Iaria's Italian Restaurant

I ate dinner here one night after a long time wandering downtown. It’s got an old-fashioned ambience and friendly staff, and I was able to sit down right away at the bar even without reservations. I got the spaghetti and meatballs, which seems to be a well-regarded dish here. It was delicious and the meatballs had an interesting flavor I loved but couldn’t quite place. It was quite filling too. It’s cool to see such places are still around. I’d definitely visit again someday.

OMG!!! We have had amazing Italian food all over the world, but this was the stuff that dreams are made of😴💤. Miss Arieanna took exceptional care of us -- she even asked me which hand I eat with (left) and spun my plate to where I wanted it 🫲🏼. When my husband couldn't decide between 3 dishes, Miss Arieanna recommended the Dragato, and my husband loved it 💕. I ordered my signature dish: veal Marsala with fettuccine Alfredo, and it was the best I've ever had! They absolutely nailed the Marsala sauce -- it was perfectly tart and flavorful, and it didn't even need the crushed red peppers we asked for 🌶️. The mushrooms were nice and thin and sauces to perfection. And we loved our wine too 🍷. Mr Aivan boxed everything us perfectly so we could order our signature desserts: Limoncello cake for my husband 🍰 -- with a shot of Limoncello 🍋 -- and coffee ☕ and a chocolate chip cannoli for me. The next time we're in Indianapolis, we're going to come directly here -- we won't even bother checking in to our hotel 🏨. The only reason why this is a 5-star review is because 6 stars wasn't an option ⭐.

My girlfriend and I went to dinner here for the second time and the Piccata Grouper and Seafood Pasta was excellent. The Tiramisu was also delicious. Wish they had a restaurant on the Northside too.

My wife and I tried Iaria’s today and it didn’t disappoint. We had there bread, Mate’s mozzarella, minestrone soup, spaghetti and meat balls, and the Drogatto with chicken. It was all delicious. We had sangria to drink. The service was great and the ambiance was nostalgic. Highly recommend! Our final bill was $65.00.

Fast service. The ricotta cheesecake is really delicious. The marinara and mozzarella is amazing.

My wife and I have been long time guest at Iaria's. Such a nostalgic piece of Indianapolis history that has been family owned since 1913. We love there sauce as it has a bit of a sweet approach.

We were here on a Thursday night for a rehearsal dinner. They accommodated about fifty people. The service was fantastic and the food delicious. We're from Richmond, VA and we're very impressed! Thank you staff! I only took one picture unfortunately

Wish there was a 10 star rating. What a wonderful neighborhood restaurant. Large parking lot for easy parking. Five generations of the same family have been keeping this wonderful restaurant going! Traditional Italian cuisine. Look on line for the complete menu- there are too many choices to list. Appetizers. Salads. Lasagna. Spaghetti. Pizza, etc. There is a full bar. Cozy area to eat in the bar or a large dining room. Reservations are recommended but you can walk in if you get there as soon as they open/ early. It fills up quickly because it’s so popular and delicious. Save room for desserts like spumoni and cannoli. Excellent service. Waitress was very attentive. Food served quickly and hot.

Love the food and atmosphere family organization Been going there for years. Anniversary, Valentine's Day best Italian restaurant in the city

I wish I lived closer to this place. I stopped by on the humble, I was hungry and wanted Italian food, I had no idea the stomach pleasing food I was about to receive. I got the chicken drogado, and the sauce was spectacular. So delicious. That I've got a picture of. The meatballs from the appetizer didn't make it to the picture. Also, the cheesy garlic bread is the best I've ever had an at an Italian restaurant. So often it's dry bread that's thick and nasty, but this was moist buttery and just delicious. I highly recommend this place

Iaria's is an old Italian family institution in Downtown Indy but off the beaten track on the near-Eastside. Highly recommend. Sit in the bar. It is casual but family. Friendly but efficient! Real good food, served reasonably quickly with little fuss. Old family recipes and the marinara and gravies are for real. Folks from out-of-town will be comfortable but not overwhelmed and the food is comparable to Little Italy restaurants in other cities.

I recommend making reservations, it's a small location but worth it! They have an easy reservation online. The food was great and really big portions so we ended up brining some back. The staff seemed like they have been there for a while and knew the menu very well!

