Five Indy hidden gems you should try, from Sichuan to soul food

Few terms elicit as much excitement among food enthusiasts as the words "hidden gem." To the dedicated chow chaser, the only thing better than a great restaurant is a great restaurant nobody else knows about.

Granted, the restaurant industry is arguably too unforgiving for any place to survive in true obscurity; even little-known restaurants have their fans in a particular neighborhood or cultural group. As a very loose guideline for this list, I thought about spots that you could mention to a random group of 10 people in Indianapolis, and less than half of them would recognize the name.

The more off-grid the better. If a restaurant occupies an area remotely resembling prime real estate, that's a disqualifier. A professional-looking website is a no-go as well. Even a Facebook page is pushing it.

With that deeply unscientific method established, here are five of Indy's finest hidden gems in the eyes of one person who, in fairness, does spend a lot of time at restaurants.

Asian Snack

Inside the west-side Saraga International Grocery at 3605 Commercial Drive, (317) 297-1072

Spicy chicken Geleshan-style, aka firecracker chicken, Chongqing chicken, mala chicken or laziji, is a lip-tingling dish you can find at Asian Snack in the Saraga International Grocery at 3605 Commercial Drive. Nov. 19, 2025.

Lete's Injera and Café

Ethiopian coffee served as part of the Habesha ceremony is among the offerings at Lete's Injera and Café at 2927 W. 10th St. Oct. 28, 2025.

You may be well acquainted with injera, the tangy, porous Ethiopian flatbread served beneath the spiced meats, vegetables and lentils that comprise the stew-like dish called tibs. And though Lete's certainly heaps most of its dinner dishes upon plates of injera, I'd argue the squat blue west-side restaurant's charm lies in its daytime café menu. Take the ga'at (also called genfo), an uber-dense grain porridge served with melted butter that is flavored with either honey or the East African spice blend berbere. And what better to accompany a hearty breakfast than a strong cup of coffee, which you can enjoy in its three-phase ceremonial presentation at Lete's. Between the uber-satisfying bulk of the porridge, the aroma of the freshly roasted beans and the heart-thudding buzz of the fruit-forward coffee, you could start your day in far worse ways than with a slow, late breakfast at Lete's.

Madurai Virundhu

4150 E. Lafayette Road, (317) 297-3050

Unburdened by any cultural or familial preconceptions of what truly good Indian food is, I have happily gotten lost in all manner of generously spiced and sauced dishes at this South Indian buffet on the west side. I was first introduced to this restaurant by a neighbor of mine, one of the few people I know who can not only match me plate for plate but, in most instances, outpace me in terms of sheer gluttony (the man is 6-foot-4). He and I have since formed a pattern of strolling into Madurai Virundhu on weekends just before the lunch rush, piling our plates with a mismatched mosaic of curried lamb, vegetable fritters, pepper shrimp, malai kofta and whatever else catches our eye, sitting down and plowing through our bounty, then repeating the process at least once more. Throughout the whole ritual, I suspect we say about five full sentences to one another. Madurai Virundhu may not be the height of fine dining, but it is unquestionably a great place for a very large lunch.

SouthPaw Soul Kitchen

Perhaps I'm just easily swayed by the allure of an exemplary po' boy, but I feel anyone who makes a habit of getting takeout who hasn't tried SouthPaw is missing out. The northside counter-service soul food operation offers a rotating menu of tremendously comforting fare, including meatloaf, oxtails, fried pork chops, green beans and macaroni and cheese, plus fried catfish and spaghetti every Friday and gumbo on select Fridays throughout the year. And while I would generally encourage anyone to get a more interesting side than French fries anywhere other than a burger joint, it is worth noting that chef-owner Ali Foster's generously seasoned, hyper-crispy spuds are among the best I've had in town.

Yolis Supermarket

4202 S. Meridian St., (317) 780-1550

Behind the shelves of this south-side grocery store, the chefs at Yolis' walk-up counter cook up a large and lovely spread of Mexican food every day except Saturday. There are the tacos and tortas, which you can order filled with anything from al pastor, chorizo or carnitas to beef tongue or even beef head. Or you can opt for carne asada with rice, beans and tortillas, birria or, on select days, the hominy and beef tripe soup called menudo. Much like Asian Snack, Yolis is a place where I would happily tick off menu items one by one over several visits, fueled by a combination of curiosity and the full sugar content of a tall Styrofoam cup of horchata.

Got a hidden gem you want to share? Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin and stay up to date with Indy dining news by signing up for the Indylicious newsletter.