Need to know what Indianapolis Eats to visit? I’ve got you covered. We took a quick trip to Indianapolis and we’re sharing our favorites from the trip.
Over the summer my nephew and I took a trip to Indianapolis for a few days. It’s hard to believe but these kids are seniors this year. How does the time fly by so fast? I wish they were still four years old. Get ready for all the Indianapolis Eats recommendations.
With senior year comes everything college. My nephew has been researching and researching schools for a while now and has it narrowed down. Somewhat. So at the beginning of summer I told him I would take him to visit a college of his choice. I did this to help him but also selfishly I was hoping for a city I had never visited before because, food! Unless I am going somewhere for a conference, for work or with the kids, I rarely take vacations. This year was supposed to be different but so far it hasn’t been. So I jumped at the chance to take a trip.
At first he wanted to go visit a school in Arizona. My sister and I made plans to make it a family vacation and go visit the Grand Canyon too. Then he decided he wanted to go visit Purdue instead. Wah! I was already planning our trip to the Grand Canyon but oh well. I think him hearing family vacation sealed our fate.
To say I wasn’t all that excited to go to Indianapolis/West Lafayette would be an understatement. The only thing I knew about Indy was that they had a race there. Indianapolis! Why do you hide your light under a bushel?
I was blown away by Indianapolis and Purdue. I loved the entire city and everyplace we ate was exceptional, even Denny’s which my nephew has to eat at anytime we are out of town.
We spent all day Sunday at the state park toiling around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. If I lived there I think I would spend every weekend there.
When I was planning our trip I told my friend Michelle I wanted to take a walking tour of Indy. She said why don’t you do a Segway tour instead of my idea of just walking around. She knows me so well. Caleb was all for it so I signed us up. I was a little wary because I am that person who crashed a scooter at Walt Disney World once. I’m just not good with electronic vehicles. But this was so much fun!!
We also rented some bikes for a more in-depth tour of the Canal that was so much fun. Lots of exercise but fun!
Then we went for a tour of the Indianapolis Zoo because I can’t pass up a zoo. This one was small but it was great for an afternoon stroll to see some of our favorite animals.
This was the only bit of touring we were able to do other than Purdue. Although we did see different areas of Indy due to the location of our hotel and our eating venues. Every neighborhood we passed I would point out houses I wanted to buy and comment on how cute they were. Enough so my nephew never wants to hear the word cute again.
Off we went for a little road trip to tour Purdue University. The Purdue campus is beautiful and the presentation we attended was so impressive. I never thought I would be rooting for my nephew to go so far away from me but Go Boilermakers!
Now on to the Indianapolis Eats.
Cafe Patachou
8697 River Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis, IN 46240
We started our busy Sunday with brunch here. It’s a cute little brunch place that reminds me a lot of Le Madeleine. We had French toast and a breakfast sandwich that we both thoroughly enjoyed.
Square Donuts
14 S Rangeline Rd, Carmel, IN 46032
Of course I can’t go anyplace without checking out the donut scene. I really need to stop this because no donut lives up to my love of my hometown yellow donuts. But the Carmel area itself was absolutely adorable! I loved the sculptures of people all around the area. And the flowers too!
Bru Burger
410 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46202
After a full day of activity we were tired and starving. Bless my nephew for putting up with me wanting to try a recommended burger place. The wait was long and the place was packed but we were able to sit at the bar for dinner. The burgers were a hit for us both!
The Eagle
310 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204
I loved the location of this place with all its adorableness. It was a very hopping place and reminded us so much of downtown Austin. The cast iron skillet filled with a sweet potato casserole caught my eye and I’m so glad it did. My nephew had the sloppy Joe sandwich our first night and loved it. When we went back he had the chicken sandwich and was a fan too. The fried chicken was also a hit for me, a spicy hit.
Cafe Literato
1920 Northwestern Ave, West Lafayette, IN 47906
Once we finished our tour of Purdue we were tired and hungry, again. We found a place that wasn’t anywhere near the University but it sounded like it had great lunch options. And it did. The pizza and panini were wonderful and hit the spot.
And I can’t forget my nephew’s favorite place,
Denny’s
8808 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46268
This breakfast was actually really good. It’s just your typical American breakfast but it was just what we needed before another long day.
I’ll be back to visit Indianapolis whether or not my nephew goes to school there. Such a cool place to visit!
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