Local restaurants that opened — and reopened — in Indianapolis in 2023
Few endeavors are more daunting than the restaurant industry, particularly for small businesses. Nonetheless, chefs and entrepreneurs across America continue to throw their hats in the ring, delighting the palates of diners who enter their restaurants.
Little is guaranteed in this business, so it’s always commendable when a new eatery seeks to establish a foothold in its community. Here are some of the local restaurants that opened around the Indianapolis area in 2023, listed in chronological order.
What closed? We have that, too: Indianapolis area restaurants that went out of business in 2023
January
Siam Star Carmel
890 E. 116th St., Suite 155, Carmel, opened Jan. 5
Regardless of your familiarity with Thai cuisine, there’s probably something for you at Siam Star. The eatery’s menu spans traditional dishes like udon pad ki mao and lad nah to familiar favorites like sweet and sour chicken, plus a robust assortment of teas and smoothies.
Smitten Kitten Cat Café
7852 E. 96th St., Fishers, opened Jan. 30
Smitten Kitten is Hamilton County’s first cat café, where customers can sip hot beverages in a typical café setting, with the notable addition of several free-roaming cats. The café partners with multiple local animal shelters to source its cats, which customers can apply to adopt. Reservations must be made online before visiting.
February
Orleans Fish Shack
49 W. Maryland St., Circle Centre Mall, opened Feb. 3
Owner Dave Brown opened Orleans Fish Shack following the success of his Naptown Hot Chicken stand at City Market, which Brown opened as a restaurant in Circle Centre last year. Orleans Fish Shack sold fried catfish, po’boys and gumbo until closing after just one month due to lack of foot traffic.
Brozinni Pizzeria
8810 S. Emerson Ave., No. 240, reopened Feb. 7
The south side pizzeria closed in May 2021 for major renovations, but returned in February amid Brozinni’s 15th year in business. Brozinni opened a second location in Speedway shortly after the demolition of the original south side venue.
Illumine Coffee
8517 Westfield Blvd., Nora, opened Feb. 18
Illumine opened its first brick-and-mortar location this year after selling its globally sourced coffee online and at the Garfield Park Summer Farmer’s Market. The shop features roasts from Africa, Central America and South America, plus seasonal local brews.
Blue Mind Coffee
646 E. 38th St., opened Feb. 25
Sarah and Andy Hassler founded Blue Mind Roasting in 2015 as a wholesale roaster and distributor. This year the Indiana natives opened Blue Mind’s first brick-and-mortar venue in the Meridian Kessler neighborhood at the former corporate headquarters of the Indiana Pacers. The shop offers a variety of coffee, tea and seasonal drinks.
The Avenue Coffeehouse
6283 N. College Ave., opened Feb. 27
The Black-owned Broad Ripple coffee shop, which is supported by the Avenue Foundation, features a variety of tea and coffee plus a slim breakfast and lunch menu. Some of the café’s craft lattes are named for prominent Black figures in Indiana history — at the Avenue, a steamed milk latte with caramel and chocolate sauce and pecan syrup goes by Madam Walker.
March
Paradise Mx
7045 Emblem Drive, opened March 4
The Mexican-owned South Franklin sweets shop offers a variety of desserts including crepes, waffles and a robust ice cream menu.
Gallery Pastry Shop
4573 N. College Ave., opened March 18
Gallery, known for its pastries as well as brunch, dinner and a variety of cocktails, moved its original SoBro location to a larger space in Meridian Kessler this year. The new 4,500-square-foot venue features a year-round patio and areas for private events.
K-Town Korean BBQ and Hot Pot
9350 Michigan Road, opened March 30
K-Town occupies a former Cracker Barrel, selling a variety of Korean fast-casual dishes as well as fruit and milk teas.
April
The Quarter
925 E. Westfield Blvd., opened April 7
Cocktails, seafood boils and live music fill the patio at this New Orleans-style pub in the heart of Broad Ripple.
Beacon off the Path
2201 E. 46th St., Suite 203, opened April 20
The Black Circle drink and event space welcomed Beacon this year, introducing sandwiches, quesadillas and tacos to a robust drink selection.
Rolli Sushi
906 Carrollton Ave., Garage Food Hall, opened April 28
Owner Adam Odgaard, who entered the restaurant industry five years ago with Poke Guru, brought his distinct take on sushi to the Garage this spring with Rolli.
Zionsville Bake Shop
7629 W. Stonegate Drive, opened April 28
Eye-popping, made-to-order cakes line the cases at Zionsville Bake Shop, which also offers catering and special events such as the recent Santa Tea and Dessert Party or Mother’s Day Tea in May.
MOTW Coffee Carmel
12761 Old Meridian St., Carmel, opened April 30
Owner Sajjad Shah opened his fourth MOTW (Muslims of the World) location in downtown Carmel, where he said his grandfather taught calculus at Carmel High School after emigrating from Pakistan. The Indianapolis-based café offers a variety of hot beverages and refreshers in addition to pastries and ice cream.
May
Vicino
350 Massachusetts Ave., Suite 150, opened May 8
Chris Burton and Gus Vasquez made their foray into the Indy dining scene in 2021 with The Oakmont. Despite initial plans to open a second Oakmont location, Burton and Vasquez opted for an Italian restaurant at the former Hedge Row address, serving traditional and upscale fare. By opening their new restaurant close to The Oakmont, Burton and Vasquez didn’t have to go far from their vicinos, or neighbors.
Tinker Coffee
380 E. Market St., opened May 19
Owners Stephen Hall and Jeff Johnson expanded their rapidly growing footprint in the Indy coffee scene with another Tinker location, this one in the Market Square building downtown. Tinker offers a variety of roasts from throughout Central and South America.
