This fresh-faced juice bar and brunch kitchen—overflowing with vintage apothecary bottles, curlicued chalk art (one piece spelling out the names of Hoosier food purveyors in a copy block shaped like Indiana), and glossy white Tolix chairs—attracts an equally pretty crowd. Young Broad Ripplians, still dewy from hot yoga, refuel with sweet-potato hash turned savory with chorizo and Brussels sprouts, quinoa breakfast bowls, and crispy-edged polenta squares—Hummingbird Mush—seared in coconut oil and sweetened ever so slightly with honey, a recipe sourced from co-owner Greg Harden’s grandmother. Well-coiffed power-lunchers jockey for seats at the faux-weathered farm tables to talk business over local cold brew from Black Heart Coffee and simple seasonal plates (like this winter’s soulful cassoulet and bacon-spiked Lyonnaise salad warmed with potatoes and bound with truffle-mustard vinaigrette). Executive chef Matt Myers backs up all that beauty with substance—lush, feel-good foods that come out surprisingly composed and, more often than not, topped with a technically perfect poached egg.
TIP: Fresh juices + a beer and wine license = top-shelf mimosas on the weekends.
DON’T MISS: The B-Ripp Breakfast Burrito, which wraps chorizo in a whole-grain flour tortilla with eggs, veggies, a scattering of queso fresco, and a smear of the peppery Middle Eastern hot sauce skhug for a more enlightened interpretation of the hangover staple.
PREVIOUS MENTIONS: Best New Restaurants 2015
908 E. Westfield Blvd., 737-2531, thegardentable.com
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