This week we are going to visit a restaurant in the city I’m currently living in, Indianapolis. It’s an awesome little restaurant in one of the most fun and hip areas of Indy, Broad Ripple. Broad Ripple features a great nightlife scene, with several bars and awesome restaurants, along with lots of trendy stores. My favorite place to eat down there is definitely the Ripple Bagel & Deli. It’s a restaurant that serves steamed bagel sandwiches, along with salads and homemade soups. The bagel sandwiches are by far the best thing on the menu, and they have quite a variety, so there’s something for everyone.

The Ripple Bagel & Deli was opened on January 15th, 2004 by owners Ken & Susan Richman, and has been thriving ever since. It is based on the original Bagel & Deli which is located at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The atmosphere is very welcoming and fun, with a long walk-up & order counter where you can see your sandwich being made. There are several tables along one wall for those who want to enjoy their bagel delights there. The menu is written on giant chalkboards hung behind the counter, and it’s loaded with options.

Ripple Bagel & Deli features every kind of bagel sandwich you can imagine. And if they don’t have the exact one you’re imagining, you can tell them what you want and create your own bagel sandwich. If they really like your creation, they’ll write it on a piece of paper and throw it up on the wall, so others can order it. The walls are lined with creations people have made, adding to their already extensive list of offerings. The prices are not bad either, with most bagel sandwiches between about $4 and $6.

And now, for a sampling of the menu. It turns out bagel sandwiches are not just for lunch and dinner, as they offer several breakfast bagel sandwiches, with toppings like scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, and a variety of cheeses. For lunch and dinner choices, they have menu sections devoted to turkey, ham, roast beef, bacon, veggie, corned beef & pastrami, pepporoni, salami & meatball,  chicken & tuna, and custom. They all feature fun names like Monon Roadkill, Chia Pet, David Letterman, and The Gin Blossom. One of my personal favorites is the Philly, which features roast beef, cream cheese, pepper jack, green pepper, onion, and parmesan peppercorn on an onion bagel. Another great choice is the Slick Leonard, which has turkey, provolone, smoked cheddar, onion, BBQ Sauce, and ground pepper on an onion bagel. If you’re in a veggie mood, the Aunt Pin’s offers hummus, avocado, sprouts, and tomato on a pumpernickel bagel.

If you’re feeling particularly lucky or just can’t decide, you can go with the Lottery bagel, and leave it in the hands of whoever’s making your sandwich. They choose one meat, one cheese, two solid toppings and two liquid toppings and throw it all together on a bagel for you. I am particularly picky when it comes to sandwiches and what I like on them, so I usually create my own when I visit the Ripple Bagel & Deli. My usual is a bialy bagel with roast beef, cream cheese, bacon, pepper jack, and parmesan peppercorn. It’s delightful, and definitely one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I’ve even turned a couple other people on to my creation, so I’m pretty sure they’ll be putting it up on the wall very soon.

If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, they offer about 15 types of bagels and several types of spreads, along with a variety of chips, giant pickles, and homemade sweets. And if for some odd reason you don’t like bagels, you can get any sandwich on a sub for a little bit extra. If you live in Indy or ever visit, you should definitely give the Ripple Bagel & Deli a visit, and I guaruntee you’ll never look at a sandwich the same way after you do.