Centerpoint Brewing
6320 Guilford Ave., opened May 20
Centerpoint expanded into Broad Ripple this year, where the Indianapolis-based taproom continues pouring pints of familiar favorites and rotating experimental brews.
June
Amelia’s at the Stutz
1060 N. Capitol Ave., opened June 5
Following the success of its Fletcher Place and Windsor Park bakeries, one of Indianapolis’ favorite purveyors of bread, croissants and cookies joined a growing roster of eateries at the Stutz.
Alkaline Electric Goddess
49 W. Maryland St., opened June 10
Circle Centre Mall’s first and only plant-based food stand debuted this summer, bringing a mosaic of colorful menu items such as barbecue jackfruit sandwiches and sea moss smoothies downtown.
Liberty Street
653 Massachusetts Ave., reopened June 16
The historic bar and live music venue closed in October 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally reopening in June. The bar, which first opened in 2014, boasts an impressively large selection of Bourbon and cocktails.
Nowhere Special
608 Massachusetts Ave., opened June 22
The self-proclaimed ultimate bar experience, Nowhere Special uses organic produce, herbs and botanicals to craft a cocktail menu featuring descriptions such as, “tart, bubbly and silly.”
King Dough Carmel
12505 Old Meridian St., Suite 170, Carmel, opened June 28
Owners Alicia and Adam Sweet started out slinging pies from a brick, dome oven on the back of their pickup in Bloomington in 2014. Now the pair owns three King Dough locations, the latest being its Carmel venue. The local produce, house sourdough starter and freshly pulled mozzarella remain the same.
July
A Cup of Chai
1028 Shelby St., opened July 22
The cozy Fountain Square café and restaurant specializes in tea, but also offers a smattering of traditional Indian snacks to accompany your piping hot chai.
Julieta Taco Shop
1060 N. Capitol Ave., opened July 25
Diners discover just how much edible goodness can fit in the palm of their hand at Julieta, where Milktooth chefs Esteban Rosas and Gabriel Sanudo bring a variety of tacos served on homemade tortillas to the Stutz.
September
Gaucho’s Fire Express
3746 E. 82nd St., opened Sept. 4
The Brazilian fusion eatery, earned acclaim throughout the Indianapolis area with its food truck and Garage Hall stand before opening its most recent location in Castleton.
Pig Pen BBQ
906 Carrollton Ave., opened Sept. 8
A soulful addition to the Garage food hall, Pig Pen offers barbecue and sides from a swath of regional styles.
Burgeezy
335 W. 9th St., Suite D, opened Sept. 9
Nestled along the east side of the canal walk, Burgeezy is a Black-owned counter-service restaurant offering vegan comfort food that looks ripped from your favorite greasy spoon’s menu despite not featuring a single animal product.
October
Theo’s Italian
2498 Perry Crossing Way, Suite 105, opened Oct. 2
Cunningham Restaurant Group, owners of Nesso, Livery and other recognizable Indy venues, launched a part-casual, part-upscale take on Italian cuisine with Theo’s. The menu includes traditional pasta, salads, appetizes and sandwiches as well as Pinsa Romana, a topped flatbread akin to a light pizza.
Hasuno
435 Virginia Ave., opened Oct. 4
From kobe beef to freshwater eel, you’ll find just about anything wrapped up in rice and seaweed among the sushi and other Asian-inspired dishes at Hasuno.
Dream Palace Books and Coffee
111 E. 16th St., Suite 101, opened Oct. 9
The former property of Thirsty Scholar now houses Dream Palace, a bright, bustling shop vending Tinker Street coffee, Color Theory tea and Leviathan baked goods. Visitors can sip a hot beverage while thumbing through Dream Palace’s small but varied selection of literature.
Gil Tacos Estilo D.F. 2
9510 Aronson Drive, opened Oct. 11
The southside taco shop opened its second location this fall, offering tortas, tacos, quesabirria and more.
Chicken Scratch Indy
121 W. Maryland St., opened Oct. 15
Chicken Scratch expanded from its flagstone Keystone Avenue location, bringing a slim but bold menu of wings, fries and tenders downtown.
Gather 22
22 E. 22nd St., opened Oct. 17
The creators of Byrne’s Grilled Pizza have added salads, sandwiches, sides and a robust cocktail and wine menu to their renowned pizza at Gather 22, a restaurant and live entertainment space that encourages visitors to dine, drink and, of course, gather.
Kountry Kitchen Soul Food Place
1831 N. College Ave., reopened Oct. 22
Home to fried green tomatoes, rib tips and no shortage of celebrity visits, Kountry Kitchen reopened over three years after a fire devastated the restaurant in January 2020. An outpouring of community support — including over a thousand dollars raised in four days — helped the beloved soul food restaurant rebuild at its original venue.
Memento Zero Proof
8701 E. 116th St., Suite 145, Fishers, opened Oct. 28
Branding itself as Indiana’s first alcohol-free bar and coffee shop, Memento offers non-alcoholic cocktails, wine and beer alongside coffee and upscale pub food.
November
Fast Wok
10116 E. Washington St., reopened Nov. 1, Dec. 5 and Dec. 9
It’s been a rough re-entry for the longtime Eastside staple. Fast Wok closed in June 2022 after owner Bungon ‘Mama’ Nettles suffered a stroke, reopened in November before closing due to concerns of violence, reopened in December before closing due to a break-in and reopened a few days later.
Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter @bradleyhohulin.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Local restaurants that opened — and reopened — in Indianapolis in 2023
