Brian Nagele
Indianapolis is the Hoosier capital city, with an abundance of universities, national monuments, museums, and, of course, the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500. Indianapolis is also known as the Crossroads of America because it has the most interstate crossings in the United States, so you’re bound to pass through Indianapolis on a cross-country road trip. If you do, it’s certainly worth your while to make a pitstop and explore this wonderful city’s cultural, historical, and culinary offerings.
Tourists and locals alike will enjoy a visit to the largest children’s museum in the country, witnessing an exciting event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, or walking around downtown Indy’s Monument Circle. Before a full day of activities, you have plenty of delicious breakfast and brunch spots to fill up on hearty classics in family-friendly local favorites. Whether you’re looking for refined and innovative brunch creations or stick-to-your-bones hearty continental breakfast classics, Indianapolis has an option that will satisfy your craving. Here, we will provide a list of the 17 best brunch spots in Indianapolis for you to explore and enjoy.
Cafe Patachou
Multiple Locations
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Café Patachou has five different locations in Indianapolis, all of which offer all-day breakfasts and lunches along with freshly baked pastries and excellent coffee. Café Patachou offers a casual, cozy, and friendly environment to enjoy brunch with friends and family any day of the week. Owner, culinary visionary, and renowned restaurateur Martha Hoover created the menu items in collaboration with local vendors and farmers to ensure unique recipes made using local produce.Many menu items offer vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options to suit all dietary preferences. We recommend the savory vegetable pancake, a spin on the Japanese okonomiyaki pancake, made with various vegetables and topped with sriracha kewpie and arugula with a sesame ginger dipping sauce.
Good Morning Mama’s
1001 E 54th St, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 255-3800
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Good Morning Mama’s Café is a colorful, whimsical old fashioned diner that maintains the retro feel of its building’s 1960’s filling station roots. Good Morning Mama’s has an extensive and eclectic menu as per most classic mom and pop diners, featuring classic comfort foods from Italian, Jewish, Hawaiian, American, and Mexican cuisines to satisfy everyone’s craving for a sweet or savory brunch. You don’t have to wait till the weekend either; breakfast is served all day every day. We recommend their southern-style biscuits and sausage gravy. You can have them as their main dish with Boomer’s plate or you can go big with The So-Bro Chicken, which is a country-fried chicken breast, home fries smothered in sausage gravy, two eggs, and a biscuit.
Milktooth
534 Virginia Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46203
Phone: (317) 986-5131
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Milktooth is a breakfast and lunch restaurant with an on-site bakery making out of this world pastries, bread, cakes, and tarts along with a full coffee, wine, and spirits bar for the lunch and boozy brunch hours. Milktooth is a high-end, modern diner that serves beautifully plated and original recipes that put creative and delicious spins on breakfast and brunch classics. One year after its opening in 2014, Milktooth appeared on Bon Appetit’s 10 best new restaurants list and continues to wow guests and critics to this day.Any pastry or cake on their menu is worth trying, but we would recommend either the blackberry pear Danish with mascarpone or their homemade mixed berry jam pop tart with coriander sugar and lemon drizzle. Their corn waffle with peaches, burnt cinnamon maple, and puffed amaranth is our favorite dish. As for savory brunch items, try the grilled cheese on apricot walnut bread with smoked gouda, triple cream cheese, a fried egg, and tomato jam.
The Garden Table
Multiple Locations
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The Garden Table is all about farm-to-table recipes that use all locally sourced, fresh ingredients from Indiana native dairy and produce farmers, meat producers, and bakeries. They have two locations, both of which serve brunch from Wednesday through Sunday from 9-3 pm. To accompany their brunch and lunch menu, they offer a full pressed juice menu with thorough descriptions of each juice’s ingredients and health benefits. Their menu features breakfast and brunch dishes from Mexican, American, French, and even Japanese cuisine. We recommend the avocado tempura that comes with two poached eggs covered in hollandaise sauce and a side of Brussels and beet hash.
