There are exactly two times in my life in which I can consider myself a breakfast kinda girl:
After 3 pm.
Or:
The morning after I’ve had a great night out, if you catch my drift.
Which, honestly, is just not very often. But between 3 Christmas celebrations, my daughter’s birthday party, and our anniversary, we somehow managed to neglect the fact that I had graduated from my undergraduate institution, secured a fine associate faculty position, and enrolled in my graduate school classes. So when my fiancé and I got our first chance to breathe (and an overnight babysitter), we popped the bubbly. And in the morning, I had a hankering.
A hankering for French toast!
Photo courtesy of Metro Diner
And that’s how we ended up at Metro Diner.
Originally based in Jacksonville, Florida, Metro Diner defines itself as a place “where the portions are big, but the egos are small.” Metro Diner now has locations in Greenwood and Indianapolis where you can find exactly what I was searching for: a dish from my pre-teen, late-night DDD (Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives) binges, because how can you not remember a dish called that’s called “Yo Hala on the Square”? Bananas, brown sugar, hazelnut syrup, and cream cheese sandwiched between two slices of challah French toast and topped with fruit compote. Yum!
However, when I found myself sitting at the counter, enthralled in the bustle of the open kitchen on a Tuesday afternoon, I made a different decision. My hankering called for waffles. More specifically, chicken and waffles.
Because Metro Diner puts the Yo Hala in lights, along with their famed Vortex burger (a ½ lb patty with all the fixin’s in between two grilled cheese sandwiches), the chicken and waffles was a surprise choice, the original big mama grand slam, and she’s got a brand-new pair of strawberry butter shoes.
Metro Diner serves up a just-past-the-point-of-golden fried half-a-chicken next to a not-too-sweet and wonderfully fluffy Belgian waffle topped with strawberry butter and their “signature sweet and spicy sauce,” a saucer of pancake syrup and Louisiana hot sauce the server mixes, charmingly, by reaching over your shoulder to swish it around.
They also have a crab cakes benedict that’ll knock your fear of poached eggs in the teeth.
So, if you’re looking for a place where everybody knows your name, head to Metro Diner—because between the food and the community, you’ll be back again and again.
….or, you know, just get a hearty breakfast after a night out on the town.
KC Chan is a senior majoring in English at Marian University. Born in Indianapolis, KC has lived in many towns in the area, including Martinsville, Avon, Greenwood, and Beech Grove. KC works at the MU Writing Center, and in her spare time enjoys growing her own food, cooking, and exploring Indy’s restaurant scene.