IT'S THE BLEU CHEESE DRESSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This place is AWESOME! Best Italian food I've ever had. Definitely need reservations even on week days!

Service, food, drinks, and ambience were authentic and amazing. Can't wait to return with my family.

Very disappointed after hearing great things about this place. Went New Year's Eve and freezing inside. Appetizers (calamari and garlic bread) were just ok. Had chicken parm and chicken was rubber and sauce had no taste. Was expecting this place to be awesome.

Was looking for an Italian spot taking reservations on race weekend, and Iaria's was one of the few restaurants with availability!Located in Fletcher Place, Iaria's serves a classic Italian menu with old school ambiance (think cozy, green and red neon sign-Italian vibe). Despite being packed, food was served within 20 minutes. My table ordered the calamari as an appetizer, which had a light, crispy batter. My entree was my server's favorite - the grouper piccata. It was my first time trying grouper and wasn't disappointed at all! The fish came in a lemon butter sauce topped with capers. I knocked down a star simply because the grouper was drowning in the sauce, making it very oily/buttery. However, the taste itself was tangy due to the lemon and capers! For dessert, I got a cannoli, which could easily be split between two people. The cannoli filling wasn't overly sweet and the shell was crispy.

Such a great experience! First time there and was blown away from the hospitality, service, prices and great food! Such a great hidden gem for Indy to have.

Stopped in here for dinner and had a good meal. The complimentary bread was okay, but my Caesar salad with blackened fish was incredible. The veal parmesan and spaghetti had an interesting flavor, and the sauce was a bit watery for our liking. I'd definitely come back for that salad and fish, though! Ambience inside feels like an older diner. Service was fast!

I love the homey ambiance here. It's family owned and cozy. We got the Drogato and the baked penne. They were delicious though I wished the pasta was a bit more al dente for the Drogato, and it was a bit more greasy than I anticipated. Still, they were delicious and I would definitely come back. For the baked penne I got out with one meatball and one sausage--would recommend!

Stumbled upon this well kept secret while in Indy for the 500. From the jump I knew we had made a great decision. The place was packed !( use Yelp to get a reservation or on the seating list). It feels like being in someone's front room on a Sunday when all the family stops by. The food is out of this world. Ate safely as a celiac with the best antipasto salad of all time. And the dressings are home made. The pasta and pizza was incredible! (Per the hubby). Highly recommend!!!!

Every Italian restaurant in Indy needs to move aside and make more room for Iaria's. From the outside you wouldn't be able to tell but this family owned restaurant is the BEST Italian food I've had. We went for devour and got to try the Arancini, the pesto gnocchi, lasagna, vodka sauce rigatoni and the lemon raspberry cake. The amount of flavor in each dish was to die for and it was all unique, delectable and refreshing. Our waiter, Bryan and the manager Dee were so kind and helpful during our time there. They have added a permanent member to the Iaria's family and I will never shut up about how delicious it is. YOU MUST TRY IT!!!

Food and service was great! Loved the history of the restaurant, pictures and third generation owners. A real "family feel". Tiramisu and Pistachio pie were incredibly delicious!

Can't recommend Iaria's enough! From weekly visits to booking the bar for events, we know we can always count on Iaria's for their incredible food, wonderful drinks and service so hospitable you feel like you're home! Can't recommend the Spaghetti or Tortellini enough! And if you go- ask for Sandy! She's top tier!!

Best Italian in Indy! The atmosphere and food is authentic and nostalgic. I highly recommend it

We love the food, service and ambiance particularly in the bar. It's a return to the "good old days ".

Iaria's is a place locals now about and love! It's a 3rd generation Italian restaurant from recipes from Naples, Italy. They have the actual immigration papers on the wall of when they came from Italy. It's a cozy place. No frills just good food!! They bring you fresh baked bread to your table. It's so good!!! It's soft and delicious! Try the olive oil with the seaonsings with it. The chicken Parmesan is delicious! It has the perfect sized chicken to go with the bowl of spaghetti it comes with. Try the tiramisu too!!

I felt like I went back in time and stepped into an Italians house. LOVED! Food was amazing! Seriously everything we had was great. Service was top notch. Our server was so nice to us.

