On today's Dopest we're covering:
Garfield Park Art & Music Festival — free, all ages, and one of the best evenings in Indianapolis this Saturday
Dant — the Indianapolis menswear store that wants you to buy better so you buy less
The Besties' Table — the bright yellow brunch spot on South Shelby Street that sells 400 wings a day and we believe it
Thanks for reading!
-Hillary
The Dopest Sponsor — Trevor St. Aubin | Realtor
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Via @thebestiestable
🍳 The Dopest Brunch Spot — The Besties' Table
Brunch spot. Yellow building. That was Chef Tyler Williams’ vision. In 2020, he lost his job to Covid and started cooking out of his mom's kitchen — which, he'll tell you, is highly illegal and something he did not know at the time. Lines wrapped around the block. His mom's friends got out of their cars to help run food. Four hours to push people through. The dream was clearly realized.
Today The Besties' Table sits in a bright yellow building on South Shelby Street and it is everything Tyler planned. Chicken and waffles, French toast flights, scratch-made wing sauces, biscuits and gravy with turkey sausage because not everyone eats pork and he thought about that. They sell 350–400 chicken wings a day. (!!!!) Ninety-five percent of what comes out of that kitchen is made from scratch. And in this economy, we appreciate our local businesses not skimping on the good stuff. If I’m treating myself to a meal it means even more when I know there’s commitment to quality!
These are the local origin stories we love to hear and what it making the Indy food great! Started from nothing, built with excitement, yellow on purpose. Grab your wallet and go!
📍 South Shelby St, Indianapolis
The Dopest Tip: Weekdays for the cozy local diner vibe. Weekends for the DJ and the full experience. Either way — order the wings. Four hundred a day don't lie.
Via @dant.dant.dant
👔 The Dopest Menswear — Dant
If you're tired of your husband or boyfriend dressing like he gave up somewhere around 2014, we have good news. Throw him in the car and drive to Dant.
Most clothing stores want you to buy more. Dant wants you to buy less — and buy right. That's either a terrible business model or a deeply principled one, and founder James Dant has spent over a decade proving it's the latter. Opening in 2014 with one mission — bring intentional, artisan menswear to a Midwest that desperately needed it — Dant has become the answer to a question partners across Indianapolis have been asking for years. The city collectively said amen.
The inventory is sourced directly from makers in Europe and Japan. Brands that care about craft, durability, and the people behind the product. Everything here is built to last longer than the modern fashion industry promises — which means when your poorly dressed partner winces at the price tag, just remind him this is a once-a-year purchase and your eyes will thank him when he replaces the ratty shirts. They operate by appointment, which makes it feel less like shopping and more like an experience. Think of it as the male equivalent of Anthropologie — except the clothes actually hold up.
Tell him to stop complaining about boring men's stores. Dant is not that. Dant is the cure.
📍 5624 E Washington St · By appointment Mon–Sat 11AM–5PM · 317-974-9715
The Dopest Tip: Book the appointment. Seriously — the by-appointment model means you get someone's full attention and actual knowledge about what you're buying. That's a completely different experience than walking into a store and being ignored.
Via Do317
🎶 The Dopest Free Festival — Garfield Park Art & Music Festival
Nine years in and the Garfield Park Art & Music Festival is still one of the most endearing free events in Indianapolis. Saturday, September 26th, 4–9pm at the MacAllister Amphitheater in Garfield Park — 11 local performers across two stages spanning jazz, hip-hop, spoken word, and acoustic sets, plus a curated art market with 50+ local visual artists selling fine art and handmade goods.
Since 2017, GPAMF has been on a mission to celebrate and uplift BIPOC and underrepresented artists and musicians in Indianapolis. It's one of those events that makes you proud of this city's creative community. There's a Kids Zone with free hands-on crafts, local food trucks, and community partners on site.
Free. All ages. One of the oldest city parks in Indianapolis. Next Saturday evening is already sorted.
📍 MacAllister Amphitheater, Garfield Park · 2425 Conservatory Dr · Saturday Sept 26 · 4–9PM · Free
The Dopest Tip: Get there early to hit the art market before the evening crowd arrives — 50+ artists means a lot of ground to cover. Bring cash for the vendors and stay for the full music lineup as the sun goes down.
The Dopest This Week:
Suki Waterhouse | Old National Center | Friday | 8:30
La La Land in Concert | Old National Centre | Saturday | 8pm
Pitbull | Ruoff | Saturday | 8pm
Jay Pharoah | Helium Comedy Club | Saturday | 7pm
Oktoberfest at Guggman | Guggman Haus Brewing Co | Saturday and Sunday | 12-7pm
Indy is always up to something. So are we.
See you next week! — Indy's Dopest
Got a friend who thinks Indy is boring? Forward this. We'll take it from here.
