Over the span of 15 years and more than 30 seasons, Food Network star Guy Fieri and his team have visited nine Indiana restaurants, showcasing pieces of Hoosier cuisine to the world on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives “.
Unfortunately, since their visit, three of these places have permanently closed: Jersey’s Cafe in Carmel and The Barking Dog and Zest! Exciting culinary creations in Indianapolis.
The other six restaurants, however, remain open.
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Including sandwiches, tamales, and Cajun food, here are the Indiana restaurants that made a meal out of “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”
Restaurant Triple XXX
2 N. Salisbury St., West Lafayette
765-743-5373, triplexxxfamilyrestaurant.com
Season 1, Episode 7: “Burgers”
The first Indiana restaurant Fieri ever visited (at least on camera) was Triple XXX, a burger joint minutes from Purdue University.
Featured in the series’ first burger-centric episode, Triple XXX is known for their steak burgers, particularly their Duane Purvis All American, which comes with a layer of creamy peanut butter on its bun. Plus it serves about 10 other burgers and all day breakfast and milkshakes.
The family restaurant takes its name from the oldest brand of root beer in the United States, and it still carries the original 1895 recipe for Triple XXX root beer today.
South side soda shop and restaurant
1122 S. Main Street, Goshen
574-534-3790, southsidesodashop.com
Season 1, Episode 9: “Retro”
If you’re craving a unique drink, Goshen’s 1950s-inspired South Side Soda Shop and Diner can quench your thirst.
Both a restaurant and a soda shop, South Side sells phosphate sodas, which you could find in a soda shop in the 1950s. The Green River, a lime-tinted phosphate, is famous for its sweet flavor. Other unique soda flavors include cherry, cola, chocolate, and vanilla.
On the restaurant side, the “Philly Chili”, served in a large sundae glass, has been voted Michiana’s best chili seven times. Fieri also noted the restaurant’s various family recipes, pastries and pies.
3 sisters cafe
6223 Guilford Ave, Indianapolis
317-257-5556, 3sisters.in
Season 11, Episode 6: “Signature Sandwiches”
Ten seasons later, 3 Sisters Cafe, housed in a Victorian home built in 1896, brought Triple D back to Indiana in the name of their pork sandwich.
D’Nai, 3 Sisters Pork-Kale-Mozzarella Concoction, pushes the boundaries of a pork sandwich with its southern flair and unique spice blend. When he tried it, Fieri said the sandwich melted in your mouth, topped off with a little spice and a little smoke.
Although featured prominently in a sandwich episode, don’t count this Broad Ripple cuisine for breakfast or dessert. Their Lemon Raspberry Corn Cakes and Basil Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie received high marks from Fieri and customers.
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Indy’s Historic Steer-In Restaurant
5130 E. 10th St., Indianapolis
317-356-0996, steerin.net
Season 11, Episode 8: “Soup and Sandwiches”
Indy’s Historic Steer-In restaurant was on the verge of closing, but in 2007 mother-son duo Barbara and Casey Kehrer saved it with Barbara’s retirement money.
Since then, the Irvington staple has retained some of the restaurant’s original recipes, such as its burger and cream pie recipes, but it has also introduced new items to its menu. One of these new dishes is the three-meat meatball sandwich, made with veal, chuck and Italian sausage, topped with a house herb-infused marinara on a toasted baguette.
Additionally, the Steer-In makes its stuffed pizza dough in-house, in addition to the noodles — for its beef and noodles — from scratch.
Learn more about Steer-In:Steer-In Restaurant has been an East Indy tradition for 62 years
Tamale Square
5226 Rockville Road, Indianapolis
317-248-9771, thetamaleplace.com
Season 12, Episode 3: “You Can Only Get It Here”
What else would Fieri visit The Tamale Place for, if not for his tamales?
The Garden City spot has tamales for every meal of the day, making thousands of tamales a week from scratch. The key ingredient is masa – a homemade corn paste – which appears on almost everything on the menu, from fries to dessert.
From authentic beef in red sauce and chipotle chicken tamales to apple, pecan and pineapple raisin tamales, every craving can be satisfied with one of the many tamales on the menu.
But be warned: The Tamale Place website suggests calling ahead to make sure you get your favorite tamale before it sells out.
by Zydeco
11 E. Main St., Mooresville
317-834-3900, zydecos.net
Season 12, Episode 7: “Homemade and Homebrewed”
Looking for authentic Louisiana-style cuisine in the Midwest? Well, Hoosiers lucked out with Zydeco’s, Indiana’s self-proclaimed “Cajun Culinary Embassy.”
Co-owner Carter Hutchinson was born and raised around the Gulf Coast, so when he moved up north to marry his wife, Deb, they opened Zydeco’s together to serve classic Cajun food.
Boudin, a pork and rice sausage, and tasso, a spicy seasoned pork, are homemade, like most of the menu. Fieri even considered the barbecue shrimp and tasso plate a “Top 10” dish.
In fact, Zydeco’s was so delicious that Fieri had to revisit it on his hour-long episode “Southern Spectacular,” which aired three years later in 2014.
You can contact Pulliam Fellow Griffin Wiles at GWiles@gannett.com or on Twitter at @griffinwiles.
