Ever wondered if the city you’re visiting has an IU alumni-owned restaurant or bar? Alums from coast to coast—many of whom were inspired to open their businesses while studying at IU—are hard at work serving their communities.
So, the next time you’re in Westfield, Ind., swing by Urban Vines for a Hoosier Pilsner. Headed west? Grab a slice of Hoosier Pie at Crêpe Bar in Tempe, Ariz. And who knows, maybe you’ll run into “The Bachelor,” Ben Higgins, BS’12, at Generous Coffee in Denver or Murder By Death’s Adam Turla, ’03, and Sarah Balliet, ’04, at Pizza LUPO in Louisville.
Keep reading for our running list of alumni establishments.
816 Pint & Slice
pintandslice.com
816 S. Calhoun St.
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Owners: Andrew Thomas, BS’93, and Devin Thomas, BA’06
Bacon Hill Kitchen & Pub
eatbaconhill.com
4000 E. Bristol St. #8
Elkhart, IN 46514
Owners: Brittany Marlow, BA’97, and Zach Lucchese, ’07
Do you have any IU-related décor?
ZL: My parents are originally from Elkhart, Ind., and they both graduated from IU in 1983. We have an [IU Bloomington] men’s basketball championship banner hanging in our bar from when they were in Bloomington. [It] lists four of the championships. This was before IU won their fifth in 1987.
Do you have any IU-related food/drinks?
ZL: We do carry beer from Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington.
What do you recommend people order when they visit your establishment?
ZL: Can’t go wrong with any of our BBQ or burgers.
Have any famous alums visited your establishment? Any memories or stories you want to share?
ZL: The Main Squeeze [has visited]. They’re a touring jam band who have opened up for Umphrey’s McGee, The Roots, Jane’s Addiction, and more. The lead singer, Corey Frye, and other members of the band have come in and played acoustic sets.
Blackerby’s Hangar 5
blackerbyshangar5.com
4770 Ray Boll Blvd. Suite 3
Columbus, IN 47203
Owner: Caleb Blackerby, ’14
Big Woods
bigwoodsrestaurants.com
7 Indiana locations
Owner: Ed Ryan, BS’86
What do you recommend people order when they visit a Big Woods location?
ER: Our Hoosier Red beer and, naturally, the world-famous nachos.
Brewz
brewz.beer
3 Florida locations
Owner: Brian Slucker, BGS’01
Do you have any IU-related drinks?
BS: There are no drinks that are IU related, but we do buy a bunch of beer from Upland in Bloomington.
Have any famous alums visited your bars?
BS: The only famous alum that I know of is Jammie Kirlew, BS’09—a former IU football player.
Cafe Patachou
cafepatachou.com
5 Indiana locations
Napolese
napolesepizzeria.com
3 Indiana locations
Bar One Fourteen
baronefourteen.com
114 E. 49th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Petite Chou Bistro and Champagne Bar
petitechoubistro.com
823 E. Westfield Blvd.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Public Greens
publicgreensurbankitchen.com
3 Indiana locations
Owner: Martha Hoover, BA’77, JD’80
What do you recommend people order when they visit your establishments?
MH: You can’t [go wrong] with cinnamon toast and our namesake omelet at Cafe Patachou, the Hamaker’s pie at Napolese, duck fat pommes frites and onion soup gratinee at Petite Chou Bistro, a refreshing grain bowl and cinnamon bomb at Public Greens, or the Fancy AF burger at Bar One Fourteen.
Clutch Burger
clutchburger.com
146 Giralda Ave.
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Owner: Steve Bradley, BS’07
Crêpe Bar
crepe-bar.com
7520 S. Rural Road
Tempe, AZ 85283
Owner: Jeff Kraus, BGS’05
Did your time at IU influence your decision to have your own business?
JK: The main influence came from being a regular at Nick’s, Dagwood’s, Kilroy’s, and Mother Bears Pizza. These restaurants offered something for everyone. The food was good and affordable. The atmosphere was lively and diverse.
Do you have any IU-related food/drinks?
JK: Yes, the Hoosier Pie. The base is a buttery pie crust, and the filling is a custard.
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
JK: If they are food enthusiasts and adventurous, then the Grand Prix is a must. It’s a coffee crêpe with crispy pork belly, an over easy egg, and espresso maple syrup. If they’re looking for more of a classic, then [I recommend] the Papa K. It’s a crêpe filled with locally raised ham, soft scrambled eggs, roasted mushrooms, and mixed farm greens. [I also recommend] the First Time, which is filled with Nutella, brûléed banana, banana chips, and Nutella crumble.
Dobbs Ferry
dobbsferrysf.com
409 Gough St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dobbs Sports Bar
406 Hayes St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Owner: Lee Ann Frahm Izzo, BS’02
Donatello’s Italian Restaurant
donatellositalian.com
9 W. Main St.
Carmel, IN 46032
Owner: Adam Aasen, BAJ’06
Did anything about your time at IU influence your decision to have your own business?
