Zelma’s Restaurant
965 N Shadeland Ave, Indianapolis, IN, 46219
Zelma’s Restaurant Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Indianapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Indianapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Indianapolis for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
965 N Shadeland Ave
Indianapolis, IN, 46219 - Phone (317) 755-4176
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :6:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Brunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Rose S.
Live in the neighbor hood and have been eating here for 30+ years. They have remodeled since the no smoking law went on effect and have a new menus. Great place to get you breakfast cooked to order.
(5)Kathy R.
Hey I Indiana Zelma has a all you can eat fish fry on Fridays.check it out.open 24 hours.I also tried their new omelets they are huge and great.
(4)Joe D.
Uh, no. It's been awhile since I've been here, but my friends and I have witnessed the cooks drop bacon in the dirty floor, and "oops", just pick it up and put it back on the plate and serve it. TWO of my friends have had a serious case of some sort of food poisoning. Not really aware of what it was at the time, they went to the doctor. The doctor said it was from eating in unsanitary conditions, in so many words.
(1)Brian H.
If a restaurant has omelettes on the menu the first time I visit I usually use that as my gauge for how good their food is. I ordered the western omelette at Zelma's and was pleasantly surprised. They NAILED it! The plentiful serving of fresh ingredients came together in a beautiful way to form the best omelette I have had in a long time. The other two people I went with were very happy with the pork tenderloin as well. The diner atmosphere is laid back and relaxing, and the staff is fun and friendly. It was like I was friends with them by the time I left. I will definitely go back.
(5)Ashley M.
If it's 2am and you and some friends are hungry, this is the place to go. The prices are great and the food is soooo good! One of my favorite places to eat breakfast food!
(4)Sophia H.
Probably considered a "hole in the wall" by most but one of the best diners. Great staff, and food. The tenderloin is wonderful. They are extremely affordable as well.
(5)Kathy T.
Great place for breakfast, a quick lunch, or a meal after midnight. Food is always hot and coffee is good.
(4)Tom W.
I love a great diner, and this certainly has that feel. Eat at the service bar or at a table. Attentive service. Great variety of feel good foods including eggs to burgers. I recently had one of the most tasty cheeseburgers I've had in a long time at this spot. They also have $5 lunch specials like a delicious pork roast served with all the sides. Yum! Open 24 hours. Go local diner!
(4)Sarah C.
Zelma's is the type of diner where you feel welcome and appreciated. It's open 24/7 and offers breakfast all day. This was my first visit here and we were greeted immediately upon walking in. I could tell that some of the customers inside were regulars. Our server was friendly and spot on. No issues with service at all and she offered at the end to get us to-go drinks to take with us. Even the cook was friendly and chatting us up. We could see what he was doing, as the grill is visible from the dining area. Yes, the outside and inside is outdated and in need of a serious remodel but it's exactly what you would expect from a 24/7 diner. We decided to go with breakfast and the portions were large. My biscuits and gravy with hash browns were delicious and tasted homemade, similar to what your grandma would've made back in the day. Needless to say, we devoured all of our meals. We decided on dessert, after our server told us the desserts were all made in house. My lemon meringue was phenomenal and a huge slice. My boyfriend's blackberry cobbler was warm and delicious and he added ice cream, which was perfect. Our total before tip was around $23 and for the amount of food we received, was fantastic. Zelma's is perfect if you're looking for a homemade comfort meal. Be prepared to make friends here.
(4)Christina M.
Huge, fresh portions. Was in town for an NPC bodybuilding competition and this was the closest place that wasn't a chain that I could find food I could eat between shows. My mom and I ate lunch there, I got the country fried steak with a baked potato and cottage cheese. My mom got the two piece fried chicken with a baked potato and green beans. The gravy is PHENOMENAL. we can back after the night show to eat dinner. I got the double cheeseburger, bacon, fries and bbq sauce and a side of slaw. Ordered a full portion of biscuits and gravy. My mom got the salad plus some chicken to go. I got a soda as well. Our bill was a whopping $27 plus tax. I'm from Cincinnati and I will rave about this place for a long time! Will be a must when I'm in town for a show!
(5)Richard P.