3 Sisters Cafe
6223 Guilford Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 257-5556
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A Broad Ripple neighborhood homestay, 3 Sisters Café has been serving its community with heaping plates of breakfast and brunch goodness for the past 20 years. The beloved neighborhood restaurant was originally a vegetarian restaurant whose two employees fell in love, bought the restaurant, and changed its theme to be the successful and delicious favorite it is today. They have a whole BYO (build your own) menu that includes everything from breakfast burritos to omelets to continental breakfasts. We also recommend their classic eggs benedict plate that is true to the original recipe.
Le Peep
Multiple Locations
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With seven locations and over 30 years of service, Le Peep is one of Indianapolis’ best-known breakfast and lunch family-friendly restaurants. Their friendly service and consistently great meals have facilitated their impressive expansion. Their brunch and breakfast menu draws from Mediterranean, Mexican, and classic American comfort food with a modern twist. They have plenty of vegan and vegetarian options as well. We recommend the shakshuka skillet with sunny eggs, avocado slices, tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, and Mediterranean spices with fresh baked crusty bread or the Dutch Baby pancake that is as fluffy and light as can be.
Mesh
725 Massachusetts Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 955-9600
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Located in downtown Indy, Mesh is a high-end restaurant that offers a beautiful setting and world-class service with a sophisticated menu that perfectly executes and masterfully plates classic breakfast and lunch dishes. We recommend starting with fried green tomato appetizers topped with pimento cheese, prosciutto, watermelon, and green tomato jam. Their steak and eggs is a delectable main course that comes with crispy potatoes, preserves, and toast. Don’t forget to profit from their super Sunday deals, where carefully selected bottles of wine are half priced. If you’re feeling in the mood for something a little more frisky, pair your meal with their hand crafted cocktails and martinis that are half price every Thursday.
Delicia
5215 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 925-0677
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Meaning “delicious” in Spanish, Delicia epitomizes its name. Delicia is a unique fusion café that combines Spanish, South and Central American, and Caribbean cuisines. The plating is colorful and exotic, and the menu changes seasonally. Their chorizo hash with potato, onion, over-easy eggs, avocado, sweet plantains, and spicy aji chile salsa is bursting with flavor. If you have a classic Sunday brunch sweet tooth, give their Cuban toast a try. You can’t go wrong with mouth melting toast topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, condensed milk, syrup, and accompanied by breakfast potatoes.
Mimi Blue Restaurants
Multiple Locations
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With locations in downtown, Carmel, and Washington Township locations, Mimi Blue Restaurant is a family-friendly, comfortable yet classy restaurant serving up comfort food from around the U.S. and Italy. All locations serve a flattering menu of weekend brunch, however, you unfortunately can’t profit from the half priced wine until Monday! Mimi Blue is famous for its hand made meatball recipe that originated from Mimi herself. You can find these mouthwatering meatballs on the brunch menu where they incorporate them into their take on eggs benedict. This unique version is served with meatballs, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce over an English muffin.
Metro Diner
Multiple Locations
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Metro Diner is a nationwide chain of classic diners with four locations in Indianapolis serving breakfast and lunch classics daily from 7 am-3 pm. They are a family-friendly environment offering true American comfort food classics from every region, suiting taste buds for the young and old alike. They also offer interesting fusion plates that you won’t regret venturing out of your comfort zone to try. Take, for example, the Italian meat-lovers burrito press, which is a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, potatoes, and mozzarella then pressed like a panini and served with marinara sauce. If you’re looking for something a little more familiar, but still unique, you can’t go wrong with the classic Chicken and Waffles. Enjoy half a fried chicken alongside a Belgian waffle, smothered with powdered sugar and savory sweet strawberry butter. Don’t forget to try the signature sweet and spicy sauce with this delectable meal!
