Review: Fat Dan’s Chicago-Style Deli
Author: indianapoliseater | Filed under: Food Reviews, Location: Indianapolis, IN, Recommended: Hall of Fame, Recommended: Independent
Fat Dan’s Chicago-Style Deli
815 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46220
http://www.fatdansdeli.com/
I’ve had several people recommend this place to me and I’ve seen many positive reviews in the newspaper and other local magazines, so finally I decided to get off my lazy rear end and make my way down to Broad Ripple to try it out.
My first impression of the place when I walked in, or more appropriately as I was walking up to the door (they have a front porch style screen door as their front door…LOL), was “oh my god, this place SMELLS incredible.” Turns out I was walking in just as they were taking some brisket out of the smoker and it smelled DELICIOUS.
Fat Dan’s also has a very Broad Ripple-y vibe, which really surprised me. I expected it to be a full-on sports bar but while it did have a sports design to it, it also had that eclectic feel to it that you see everywhere in Broad Ripple.
What I Got: Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich ($7.50) and Fries ($2.75)
Anyway, onto the Italian Beef. All I can say about it is “WOW.” This thing was huge and absolutely delicious. The meat was cooked perfectly as it was tender, spicy and juicy. Basically, it’s everything you’d ever want the meat in an Italian beef to be. The meat was served in a perfect bread roll that was fresh (at least it seemed) and the Giardinera peppers added a nice spicy bite to the sandwich. I ordered mine “wet” (extra juice poured on) and it was done absolutely perfectly as the sandwich was literally falling apart in my hands. That’s my preferred way to eat an Italian beef sandwich and this one had everything going for it. I really cannot say enough about how good this was.
I also got an order of fries and ordinarily I wouldn’t spend a lot of time talking about fries, but these fries were absurdly good. They were hand-cut, crispy and were covered in a mix of seasonings that gave them a nice kick. Honestly, these could have been the best fries that I’ve ever had (even better than Rally’s fries) and I would even go there just for the fries alone. They were that freaking good.
Would I Buy It Again? Yes, absolutely, without question. It was a bit pricey for lunch, but I don’t really care. When you get something that was as good as BOTH the sandwich and fries were, it is worth it. It is easily the best Italian beef in Indianapolis and I would almost venture so far as to put it up against any Italian beef that I’ve had in Chicago as well. I may be exaggerating slightly, but not by much.
This meal was so good that I’m just going to go ahead an put this place in the Hall of Fame after one review. I just cannot say enough good things about this place and now I cannot wait to go back and try the brisket, which according to this review, is the best thing that Fat Dan’s has on the menu. If it is better than this Italian beef sandwich was, then I could quite possibly be making a trip into food euphoria and I am just drooling with anticipation. I’m just glad I don’t get down to Broad Ripple often anymore, because if I did, I would go to this place constantly and I’d easily be broke and weigh 400 pounds.
-IndianapolisEater
Tags: Chicago, fat dan's deli, Food, Fries, italian beef
Enthusiastic review – that and the brisket mentioned in the other review just put this place on my short list for lunches to try. Thanks for posting it!
Can’t wait to try this place. The sandwich looks pretty darn authentic and the fries look like “real fries”. I just checked out their web site… love the pic of Harry Caray.
@Indianapolis Amy: Being a Cubs fan myself, I was very appreciative of all the Cubs stuff in the restaurant (by the way, it is SMALL restaurant). Since wibia and EatHSE are White Sox fans, I doubt they’d like that, but you can get over the whole Cubs/Sox thing once you taste the food. Yum, yum, yum.
Wow, sounds like it’s on par with Portillos. Never thought I hear (or read … whatever) you say that. Wish I still lived in BRip.
I have no idea how many times I’ve driven up and down Broad Ripple Avenue…and I had NO idea existed until I read this review. I MUST go there!
It looks good, really good. I have heard a lot of good things.
I noticed all the Cubs nonsense on the menu. It almost makes me want to skip it, regardless of how good the food is. I feel the same way about Scotty’s as well. However, I go to Roselli’s frequently and they have a Wrigley Field Mural, so I would be a hypocrite not to try Fat Dans.
However, I find it ironic that Fat Dan’s found a home on Broadripple Ave, since it is full of drunk girls that don’t know shit about baseball just like Wrigley Field.
I will go, but I will be in White Sox gear…head to toe.
Btw, nice job getting Fat Dan in the pic outside of his shop.
I get jealous every time I read a review for an Italian Beef. For the life of me, I can’t understand why this sandwich hasn’t caught on around the country. Nobody serves anything like it here in the Tidewater of Virginia.
Was pumped up when I read the review and when I entered the restaurant to the smells. So the office took a field trip. The pump ended there, however.
Italian beef was finally chopped rather than sliced and the meat was dry (group consensus), despite being soaked in enough juice to make a soggy bun. On an $8 sandwich? The fries were hand cut and flavorful, but a good portion was undercooked. I’d rather have them all cooked with a few well done.
Still an intriguing place, but at best inconsistent? Fat Dan was not in the house.
@Millers97: Your e-mail address and screen name sound familiar to me…did you wear #62 in high school football for a team that wore black and gold?
Anyway, I’ve talked to some more people about this place since my review and they would agree with your stance on it being inconsistent, which is too bad. I will say though that when they are on (which they were for my visit and they seem to have been for some of the other reviews that have been done), they had some of the best food that I have had in a while. When they are off (your visit), they are just blah.
You betcha! Call me a food blog stalker. Chicago Dogs are hard to mess up and would still be worth the trip.
Thanks for not correcting my grammar (finally vs finely).
-Moe
@Millers97: Glad to see you are a stalker and we love the readers (and also great to hear from you!). By the way, we have a post on a Chicago dog from an actual Chicago hot dog joint coming up next Monday. I think you might find it entertaining.
You lovers need to get a room! ha ha!
@wibia: Give us a break! We’re just a couple of former offensive linemen and teammates that are re-connecting!