Reviews

With a fun vibe and vibrant decor, Nada offers its own interpretation of Mexican cuisine.

When the food is this attractive, every bite is preceded by a moment of hesitation, if only to admire all those intentional squiggles of sauce and microgreen halos before the plate turns into chaos.

No. 15 – Of all the unexpected places Indy’s ever-expanding food scene took us this year, we never figured on Main Street Fortville as the location for a rollicking comfort-food pub with a lighthearted yet sophisticated soul.

No. 16 – Union 50 proves that when you have a menu adventurous enough to offer a smear of roasted bone marrow alongside fish and chips with powdered vinegar, you don’t have to follow the standard rules of engagement.

No. 17 – Don’t save Oceanaire just for special occasions. Hot appetizers such as the generous crab cake or the rich and savory shrimp and grits make for a great weeknight meal with a salad and a glass of wine.

No. 18 – It takes some diligence to maintain a spot on this list after 17 years. Peterson’s, which has been dishing up elegant surf and turf in its clubby, dark-paneled dining room since the dawn of gourmet mac and cheese, also has a lock on consistency.

No. 19 – Young Broad Ripplians, still dewy from hot yoga refuel at this fresh-faced juice bar and brunch kitchen.

No. 20 – What has been most fun about Public Greens is how Patachou, Inc.’s most conscientious, improvisational offering is always changing to follow the seasons.

No. 21 – Spoke & Steele brings a new level of bespoke dining to downtown’s Le Meridien hotel.

No. 22 – Napolese has one not-so-secret weapon that elevates this menu above the rest: Patachou, Inc.’s executive chef Tyler Herald.

No. 23 – Food is the headline act at this Fountain Square music club.

No. 24 – The 2014 opening of Revery put Greenwood on the culinary map. Former Mesh executive chefs bring a comforting charm to the downtown location.

An arcade bar launches in Fletcher Place, a new ramen spot opens in Carmel, and Fat Dan’s prepares for the opening of its second location.

It’s a gutsy move, serving fried chicken to a Hoosier audience raised on Hollyhock Hill and Gray Brothers Cafeteria, but this bird—Amish-raised on an Ohio farm before being brined and dredged in a proprietary dusting that gives the pieces a hint of delayed heat—might as well hail from a Hendricks County church pitch-in.

Marrow is as complex as its own deep, rich vegetable curry. If this food needs some kind of user-friendly portmanteau, may we suggest globalicious?