The truth is that I don't know the Zelma's story. I know it's this hole-in-the-wall looking diner at 10th & Shadeland on Indy's Eastside that I look at every time I drive by it and think to myself "I wonder what it's like?" Then, I keep driving. Today, I stopped. As I drove by, I saw a few cars in the parking lot and their emblazoned "Open" sign and thought to myself "Why not?" To look at Zelma's from the outside, it's reasonable to assume it's truly nothing more than your quiet little indie hole-in-the-wall diner. It's not so much that it looks dirty, it just looks completely "lived in." It looks rather outdated, charming in a weird sort of way including two pretty awesome small prints on the wall "Be Youtiful" and "Be Younique" along with a painted portrait of a family that I kind of wondered if they were the founders. Again, I have no idea because they print nothing that tells you their history and I don't believe they have a website. They are simply Zelma's. I pulled into the rather large parking lot and was pleased to find three clearly marked accessible parking spots. I climbed out and entered the restaurant through a rather easy to maneuver door and was instantly in the rather open dining area that includes a lunch counter type setting along with a few booths and tables. In this day and age where everything is jam-packed in, I found it surprisingly spacious. My server, whose name I never caught, invited me to pick any table as the place was sparsely populated. I picked a four top and checked out the menu that consisted primarily of your usual diner fare. As my friend Rick Garrett, the Tenderloin Connoisseur, had apparently not yet checked this place out I opted for what was described as a hand-breaded tenderloin sandwich. I chose it as a platter that included fries and either cole slaw, cottage cheese, or applesauce. I chose the slaw. As usual, I picked my unsweetened iced tea. The inside decor was also very outdated, yet clean and charming. It struck me as the sort of place you expect to find in a small town. There was an area where they had various novelties for sale with most items having an outdoorsy theme. There was one television (playing an actual television show). The food? It was good, but not great. The tenderloin struck me as a slightly above average tenderloin that probably was hand-breaded. I will confess that I wondered a bit if it was a fritter, but I think mostly it was a rather straightforward tenderloin. The bun was a sesame seed bun that was much like the meat and didn't really impact the sandwich good or bad. The fries were decent - they bordered on steak fries, but the order struck me as a tad slight for an $8.50 combo. The cole slaw was of a creamier variety - I enjoyed it, but again it was good and not great. I did get my always desired refill of iced tea. The server was friendly and helpful, though I did get the sense that this was a place where familiar faces are treated a little more warmly. As this was my first time, I didn't really get that sense of the warmth. If I were to return, I'd probably try something else on the menu such as a burger. I'd like to try one of their desserts (they offer pies and cobblers by the slice or a whole pie). I'd also survey the menu a bit more and see if maybe an actual meal satisfied me on a greater level as I'm curious about the 4-5 star reviews here and my gut is to return and try some other meals. With a meal right around $11, I was definitely satisfied. I believe the burger platter was right around $6.75 and that would give you a meal under $10. That's a definite value. I enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere. I found a couple of the customers, with whom I eventually spoke, to be a delight. It may not end up being one of my favorite spots, but it's definitely a place I'd return to when I'm in the mood to chill out and have a decent meal at someplace different. As an added perk, Zelma's is open 24/7. However, I'll openly admit it's not exactly a neighborhood I'd be inclined to hang out in at 3am. Then again, neither is the one where I live!
(3)Emily H.
So good! A perfect diner hamburger and fries. Yum yum!!! My friend and I ate burgers for just about what you'd pay for fast food.
(5)John S.
Breakfast at Zelma's isn't Tiffany's but it is the best breakfast in Indy. It is a wonderful reminder of small restaurants in rural Southern Indiana. Bacon bacon bacon and eggs with old fashion hash browns.
(4)Kasey L.
I can't believe we've lived so close for so long and never tried Zelma's! After being super indecisive about dinner tonight, we decided to head over and check it out. On a weekday night around 8pm, there were a handful of other parties there. It seems like this is a hang out spot for local police officers, which is fine by me! Probably the most excellent part of this experience was the service. The woman working who was acting as the hostess/waitress/cook/cashier was completely delightful, which got my attention even more than it usually would considering how busy she clearly was. Seriously...de-light-ful. I was also super impressed at how clean the restaurant was. I expect/tolerate a certain level of grunge at a diner, but other than maybe needing a fresh coat of paint, this place was spotless. The grill (which is right in front of you) was clean, everything was being refrigerated, and when I peeked back into the prep kitchen on my way to the (clean) restroom, everything looked great back there, too. I ordered a combo special of: 3 eggs, 4 slices of bacon, hashbrowns, wheat toast, and a "small" apple juice. This combo was...$6.75. Holy smokes. I finished everything on my plate, including my bacon which was cooked crispy just as I requested it. My toast even seemed better than average toast! My small juice was in a 12oz glass, which is not small at all. I cleaned my whole stinkin' plate. If we want to talk about diner stereotypes, it wasn't even that greasy. The food is all made fresh (like, I watched her crack my eggs), although some of it was originally frozen (like the yummy hash browns). I'm OK with that, considering the price and how delicious it ended up being. My husband got a similar combo for a similar price, so we ended up spending $20 on two huge meals, tax, and a generous tip. We will most certainly be back to Zelma's. There were several other things on the menu that I want to try including the broasted chicken and the cobbler! It looks like they frequently have Groupons, so keep your eyes peeled! 5 stars well deserved.
