On today’s Dopest were covering:
An innovative bakery closing it’s doors
The Indy speed scene
A brunch spot that has a magnetic pull
Thanks for reading!
Via @cafebabetteindy
📰 The (Not So) Dopest News — Café Babette is Closing
We don't like writing this. We really don't.
Café Babette — the tiny, line-worthy, pastry-defying bakery on Shelby Street — is closing its doors. If you've never been, that crab rangoon croissant you never tried is now a crab rangoon croissant you'll never get to try. We hope you're proud of yourself.
For those of us who made the pilgrimage (and yes, people drove two hours from Louisville for this), Babette wasn't just a bakery — it was proof that Indy could do world-class things in small, beautiful spaces. The matcha morning buns. The miso caramel brownie cookie. The Basque cheesecake that made you question every other cheesecake you'd ever eaten. NYC-level craft, right here on Shelby St.
Owners, thank you for every single flaky, buttery, thoughtfully bizarre pastry. Indy is a little less dopest without you.
🥐 The Dopest Send-Off: If they're still open when you read this — go. Pre-order if you can. Get one of everything. Eat it in the parking lot with zero regrets.
📍 2627 Shelby St, Indianapolis · Thu 9:30AM–2PM · Fri 8:30AM–2PM · Sat 10:30AM–2PM
🏎️ Dopest Local Activity — Indianapolis Speedrome
This city is the Racing Capital of the World. So why are you sitting on your couch?
Indianapolis Speedrome on Kitley Ave has been doing its thing since before most of us were born, and it has absolutely no interest in slowing down. We're talking oval track go-karts, figure-8 races, demo derbies, and — hold on — school bus figure-8s. Nine school buses. Fearless drivers. A figure-8 track. This is not a drill.
The crowd is loud, the fuel smells like nostalgia, the bleachers are wooden and slightly precarious, and it is genuinely one of the most fun nights you can have in Indianapolis. Families bring kids. Adults rediscover their inner 12-year-old. Everyone leaves a little hoarse from yelling.
Rated 4.8 stars with over 1,400 reviews. That's a community that keeps coming back, weekend after weekend, because it's just that good.
🎟️ The Dopest Tip: Bring ear protection if you're noise-sensitive — this place is loud in the best possible way. Grab a $6 beer, find a spot on the bleachers, and let the chaos unfold. You don't need to understand racing to have the time of your life.
📍 802 S Kitley Ave, Indianapolis · Mon–Fri 10AM–5PM · Sat 11AM–10PM
Via @threedollscafe
🥞 Dopest Brunch Spot — Three Dolls Cafe & Cakery
We don't throw around the word "obsessed" lightly. But here we are.
Three Dolls Cafe & Cakery on East Washington Street and it is already doing everything right. What started as a food truck now has its own brick and mortar. The space is small, cozy, and packed with eclectic antique charm.
The menu walks the line between savory and sweet with serious confidence. Chorizo biscuits and gravy, a fish sandwich that at least one reviewer photographed mid-bite out of pure excitement, chicken biscuits, and house chips that come out hot. Then, when you think you're done, the cakery side reminds you that you are absolutely not done.
The owners are warm, the staff knows the menu cold, and the whole place has the energy of people who genuinely love what they're building. Open Tue–Sat, 8AM–2PM. Parking lot next door. No excuses.
🍰 The Dopest Tip: Don't sleep on the savory — the fish sandwich and chicken biscuit are the sleeper hits that aren't getting enough love. Go savory first, then pivot hard to dessert. Check the specials board. This is not optional.
📍 1008 E Washington St, Indianapolis · Tue–Sat 8AM–2PM · (463) 388-1889
Indy is always up to something. So are we!
See you next week! - Indy’s Dopest