Location: Metamora
Top Restaurants in Metamora
Top Things to do in Metamora
- 1. Metamora Grist Mill
- 2. Salt Creek Ranch
- 3. Wolf creek habitat and rescue
- 4. Whitewater State Historic Site
- 5. Skyward Adventures, Inc.
- 6. Ben Franklin III Canal Boat
- 7. Metamora Gem Mine & Luna's Garden Gift Shop
- 8. Morgan's Outdoor Adventures, Inc.
- 9. Words & Images Home of The Train Place
- 10. The Gift Shoppe on Main
Top 7 restaurants in Metamora, United States
Metamora is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Metamora Township, Franklin County, Indiana. The town was once a stop along the Whitewater Canal and is now primarily dependent on tourism. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 188.
Things to do in Metamora
1. Smelly Gourmet
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 74 reviews
Enter the Smelly Gourmet and you'll probably be greeted by Smelly Himself (aka Steve) with his big white beard and top hat. All your senses will be instantly triggered and you'll know where the "Smelly" in the Smelly Gourmet comes from. First, titillate your taste buds with our European Coffee Bar and a sample of our Family Grown Hull-less popcorn. Step out of the box with one of 12 grilled cheese Panini sandwiches made with our secret recipe bread and homemade Smelly chips served on 1940's fine China. From a classic to a Reuben you're sure to find many you'll love. Roam around the shop and your smell-a-meter will trip with all the yummy bath and body product made by Brenda (aka the Head Stinker). You'll also see many unusual items like "Smellys" Geek Clocks and magnets, hand painted furniture and so much more. Housed in an 1845 Federal Style house you will feel right at home with Smelly and the Head Stinker. The goal is for everyone that enters the door will leave feeling like they had a wonderful experience. Spend the night or weekend in The Banes Suite, our luxury suite for two. Attached to the Smelly Gourmet.
Reviewed By arthursmom11
We stopped here during our visit to the Christmas walk. Smelly was generous in handing out samples of his potato soup, chili and chicken salad. The food was delicious. Our group also had a latte, cappuccino and hot chocolate. All our drinks were excellent. I would definitely come back here if I am ever in Metamora again. We also really enjoyed the quaint atmosphere and friendly down home service. Excellent find!
2. Grannie's Cookie Jars & Ice-Cream Parlor
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
Reviewed By iwanabescrapn - O'Fallon, Illinois
Grannie's ice-cream is a must visit place! They make their own waffle cones every single day and are AMAZING! They are the friendliest people and have wonderful ice-cream! I eat more ice-cream when I go to Grannies then I eat all year long!
3. The Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast and Eatery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By shifty_travels - Indiana
Stopped in here by chance during a visit to Metamora to try out the dessert. It was SO GOOD!!! We will definitely be eating here the next time we are in town!!! We ordered the deep fried pumpkin bread, banana bread, and the pumpkin pie. Everything was delicious. Service was very friendly. Restaurant is very cute...front porch was adorable. They even had viewmasters on the tables...hankies for the silverware...I loved EVERYTHING about this place. Unfortunately, while visiting the ceiling had a major leak, but other than that everything was great!!!
4. Gold Digger's Family Diner
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Gold Digger's Family Diner offers great food at reasonable prices with fast service. In addition to a walk-up window on Main Street, where people can buy grab and go food items and drinks, indoor and outdoor seating is available. Gold Digger's is also an event center where we will have Live Music, a dance floor, catering and other events. Our events will be published on Facebok.
Reviewed By Whateveryousaydear03 - Aurora, Colorado
The food was good and the live music was an unexpected treat. We knew if the train crew was eating there we would have plenty of time for our lunch. The chef salad was amazing and the ham and bean soup was very filling. Prices were good and the service was prompt.
5. Have A Bite
Overall Ratings
4 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By aerowood2016 - Noblesville, Indiana
Better than what you expect from small town diners that are slow. Food was very fresh and well prepared, not the usual from a box fried food menu. Burgers brought me back to my child hood...the flavor of high quality local slaughterhouse house beef was un-mistakable! My wife ordered the rib-eye and it was the same thing. Great quality beef that I'm guessing came from the same place as the burger. Fries were crisp and stayed that way; fresh fryer oil.
Server was pleasant and attentive.
Place was well maintained and clean.
Exceptional value, good food, good service.
6. Scooty's
Overall Ratings
5 based on 2 reviews
Reviewed By Travelone_intl - Cincinnati, Ohio
Scooty's BBQ is one of the new dining establishments in Metamora, and is a welcomed option to the classic canal town fare. They have burgers and hot dogs, as well as pulled pork, and you can even get a slab of ribs for $24 or so. My wife and I stopped in for lunch during the town's canal days Sunday and had the steak and chicken sandwiches for only $5.00 pp. They also had a gentleman playing blues right outside the establishment Their fries are exceptionally good!
