Friends and I are big into sushi. What's the best bet for sushi, sorta near downtown?
We're all kinda purists, in that we like good, well made, nigiri, and we're much less into the big fancy rolls (just not our jam).
And yeah, I get it, Indy probably isn't an amazing place for sushi, but still, there has to be some decent stuff, it's too big of a town to not have something.
The only place I have tried is Mikado, which is quite close to ICC. It is solidly ok, not bad, not particularly good. It used to be easier to get a table there then other places so close by but no longer. Your question inspired me to look, and that is the only real restaurant nearby. There is a place in the food court across the street from the ICC, so you might try that, but that is food court sushi, so you should probably adjust your expectations. The shrimp cocktail at Harry and izzy’s Is awesome, and you could pretend it is sushi!
Heh, I do love a good shrimp cocktail. I decided to relegate sushi to "maybe a lunch" and instead booked a table at Fogo De Chao for my crew (8 of us) and then I made reservations at Oakley's Bistro and am hoping to grab breakfast one day at Cafe Patachou, both of which have chef's/owners who have been contending for James Beard awards, which says a lot about the supposed quality.
Ukiyo is very good
Mikado is good, and it's the best you're going to find within walking distance. It's about as good as the standard sushi places you can find on the east or west costs, but considering that they're in the middle of Indiana, they make a sincere effort to get and prepare good fish.
Ukiyo, Sakura, and Sushi Bar (sic) are also good, but they're a cab-ride away.
If you're looking for the kind of excellent sushi that you can find in San Francisco or Washington DC, you're going to be disappointed.
Avoid the Chin Sushi House in the food court of the Circle Center Mall.
If you want to Uber or even walk, we always go to Forty Five Degrees on Mass Ave.
Patachou is an over-rated local chain with average food that draws people because there isn't much else . Sort of Like Zingerman's in Ann Arbor (but Patachou has less attitude ).
I agree Napolese is good (the Penn location is the best of the 3)
The Beard awards(for the non individual categories anyway ) have not been a consistent indicator of quality for a couple of years now .
Oakley's is very inconsistent -one day above average verging on good the next way below par
But it all depends on what you are looking for .
Try Bluebeard near fountain square if you are looking for an interesting eclectic but good meal . the wait can be long though .
As much as I do not want this place to get mobbed, Asaka has amazing sushi and I have been waiting a year to go back (we already have reservations for Wednesday night....and you will need reservations, the place is tiny and fills up fast).
And between 5-7 is happy hour where a bunch of different sushi is half off. I think we paid around $20 for like 6 different rolls and edamame (I would add a picture, but i cannot). And the place had amazing atmosphere, family owned and operated. Our server was telling us about how her sister does all the sushi rolls by hand.
It is about 20 minutes away from downtown though.
I would like to try Oakley's, but it's far enough away from downtown nobody else in my party is interested in making the trip. I think the JBF website is a solid starting place overall to find good food -I definitely refer to it for reccs myself- but I agree that sometimes I've been thoroughly underwhelmed. You just gotta get out there and decide for yourself. :)
Fethbone - Thanks ,I will try to get to Milktooth -I had forgotten about them ,
I do like Yolk -
Overall I think your statement is an accurate overall assessment of the Indianapolis Food scene
good ,but not mind-blowing.
Yes there are some personal favorites , and some are very nice/good and do 1 thing very well , but not top of class. However the Indiana tenderloin sandwiches are not equaled anywhere else .
But as my friends tell me, I am a harsh critic . I tend to judge by the whole dining experience(of which service and cleanliness as a factor).
Unfortunately it seems slow service is becoming the norm .
I second Forty Five degrees, go early afternoon on Sunday for quick seating and half priced sushi!
I know this is late, but the Mikado was exceptionally good this year. Better than a few years ago. I think they are realizing that they need to bring their A-game to GenCon... and they do. Also, they are so crowded, you know you are getting *fresh* fish. It doesn't hurt that the local airport has many extra flights for the Con, which also can reduce costs and improve on freshness.
