Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis area restaurants that opened and closed in January 2024
Robot server is used at Tian Fu restaurant
A robot server is used at the new Tian Fu restaurant at 7525 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, on June 26, 2023.
Indianapolis Star
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A mere month into the new year, Indianapolis’ dining scene saw a number of shakeups. Some new names entered the fray, including an upscale restaurant owned by the Pacers.
Meanwhile, a slew of chains and local favorites closed their doors. Find out what came and went in central Indiana in the first month of the year below.
Restaurant openings:
World Famous HotBoys
4335 W 106th St., Carmel, opened Jan. 13
The Oakland, California-based fried chicken chain first arrived to Indianapolis in Fountain Square in 2022. The Carmel location is HotBoys’ fifth, bringing spicy fried chicken, crinkle-cut fries and a biscuit-donut hybrid fittingly called Bonuts to Hamilton County.
Commission Row
110 S. Delaware St., opened Jan. 22
Owned by Pacers Sport and Entertainment and operated by Cunningham Restaurant Group, Commission Row is a three-story venue complete with a steakhouse, speakeasy and private event space. Executive chef Corey Fuller’s menu goes big on seafood and prime cuts, while the basement bar, Mel’s, offers an expansive cocktail menu in a cozy speakeasy setting.
Sneak peek: See inside Commission Row
Restaurant closings:
Rooster’s Kitchen
888 Massachusetts Ave., closed Dec. 31
Rooster’s moved into the former home of fine dining restaurant R. Bistro, which served Mass Ave customers for 15 years before closing in early 2016. Chicago transplant Ross Katz’s menu featured upscale comfort food and craft beer. After over seven years, Rooster’s announced on Facebook that it would close at the end of 2023.
World of Beer
409 Massachusetts Ave., closed Dec. 31
World of Beer shuttered its downtown Indy location after five years. The Florida-based brewery chain has 40 locations throughout America, pouring about 300 different craft beers alongside classic pub food. The Mass Ave brewery was World of Beer’s only location in Indiana.
Indonesian food in Indy: Embracing the fire at Wisanggeni Pawon, Indianapolis’ newest Indonesian restaurant
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux
247 S. Meridian St., closed Jan. 14
In May 2023, the Louisiana-based Cajun-inspired eatery moved into the former street-level home of After 6 nightclub, which closed in 2022 alongside upstairs neighbors Taps and Dolls and 247 Sky Lounge. Building owner and Walk-On’s franchisee Todd Johnson opened the family-friendly restaurant in the hopes of revitalizing a venue with a recent history of safety concerns. Walk-On’s vice president of communications Andy Izquierdo said the franchise will relocate elsewhere in the Indy metro area.
HopCat Broad Ripple
6280 N. College Ave., closed Jan. 28
After 10 years in the heart of Broad Ripple, the Michigan-based brewery chain announced on Facebook that it would pull out of the Hoosier State. It leaves behind a high-profile location along the Red Line near the Central Canal.
Mimi Blue Meatballs
807 Massachusetts Ave., closed Jan. 30
The Mass Ave favorite closed its original and last remaining location, citing mounting operational costs. Mimi Blue opened in 2015 as a collaboration between Zionsville-based development company Kosene & Kosene and Sangiovese Ristorante owner Chris Evans. Co-owner Gerald Kosene said he would mourn the loss of a gathering space for Mimi customers, particularly the LGBTQ+ community that frequented the restaurant’s monthly drag brunches.
Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter/X @bradleyhohulin.
Indianapolis, IN
When is 60th annual Indianapolis Strawberry Festival? Date, time, strawberry shortcake prices
This is the holy sanctuary of strawberry shortcake
Ice cream, whipped cream and strawberries top 20,000 homemade shortcakes at the annual Strawberry Festival on Indianapolis’ Monument Circle.
Indianapolis Star
Strawberry shortcake lovers should grab their forks and head to Downtown Indianapolis for the 60th annual Indy Strawberry Festival Thursday.
Strawberry Festival Indiana 2026: When is Indy Strawberry Festival in Downtown Indianapolis?
The Indy Strawberry Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 11 or until supplies run out.
Indianapolis Strawberry Festival 2026: Where is the Indy Strawberry Festival?
The Indy Strawberry Festival is held on Monument Circle in Downtown Indianapolis.
