10 Indiana Comfort Food Buffets Locals Always Recommend Quietly
In Indiana, comfort food is more than a meal, it’s a warm hug on a plate, often found tucked inside no-frills buffets that locals swear by but don’t always broadcast.
These spots might not make flashy headlines, but their mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and homemade pies speak for themselves.
Passed along through word of mouth and small-town wisdom, these buffets are the kind of places where second helpings are practically a requirement and leaving hungry just isn’t an option.
1. Gasthof Amish Village: Where Time Stands Still and Plates Don’t
Tucked away in Montgomery, this Amish wonderland serves mountains of fried chicken that would make Colonel Sanders weep with jealousy.
The mashed potatoes arrive swimming in gravy boats deep enough to sail across.
Farm-fresh vegetables and homemade bread complement every meal. Most patrons roll out the door promising to fast tomorrow, only to return within the week for another round of their famous apple fritters.
2. Stoll’s Lakeview Restaurant: Lakeside Feasting With a View
Locals from three counties make the pilgrimage to Stoll’s in Loogootee for their legendary Thursday broasted chicken buffet.
The panoramic lake views almost upstage the food—almost. Grandmothers regularly threaten to steal the dinner roll recipe, which remains more closely guarded than Fort Knox.
Weekend breakfast buffets feature made-to-order omelets that have cured countless Saturday morning hangovers for generations of Hoosiers.
3. His Place Eatery: Soul Food Heaven in the Heart of Indy
Soul food gets the royal treatment at this east side Indianapolis treasure.
Their Sunday buffet unleashes a parade of smothered pork chops, mac and cheese, and collard greens that taste like they’ve been simmering since last Sunday.
The sweet potato pie alone justifies the drive from anywhere in the state.
Owner James Jones greets regulars by name while somehow keeping the buffet trays magically refilled, never letting the fried chicken supply dwindle below critical levels.
4. Das Dutchman Essenhaus: Amish Abundance That Defies Moderation
Middlebury’s crown jewel boasts the largest restaurant in Indiana, serving country cooking that makes gym memberships obsolete.
Their noodles over mashed potatoes—carbs on carbs—is the comfort food equivalent of a warm hug from your grandmother.
Forty types of pie tempt diners from a rotating display case that should come with a warning label.
The surrounding complex includes shops and inns, cleverly designed so you can walk off one meal before sitting down for the next.
5. Blue Gate Restaurant & Bakery: Shipshewana’s Worst-Kept Secret
Tourists think they’ve discovered something special at Blue Gate, while locals smile knowingly. The Amish-style thresher’s meal offers enough food to fuel an actual day of threshing wheat by hand.
Fried chicken so tender it practically falls off the bone before your fork makes contact.
Their famous peanut butter spread mysteriously disappears from tables into purses and pockets, though staff politely pretend not to notice when purchasing a jar to take home would be the more dignified option.
6. Mississippi Belle: Southern Charm Sails Up the Ohio River
Madison’s riverfront gem brings Deep South flavors to southern Indiana with a buffet that would make Mark Twain write another novel.
Weekend breakfast spreads feature biscuits and gravy that locals set their alarms for.
The restaurant’s vintage riverboat decor completes the time-travel experience, while the all-you-can-eat approach ensures no sailor—or landlubber—leaves with an empty stomach.
7. Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre: Dinner and a Show, Heavy on Both
Indianapolis theater-goers have been hiding this north side treasure from out-of-towners for decades. Their pre-show buffet features prime rib that steals attention from the upcoming performance.
Seasoned patrons have mastered the art of timing dessert selection with intermission. The carving station attendant doubles as a local celebrity, with regular customers requesting their preferred thickness by name.
Though technically you’re there for Broadway-style entertainment, the buffet often receives more standing ovations than the cast.
8. Derby Dinner Playhouse: Theatrical Feasting in the Round
Just across the Ohio River in Clarksville, this theater-in-the-round serves up performances accompanied by a buffet worthy of center stage.
Their famous fried chicken has a supporting cast of sides that never phone in their performances. Salad bar ingredients remain mysteriously crisp throughout the evening—a theatrical miracle.
Between acts, the chocolate fountain beckons with promises of strawberry dipping opportunities that have caused many a theatergoer to miss crucial plot developments while sneaking back for seconds.
9. Golden Corral Buffet & Grill: The Chain That Locals Actually Approve
Hoosiers typically scoff at chains, but make an exception for Golden Corral locations throughout Indiana. The chocolate waterfall alone has prevented countless families from moving out of state.
Weekend breakfast buffets feature made-to-order omelets that somehow taste better than they logically should.
The bread pudding recipe has been unsuccessfully reverse-engineered by countless grandmothers who refuse to admit defeat.
Even the most food-snobbish locals have a “Golden Corral story” they’ll share after sufficient prompting.
10. Yummy Bowl: Where Buffet Dreams Come True
Tucked away in a modest strip mall, Yummy Bowl defies its unassuming exterior with a spread that leaves first-timers speechless.
The steam tables groan under the weight of both American classics and Asian fusion delights that somehow manage to taste like your grandmother made them – if your grandmother happened to be a culinary genius with global influences.
Regulars swear by the Tuesday special when they roll out their famous fried chicken alongside impossibly tender beef brisket.