Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2021. It has been updated with new photos and links.
Stroll down memory lane to an Indianapolis where fine dining was coveted, diners and drive-ins had a touch of class and an organ entertained guests at a family restaurant with this list of restaurants many in the city still miss.
The list includes some eateries that haven’t been closed long but are missed nonetheless. While not an all-inclusive list, it’s sure to jog fond memories from many Hoosiers.
The Huddle restaurants
These 24-hour diners were in five locations across Indy with a versatile menu including pancakes and waffles all day, sandwiches, salads, burgers, seafood and steak. Huddles restaurants were first opened in the late 50’s and were popular throughout the 60’s before the last one closed in 1976.
The Tea Room at L.S. Ayres
The eighth floor of downtown department store L.S. Ayres & Co . was reserved for a luxurious dining experience for anyone who wanted to be served by waiters in crisp uniforms and clean their sticky fingers in bowls filled with water and rose petals. The tea room’s chicken salad, chicken velvet soup and chicken pot pie were favorites among guests. Children would look forward to a special kids ”hobo lunch” wrapped in a bandana, clown ice cream, the Snow Princess dessert and treats wrapped in paper from the treasure chest if they were well-behaved. The tearoom closed in 1990 but the Indiana State Museum recreated the Ayres Tea Room with similar menu items. It is open to the public during the holidays and available for private events year-round…