Our Favorite Take & Bake Meals

As Indiana continues its reopening process and restaurants begin to welcome customers back at partial capacity, many diners are still taking a wait-and-see approach. For those who prefer to eat at home instead of in busy public spaces, a few culinary pros have created the perfect compromise: complete take-and-bake meals for the fridge or freezer. Many favorites are also selling pantry versions of housemade ingredients and condiments from their most popular menu items, which makes it possible for you to take a DIY stab at your favorite dish at home. (Note: These are all locally owned restaurants, and the take-home options change frequently. Be sure to check their websites for the most up-to-date offerings.) 

Amelia’s/Bluebeard

653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1583

The Fletcher Place sister businesses have combined forces in an online grocery where you can get things like whole smoked chickens, meatballs, vegetable side dishes, and enough loaves of fresh bread to turn you into a walking advertisement for the joys of carbs. Bonus: If you’ve been obsessed with the Bluebeard chopped salad as long as we have, you’ll be happy to hear that you can now buy the house buttermilk–herbed vinaigrette by the bottle.

Cafe Patachou

4601 N. Pennsylvania Ave., 317-925-2823; 14390 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel, 317-566-0765; 5790 E. Main St., Carmel

In the wake of stay-at-home orders, Martha Hoover’s powerhouse Patachou brand launched Patachou Provisions, a category of restaurant classics available for your home kitchen. Look for chicken salad by the pound, tomato artichoke soup by the quart, and even the ingredients to make your own version of the restaurant’s popular cinnamon sugar toast, including a loaf of sourdough bread and the house blend of cinnamon and sugar.

The Healthy Food Cafe

8028 S. Emerson Ave., 317-476-2361

This southside restaurant has been serving healthy dishes for four years, with organic salads, wraps, grill bowls, cold-pressed juices, and more on the menu. Now you can grab family meals to go, with enough food for four to six people at a fixed price. Options change nightly, with recent offerings including organic barbecue chicken with green beans and sweet potatoes. Add-ons like the acai bowl or vegan, gluten-free turtle brownies make for a sweet, guilt-free dessert.

Festiva

1217 E. 16th St., 317-635-4444

Make any night taco night. Select your favorite protein (tamarind chicken, pork carnitas, red curry steak, yellow curry blackened tilapia, or salt ‘n pepper crispy shrimp), and get enough food for 12 to 13 tacos with tortillas, sauces, and toppings. You can also get enchilada trays and a party pack of Festiva margaritas.

Field Brewing

303 E. Main St., Westfield, 317-804-9780

The Westfield brewery now has a “home cooked meals” option on its website, with frozen soups, pans of side dishes like the signature maple-bacon brussels sprouts, and combination meals like lasagna night (veggie lasagna, spring salad, spent-grain focaccia), and breakfast for dinner (quiche, potato gratin, market salad).

Gomez BBQ

222 E. Market St., 317-414-7761

Family dinner platters include your choice of meats (smoked chicken, pulled pork, or smoked wings), with sides like beans, cole slaw, and collard greens, all served alongside bread, pickles, and sauce. They can be picked up at the Gomez BBQ City Market location or are available by delivery on Market Wagon and City Market’s pilot delivery program (limited days and geographic locations).

Half Liter BBQ

5301 Winthrop Ave., 463-212-8180

Order meals that can feed from 5 to 10 people, selecting from the house offerings of smoked meats (brisket, pork butt, pork ribs, hot links, chicken quarter, pulled chicken), and sides (green beans, collards, refried beans, corn cakes, mac and cheese, potato salad, green salad, green rice, slaw, fries, tater tots). There’s also a taco fest option, with three pounds of meat, plus tortillas, toppings, and chips and salsa.

Illinois St. Food Emporium

5550 N. Illinois St., 317-253-9513

The grab-and-go freezer is a great place to pick up a quiche (Lorraine, Greek, ham-and-cheese), breakfast strudels, frozen scones, quarts of soup, entrees like turkey tetrazzini, and even frozen cookie dough for dessert.

Mikado

148 S. Illinois St., 317-972-4180

The family-owned downtown restaurant makes dumplings, Hawaiaan bbq beef bowls, chicken teriyaki bowls, and ramen kits that can be kept in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them at home. They’re also available on Market Wagon if you prefer a delivery option.

Moveable Feast

5143 E. 65th St., 317-577-9901

This northside restaurant has always carried a variety of ready-to-cook meals in its refrigerator case, from beef burgundy over herbed polenta to pizza kits. Now you can “build your own box of dinner” for up to 14 people, with an entree like smoked ribs or seafood lasagna, plus options for salad, soup, baguette, wine or beer, and dessert.

Nicole-Taylor’s Pasta Market

1134 E. 54th St., 317-257-7374

While this tiny market is famous for fresh pasta, home cooks have long known about Nicole-Taylor’s well-stocked refrigerator case, where you can find take-and-bake meals like chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, chicken cacciatore, walleye, salmon, lasagna, and pizza.

Oakleys Bistro

1464 W. 86th St., 317-824-1231

Your best bet for staying in the loop for daily take-and-bake options at Steve Oakley’s namesake restaurant is to get on the email list. The menu changes daily, but things like chicken cordon bleu with rice pilaf, Wagyu beef stuffed peppers in tomato sauce, and pints of bolognese sell out quickly.

Pots & Pans Pie Co.

4915 N. College Ave., 317-600-3475

If you’re looking for some comfort food (and aren’t we all right now?), stop by this midtown spot to grab savory take-and-bake pies like the classic chicken pot pie, or try Thai chicken curry, beef and mushroom, chicken masala, biscuits and gravy, or broccoli and cheddar. They’re all frozen, so you can keep them for several weeks and pull them out on any night you don’t feel like cooking.

Studio C

1051 E. 54th St.

Greg Hardesty’s culinary space right off of the Monon Trail and 54th Street has a rotating selection of grab-and-go items in the refrigerator, from soups to shrimp and tomato orzo to appetizers like herbed cheese and crackers. Most details about choices and availability are posted daily on the Studio C Instagram page.

Tlaolli

2830 E. Washington St., 317-410-9507

This eastside cantina sells its popular tamales in packs of six from the freezer, so you can stock up and make your own beef, cheese, chicken, turkey, or pork tamale dreams come true at a moment’s notice.

Turchetti’s

1110 Prospect St., 317-492-9874

While this Fountain Square butcher and salumeria has plenty of delicious and meaty take-and-bake meals (hello there, pork and salame lasagna), you’ll also find some nice choices for the vegetarian crowd, with recent options including vegetable gratin, and vegan lentil dal with herbed brown rice.