Classic Indianapolis bar named one of the best in US

Sam’s Silver Circle has been serving classic pub fare since 1938, and this week it made national news: Fountain Square's self-proclaimed favorite dive bar was one of 30 included on the 2024 USA TODAY Bars of the Year list. USA TODAY Network food writers across the country created the list, which includes everything from dank dives to intensely Instagram-friendly cocktail bars.

"I'm honored and proud of the bar and everyone who works here," manager Raeann Eakle said. "We're not always perfect, but everybody that comes in here, we want them to have a good time. That's what we strive for."

What makes Sam’s stand out

Where other bars might fixate on a distinct theme or specialty drinks, Sam’s keeps people coming back by simply being a great place to hang out. The walls are their own historical record, a floor-to-ceiling mosaic of license plates, beverage advertisements and Sports Illustrated covers celebrating 86 years of slinging hot pizza and pouring cold beer.

Anchored at the corner of Fletcher Avenue and Shelby Street, Sam’s once attracted the region’s best darts players. Now, it’s a quintessential neighborhood haunt stocked with seemingly inflation-proof beer as low as $3 and plenty of greasy food to soak it up. Plastic cups sloshing with sudsy golden lagers and pale pink rum punch glide to tables crowded with friends.

Food options include strombolis and breadsticks, but the calling card at Sam’s is its tavern-style pizza. You’ll find size and toppings options printed on a bright green basketball backboard mounted on the wall. This is Indiana, after all.

Karaoke, trivia and bingo nights fall once a week. There’s a dartboard, too, of course, perfect for when you have just enough liquid courage to think you’re good, but not so far gone that you miss the board entirely.

Ultimately, the best bar in town is the one you find yourself wanting to revisit over and over to clink glasses, share stories and crack jokes with friends. That spot can look different for different folks, but the case for Sam's is a strong one. Its unofficial slogan, “Follow me to Sam’s,” is one of the best things you can hear on a late-night pub crawl.

Sam's Silver Circle in Indianapolis

Details: 1102 Fletcher Ave., Indianapolis, Ind.; 317-636-6288. samssilvercircle.com

Contact dining reporter Bradley Hohulin at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter/X @BradleyHohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis bar named one of the best by USA TODAY