Dining near Indy Airport

[steveb]

Anything chowish out there? Pizza or carryout? Something to take back to the room.

[pikawicca]

No. It's a wasteland.

[Cookiefiend]

Hoo... well, not so much...

I think if I were you - I'd go to Cafe Patachou in the airport and get something there to go. It's on the way to baggage claim, on your right in the big circular area.

[nsxtasy]

Is Cafe Patachou outside the security checkpoint or inside security? If it's inside security, you wouldn't be able to get there except when you're in the process of arriving or departing.

The west side of Indy, where the airport is located, is not where most of the nicer and more interesting restaurants are located. However, if you have a car, in less than ten minutes you can be downtown, where some excellent places are located. On the block which contains the Circle Center indoor mall you'll find the Oceanaire (best seafood in Indy), 14 West (contemporary American), and Palomino (American with Mediterranean influence). There's also a strip of Massachusetts Avenue which runs from the center of Indy a mile or so to the northeast, and contains two excellent contemporary American places, Elements and R Bistro. You can find reports on these in the topic at http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/348586

If you're going to those restaurants on the Circle Center block, you can park for up to 3 hours for $1.50 in the indoor parking garage at the Circle Center. Take I-70 east to Exit 79A for West Street and turn left onto West Street northbound. Go 0.9 mile to Maryland Street and turn right. Go a couple of long blocks, and after you cross Illinois Street, on the left you'll see the entrance and ramp down to the garage. Some people miss it because it's directly underneath a pedestrian overpass, and some people drive past the entrance ramp because it's BEFORE (i.e. on the left of) the exit ramp. You'll then need to walk out to the street just outside the mall, where you'll find the entrances to the above three restaurants.

[Cookiefiend]

Cafe Patachou is:
If you're coming to the airport to leave the city - it's before security.
If you've arrived in Indianapolis on a plane - it's after you've exited your plane, and walked through the terminal and passed the point where the signs say "you can't re-enter here".

:-)

The OP asked for something to take back to his room - so I was thinking quick, easy and the most chow-ish for that area - Cafe Patachou would meet that criteria.

However - If he's willing to drive into Downtown - you're right on the money (as usual), and those are some of the best restaurants in the downtown area!