Yolk
Multiple Locations
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Yolk is a breakfast restaurant in Indianapolis that prides itself on innovation and creativity. They offer classic breakfast items along with an abundance of unique breakfast creations that will excite your taste buds and convince you to try new creations as a repeat customer. Let your imagination run wild by building your own omelette, scrambler, or skillet, or try one of the fan favorites. In keeping with their innovative theme, we recommend the breakfast mac n cheese served in a sizzling skillet with bacon, ham, chives, breadcrumbs, and a fried egg on top. Pair it with a chocolate peanut butter cup espresso and hot chocolate combo drink.
Lincoln Square Pancake House
Multiple Locations
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Family-owned and operated since 1989, Lincoln Square Pancake House has 11 locations around Indiana, the majority of which are in Indianapolis proper. Lincoln Square Pancake House offers a casual, family-friendly breakfast joint to order your favorite brunch classics. They may be called a pancake house, but their Mexican breakfasts reign supreme in our eyes. Try the Chimichanga breakfast burrito that is fried and stuffed with huevos rancheros and your choice of chorizo, bacon, or sausage with spicy queso, pico de gallo, and sliced avocado and a side of tortilla chips.
Northside Kitchenette
6515 N College Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 253-1022
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From the creators of Delicia, Northside Kitchenette is an elegant yet understated all-day breakfast and lunch bistro with a light and airy atmosphere, serving new American comfort food with locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms. We love their brioche French toast, a super thick slice of rich and toasted brioche with citrus and spice-infused French toast batter. If your appetite is begging for something a little more savoury, try the Smoked Salmon Toast composed of sustainable smoked salmon, everything seasoned whipped cream cheese, whole grain bread, capers, red onions, vegetable salad, and delicious green goddess dressing.
Rize
2721 E 86th St Suite 120, Indianapolis, IN 46240
Phone: (317) 843-6101
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Rize is a farm-to-table breakfast and lunch restaurant with a rustic-chic design that is great for a brunch with colleagues, family, or to enjoy while you read the paper or catch up on unfinished work by yourself. Their beautifully plated meals are almost too pretty to eat, and all bread and pastries are made daily on-site. Their bread offerings are fantastic, so one of our go-to orders would be the mushroom toast with roasted mushrooms, gruyere, roasted Brussels sprouts, pickled onion, and hibiscus mustard over toasted levain bread.
First Watch
Multiple Locations
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First Watch is a national breakfast and coffee house chain that has three locations in Indianapolis. Despite having dozens of locations nationwide, each restaurant offers a unique seasonal menu that showcases local and seasonal ingredients. They also use organic and healthy meats, dairy, eggs, and produce. If you’re looking for a mouthwatering treat with a bit of sophistication, we highly recommend the truffle mushroom hash. Paired with shitake and crimini mushrooms, bacon, home fries, and topped with two fried eggs and arugula, you won’t want to miss out on this perfect union of flavors.
Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles
222 E Market St, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-753-2859
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The very epitome of a culinary lovechild, Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles is a southern comfort restaurant with a rich history that dates back three generations. Located in Indy’s southside neighborhood Market East District, Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles has the best chicken and waffles in town, not to mention all the traditional southern fix-ins like mac n cheese, fried green tomatoes, and yams. Our recommendation is a no-brainer: the fried chicken and Belgium waffles with peach butter and maple, of course! A close second would be catfish and grits with a side of fried green tomatoes.
Ruth’s Cafe
3443 E 86th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240
Phone: (317) 757-8006
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A quaint and cozy café full of personality, Ruth’s Café is a welcoming environment for friends, families, and solo diners alike. They offer all the breakfast classics from omelets to scrambles, pancakes to benedicts, and a menu of made from scratch favorites that really makes them stand out. Two of their unique breakfast items from their scratch menu that we recommend are the Norwegian potato pancakes made with creamy mashed potatoes, leeks, and zucchini, and their Norwegian Lefse, sweet potato crepes rolled in sugar, butter, and cinnamon and stuffed with blueberries, bananas, and Nutella.
Our #1 go-to brunch in Indianapolis is Caffé Buondí in Carmel. Excellent menu, great specials, solid coffee drinks, fantastic juices, cool European vibe. And, an awesome counter if you don’t want to wait for a table or are dining solo.