A2Z Cafe - 4705 E. 96th St. 317-569-9349. Named after the owners and their child (Asraf, Antonio and Zulma) A2Z offers up tasty breakfast and lunch dishes. From oatmeal to crepes, omelettes and "build your own" breakfast, to babba ganouche, Divine Salmon Cake salad, and family namesake dishes (i.e. son "Antonio's pasta). Warm friendly environment for families and friends alike.

Agio - 635 Mass Ave. 317 488-0359. Located right on Mass Ave, serving Italian food from chef Joseph Heidenreich. Local art decks the walls and a covered patio offers outdoor dining rain or shine. Agio is very popular pre-shows - theatre and concerts, so make reservations or be prepared to dine at the bar or have a drink while waiting. Gay owned and friendly! Vegetarian friendly.

Ambrosia - 915 E. Westfield Blvd. 317-255-3096. Located in Broad Ripple, a family establishment for just that, and for romantic night outs, gatherings, and so forth. Owned by a tiny Italian lady who has kept it in the family since she moved here so long ago. Great Italian food and a bar next door. Great outdoor dining. Dress cute, jeans are very lame to wear here, and enjoy a nice, relaxing, homemade Italian meal. Elegant and light decor, Ambrosia is also a staple place to visit for visiting racecary drivers.

Andrus O'Reilly's - 36 S. Pennsylvania St. 317-974-0674. Irish owned! Traditional Irish and American food in a dark, nice, clean enviroment. Plenty of tv's for your sports viewing pleasure, lots of beers and plenty of room to wander. Nice outdoor dining, and a good place to grab a bite for lunch or early evening.

Barcelona Tapas - 201 N. Delaware St. 317-638-8272. Barcelona serves up tapas - Spainish appetizer sized dishes - to make your palette happy! Small portions and a big menu, with lots of options. Indoor and outdoor dining, with a hip and cute Spain-inspired interior makes it a unique dining experience for Indy. The service can be iffy at times, but go during the week in the evening - it's less crowded, you'll get more attentive service, and be able to not feel as rushed. The food comes out as it is prepared, and they also have cheap cocktails (martinis, beer, wine and of course sangria!). Favorites include Pincho de Maruno (pork tenderloin with curry mayo), Patatas Bravas (roasted potatoes in spicy tomato sauce) and Alas de Pollo (garlic pepper chick wings with sherry mayo). Avoid the Almendras (paprika roasted almonds), you'll be bitter about the price you pay for a little bowl of almonds! Vegetarian friendly.

Capri - 2602 Ruth Dr. 317-259-4122. Locally owned Italian restaurant that is one of the stars of the city. The family is from Naples, and the food is fresh and delictable. Dine in the bar - a dark wooden collection of comfy couches and a few televisions. Live music all week and a nice wine list!

Champps - 8711 River Crossing Rd. 317-574-0333. Champps is a sports bar meets restaurant explosion. Indoor and outdoor dining, family friendly and bar friendly. The food ranges from American classics to fusion treats. Lots of beer to chose from. The biggest highlight of dining here is sitting in the booths facing the bar and watching karaoke that happens once a week. Drunk hoity toities get their rocks off and karaoke pro's sing the wails and woes of life to innocent victims. It's so funny you'll be crying. Vegetarian friendly.

Claddagh Irish Pub - multiple locations, see below. Regionally owned Irish pubs that offer the biggest fish and chips in town, two pounds worth! The "chips" are dipped in sour cream then fried, and the Irish stew's base is Guiness. Downtown is 21+ and the other two locations have family and bar dining. Irish/English jams pump out through the stereo (from U2 to Loreena McKennitt to Radiohead) and Black and Tans are served a plenty. The stools are short, the whiskey is served from upside down pours, and the decor features Irish antiques and themed paintings. Downtown - 234 S. Meridian St. 317-822-6274. North - 3835 E. 96th St. 317-569-3663.

Edelweiss Restaurant - 8602 South Meridian Street. 317-888-6940. Located inside German Park on the far south side of Indianapolis, this restaurant is run by a private club (the German-American Klub) but is open to the public. Serves lunch Tuesday through Saturday and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Food is mostly Bavarian in style, with some American specialties on the menu with daily specials. Friday evenings often have live entertainment in the quaint Gasthaus-style dining room. There is also a Biergarten for dining on pleasant evenings. A ballroom on the upper floor is available for rental. Don't miss the Oktoberfest in German Park every Labor Day!

India Garden - 830 Broad Ripple Ave. 317-253-6060. Locally owned Indian restaurant that is considered the best in town. They have a lunch and dinner buffet that is legendary in Indianapolis. The downtown location is closed right now, but soon to reopen, and the Broad Ripple location is chock full of hungry college students and Broad Ripple hipsters and vegetarians. Bring on the buffet! Vegan friendly.

