GenCon Indianapolis: Restaurants

Ah, GenCon, that wonderful convention of all things geeky, nerdy and just plain fun!  A lot of people come into Indianapolis for it, but what most may not realize is that there is a plethora of other things in the area.  This is the first of a few blogs concerning the area.  I know I won’t hit everything there is because, honestly, Indianapolis if far bigger than most people give it credit for.

The location of convention puts it almost in the immediate downtown area.  A five minute walk east and you are in the downtown proper.  Here you will find a vast array of dining options, from pub grub to four and five star restaurants, which is the topic of this posting.

Starting at the high end of the spectrum, there is Morton’s Steakhouse.  If you want a quality steak, go no further.  This is the place, or so I hear.  I say this because I am a vegetarian and steaks don’t really exist in my diet.  But, going off of the advice of friends and family who know good meat, I am told it is the best in town.  But, as with anything that is quality, you have to pay for it.  A special currently running (and seems to be running most of the year) is a three course meal for two at the price of $99.99.  Judging from the menu for that special, you won’t leave hungry.

There is also the Palomino.  Lunch menu consists of soups, salads and other typical lunch items.  The do have oven baked pizzas which I have tried on one occasion and they are pretty good.  The lunch menu is a bit on the pricey side, so I only recommend the place for those who have more disposable income than they know what to do with at the convention.  The dinner menu is also nice, serving everything from steaks to seafood, salads to pasta.  Again, this is not a cheap restaurant, but the food is good and portions are sufficient.

Just slightly down the price range is Champps Americana.  They have locations all across the U.S. so some of you may be familiar with it already.  Decent food, decent portions for decent prices. I dined there once, but it has been awhile.  I remember the food being tasty and the service polite.

Coming down in the price range, we have Circle City Bar and Grill.  I have eaten here on a few occasions and have always liked it.  They don’t seem to have a direct link, but the dining guide site I have used show 2.5 stars out of 5.  I include this here because it is affordable and convenient.  Literally, walking out of the main north doors of the convention center puts you within two minutes walking of the grill.  For that quick bite that is better priced and better quality than what they have in the convention center, you can’t miss here, just don’t expect a lot.

Down the block and around the corner is a local favorite called The Ram.  Priced similarly to TGIFs but with better food, the Ram is worth a stop on an afternoon or evening for some good food. They serve a little bit of everything, so even for the choosiest of people, they will find something they like.  Now, not to jump ahead of myself, but they have a good beer selection of local brews and serve up growlers to go.  I will hit the beer joints of Indy in a future blog. 

Coming on down the price range, there is the Red Eye Cafe.  This is a big local favorite, mainly because it is 24 hours, cheap and good!  This joint is awesome!  I speak so highly of it because when you leave the bars at three in the morning, sometimes you just want a big greasy burger, fries, soda, coffee, eggs, bacon and chili.  All available, all the time.  In addition, if you don’t want to leave your room, call’em up and have them deliver.  They run food delivery until five in the morning. 

Again, these are just a few of the locations in the downtown area.  If you hit up the ol’ Maps of the Google, you will see that there is no shortage of food in the downtown area.  If you have any questions, hit me up, I will be glad to help.  There may be a few changes in the downtown area in the next few months since the convention center is expanding, but all in all, the area won’t change. 

Next up for GenCon Indy:  Beer Joints!  My favorite topic, well, next to games at least.

Until next time, good gaming!

Wallywampa