Lafayette,Indiana

Will be in Lafayette on the 24th of June.Is there any
Roadfood in the area?

I don't know of anywhere in Lafayette. Maybe you could drive about 40 miles south to Indy and have a sandwich at Shapiro's, one of the best delicatessens in the Midwest.

I've driven up and down Interstate 65 between Indy and Gary a number of times and can't recall any decent food on that stretch. It's a wasteland of fast food franchises, as far as I can tell. Northern Indiana is the absolute armpit of the world.

We were in Lafayette last year and found some worthy places to visit. We haven't had the chance to post reviews yet. We very much enjoyed Triple XXX, one of the few remaining outposts of an old root beer and burger chain. South Street Barbecue was for real. McCord's Candies is a great looking old candy store with a soda fountain with tables in the back - our sundaes were rather uninspired, but the prices are super-low, it looks great, and maybe we hit them on a bad day. There are also Steak 'N' Shakes around town (we happen to like them a lot).

As a Purdue graduate, I have a couple of suggestions for roadfood in the area. First off, for drive-in food go across the river to W. Lafayette and head to Indiana's oldest drive-in, the XXX Root Beer stand. Its one of two XXX drive-ins left in the country (the other is in Washington state). This was a national chain started in the 30s but these are the only ones left now. Oh, and XXX was the rating system used for root beer, XXX being the best. I always try to support these disappearing establishments when possible.
Second, for good frozen custard, Lafayette has a custard stand that is a monument to art deco. Its all black and white tile, glass block, and chrome. I haven't been there in years and I don't know the address other than it was near the Columbian Park but I don't think it should be hard to find. I remember they had some really good flavors like pumpkin and walnut.
One last thing is W. Lafayette had a restuarant called Bruno's which I never went to when I was at Purdue (too poor) but I heard it was good and I think they still open.
Well thats all I have. Hopefully someone with more current knowledge of the area will chime in.

I lived in West Lafayette almost (gulp) 25 years ago. I can remember the XXX place as one of the best burgers ever--also good breakfast. There was a great steak place--Sarge Schultz--downtown in Lafayette--maybe still there. If you go just out of town(you need to ask a local) there was a good catfish place. Also down interstate 74 in the little town of Colfax there is a great catfish place. Gotta stand in line but worth the wait.

Someone told me last week that the Colfax restuarant closed a number of years ago. It was off I65 between Lafayette and Indy. And I forgot about Sarges out on the bypass, you're right it was good. I left W. Lafayette in 1982 so my memory is a little fuzzy.

I lived in Lafayette from 95-96, my son was born in Home Hospital, there was a few good places, like the XXX, also there is a coney dog place there that wasn't half bad, their rootbeer was good too.

I've been trying (from afar) to find the Frozen Custard place, and its proving difficult. I've also been trying to locate the Shell station that used to be right by there (Kossuth and Main??) and it's not coming up either. Has the whole Columbian Park neighborhood changed? (Useless trivia: that's apparently where Axl Rose used to hang out 25 years ago). :) Oh well, there's always Arni's pizza.

quote:

Originally posted by Tristan Indiana

Second, for good frozen custard, Lafayette has a custard stand that is a monument to art deco. Its all black and white tile, glass block, and chrome. I haven't been there in years and I don't know the address other than it was near the Columbian Park but I don't think it should be hard to find. I remember they had some really good flavors like pumpkin and walnut."

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

I don't know of anywhere in Lafayette. Maybe you could drive about 40 miles south to Indy and have a sandwich at Shapiro's, one of the best delicatessens in the Midwest.

I've driven up and down Interstate 65 between Indy and Gary a number of times and can't recall any decent food on that stretch. It's a wasteland of fast food franchises, as far as I can tell. Northern Indiana is the absolute armpit of the world.

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

I don't know of anywhere in Lafayette. Maybe you could drive about 40 miles south to Indy and have a sandwich at Shapiro's, one of the best delicatessens in the Midwest.

I've driven up and down Interstate 65 between Indy and Gary a number of times and can't recall any decent food on that stretch. It's a wasteland of fast food franchises, as far as I can tell. Northern Indiana is the absolute armpit of the world.

Do you happen to remember Sam's Subway (not the chain) deli in the basment of that hotel by White River?

The Frozen Custard (that's been its name for years) in Lafayette is on the corner of Park Avenue and Main Street, just two or three doors from Arni's and directly across Park Ave. from the Columbian Park's baseball field. There also used to be a hot dog drive-in (Pop's) on the corner of South 18th and Main Streets, just about five or six blocks toward downtown from the Frozen Custard. Axl Rose lived about five or six houses from the Frozen Custard on Park Ave.

Park Avenue doesn't cross Main, does it? And Park isn't all that close to Arni's on Wallace. I'm confused.

quote:

Originally posted by lesmond

The Frozen Custard (that's been its name for years) in Lafayette is on the corner of Park Avenue and Main Street, just two or three doors from Arni's and directly across Park Ave. from the Columbian Park's baseball field. There also used to be a hot dog drive-in (Pop's) on the corner of South 18th and Main Streets, just about five or six blocks toward downtown from the Frozen Custard. Axl Rose lived about five or six houses from the Frozen Custard on Park Ave.

I grew up and lived in Lafayette for the first 25 years of my life. The Frozen Custard you're all talking about is on the corner of Wallace and Main Street and it is right next door to Arni's. The hotdog place someone mentioned, Pop's, closed down several years ago and now is a car sales/Mexican Restaurant called El Borrito Loco... I've not been there. Bruno's in West Lafayette has GREAT pizza and if you go you must get "Bruno Dough"---Trust me! And whoever said there is not Steak N Shake is wrong. There is one on the corner of highway 52 and 26 and there is another at interstate 65 and 26.

quote:

Do you happen to remember Sam's Subway (not the chain) deli in the basment of that hotel by White River?

Stridge - Assuming you're talking about Indianapolis, the only Sam's Subway I remember was on N. Meridian St. I thought it was somewhere close to 38th St. I googled to try and pin down the location and found references to one across from Eastgate Mall and another behind a Marriott Hotel where Robert F. Kennedy ate during a campaign stop in 1968.

quote:

Originally posted by danimal15

I don't know of anywhere in Lafayette. Maybe you could drive about 40 miles south to Indy and have a sandwich at Shapiro's, one of the best delicatessens in the Midwest.

I've driven up and down Interstate 65 between Indy and Gary a number of times and can't recall any decent food on that stretch. It's a wasteland of fast food franchises, as far as I can tell. Northern Indiana is the absolute armpit of the world.

True, not much on that stretch of I65 worth eating RIGHT NEXT TO the interstate, but if you are willing to drive 17 miles east of the interstate (at the Wolcott/Remington exit,about 30 min. N of Lafayette) to the small town of Monticello, you will find a lot of great mom 'n pop restaurants.

They have many more eating places than you would expect for a town that small, but they have the good economic fortune of lots summer visitors, in that it has Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman, and Indiana Beach amusement park.

http://www.monticelloin.com/

I would recommend from personal experience the Beaver Dam Inn, Angler's Restaurant, The Rooftop at Indiana Beach (summer only), Frosty Mug, Oakdale Inn, and Solly's (in Reynolds before you get to Monticello.)

I lived there for 9 years about 20 years ago, and I truly do miss the restaurants.