9 restaurants outside of the greater Indianapolis area that are worth the drive
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022. It has been updated and republished as part of our summer dining coverage.
The Indianapolis area is blessed to have a nationally-recognized dining scene.
Visitors laud our steakhouses, brunch spots and burger joints.
But there are gems that are a Sunday afternoon drive away as well, serving up the best beef, sweets and overall experiences a Hoosier can have.
If you've got some time to hit the road, here are a handful that are worth the one- to two-hour drive. (IndyStar calculated drive times from the Wholesale District in downtown Indianapolis.)
Start planning your next day trip with these restaurants in mind:
Batar
12649 US-50, Seymour
About one-hour drive
If you are a nature lover who appreciates chicken salad and wants to munch on cookies that are truly works of art, you need to get to Batar.
The café in the pines at the Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge is open only a few days a week.
Batar started in 1997 as a mother and daughter-owned home decor and gifts shop. Then a small café was added with vintage tablecloths and the mom's Wedgewood china. Now there are two dining rooms.
The place is dripping in charm with nice touches like colorful cards with the names of servers placed on tables. Flower gardens surround the building and provide plenty of butterfly sightings while dining.
Julieta: Eat traditional Mexican street food — and watch them make it
The china is still used in the dining rooms. The vintage tablecloths are now displayed from wall hooks.
Plated desserts here actually arrive looking exactly as they do on the promo materials.
And there's no disturbing the peaceful vibe with cellphone chatter. Batar prohibits cellphone conversations inside. You can pull out the phone to text, take photos and use social media though.
The gift shops sell oven mitts; aprons for tots with Colts, Disney and other prints; chef's coats for kids; toy tea sets; cookbooks and music CDs.
Chocolates and elaborately decorated cookies are sold in the sweets shop. They’re every bit as delicious as they appear.
A heart-shaped cookie box ($19.95) is among the themed custom-made sets that contain smaller decorated goodies.
Chocolate chip is the signature, but also not to be missed is the sugar cookie made with lavender and vanilla icing ($2.95).
Indylicious: Subscribe to our dining newsletter
The restaurant uses locally-produced lavender in a number of dishes and drinks, including lemonade.
Choose from quiches, pastas, salads and sandwiches, or try the sampler ($9.95) that has the three most popular items on one plate ‒ chicken salad, pasta salad and a cream cheese spread.
Every single cookie is boxed along with a complimentary gumball. It's cuteness overload.
Nick's Kitchen
506 N. Jefferson St., Huntington
About two-hour drive
Alright, some of us have wondered why breaded pork tenderloin is such a thing here. Honestly, it can be quite dry and is too often unremarkable.
Nick’s shows us how it should be done ‒ moist, flavorful, with a crunchy coating ($8.99).
Makes sense. They claim to have originated the breaded pork tenderloin.
And while they don’t claim ownership of the sugar cream pie, Nick’s version with its flaky crust, firm but creamy custard and spiced top is perfect. Lots of other pies are available; and if you can't decide on one (really, the sugar cream should be your one) you can order a flight of three for $6.99.
The throw-back diner with a train theme decor also sells other foods befitting the era, including root beer floats and hand-dipped shakes ($4.99) and all-you-can-eat fish dinner specials ($13.99).
Joseph Decuis
191 N. Main St., Roanoke
About two-hour drive
This place serves up serious farm-to-table cuisine. It owns a farm minutes away that produces intricately-marbled Wagyu beef. Founder Pete Eshelman is a former president of the American Wagyu Association, so you know this place is serious about its quality.
And the restaurant has hosted notables from the realms of politics, sports and culinary greatness.
A private upstairs dining room is a tribute to Eshelman's passions, with dozens of American flags in various sizes; U.S. military uniforms, journals and memorabilia; and a life-size New York Yankees statue and dozens of baseball bats. Eshelman was drafted as a pitcher in 1976 by the Yankees before founding American Specialty Insurance & Risk Services specializing in entertainment and sports insurance.
Closer to home: 5 Indianapolis restaurants among Yelp's Top 100 in Midwest
The New Orleans-inspired Joseph Decuis restaurant was started in 1996 and named for Eshelman's ancestor, a planter in Louisiana. A produce farm came later; and then in 2008, Eshelman bought Wagyu cattle from a breeder in Japan.
There are only nine filets per cow, so you might not get the cut you have your heart set on; but every piece of meat is cut-with-a-fork tender and flavorful. Each guest selects a Wagyu knife from a box presented tableside.
Also, Joseph Decuis makes its own butter to serve with perfectly toasted sourdough. One recent offering was made with chicken fat. Game over.
A couple of doors down is a sandwich shop that sells packaged meats, wine, leather goods and animal hides.