The food was delicious. Highly recommend the meatballs. Our sever was amazing. My only complaint was the noise level. It's very loud. Also, it did take them a few minutes to greet us but they were busy.

We were immediately greeted as we walked in the door which is always a plus! The atmosphere was dated but I loved as it brought back childhood memories. Overall the experience wasn't bad but the food was just okay. They serve you bread with better which I didnt really care for. We ordered the garlic bread with cheese which was the same bread however with the garlic butter and cheese it was a little better and with the warmed up marinara sauce it was even better. My love said the calamari was ok he preferred the marinara from the garlic bread over the cocktail sauce they provide with it. He also had the seafood pasta which he said was just okay as the wine sauce was a bit too runny. We both had the minestrone soup which we didn't like at all. There was an odd spice thay I couldn't quite figure out but I wasn't a fan. I also had the beef lasagna which was quite horrible. The noodles were still hard, there was more ricotta cheese than beef and the sauce was thin. Overall I'm rating 3 starts because it was just so so but I appreciated the nostalgic.

Great food, refreshing cocktails, fine wine, attentive service and great family conversation make for an enjoyable evening out. Don't forget to make a reservation!

I had high hopes for this place knowing it was a family place and had been around for so long. The shrimp cocktail was great though the shrimps were fairly small, the sauce was great! Soup and salad was good. My entree was baked penne. Expected a lot of cheese. There was only some on top. The center of the dish seemed to be some kind of string beef like a pot roast?! I thought maybe I accidentally ordered the wrong thing. After we left I checked the menu online and I did not see a single item that seemed to have this type of meat in it. And my dish was supposed to come with meatballs or sausage links neither which I got. It seemed like somebody made a pot roast, put marinara on it put it in the bottom of this bowl and poured boiled penne noodles on top. Is an afterthought to a little bit of cheese on top..... my husband got the eggplant Parmesan, which he gets everywhere. He said just didn't taste right it was probably the worst he had ever had. The wait staff was very good and didn't make any complaints so we didn't really give them an opportunity to fix anything. It was just overall disappointing. UPDATE: I want to be fair to this place. I reviewed the menu again and found that the dish I had specifies with bolognese sauce. Well, another place on the menu says that that is rib meat slowly simmered in our spaghetti sauce. So apparently I did order something. I didn't realize I was ordering. Lol. That being said I still did not care for this Dish. But at least they gave me what I did order. So I'm moving this up to three stars.

Best Italian in Indy Amazing Sangria (homemade) also. great service always!!! Picatta and Vodka Sauce are our favorites. everything homemade and made fresh

Service Service Service...the best! We had a large party of 16 people, they didn't blink an eye. They clearly live their workplace and are so knowledgeable about the food. The food was amazing as well!

Food, service! I have been going to Iaria's for 65 years. I still love it. Same great spaghetti sauce!! Best pizza in Indiana.

Always enjoy Thursday 1/2 price bottles of wine. We also enjoyed the junior antipasto salad and the All around the world pizza. I always make reservations, so we never have to wait. We enjoy the atmosphere on the bar side. The staff is always fast & friendly. The food is always solid , hot & delicious. But I really recommend the pizza and salad. The blue cheese dressing is really good. For under $50, you get a bottle of wine, a very tasty pizza and a huge salad.

Food was simply delicious, service was fantastic, and ambience was quiet. My first time visiting Indianapolis. My husband and I stopped by for a quick lunch. We loved it all. We will definitely come back on our next visit.

