9th Street Bistro
Samir and Rachel Mohammad’s tiny seasonal innovator continues to delight diners who secure a coveted reservation. A standby at collaborative wine dinners and dining festivals, its take on globally inspired Midwestern flavors has served as an influence for a number of other restaurants on this list. A community dinner series focused on local farmstead ingredients continues to sell out, which adds to the mystique. As the millennials say, IYKYK.
56 S. 9th St., Noblesville, 317-774-5065
Asaka Japanese Restaurant
Don’t ask for pan-Asian dishes at Asaka, a tradition-drenched sushi house that Japanese food aficionados trek to on the regular. The tiny strip mall spot, funkily divided into multiple small rooms, has one of the cuisine’s few female master sushi chefs behind the bar—Nina Takamure, the Kumamoto-born daughter of Asaka founder Tsutomu Takamure. Hand rolls, sashimi, and even an omakase menu are on offer, as are poke bowls, katsu, and ramen. “Did I just have the best Japanese food ever in an Indiana strip mall?” we heard a guest ask on a recent visit. You sure did.
6414 E. 82nd St., 317-576-0556
Baan Thai Bistro
Roxanna Williams and her mother, Jhanya, are behind some of Indy’s most reliable Thai restaurants, but the restaurateurs have hit their stride with Baan Thai. Their converted Wanamaker cottage bustles with diners lured in by Jhanya’s decades-old family recipes but inspired to stay thanks to Roxanna’s flair with aesthetics, service, and quality. Som thum, for example, arrives on a wooden platter arrayed with lettuce leaves, turning the traditional papaya salad into a kicky wrap. Every plate exhibits similar élan, but the flavors prove there’s much more to Baan Thai than the ’Gram.
8705 Southeastern Ave., 317-759-8424
Beholder
Jonathan Brooks patterns himself as a renegade, but the consistent excellence of his restaurant, Beholder, suggests the chef/owner is becoming Indy’s fine dining standard-bearer, not its outsider. Between the urban chic dining room and the two glossy bars (one by the mixologist, the other at the kitchen), there’s a rock-star vibe to the restaurant that makes you feel cool just for showing up. And when you do, the always-changing fixed-price menu is a great place to start, though the a la carte dish list offers intriguing surprises daily. Its award-winning wine list is calculated to pair with the seasonal food offerings, and its cocktail lineup is witty and strong.
1844 E. 10th St., 317-419-3471
Bluebeard
A fine dining lunch isn’t easy to find in Indy, making Bluebeard a go-to for a power midday meal. Chef Alan Sternberg brings as much attention to his noontime dishes as he does to a daily afternoon snack menu and a seven-days-a-week dinner. Favorites like the house-made chips and dips are always on deck, while entrees, salads, and desserts are switched up based on what’s in season. All this happens inside an ancient brick building once dedicated to industry then abandoned. By rehabilitating a beautiful old structure, Bluebeard helped kick off a transformation that changed the face of a neighborhood. That gives the spot a significance well beyond its excellent food.
653 Virginia Ave., 317-686-1580