Jonathan Byrd's Cafeteria - 100 Byrd Way, Greenwood. 317-881-8888. The world's biggest cafeteria. Yes, cafeteria. Your wildest fantasies will come true here. Well, cafeteria wise. They also offer their food to go and desserts galore. Jonathan Byrd is a millionaire and also has one of the world's biggest collections if bibles. You can see some on display here too. Vegetarian friendly.

Le Peep - multiple locations, see below. One of Indy's favorite places to have breakfast. Classics like oatmeal and biscuits & gravy. Breakfast served in skillets with names like "Hobo" "Gypsy" and "Desperado" these meals are hearty for any wandering traveller. Their omelettes are the number one in town, and their pancakes will leave you speechless (cause you'll be eating them so quickly). Have a sweet tooth? Try the King Cakes, a sweet tempting pancake. They also offer lunch fare too. Be prepared to wait, no reservations accepted. Only open for breakfast and lunch. Vegetarian friendly. Carmel - 12213 N. Meridian St. 317-580-9193. Keystone at the Crossing - 8487 Union Chapel Rd. 317-259-8344. Castleton - 8225 Craig St. 317-576-0433. Downtown - 301 N. Illinois. 317-237-3447.

Loon Lake Lodge - 6880 E. 82nd St. 317-845-9011. This place is a melding between a Montana Lodge, Epcot Center, and well, an interstate off ramp. However, they server medium sized portions of good steak, seafood and chicken at moderate prices. Enjoy your meal in a wooded-like area, capped of with animatronic animals (i.e. raccoons). The bar is a wooded canoe lodge, with friendly staff and even a gift shop for your outdoor, err..sorta, experience. They have a nice wine list, featuring flights, and also half off wine night on Monday! Super kid friendly, but not obnoxious.

Luxor - 1026 S. Virginia Ave. Downtown's only Egyptian restaurant also offers Greek and Italian cuisine - but stick with the Egyptian fare - it's amazing. Vegan friendly.

Mark Pi's China Gate - 1439 E. 86th St. 317-254-8839. A long time standard for great Chinese, Mark Pi is world famous - and he even created the "worlds longest Chinese noodle." Unlike most Chinese joints in town, Mark Pi's offers a nice sit down "upper" scale version of traditional Chinese. White table clothes and all. Oh, and don't forget the fancy aquarium. The service is just 'okay' but the food is great and don't forget the tastiest fortune cookies in town. Vegan friendly.

Naked Tchopstix - 6253 N. College Ave. 317-252-5555. Great Broad Ripple restaurant with a good location and late night dining. Offering Asian cuisine - Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Korean and the list goes on. A huge menu, interesting Japanese drinks (the sake-plum cocktail is superb!) and friendly stylish servers. A cute decor that reminds us of San Francisco. Nice portions, sushi bar, and a clean environment with good music on the stereo (Air is a popular choice). Indoor/outdoor dining. Great for large groups and a good place to drink heavy at an Asian restaurant.

Santorini Greek Kitchen - 1417 E. Prospect St. 317-917-1116. Winning numerous awards has put this Greek restaurant at the top of its game in town. The dining room is white and blue, art from Greece decorates the walls and belly dancers wander table to table. A small bar offers bar seating. Prepare to load up on potatoes, salad, and the best pasticchio in the city. Vegan friendly.

Scholars Inn - 725 Mass. Ave. 317-536-0707. Located right on Mass Ave. offering quick accessibility to bars and theaters. The decor is modern and the food is okay, but the location shines. Downstairs is proper dining and a bar for dining, upstairs is the bar where young people clamor for cheap martinis on Thursdays and half off wine bottles on Mondays. Smoking is allowed upstairs, and can be quite heavy. The dessert menu is outstanding; even if you eat dinner somewhere else along Mass Ave., it's worth it to come here for dessert. The drink specials and location shine; eat in the bar for better and faster service. Vegan friendly.

Shapiros Delicatessen - 808 S. Meridian St. 317-631-4041. There are two locations, but the downtown is the one to go to. Indy's finest Kosher cuisine is served up at this cafeteria daily. This is the real deal - serving up mile-high sandwiches - including the best corned beef on rye in the state. Great potato pancakes, mac and cheese and the selection of pies and cakes is enough to make ones head explode. Grab a Dr. Brown's root beer or cream soda and enjoy.

Thai Cafe - 1041 Broad Ripple Ave. 317-722-1008. One of the finest Thai restaurants in the city. Dine in or order it to go, watch Thai-themed films on hi-rez tvs in a teeny tiny restaurant. Arrive with plenty of time, there can be a wait. Not good for large tables, but if you have a party of 6 or less you should be okay. Great for couples. With 10 levels of spice, a good start level is 2. Amazing Thai ice tea, and the greatest padd thai in town. Mediocre service, but well worth it for the soup and spring rolls!