7. Duck Creek Cafe
Overall Ratings
1.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By Hoosier51 - Indianapolis, Indiana
On 04 June 2017, we travelled to the small town of Metamora, Indiana; located in Franklin County approximately 75-miles to the southeast of Indianapolis, Indiana and 50-miles to the northwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. It was my birthday celebration and this weekend happened to coincide with the Strawberry Festival being held in downtown Metamora. WIN-WIN!!
Our family’s first stop of the enjoyable day-trip was at the Duck Creek Café. Now, for those who possess “taste-buds” accustomed to the “Home-Made-Comfort-Food” served up at chain-restaurant locations across this nation; You WILL NOT get that type food here!
Unfortunately, for most of America, the actual “home-made” flavors and textures of food has long ago faded from the roadside cafes and eateries. It has been replaced with the mechanically, mass-produced, mass-distributed and massively over-rated “family comfort food-product."
I have read a lot of reviews here on Trip advisor; and I will admit, almost every-single-one complained of the service, the food and the environment at the Duck Creek Café. These same folks may-well-have been served family-food at a chain establishment with very similar environs and charm.
The only issue that separates the chain restaurant from the Duck Creek Café, truthfully, is the pureness and honesty of the folks that operate this café.
You can walk into a chain restaurant – nationwide - at any time of the day and find the same exact type of people sitting at their tables. Travelers, transient people on-the-move, strangers to each other and to those whom are serving them food.
Walk into the Duck Creek Café in the early morning, and you will find residents, shop keepers, and true friends conversing happily with each other.
One other item you will find at the Duck Creek Café which is woefully missing in chain restaurant’s - - ACUTAL HOME-MADE from HOME WRITTEN and HANDED DOWN RECIPIES. Tried, true and honestly flavorful comfort food that takes us back to a much simpler time when everything was what it said - - Home-Made.
As for the environment inside the restaurant; again, I have read some very negative reviews on Trip Advisor. I’m curious about one thing; if these reviewers ever dined at a “well-stocked” country-type chain restaurant?
The one with rocking chairs and checkerboards on their “front-porch” and 30,000 “foreign-made” trinkets and crafty items jamming their waiting area?
Again, the chief difference between that chain restaurant and the Duck Creek Café; HOME-MADE. The items in the popular chain restaurant are 99.9% made outside of the USA. The items in the surrounds of the Duck Creek Café, are 99.9% MADE IN INDIANA; for the most part, many are made right there in Franklin County itself.
Now, let me be very clear on this point. The Duck Creek Café is DIFFERENT! I have NO difficulties with eating at chain-restaurants; in fact, I eat at many chain restaurants regularly.
However, I do not expect “chain-restaurant-style” food from a “LOCAL RESTAURANT”. I know, there will be a big taste variance – and – usually, it is in the favor of the “LOCAL RESTAURANT”. I learned a "travel-secret" many years ago; "If you want good food at a good price - go find where the local residents eat every day; you will find it there!"
I have seen the reviews that state the people were disheveled and were unfriendly. I have read the reviews that state the restaurant was dirty and the bathrooms were as well dirty.
The owner’s, operators and the workers that run the Duck Creek Café are all residents of the Franklin County area and Metamora Community. They are human, they have “good-days” and “bad-days” just the same as you and I do.
The day we visited the Duck Creek Café, the server that seated us apologized to us; she had been crying and her face showed her grief. We learned that her brother had just passed away; yet she was still here, making sure we had good service and got out freshly prepared meals.
I cannot and will not address every-day-stress points that happen in life. However, I will say that my family and I try to give the benefit of the doubt to the servers that we visit with. We are in their environment – yet- we do not know what is happening behind the scenes.
I can – and I will – address those reviews that stated the Duck Creek Café was “dirty” and that their restrooms were “dirty”.
NOT TRUE! The tables, chairs, counters, floors, silverware, dishes, trays and glasses we saw were all very clean & neat. While chain restaurants have expensive, foreign-manufactured furniture and finishing’s; the Duck Creek Café has “Old-Fashioned” kitchen-tables & kitchen-chairs. What was once known commonly as “family-style-seating”. The restrooms are clean and adequate; with clean sinks, soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers.
If you are going to eat at the Duck Creek Café; do not expect the exact-same-food to be there every single visit. The beauty of truly home-made cooking. Is in the subtle variances from one batch to the next.
The Duck Creek Café makes its food fresh daily; it is neither pre-made and stored, nor is it “pre” anything. It is simply freshly prepared for each customer. We had to wait a total of 15-entire minutes for made-from-scratch-biscuits to bake in the oven for us. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!!
If you desire the “modern-version” of the home-made comfort foods – go on past Metamora and travel to the chain restaurants in Brookville, Indiana.
If you want a taste of honest-to-goodness-HOME-MADE-FROM-SCRATCH-food. Stop by the Duck Creek Café anytime.
