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When we travel, we like to hunt out great restaurants that are not part of National Chains. Here are some of our favorites from our last visit to Fort Wayne, Indiana. We spent a few days combing the city with the entire family and managed to come home not weighing an additional twenty five pounds each. There are a lot of very tasty treats to be indulged in, but we narrowed it down to our top 10 great places to eat in Fort Wayne.
10 great places to eat in Fort Wayne
816 Pint & Slice
If you are a fan of New York Style pizza, this is the place to “hit ‘n git”. You can buy pizza by the slice, enjoy their outside seating, or dine in and peruse the eclectic decor. Miss Sarah says you can’t go wrong with the plain cheese pizza.
Cindy’s Diner
This long-time gem is a throwback to the days of the real diner. It is a train diner car that has been moved four times during its history and sports fifteen red padded stools at the counter for you to sit elbow-to-elbow with your neighbor. Standard diner fare is offered up and cooked right in front of you for, what I would consider, bargain prices. Make sure to grab a bag of the fresh donuts to go!
Coney Island
Love hot dogs? This institution of Fort Wayne has been there since 1914 and there is a reason it is still here. Their dogs are great, but expect lines to get in at times. It is located downtown and a great place to start or end your evening. Their “Coney” topping reminds me of Cincinnati Chili in taste.
DeBrand Fine Chocolates
If chocolate is the fifth food group and you need at least three servings a day? This is the place you need to get your fanny to. Oh. My. Stars. It isn’t just chocolate, it is edible art! The individual chocolates are some of the most decadent I have ever tried but just look at that sundae…
Hoppy Gnome
I just love Farm-to-Table restaurants as they offer the freshest ingredients for made-from-scratch items. Even a better bonus? They support the local economy and you end up dining guilt free. The Hoppy Gnome does all of that while serving tasty street tacos, salads and amazing make your own s’mores.
May we suggest you start with a half Caramel Apple Salad – which is still large enough to share. Then wrap your lips around the Korean Short Rib Tacos, and end with either the S’mores or the Strawberry Shortcake. The S’more might be more fun for the littles – if you help them roast their custom made marshmallow over the live flame.
Powers Hamburgers
Another local gem, if you like sliders then you won’t be disappointed. They don’t have a huge menu but what they do have is good. Just mini hamburgers with lots of great grilled onions. Meat is fresh tasting, onions are great, & its just a great “locals” place. Only seats 15 people (at bar stools) and you will leave smelling of grilled onions! Great place for some comfort food hamburgers – but remember your wallet, they only take cash.
Spyros
The line out front tells the story – friends said it was good, but we had to find out through experience. Wow, were they right! The omelets are great . . . and huge. The cheese, just enough, was neatly melted on the outside.
It was cooked just right, not too hard, all the way through and the extras were unique, too. The fresh fruit was truly fresh – a banana portion still in the peeling and some cantaloupe that was still in the rind. Even the pancakes are great – if you’re in Fort Wayne, don’t miss brunch here!
Sweetwater
Not a traditional restaurant, Sweetwater has an entire campus to enjoy and is fun for your music lover. We barely dragged Miss Sarah out as she insisted she go down the two-story slide just “one more time”. The canteen has standard offers like hot dogs, but you really want to go for the daily specials! Chicken and Waffles was the featured dish when we visited and now, my husband “gets it”. He just couldn’t understand the allure of that combination.
Trubble Riverside Cafe & Tap
We are experts of micro-breweries, coming from Wisconsin and this place is perfectly located in Promenade Park. A simplified menu means quick service and may I suggest the wine slushie? Having had Gastric Bypass Surgery, I loved the Chicken Salad Lettuce Cups as they were easy to “wrap” and eat. The cookies are super tasty too
Wu’s Fine Chinese Cuisine
While the decor of the place is elegant, we tried our food “to-go”. Hand to God – the best Mushu Chicken I have ever had! Top quality ingredients and very generous portions make for a great dining experience – you can save money too as two entrees easily feed three people!
Did we miss one of the great places to eat in Fort Wayne? Tell us about it!
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