Driving from Indy to Chicago, where to eat?

we%26#39;ll be driving with kids from Indy to Chicago (I-65) and are looking for some good family friendly restaurants along the way. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Driving from Indy to Chicago, where to eat?

I%26#39;m not sure if this route takes you through Valparaiso, IN, but if it does, there are 2 restaurants that are really good. One is called Strongbow Inn. They have a restaurant and bakery right on U.S. 30. They raise their own turkeys and have great food (they have more than just turkey, too) and a buffet on Wednesday nights and a brunch on Sunday - really, really good.

The other is called Kelseys - also on U.S. 30, that is a great steakhouse. So depending on what you like, there are two of my favorites.

Driving from Indy to Chicago, where to eat?

If you like Greek restaurants, try %26#39;The Wheel%26#39; restaurant in Hammond, IN. It is located right off the Indianapolis Blvd interchange and I-80/94. It is easy to get off the highway and get right back on since it is only about 1000 feet from the highway. The restaurant is clean and the food is good. The service is pretty good also.

My best recommendation to you is to exit off of US 30 in Merrillville (Exit 255 I believe). There are TONS of good places to eat right off the interchange. Once you pass US 30 going north, there is very little until you reach Chicago. Most of the exits are in Gary, which is not a great place to be as an out-of-towner. If you go west on US 30 to US 41 (about 8 miles) and head north on US 41, there is a ton of stuff there also. You will pass all the major chain restaurants. To continue to Chicago, head north about 7 miles to I-80/94 and continue westbound following the Chicago signs. US 30 is a 4-lane divided highway that is easy to drive. US 41 is a 4-lane highway with a bit more traffic, but still worth the detour.

Honestly...the area between US 30 on I-65 all the way to Chicago is a %26#39;dead area%26#39;. Not only are there no good restaurants, there are no restaurants PERIOD! Taking that alternate route will also detour you around all the major construction that will likely delay your trip 30-45 minutes. The I-65 and I-80/94 interchange is all torn up and backups are long.

Thank you so much for the suggestions!!! We did see the construction warning in our AAA TripTik, thanks for reinforcing it.

We have stopped at Fair Oaks Farms, which is between Indy and Merrillville. They have great sandwiches and you can tour the farm, although we%26#39;ve never done that. Awesome cheeses and ice cream, too!

People in the ';region'; call the wheel a Greek restaurant, but it doesn%26#39;t serve much authentic Greek food. They have a menu where you can get most anything and the quality is so so. I work in that area and avoid it since there is a lot of smoking there.

But, if you are willing to patronize a Cracker Barrel, there is one at Kennedy Avenue (exit 3 on 80/94) southbound. On Indianapolis Blvd (exit 2 on 80/94) there is an excellent authentic inexpensive Chinese restaurant. It is on the east side of the street almost immediately after you exit. It is a small family run restaurant.

I think the recommendation to stop at the Dairy farm is probably the most interesting.

This isn%26#39;t along the way, but once you arrive in Chicago you might want to stop at Ed Debevic%26#39;s which is located at the corner of Wells %26amp; Ontario north of the River. Nostalgic 50s/60s diner with food from the era as well. The servers come with an ';attitude'; and even dance on the counter for the benefit of customers.

Ibeplate,

Noticed in your post the mention of the AAA Trip Tik. Curious as to how you like the new onces compared with the earlier strip maps provided by AAA? Personally I don%26#39;t think they are as good because they don%26#39;t show as much detail as the others. Just curious.