7 Dining Stops to Make When You Visit Hamilton County IN

Located north of Indy in Hamilton County, you will find a diverse assortment of family-friendly flavors at locally owned restaurants.

  

1. Lunch in a Historic Building

Located a short drive from Strawtown Kotweei Park in Noblesville, Big Dog’s BBQ is a dining gem filled with wall to wall eclectic decor in a building that dates back to 1865 and amazing BBQ.

I ordered the brisket the boys ordered the half rack of ribs with sides of coleslaw made with sesame seeds, creamy mac n’ cheese and smoky flavored baked beans. There are several great sauces to choose from for a variety of flavor palates. If you love heat, make sure that you request to try the Ghost Carolina Sauce.

For dessert, we had to try the St. Louis gooey butter cake taken from grandma’s family recipe that reminded me of a fusion of a sugar cookie with brownie texture.

During our visit, we had the opportunity to talk for a while to one of the owners. She has a pretty miraculous story to share about an experience that happened to one of her sons, so make sure that you ask her about it when you stop in.

2. Attempt the Burger Challenge

Who doesn’t love a good burger? You might recognize this restaurant from an episode of a Man vs. Food episode. If you finish the 22 oz. “Big Ugly”  (top of the image), you are added to the Big Ugly wall of fame at Bub’s Burgers & Ice Cream. The more burgers you complete, the bigger your picture gets on the wall. My son and I opted for the 6 oz. “Settle for Less Ugly” served in a buttered bun with an order of waffle fries.

The boys ordered milkshakes which meant that they were definitely not attempting the Big Ugly Challenge that night. Inside the restaurant, there is an Ice Cream shop if you want a sweet treat after dinner or a sweet while you are walking around the Arts District. There is seating both inside and out and if you do find yourself waiting for a table you can challenge your friends to a game of Hook and Ring on their patio while you wait.    

              

3. Try a twist on a breakfast classic during brunch   

We stopped in Pure Eatery in Fishers for Sunday Brunch. The brunch menu can vary but we discovered a game changer there.

Two words. Chorizo. Gravy.

Why I have never experienced chorizo instead of sausage I don’t know, but I can tell you that it made a great impression and we might even be inspired to attempt to make it at home someday.

We also had to try several of the delicious breakfast themed brunch tacos with a twist and the B.E.S.T. sandwich with bacon crumbles, scrambled eggs, spinach, and garlic parmesan aioli.     

They make their soups and dressings from scratch every morning and take pride in offering fresh menu options so that you have an excuse to go back another day.

4. Dine Inside a Former Library

It’s not very often that you get to eat in a library that dates back to the early 1900’s. Dinner at Woody’s Library restaurant in Carmel. The pork tenderloin came highly recommended so of course, I had to try it. I will warn that it’s HUGE so come hungry! The macaroni and cheese was also a hit at our table along with several different types of appetizers like the wings and the pretzel bread.  There are daily features for every day of the week and Sunday has specially priced appetizers.

                

The dining area inside the library is not open on Sunday or Monday but you can dine on the enclosed patio or the lower level bar on Sundays.

5. Eat with the locals

Rosie’s Place in Noblesville is known for their breakfast and their baked goods. After a breakfast there we understand why. Set in charming downtown of Noblesville, Rosie’s is the type of place that would bring in locals several days a week. I honestly don’t think that you can go wrong with any of your breakfast or lunch choices. A few of the highlights for us were the Huevos Rancheros and the Spicy Burrito.

You will most likely be extremely full when you are ready to leave but you will want to pick up a bakery item for the road..in the name of research. One of their popular items is the Gooey butter cookie.

6. Enjoy a Sweet Treat

Another option for a sweet treat in Noblesville is Alexander’s on the Square serving up 36 flavors of hand dipped ice cream. The flavor options can make your decision really hard, so I suggest that you try several flavors before you commit which is how I sampled the elephant ear flavor for the first time. There are old-fashioned sodas, shakes, and more on the menu.

 

7. Choose Your Favorite Asian Flavor

I have one son who LOVES sushi and the other who does not but he does love other Asian dishes which made our last stop in Hamilton County for lunch at Wild Ginger the perfect way to end on a high. Family owned and operated with plenty of menu options that will appeal to everyone in your group. The lunch special came with soup and salad served with ginger peanut dressing

You will definitely want to order the popular Mistake Roll (An entire spicy tuna roll fried, rice and all, then covered in spicy mayo) another one of my favorites was the Jolly Roll (Fried cream cheese stuffed jalapeño with spicy mayo.)

Looking for some adventures to burn off those delicious calories?

Make sure that you check out my post on 5 Adventures You Need to Try North of Indianapolis. 

             

Thanks again to Visit Hamilton County for hosting our visit. All opinions are my own.