AA: I was editor-in-chief of the Indiana Daily Student in the fall of 2005 and running a large operation like that has definitely helped me when it comes to hiring people, managing staff, making quick decisions, and meeting deadlines.
Do you have any IU-related food/drinks/novelties?
AA: No, but I have made some red potato and gorgonzola cheese pizzas for customers upon request— bringing back memories of a certain pizza they would order in Bloomington.
What do you recommend people order when they visit your establishment?
AA: Tortellini Michelangelo—cheese-filled tortellini with a blush cream sauce with onion, bacon, and mushroom.
Have any famous alums visited your establishment? Any memories or stories you want to share?
AA: Quinn Buckner, Steve Green, Tom Abernathy. The one I’ve gotten to know best is Bobby “Slick” Leonard. He loves our meatballs.
Generous Coffee
generousmovement.com
701 12th St.
Golden, CO 80401
(inside Tributary Food Hall & Drinkery)
525 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
(inside Wayfinder Denver)
Owner: Ben Higgins, BS’12
Can customers ever expect to see you sipping a cup of coffee at Generous?
BH: I was just in there this morning! When I’m in Denver, I will definitely be going into our shops.
Did anything about your time at IU influence your decision to have your own business?
BH: It gave me the confidence to at least try. I saw so many people from IU pursuing dreams and discussing solutions to world problems that could come in the form of business or philanthropy or both. IU has had a massive impact on my life.
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
BH: Our Honduran Latte and Haitian Latte are two tremendous drinks. They taste good, and a percentage of the sale goes toward injustice projects in both countries.
Gomez BBQ
gomezbbq.com
222 E. Market St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(inside the Indianapolis City Market)
Owner: Michael Gomez, BA’07
Greek’s Pizzeria & Tapp Room
greekspizzatapproom.com
2 Indiana locations
Owner: Jason Tapp, BS’01
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
JT: Our biggest seller is our Greek’s Special—a loaded supreme pizza.
Have any famous alums visited Greek’s?
JT: I suppose my claim to fame is when [Vice President] Mike Pence, JD’86, made a campaign stop at my Franklin store during his vice presidential run with President Trump.
Guardian Brewing Company
guardianbrewingco.com
3657 63rd St.
Saugatuck, MI 49453
Owners: Kimberly Collins, BS’03, MS’08, and Kate Bishop, PhD’12
Do you have any IU-related décor at Guardian Brewing?
K&K: Our IU degrees hang in our brewery. Reminders of Kim’s time with the IU women’s rugby club are found around the brewery as well.
Do you have any IU-related drinks?
K&K: Not yet, but an IU-themed beer is in the works!
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
K&K: We highly recommend the beer cheese, as it’s the best in west Michigan. Our most popular beers are Gator Bait Golden Ale and Ness Imperial IPA.
Heritage Candy Store
41 S. Van Buren St.
Nashville, IN 47448
Owner: Greg Percifield, BS’76
Jewel of the South
jewelnola.com
1026 St. Louis St.
New Orleans, LA 70112
Manolito
manolitonola.com
508 Dumaine St.
New Orleans, LA 70116
Owner: Nick Detrich ‘07
Do you have a fun story from your bartending years in Bloomington you can share?
ND: My first time behind the bar was at Bullwinkle’s (a now-shuttered gay bar). I remember asking the other bartender how to make a different drink every five minutes, “What’s in a Kamikaze? What’s in a Washington Apple? What’s in a Sex on the Beach?” He finally just told me how to make a Redheaded Slut and instructed me to reply to guests at the bar: “I don’t know how to make that, how about a Redheaded Slut?” Since I’ve got red hair, it went over well.
Recipe:
1 ounce Jägermeister
1 ounce peach schnapps
2 ounces cranberry juice
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake for roughly 10 seconds. Strain into a glass.
Do you have any IU-related drinks?
ND: I’ve made a drink that I’ve called a “Cream and Crimson.”
Recipe:
2 ounces London Dry Gin
.75 ounces lemon juice
.5 ounces Orgeat syrup
1 egg white
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake with no ice for roughly 10 seconds, then add ice and shake for roughly 15 seconds. Pour into a claret glass, then top with .75 ounces of port and a lemon twist.
Besides the signature drinks (Bombo/Brandy Crusta recipes found here), what do you recommend people order when they visit Jewel of the South and Manolito?
ND: I think it’s best to put yourself into the hands of our bartenders and let them guide you. If you’re after a bit of New Orleans history, then they might steer you toward a Pequot Fizz or a Sazerac. If you’re feeling tropical, you might get a classic Mai Tai or Zombie. We also often employ many seasonal drinks that don’t make the menu—drinks that use fig leaves from the tree outside or quince syrup leftover from the day’s baking.
