Address: 946 S. Meridian Street
Pricing: $13.95 to $27.95 for dinner entrees
Phone: 317-974-1100
Hours: Mon-Thurs, 11 am-10pm; Fri, 11am-11pm; Sat, 4 pm-11pm; Sun, 4pm-10pm
How To Get There:
Take the first right onto Sam Jones Expressway (signs for I-465). Merge onto I-70 E via the ramp to Downtown/Indianapolis. Take exit 79B for Illinois Street. Turn right at W McCarty Street. Take the first right onto S Meridian Street. Destination will be on the right.
Parking:Free lot parking
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Iozzo’s Garden of Italy: Open again after 70 years!
Some 68 years after it first opened in the middle of downtown Indianapolis and then experienced a tragedy that forced its closure, Iozzo’s Garden of Italy has experienced a true rebirth since former owner Fred Iozzo’s distant relatives re-opened the famous restaurant in mid-2009.
Originally opened in 1930 where the Hyatt Regency downtown is now located, the first restaurant remained open until 1941 until the evening that Fred tried to defend his son from an attack by a Navy man and had to serve two years in jail for involuntary manslaughter. The missing owner caused the restaurant to close, until great-granddaughter Katie Cummings decided to re-open the restaurant about a mile southeast of the old location.
Sixty-nine years later, Katie Cummings has re-opened the facility, only this time on South Meridian Street nearly adjacent to Greek Islands Restaurant. Cummings pays respect to her Italian roots, both in the menu, which features many of the very same veal, pork and lamb selections, as well as sauce recipes her great-grandparents offered, and the decor (with hand-etched glass work illustrating a rustic scene and light fixtures made of blown glass from Italy). Iozzo’s today is just like it was in the ’30s — a mix of Old and New World.
If you’re visiting Iozzo’s for the first time, check out the surf n’ turf – a six-ounce steak with ravioli lobster. There’s also a pan-seared grouper or shrimp scampi and half-cornish game hen makes an extraordinary meal. Don’t leave without an excellent risotto side dish as well as a very scrumptious tiramisu dessert. The restaurant often offers special multi-course meals for special holidays such as Valentine’s Day, so make sure to check out the restaurant's web site before your first encounter.
Iozzo’s has a special offer in cooperation with Fox 59 TV in Indianapolis, offering a 50 percent discount on a $100 gift certificate. Check out this web site to take advantage of the offer.
HelloIndianapolis tips: Reservations are highly recommended, even on most weeknights
- by Jim Brown , Indianapolis Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.
