reading list includes Amy’s thoughts on The Atlantic’s piece on the best free bread in America (with a gift link); a discussion on how a favorite Cleveland chef is embracing ramps; and a deep dive into where you should be traveling to Wisconsin this summer.

Thanks for reading!

— Amy Cavanaugh & Kenney Marlatt
Editors, American Weekender

INDIANAPOLIS, IN. — Indianapolis gets the most attention for its sports — it’s home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which means every Memorial Day Weekend, all eyes are on the city for its 500 race. It’s the headquarters of the NCAA, and the Final Four was held there this year. There are two pro sports teams — the Colts for football and the Pacers for basketball — not to mention Butler University, which also has a strong sports program. Or, if you love art, you should visit Newfields, a sprawling campus that includes the Indianapolis Museum of Art as well as gardens and other attractions.

No matter why you’re visiting though, at some point you need to eat, and this is where we come in. We have been eating through Indy for decades, and feel that right now, the dining scene is truly excellent. On our most recent trip, a few weeks ago, we had great meal after great meal, at places both brand new and centuries-old, high-end and low-end, downtown and further afield. We stayed at the Intercontinental, the newest hotel in the city. Located on Monument Circle, it’s conveniently located downtown, and the rooms were beautiful and relaxing. So book a weekend stay and fill out your itinerary with our picks below, which include an iconic tavern for pork tenderloin sandwiches, a New Orleans-influenced cocktail bar and restaurant, and our favorite bakery of the year so far.