You won't find another neighborhood with so much fun packed into such a small area as Fletcher Place.
There are James Beard-nominated restaurants on both sides of the street, and now you can get there without a car on the Red Line. Take advantage of these perfect early fall temps and take a walk around one of Indy's best little neighborhoods.
Written by Sarah Murrell
EAT
653 Virginia Ave
Bluebeard, oh Bluebeard, how we love you forever and ever. Chef Abbi Merriss is holding it down as strong as ever, and it remains one of our favorite places to go for a consistent top-notch dining experience. You could drop $20 on a quick lunch or $150 on a long dinner and both would be equally as memorable, which is why they've earned so many James Beard nominations. Every piece of decor has a great story to tell if you ask your server. #ProTip: Sundays are dollar oyster night.
Bosphorus Istanbul Cafe
935 S East St
The 'hood's favorite Turkish restaurant has been around for a minute because it's beloved and always delicious. The dining room is always packed with Lilly employees tucking into a babaganoush lunch, and their menu has been offering vegetarian options way before the vegan movement made eating meatless cool. For our money, nothing beats a perfect meal here like finishing with a cup of Turkish coffee.
653 Virginia Ave
Bluebeard's sister bakery was born from owner Tom Battista's search for really good, Italian-style sourdough. As the adage goes, if you want something baked right, you've gotta build the bakery yourself — and lucky for all of us. The slow-rising loaves come out of the oven craggy, crunchy, and full of big, gorgeous air holes. The preservative-free, all-natural bread is featured most famously on Goose the Market's sandwich board, and the bakery was named one of the best in the country by USA Today.
534 Virginia Ave
Consider this an invitation to go for the three-meal Fletcher Place dining experience. Milktooth is packed every weekend for a reason. You can wear jeans and bring your baby and get high-end flavors in the most relaxed dining room in the city. Make sure to save room for Zoe Taylor's mad-scientist-meets-pastry-whiz take on baked goods, which could be anything from a fudgy rye brownie to savory wild rice scones. Milktooth has won so many dang awards, we don't have room to list them, so check it out.
719 Virginia Ave #105
We could put Chilly Water in either the food or drink category, but we didn't want anyone to miss out on their killer panini lineup. They've won several golds at the Brewers Cup, and Blood on the Tracks, their blood orange sipper, is the orange soda/beer mix you've always dreamed of with almost none of the filling sugar. The music-themed brewpub is an ideal stop if you're taking a bike around the Cultural Trail.
647 Virginia Ave
CFCC is everything to everyone, by which we mean a no-frills cup of drip to go for some, and a place to work and hang with great food and artisanal coffee drinks for others. It's a true reflection of the diversity of Fletcher Place, drawing an ever-changing mix of artists, writers, community organizers and 9-to-5-ers alike. They've got your vegan milks and pastries, your lunch wraps and all your teas. And a skylight. And a patio. And just the nicest people behind the counter you'll ever meet.
DRINK
501 Virginia Ave #102
Barcades have been a thing for a few years now, but Tappers remains one of two locally-owned and operated, totally free play locations in the city. It was crowdfunded, hand-painted, and then expanded when the place got almost too packed on weekends. It's just one of the most fun spots to get local beer and hang out with some friends. And while the bar doesn't provide food itself, they'd love for you to bring some takeout in and enjoy it with one of their ice-cold drafts or have your ClusterTruck driver pull up to the curb outside.
702 Virginia Ave
In a building that used to be a carriage repair shop, you'll find the totally revamped tasting room that became a hit neighborhood bar. Production has been moved out of the bar to make room for more customers, and now you can get any cocktail you could dream of, from the savory to the tiki-fabulous. All of the spirits are available for purchase, and you should ask about the rotating small-batch spirit available only at the tasting room. If you've got a big party to host, check out their newly opened Foxhole.
621 Virginia Ave
The Dugout is another bar that could go in either the bar or restaurant category, because it's hard to beat their hearty pub menu (think fried cheese, side of ranch). And while the Dugout is famous for things transplanted from another time (PBR on draft! Fried bologna sandwiches!), they're hip to the trends with a good portion of the menu being veggie-friendly. On Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 11 in the morning, you can get a utility breakfast buffet for the low price of $7.50 and eat eggs, bacon and Bs 'n' Gs to you heart's contentment.
GO
Red Line
The Red Line is open, and it's fantastic. Better yet, it runs directly down Virginia Avenue from downtown, so you can hop off at any stop and be steps away from one of these locations (one stop is nearly in Milktooth's parking lot). The Red Line is free all during the month of September, and after that you can buy passes in person, at the Transit Center, or through the MyKey app. Out-of-towners, leave the rental car at the airport and spend that cash on some of the best meals you'll eat in the state.
Pickled Pedaler
A less practical but much more fun way to explore the city is by the Fletcher Place-based pedal bars. Here's the deatl: you bring as much booze as you can fit on the Pedaler, crank your favorite music with full control of the Aux, and cruise between bars. Another useful #ProTip: the closer you sit to the front, the harder you'll have to pedal, and the pedal-less bench seat in the back is generally reserved for the bride/groom/birthday person.
Indy Cultural Trail
Thanks to the Cultural Trail, you can walk or bike between any of Indy's most vibrant cultural centers on a fully-lit, smooth and landscaped path. Runners should absolutely take advantage, especially visiting runners, as the trail not only takes you directly through the heart of Fletcher Place, but extends into Fountain Square and goes right past Cummins' gorgeous outdoor plaza. If you want a bigger bite of the Cultural Trail, they offer food tours in Fletcher Place, Mass Ave and Fountain Square, as well as a longer biking tour.
Pacers Bikeshare
Those big yellow beach cruisers are a glorious mode of transit without all the crashing of the scooters, and they don't require charging like their smaller two-wheeled counterparts. And they are maintained by employees of Pacers Bikeshare, not people shoving them in their cars every night. Perhaps best of all, they're heavy, highly visible, and a much better choice when you've got kids in tow as they're allowed on the Cultural Trail. Just an all-around safer bet.