Milk Jar Cookies
milkjarcookies.com
5466 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Owner: Courtney Cowan, BS’00
Pizza LUPO
pizzalupo.com
1540 Frankfort Ave.
Louisville, KY 40206
Owners: Adam Turla, ’03, and Sarah Balliet, ’04
Did your time at IU influence your decision to have your own business?
AT: All the ethnic restaurants in Bloomington really opened my mind to cuisines I had never tried before, and [Sarah and I] would try practically every place that opened up in town. I think going to all those mom and pop restaurants definitely informed our choice to open one.
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
AT: Our most unique things are handmade pastas, which we often use very old techniques to make, and our pizza dough is definitely next level. It’s the kind of place where you’re definitely supposed to eat the crust.
Have any famous alums visited Pizza LUPO?
AT: A lot of great bands have come in. The first few that come to mind that we’ve fed are Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Gogol Bordello, Modest Mouse, and Iron & Wine.
Tastings
tastingsbar.com
50 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Owner: Ross Bailey, BS’07
Did your time at IU influence your decision to have your own business?
RB: The campus has certainly changed since I graduated in 2007, and the business school is hardly recognizable from my time there, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the quality education. It takes a lot of long hours and sometimes sleepless nights to start a business, and the habits I learned at IU certainly gave me the perseverance needed to pursue running my own business in a competitive industry.
What do you recommend people order when they visit?
RB: The Tastings concept is built to showcase wine from regions all over the world. We have the largest by-the-glass wine list in the city of Indianapolis, so we encourage anyone interested in learning about wine to come visit the wine bar. We also have a really great tapas-style menu that is perfect for sharing with friends.
Have any famous alums visited Tastings?
RB: We see our fair share of celebrities come through Tastings when they’re in Indianapolis, but I think the most notable IU alum to visit was Mark Cuban, BS’81. I also had a wild experience talking to the nicest gentleman during his visit to Tastings. We were discussing Bloomington and all things IU for about half an hour before one of his friends approached and revealed that the man I was speaking with was Ed Sample, MS’71. Not only is he one of the most generous donors to Indiana University, he was a genuinely kind individual and a pleasure to speak with. The Sample Gates are such an iconic, huge part of IU. It was a great experience to meet the man behind the generous contribution.
Urban Vines
urban-vines.com
303 E. 161st St.
Westfield, IN 46074
Owner: Noah Herron, BA’06
Do you have any IU-related décor at Urban Vines?
NH: We live in an area where we have fans of IU, Butler, and Purdue. We try not to show any bias … now my house is a different story!
Do you have any IU-related drinks?
NH: We are not only a winery, but we are a brewery as well. We started brewing about a year ago. One of the first beers we released was our Hoosier Pilsner. We try to keep this on tap year-round.
Wildcat Creek Winery
wildcatcreekwinery.com
3233 E. 200 N.
Lafayette, IN 47905
Owners: Kathy (Murray), BS’75, and Rick Black, MBA’80
Y’OPA
yopafrozenyogurt.com
165 W. Centre Ave.
Portage, MI 49024
Owners: Michael Tirikos, BA’10, and Susan (Forgas), BGS’13
A number of Bloomington, Ind., establishments—many of which have become community staples—are owned and operated by IU alumni.
Baked
bakedofbloomington.com
Owner: Jared Schneider, BS’08
Bear’s Place
bearsplacebar.com
Owners: Andrew Thomas, BS’93, and Devin Thomas, BA’06
Bloomington Brewing Company
Lennie’s
Pizza X
pizzaxbloomington.com
Owners: Helen “Lennie” Busch, BS’82, and Jeff Mease, ’84
Butler Winery
butlerwinery.com
Owners: Susan (Curl), BA’72, and Jim Butler, BS’73
C3 Bloomington
c3bloomington.com
Owner: Eric Stolberg, BS’70, MS’75
Friendly Beasts Cider Company
friendlybeastscider.com
Owners: Fatima Carson, MPA’10, and Ben Romlein, MPA’12, MIS’12
Janko’s Little Zagreb
littlezagreb.com
Owner: Mark Conlin, ’80
Orbit Room
facebook.com/orbitroombtown
Owners: Michael Klinge, BA’01, and Katherine Novotny, BS’07
Switchyard
switchyardbrewing.com
Owners: Jeff Hall, ’08, and Kristin Cummings, MS’14, Eds’14
Uptown Cafe
the-uptown.com
Owner: Michael Cassady, BA’73
Rush Bowls
rushbowls.com/bloomington
Owner: Ethan White, BS’18
Do you know of an IU alumni-owned restaurant or bar not listed above? Email us at iueditor@iu.edu.