2026 Indy Strawberry Festival prices: How much does strawberry shortcake cost at Indianapolis Strawberry Festival?
An Indy Strawberry Festival shortcake costs $10 for “The Works,” a container packed with strawberries, ice cream, homemade shortcakes and whipped topping. Cash and credit cards are accepted. Be prepared to wait in line.
Indy Strawberry Festival origin: How did Indianapolis Strawberry Festival start at Christ Church Cathedral?
Christ Church Cathedral Women will make nearly 20,000 homemade shortcakes, and use 12,000 pounds of strawberries during the festival, where sellouts are not uncommon for the 300-plus volunteers.
According to the festival website, the book “The Little Church on the Circle,” written by Eli Lilly, spoke of Christ Church Cathedral using strawberries to raise money since 1864.
The first official Indy Strawberry Festival began with 100 homemade shortcakes sold on the lawn in 1965.
The women set up their stand on Thursday to make the most of J.C. Penney department store hours. Two hours later, the women had sold every last shortcake.
The event − held annually on the second Thursday in June − helps Christ Church Cathedral raise more than $70,000 each year, where 95% of the profits benefit local, national and international nonprofit outreach groups.
Chris Sims is a trending reporter at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.
Indianapolis, IN
Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Jack Alexy Highlight Strong Lineup For Indianapolis (Psych Sheets)
2026 Indianapolis Pro Series
The Indianapolis Pro Series stop next weekend will serve as the final stop of the Pro Series before the 2026 Pan Pac Championships that will take place in Irvine in August. Pre-scratch psych sheets revealed a star-studded lineup including Katie Ledecky, Gretchen Walsh, Ryan Murphy, and Jack Alexy.
The meet will serve as the first competition since both Ledecky and Walsh competed at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale Open at the end of April and into May. Ledecky won the 800 and 1500 freestyles in Fort Lauderdale. Walsh swam to another World Record, lowering her own record in the long course 100 fly as she touched in a 54.33.
Ledecky trains at the University of Florida and much of her training group will be in attendance as Bobby Finke, Emma Weyant, and Kieran Smith. Walsh trains at Virginia, and much of the Virginia group will be in attendance as Kate Douglass, Alex Walsh, Isabelle Stadden, Anna Moesch, and Claire Curzan highlight the psych sheets as well. Cal training partners Jack Alexy and Ryan Murphy highlight the group from Cal that also includes names such as Lucas Henveaux, Gabe Jett, and Ryan Erisman.
Notably not on the psych sheets is the large training group out of Texas under Bob Bowman that includes names such as Regan Smith, Shaine Casas, Chris Guiliano, Luke Hobson, and Carson Foster. Erin Gemmell will be in attendance for Longhorn Aquatics.
Katie Ledecky‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #1 seed
- 400 free: #1 seed
- 800 free: #1 seed
- 1500 free: #1 seed
Gretchen Walsh‘s Lineup:
- 100 fly: #1 seed
- 50 back: #7 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
Ryan Murphy‘s Lineup:
- 100 back: #1 seed
- 50 back: #42 seed (seeded with a 100 back time)
Jack Alexy‘s Lineup:
- 200 free: #14 seed
- 50 back: #16 seed
- 50 free: #1 seed
- 100 free: #1 seed
U.S. Pan Pac Roster Set To Compete In Indianapolis:
Almost all of the US women’s roster for Pan Pacs will be in Indianapolis as 21 out of 26 women on the roster are on the pre-scratch psych sheets. The men’s side includes 16/26 members of the Pan Pac roster, with most of the “no’s” coming from the Texas men.
INDIANAPOLIS — A person was fatally shot on the north side of Indianapolis Wednesday morning, according to police.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department says officers were dispatched to investigate a shots fired incident in the 6700 block of Woodmere Circle in the Delaware Trails area, west of Hoover Road, around 5:41 a.m.
They arrived and located a person suffering a gunshot wound.
IMPD originally reported their condition as “awake and breathing,” though the person died sometime after arriving at a hospital.
According to Public Information Officer Drew Brown, the person who called police was the shooter in the incident.
He told police that two masked individuals approached him before shots were fired. The shooter is cooperating with law enforcement, police said.
Another person was detained on scene; IMPD did not identify or state their role in the incident.
This is a developing story.
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