We have been coming here for quite a while since we moved back downtown in Indy. The family has done a great job bringing the place along, and maintaining great service help at all levels. I am a great fan of this style of Italian, and my wife is a qualified critic after studying in Italy and being an enthusiastic hobbyist. And she is one of those Tuscan chicks, so southern Italian style isn't always her preference. Despite that we have been consistently pleased. From their luscious home made roquefort dressing and crisp salads, including their creamy and tart classic caesar presentation, their beautiful fresh bread that would be weird to toast and serve, in contrast to the expectations of one recent, perhaps not so well versed evaluator, to other yummy special appetizers and classics, everything leading up to a main course has been great. That includes great and affordable wines, and great whiskey pours by the man Dominique who has to be the coolest bartender ever. (Do you know he was a state champion wrestler at Roncalli in High school?) And then you have the pastas and main dishes. We have had all the classics, from meat balls and italian sausage with all types of long noodles, their classic wonderful sauce, and the bolognese which is the best I have ever had, even compared to my favorite Chicago places. Their lasagna is delicate and delicious and generous. Chicken marsala is excellent. My wife Crystal's favorites are the fettuccini and clams, generous and rich, and the vodka sauce. There are many other classic favorites of ours that are consistently excellent. The fruitti de mare fettuccini is way above other dishes I have had in great italian restaurants with generous delicate bay scallops shrimp and mussels. There are many others we have experienced and have not been disappointed. I guess where this family may not have the greatest strength would be in big fancy desserts, but their classics like the light and delicious limoncello cake, and tiramisu are wonderful. The food here can make you glad you came the first time you come. Once you get to know the team, then the family embraces you here and you will have a dining experience that is rare and wonderful. THAT should mean something.

Very good old school Italian restaurant. Limited menu but done well. Service is excellent. Reservations a must.

Tried this place for the first time for Devour Indy. This restaurant is authentic as it gets, a mom & pop restaurant that lives up to its roots. The food was transported you to a little hole in the wall in Italy. The mozzarella bites were extremely fresh, the cheese was just delicious. The risotto bite with the pesto ranch was an amazing combination that I would not have expected, a must try dish. Being able to try 3 different pasta entrees was just delicious. The flavor of the gnocchi was fresh and delicious. The dessert was a slightly dry but the ice cream helped with it. Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant. I will definitely be returning!

Visited on Friday night. Made a reservation for 7:30 but arrived early around 7pm. There was no wait at that time and we were seated immediately. Someone brought bread to our table. The bread was soft and the butter was too hard to spread. It took a while for a server ( there only appeared to be 2 of them working a decent sized room) to come get our order. We ordered soft drinks, a caprese appetizer, and entrees. My pasta came with a Caesar salad. I didn't ask for and we weren't offered oil or seasoning for the bread. On the way out, I noticed several other tables with oil and was jealous! My Caesar arrived. It had tomatoes. Weird. The lettuce was hard, like the center sections not the leaves were used. I ate a few bites. The caprese was great. Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella. Pasta arrived. The seafood pasta has the smallest scallops of ever seen (menu did say baby scallops), 2 shrimp, and about 8 mussels. It was delicious in a cream sauce, but something was still a little off. My wife had the fettuccini Alfredo and enjoyed her meal. We were both unable to finish our pasta, but chose not to take the leftovers. All in all, it's a decent dining experience with average Italian fare. It could be better, but I would go back if I lived near by, but it's not a must have when you're in Indy type place.

We went Iarias because we were excited to try the seafood pasta. We arrived on a weekday evening with no wait. Service was friendly. Unfortunately the seafood pasta was out for the night. We received bread that seemed like it hadn't been toasted long enough as it was soft and not crunchy. We ordered the calamari which was a very small plate for $12.99. We ordered the garlic bread hoping it'd be crispier but it was the same bread with garlic oil on top that was flimsy. The chicken Marsala and sauteed vegetables were good. The drogato was very, very oily. I don't think the price matches the value of food we received. We probably wouldn't come again.

Was an old customer, used to come in when I was a kid (1970's). Used to get the around the world pizza hand tossed with a side of French fries. So no fries anymore and the pizza was nothing at all what it used to be. Pizza was incredibly salty, couldn't finish ended up tossing it. I knew there would be changes in 50 years but thought they would have kept the original recipes its still family owned. All around disappointment.

Customer service was wonderful. Food was plentiful and delicious. Definitely will return back.

Old timey Italian Diner. Sit on the bar side or outside. Food is okay. Nothing you can't make at home... grandma style. I like their pizza. Personally I'd say order a bottle of wine and a pizza and sit outside on a nice summer night.. best way to experience this place. Great neighborhood. Never had bad service either.

I have to add that I wish they would offer fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese as an extra tasty finishing touch with their meals. It would take it all to the next level. They only had the shakers on the tables with the dried, cheaper / low quality parm cheese.