Bridges Craft Pizza & Wine Bar
19 N. Indiana St., Greencastle
About one-hour drive
At this Italian restaurant, you can go low or high; but you can’t go wrong with the magic the chefs serve up – from large juicy Smoking Goose bacon-wrapped prawns with polenta ($12) to braised beef pasta, enjoyed from the private cellar dining/wine room, the rooftop patio with views of Putnam County or on the main floor which is attached to a performance space with live music courtesy of DePauw University.
Delicious jarred desserts (think German chocolate cake) come from a sister bakery on the same street.
The Farmhouse at Fair Oaks Farms
856 N. 600 East, Fair Oaks
About two-hour drive
If you've traveled along I-65 North to Chicago, you've likely wondered about this restaurant on the dairy farm. It's definitely worth the time to stop in even if you don't want to do the tour.
A busy shop features cheese, chocolate and ice cream made with the farm’s products.
In the large airy Farmhouse restaurant, the classic fried chicken is gloriously juicy and crispy; and the bacon-wrapped meatloaf ($22), chicken pot pie ($18), steaks, ribs and stone pizza are popular.
A bar serves specialty drinks, including a house old-fashioned, a seasonal sangria, a gimlet and a rum punch.
Attached to a hotel and conference center, it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Mountain Jack’s
4211 State Road 26 E., Lafayette
About one-hour drive
Those who appreciate an old-school steakhouse will enjoy Mountain Jack’s. It’s the last one standing from the 1970s-80s chain. The Lafayette location opened in 1977.
Prime rib is king there.
Steaks are cut in-house daily, with owner Ed Fauble making his way in back to do the honors.
It's been able to keep the recipes and some traditions because Fauble ran the district in the chain’s heyday.
The restaurant still boasts one of the most unique salad presentations – a tableside salad bar with stellar service.
Dressings and sauces are made in-house.
Bonge's Tavern
9830 W. 280 North, Anderson
About one-hour drive
Luckily the once common four-hour wait for seatings on weekends is a thing of the past. The small family-owned tavern moved to the Open Table reservations platform at the beginning of the pandemic, providing customers guaranteed spots for its signature Perkinsville Pork, stuffed duck, New York strip and the like.
Don’t let the outside – with its gravel lot and worn picnic tables, year-round Christmas bulb lights and framed 60s-era high school basketball teams photo – fool you. The kitchen is scratch and high-quality. The crab cakes here are made with crab meat flown in from Maryland.
You'll find the menu written on a chalkboard above the bar. Specials might include Norwegian sea trout ($27), or Applewood-smoked prime rib ($28-$34).
FARMbloomington
108 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington
About one-hour drive
Chef Daniel Orr, a James Beard Award semifinalist, is still innovating at this farm-to-table restaurant he opened after returning to Indiana from New York.
Recently (late July) the crew added more delish vegan dishes, including a baba ghanoush of roasted eggplant and tahini, and house-made pita chips ($8.50); and a grilled purple cauliflower steak with mushrooms, micro greens and whole cashews.
There’s a pork and applesauce take of moist roasted pork loin served with sauce made with apple butter, on a bed of buttery pureed potatoes and green beans with tiny pieces of strip bacon ($28).
The cocktail program features drinks themed for films and movie genres and are switched out often. The Dirty Dancing ($10) is made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Hotel Tango limoncello; orange juice, blackberry puree and ginger ale.
Summer traditions: We tried 10 popular Indiana State Fair foods and ranked them from worst to best
Of course, there are classic cocktails, and draft and bottled beers, along with upscale non-alcoholic cocktails and delightfully tart lemonade drinks.
But, let's talk bourbon. The bar stocks hundreds of selections. Guests can choose from about 100 tequilas, as well.
The main dining room furniture uses patterns from the '50s and '60s. The walls carry framed autographed menus and photos of legends who have dined on Orr's creations – Mick Jagger, classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz and actors Sidney Poitier, Tony Randall and Gene Wilder among them.
Work off dinner with a trip down the stairs to the subterranean speakeasy bar with dance music and vintage license plates. Nothing goes to waste there. Theater seating and old beer cans are part of the decor.
C3 Bar
1505 S. Piazza Dr., Bloomington
About one-hour drive
Tucked away in a newish residential development is this spot with hand-crafted cocktails and chef-driven cuisine, including Yang-Yang Crispy Beef in an orange sweet chili glaze ($14) and the spicy red pepper-walnut muhammara dip ($12) with flatbread and crudités.
The bar has the classics, a selection $10 zero-alcohol cocktails, and a spring and summer focus on margaritas.
Look for the Psycho Monkey with Irish whiskey, Venezuelan rums, banana, mango, and chocolate mole bitters or the Tribal Council made with mezcal, ginger-hibiscus, lemon and dry vermouth ($12).
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis road trips: 9 Indiana restaurants worth the drive
