The Destination-Worthy Restaurants Hiding Just Over the Border in Northwest Indiana

I’m a firm believer that Northwest Indiana is a Chicago suburb. Some towns – such as Hammond, Indiana – are less than 30 miles from downtown Chicago, making them closer than some Illinois suburbs. Everyday 22,000 people from Illinois commute to Indiana for work, according to a Purdue University study, while many Chicagoans also cross Indiana borders for pleasure, to reach vacation destinations like the Indiana Dunes and towns in Michigan. Illinois residents don’t see Indiana as too far out of reach, but it’s not typically thought of as a dining destination. While close in proximity, restaurants in Northwest Indiana don’t always make their way to the front page.

Chicago news outlets are the primary form of information for The Region, just as many residents support Chicago sports teams. Chefs like Nick Kleutsch, who grew up in Hammond, always dreamed of receiving recognition in Chicago newspapers. “My grandma would always say that I didn’t make it until I got a write-up in the Tribune,” Kleutsch recalls.

His first restaurant, Lucy’s BBQ, was located in Highland, Indiana and then moved to Lowell, Indiana. Lucy’s BBQ, now closed, did receive some attention from the Chicago press, but nowhere near the amount as Sanders BBQ Supply Co., the Chicago restaurant where Kleutsch now serves as pitmaster. Within the first six months of opening, Sanders had been featured in Chicago publications like Eater, NBC, and the Chicago Tribune. Kleutsch thinks that having a concept located in Chicago has helped him receive more press than when he was located in Indiana.

I met Kleutsch last summer during a publication shoot for his new restaurant. He noticed my 219 area code and we immediately started swapping stories of our favorite hometown spots. Photo credit Kyle Muha

House of Pizza in Hammond, Indiana is a no-frills, family-run establishment that has been slinging pizzas to Hoosiers since 1954.

Danny Zunica, pictured with the House of Pizza jacket he wore as a kid, has been working here since high school. His grandfather opened the restaurant back in the ’50s, when it was just a small takeout window. Now, House of Pizza has grown to span a block, with ample indoor seating. Zunica has spent his whole life continuing the family tradition.

For Kleutsch, House of Pizza will always come with a side of nostalgia. He grew up going here with his family as well as his basketball team when he was a kid. He has vivid, sweet memories of teammates and their families all coming together over slices of pizza.

Kleutsch and I both grew up eating tavern-style pizza. Like many Chicagoans, Kleutsch says he “only ate deep dish when someone was coming in from out of town”.

House of Pizza might be best known for pizza, but they’re also popular for their spaghetti and mostaccioli. Zunica has remained true to the original recipes passed down by his great-grandmother, and refuses to compromise on the ingredients, even if it would mean saving money. The pizza dough and sauce are made in-house, as is the sausage. The pizza is cooked in an oven from the ’70s that has since been discontinued.

Kleutsch’s favorite order is garlic, onion, and sausage tavern-style pizza. Zunica prefers the simple yet classic sausage and cheese thin crust.

Duffy’s Place in Valparaiso, Indiana is another spot serving up traditions under the dimly lit lights of a dive bar – the epitome of a classic Region watering hole. Locals come for a drink, some wings, and live music, but Kleutsch keeps coming back for one thing: pierogies.

With the Region home to a large Polish and Eastern European community, pierogies are a big deal, and if you’re going to serve them, you’d better serve a good one. Eastern European immigrants started moving to Indiana at the end of the nineteenth century. Many found work in the booming steel industry thanks to U.S. Steel, which built Gary, Indiana as a company town for workers in its plants. Today, the Polish community celebrates their food during summer’s highly anticipated Pierogi Fest in Whiting. Outside of the fest, however, there are really only two places to get solid pierogis year-round. One of them is Duffy’s.

Duffy’s offers classic potato and cheese pierogies in addition to some less common options like sausage and pepper jack. Unlike many pierogi, they’re deep-fried.

Folks driving through Indiana on a weekend trip to Michigan might find themselves stopping at Fuzzyline Brewery. This inventive joint is a sour-focused brewery that features a global menu of dishes spotlighting fermented food.

Alex Robertson, owner and brewmaster of Fuzzyline, was one of the original brewers at Marz Brewery in Chicago. He’s inspired by local, seasonal ingredients such as the pawpaw, a unique fruit indigenous to Indiana. The pawpaw sour beer, which almost recalls champagne, is not the only seasonal menu item. This summer, Robertson will release a tomato basil beer, a sunflower beer, and expand upon a rotating, fruit-focused series called “Emoji.”

Robertson says that “a lot of people don’t like sours, but they like ours,” which he attributes to his drive to be “unique but not gimmicky” with his creations.

On the food side, they’ve got everything from goat cheese fritters, honey garlic chili chicken bao, triple pickle sourdough pizza, and a tater tot poutine at brunch.

For Kleutsch, Fuzzyline is more than just somewhere to try something new: Robertson and chef Bob McLellan were a lifeline to him during the transition period after Lucy’s closed and before Sanders BBQ opened.

Fuzzyline’s unusual ingredients and thoughtful menu pairings have constantly been an inspiration to Kleutsch, he says. “They push me to be better and do different things. I wouldn’t create the same menu items without them.”

A restaurant that will always have a soft spot in my heart is Lighthouse. Nestled right on the shore of Cedar Lake and not far from where I went to elementary school, this cozy restaurant was always the place to go when celebrating something big. It has an elevated steakhouse feel perfect for dressed-up special celebrations, but there are also plenty of people in casual attire who stop in directly from their boats.

I grew up fishing in Lake Michigan with my family during the summer months. Sometimes we would eat the fish less than an hour after catching it. My brother and I would be on catching duty, my dad would fillet the fish, and my mom would cook it right there on the boat.

So my family and I know what fresh fish should taste like – and we were always drawn to the fish at Lighthouse, especially the perch and walleye.

Another must-stop spot is Franklin House in Valparaiso. This historic gastropub was originally established in 1857. Originally a hotel that turned into a gym during prohibition, Franklin House might be old, but the menu is far from outdated. You can find concoctions like jackfruit tacos, miso tonkotsu ramen, deep fried Peeps, and kimchi garlic buffalo wings.

Erik Bakrevski, former head chef of Franklin House, pushed the menu beyond typical bar food. Instead of serving up burgers using frozen patties, he focused on higher meat quality and exciting flavor pairings. He created their popular house burger, which has peanut butter, bacon, a fried egg, swiss, and mayo all nestled into a German pretzel bun. That dish led to a shift, according to general manager Shawn Ewing. “We went from being a crappy dive bar to a crappy dive bar with good food,” he says.

Bakrevski now spends most of his time at sister restaurant Northside Tap, which was acquired in 2021.

Larry Rosinko carries on Bakrevski’s experimentations in the kitchen at Franklin House, with weekly specials and a secret menu. A rotating burger of the week has ranged from a double smash burger with triple berry compote to an elote burger, kangaroo burger, and a mango chutney curry pickle burger. Tuesdays feature special wing sauces such as apricot ginger and blueberry hot honey. “The weirder the better,” Ewing says. Popular specials might end up on the secret menu alongside favorites like the “Fakenator,” a riff on Wendy’s Baconator.

“I would trust every single thing they put out there,” says Kleutsch.

Northwest Indiana is full of talented chefs brimming with culinary expertise. Next time you’re on your daily commute, day-tripping out to the Dunes, or passing by on your way to a weekend in Michigan, stop in for a bite to eat.