Very much a family atmosphere and homemade cooking. We ordered 4 different pasta dishes and all were amazing, totally different flavor profiles. Generous portions, lots of flavor! Wished we had better service, which would have made the evening. Highly recommend, if you are looking for real tasty Italian food in Indy

We went during Devour Indy, so traffic in the restaurant was significant. I try to keep that in mind. We did have a reservation, and while we were seated immediately, we didn't have anyone check in/bring us water/etc. for 15 minutes. Not a huge deal as we weren't in a hurry, but having water sooner would have been nice. We did a Devour deal - salad, an entree sampler, and a dessert for $50. We ordered a Caesar salad, pesto gnocchi, Alfredo, chicken piccata, and an amaretto chocolate cake. Best part of the meal was the bread and salad - the entree sampler was lukewarm at best, and wasn't as flavorful as we expected. The chicken was tough to cut through. I had a strawberry gin fizz - it was pretty good. Cake was delicious too, and very rich. Perfect size to split. We'll probably be back, but we'll shoot for a time where they're less busy.

Iaria's is incredible. Their garlic cheese bread and tomato sauce is the best. Love their pizza and pasta too.

Great food great service It still has the ambience that makes it a classic I have been a satisfied customer for 45 years

fantastic Maximus pizza excellent food service was good. Easy to get into during the week acceptable interior decorations servers could look a little more professional.

This was probably the best Italian food I've ever had. When you walk in , it screams Italian. The service was awesome and fast. The tables are really close together so if you want privacy might not be the best place. Let's start with the cheese sticks, they toss them in olive oil and then fry them. They are amazing and the best flavor I've ever had. Then I had the Chicken parm and that also was very delicious. My wife had the Drogon I think it's called and that was better than the Parm. Definitely give this place a try , you won't be sorry

I looooooved Iaria's. Devour brought me here to try something new and it was great! The Devour deal was amazing and included so much food. The caesar salad evenly dressed and tasted like perfection. The goat cheese was outstanding. I want that again please! Our entree standouts were the chicken parmesan and the cheese tortellini. We also had the vodka sauce rigatoni which was delicious but tooooo peppery. I loved the diner vibe. You could tell it has been a generationally owned establishment based off the wall decor. Our waitress was very friendly. It was pretty busy with people as our meal went on so she was forgetful on some things but we gave her the benefit since she seemed to be only 1 of 2 or 3 servers. Overall, I was really impressed with the food and I will definitely be back!

Food was fine. I know I have to write more for the review but i honestly don't have much more to add. Food was fine. Service was fine. To sum up this place: Meh

Wowed by this fantastic Italian restaurant. Strong "locals" vibe which is a good thing. Service was incredible and garlic bread and cheese tortellini were perfection. Tiramisu is highly recommended and they served a surprisingly solid cappuccino. Great experience!

Horrible Service. Young female server answering calls was rude and unapologetic for not having the grub hub ticket order machine plugged in and not starting my order! The manager was indifferent and did not care either! or one apology for the inconvenience. First experience and last!

This is a fantastic, authentic Italian restaurant! We started with an order of the calamari. I've had calamari that wasn't very tasty, but this was cooked to perfection. It was crisp and tender. We also had Peronis on draft. Following the advice of our server, I went with an antipasto salad and the lasagna for my dinner. My husband couldn't pass up the special, which was manicotti with a trio of sauces (Alfredo, pesto and marinara) along with the antipasto salad. All the food was delicious! The portions were large, so I got to enjoy leftovers the next day! I really enjoy sitting in the bar area. It has that old school Italian charm.

I'm not sure how to review a place that is a locals legend with decades of fans when i didn't love it. We made dinner reservations for a Friday night because we had heard it get really busy. It was packed when we got there but our table was ready. There isba large parking lot across the road from the restaurant which is definitely a must for a place this popular. The vibe is so vintage , proud Hoosier and also filled with charming family history. The first thing we noticed was How cold it was, they had the air blasting so high my hands began to cramp, so bring a sweater. We all tried different dishes off the menu and the special dish of the day (mushroom ravioli). The in house salad dressing where amazing and a great example of real homemade dressing. Our dishes came out in a short amount if time and looked amazing. We all enjoyed the meal and thought the portion sizes where perfect, however none of the food was memorable. We split Tiramisu and Cannoli, they were both a very good way to end the night. Not sure we would go back for dinner but maybe a espresso and a sweet treat yes.