Where to Eat in Hancock County: A Town-by-Town Guide

This one’s for the practical eater. If our best-restaurants roundup is a ranked list, this post is a travel guide: organized by town and by meal, so you can plug it into a real day.

Fortville

Breakfast & coffee

Sunrise Donuts is the local morning anchor — long-time Fortville favorite for donuts, coffee, and a quick bite before work.

Lunch

Libby’s Ice Cream & Gifts (222 W Broadway) — sandwiches, ice cream, gift shop combined. Good family spot. Du Lit (101 W Broadway) — made-from-scratch comfort food with exceptional lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options. Greek’s Pizzeria of Fortville (325 W Broadway, Suite A) — Indiana-based franchise, dependable pizza.

Dinner

Taxman Fortville (29 S Main) — Belgian-style brewpub, full dinner menu. FoxGardin Kitchen & Ale (215 S Main) — New American tavern, serious cocktails. Cortona’s Italian (209 S Main) — homemade pasta, wood-fired pizzas, wine bar. Denver’s Garage (110 E Broadway) — pizza and beer in a preserved 1956 service station. Taj Indian Cuisine (202 S Main) — classics including butter chicken, biryanis, naan.

Dessert & ice cream

Libby’s Ice Cream & Gifts (222 W Broadway) — hand-dipped ice cream from Sundaes Homemade.

Drinks

Taxman Fortville — beer focus, full craft list plus wine and cocktails. Maduro on Main (11 S Main) — premium cigar shop for after-dinner.

Full Fortville directory →

New Palestine

Breakfast & coffee

Barrel Racing Baristas (4346 S 500 W) — rodeo-themed coffee shop with espresso, breakfast, donuts, crepes. Tony D’s (5918 Dragon Dr) — biscuits and gravy made fresh (not from a box), banana bread french toast, chicken & waffles. Breakfast is legit here.

Lunch

Smokin’ Barrel BBQ (28 E Main) — exceptional smoked meats and sides. Co-located with Dry Bones Mud House coffee. Mama Nita’s Pizza (5040 US-52) — casual pizzeria with buffet, pasta, salads. Tony D’s (5918 Dragon Dr) — full lunch menu.

Dinner

Tony D’s (5918 Dragon Dr) — hand-cut ribeye with garlic herb butter, massive tenderloin. Smokin’ Barrel BBQ (28 E Main) — dinner or takeout. Y-Not Pizza and Lounge — casual pies and a lounge atmosphere.

Dessert & ice cream

Frosty Boy Drive-In (40 W Main) — a New Palestine institution since 1976. Ranked #1 restaurant in New Palestine on TripAdvisor. Real soft serve, Frosty Pops, banana splits. The first sign of spring in New Pal.

Drinks

Y-Not Pizza and Lounge — the main in-town lounge option.

Full New Palestine directory →

Greenfield

Greenfield Town Guide is launching next — we’ll update this post with the county-seat breakdown once the guide is live. Greenfield’s downtown is where to find the mix of classic diners, Main Street cafes, and the restaurants that have been on the National Road for decades.

McCordsville

McCordsville Guide is planned but not yet live. Chain restaurants dominate, but the town has several independent spots worth visiting — we’ll add those when the guide launches.

A one-day Hancock food tour

9 AM — Breakfast at Tony D’s in New Palestine. Biscuits and gravy, coffee. 10:30 AM — Coffee at Barrel Racing Baristas (5 min from Tony D’s), then swing by Frosty Boy if it’s summer (opens for the season each spring) — New Pal is more a drive-between-stops town than a walkable one. 12:00 PM — Drive to Fortville (~35 minutes via SR-234). Lunch at Du Lit or Libby’s. 2:00 PM — Main Street Fortville afternoon — browse shops, coffee. 4:00 PM — Early dinner/drinks at Taxman Fortville or FoxGardin. 7:00 PM — Dessert at Libby’s before heading home.

That’s a full day of eating, under 40 miles total driving, all in one county.

For full business listings with hours and phone numbers, check Fortville Guide and New Palestine Guide.