Founded in 1903 by an immigrant couple from Russia, Shapiro’s Deli began as a business by selling flour and sugar on the street, which years later, expanded into a grocery store-deli, which is now the downtown Indianapolis’ location. Shapiro’s has a retro vibe interior decoration scheme, but is not as upscale and chic as the rest of downtown. Although I found the interior design less-than-exciting, the food was more impressive. Shapiro’s is open from 6:30 a.m., for various traditional breakfast options, to 8 p.m. When I visited for dinner, I found many home style options to choose from including spaghetti, meatballs, meatloaf and other yummy deli sandwiches. The cafeteria entrees come with two sides, and I chose baked chicken, macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. The chicken was a little dry and the macaroni was too creamy for my taste, but the coleslaw was just right. I went with my parents (because what college student does not want a free meal?), and they let me sample some of their food as well. My dad got a Reuben sandwich, and my mom got potato cakes. I don’t usually like these items, but I really enjoyed them. I was most surprised at how much I enjoyed the sandwich. The meat was very lean and fresh, and I could see why Shapiro’s is so well-known for its deli. If I were to visit again, I would definitely have something from the deli, rather than the cafeteria line and maybe take it to go. That way, I could enjoy a little more appealing scenery.
