Takeout Tuesday: Fat Dan's Chicago Deli

INDIANAPOLIS — Today's Takeout Tuesday forecast takes us to Fat Dan's Chicago Deli.

What is great about my choice this week is that there are many locations you can choose. Fat Dan's started with a single store on Broad Ripple Avenue before moving to a bigger location at 54th Street and College Avenue in Indy. Since then, they have expanded to a location on Mass Ave, in Carmel, and most recently in Bloomington on Kirkwood Ave. All areas are open for carryout and ready to serve you some of the best wings in town along with other smoked meats, burgers, fries, tater tots, and a whole lot more.

Inside each Fat Dan's, you will quickly notice all the Chicago sports paraphernalia from the Cubs to Bears and Blackhawks. Each restaurant quickly became a great place to get good neighborhood eats and watch games. You can even get the Wrigley Field staple Old Style beer in each location. In fact, during the Cubs World Series run there were no seats to be found, and the crowds spilled out onto the sidewalks watching through the open sliding garage doors from the patio to the restaurant creating an awesome experience for sports fans.

As for my top takes, I always start with the smoked wings with hot bbq sauce (which comes on the side) then get a sandwich. This is still a hard decision as everything from the brisket to pulled pork to chicken sandwiches are all great. But, my go-to is the Chicago Combo dipped (half Italian beef-half sausage), the smoked Reuben sandwich, or the Fat Dan burger.

As I mentioned earlier, carryout is available at all locations. Carmel has already opened for dining with plans in the works from the Indy and Bloomington locations to do the same as things start to open up.

So, keep Fat Dan's in mind if you are looking for great food from a local owner. I can't wait till sports are on, and I can sit at the bar watching a game with a cold beer, some wings, and good friends in tow. Until then, show Fat Dan's and other locally run business some love until everything is back open.