(5)Jim B.
Okay....I am giving this place 4 stars because the food was great! I visited at 2:30 AM on Sunday, April 27th! Seriously..we were with 3 local people and we arrived first. Just a few cars in the lot. It seems suspicious to us to find a place open late at night that is not busy at bar closing time. We waited until our 3 friends came to enter and we chose a table near the jukebox, because it would accommodate all 5 of us. I will say that the upholstered chairs were horribly dirty and stained..but sometimes...we all venture out to a place that are not super nice, but has great food. So..for me...I would call this place a "greasy spoon", but don't consider that to be a slam..as it's not. The waitress was a hoot. Yes, she was stressed..she was loud, she was talking to tables on one side of the restaurant from the other side. But..underneath that rough exterior..she was a very caring person. From what I gather..they are not used to being busy at night (though I don't understand why they aren't). She was the only server..but there really weren't that many tables of customers and yet, she was a bit overwhelmed. So..yes, we got there at 2:30 in the morning...we didn't get out till about 4:30. One cook..one server..but...great food! They had an all you can eat biscuits and gravy special that came with hash browns for $6. Myself and one of our friends ordered that. Trust me..one plate was plenty and it was very good! When the waitress realized we weren't going to have a reorder..she said it would be less, since the all you can eat was more expensive than just one order. One friend got the cheese omelet with pancake and hash browns, the other got the western omelet (wow!) with hash browns and a pancake. My partner got the big breakfast and everything on it was excellent. Okay..not the fastest place..not the most glamorous place..but we had fun chatting while our server was running around and the prices were great for what we got. I do think we'll hit this place up again in the future.
(4)Diana A.
We weren't just disappointed, we were ENRAGED! We went there today, Mother's Day, about 3 pm.There were some large tables in one half of the diner, maybe 5 had customers sitting at them, we were the only customers on the other side of the restaurant. Most of the tables in the place were empty, I heard a waitress say they'd been busy that day but when WE came in, 1 waitress was covering the busy half , 3 waitresses were doing clean-up duty in our half, and the rush was well over. The busy waitress brought us 2 drinks and promptly forgot about us. After 10 minutes, I had to go up to the counter and ASK for someone to take our order. We get our order, with a piece of pie supposed to come after we were done, but after we finished our meal, we were again totally ignored. No pie, no waitress, no bill, no nothing. I again had to go to the counter and ASK for a to-go box and our bill, & I asked them to take the pie off since no one ever got around to bringing it. I admit to ranting about how we were totally ignored by staff who were doing nothing but standing around talking-I was mad and rightfully so! They told us not to worry about paying and apologised, but despite that, we won't be going back. A good business does NOT ignore customers! Needless to say, no tip was left! We should have known to stick with Harold's Steer-Inn, where a great meal is always guaranteed, rather than go to an unknown.
(1)Kevin F.
Nice little diner. Inexpensive but good uncomplicated food. Friendly neighborhood atmosphere.
(4)Bryan G.
The smell of bleach overpowered us. The sloppy joe was scary. The deserts were a cross between jello and plastic and tasted like paper mâché. The wait staff argued the whole time and the arguments extended to phone conversations. Dirty. Smelly, and in chaos, management needs to re-train and revitalize immediately.
(1)Tina W.
Unassuming little restaurant. Friendly staff. I came at a dinner hour. Perhaps on the early side. Just a few diners in the place. I ordered a grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes (tasted as tho they were from instant, so not exactly home cooking as I anticipated) and sliced tomatoes with a side salad. It was plenty to eat, nothing fancy, but I won't complain. My dining partner ordered breakfast which is served 24 h/day. Definitely the most bang for the buck. I didn't get a chance to get a picture before the 2 eggs and half the sausage was eaten but the generous portion of hash browns and dinner plate size pancake made for a huge meal for a mere $6.25. We will be back for breakfast in the near future.
(4)Jenna J.
Wonderful place to have good breakfast food at any time of the day/night. Open 24 hours, great service. My family and I eat here at least 3 times a month, we love it!
(5)Chris L.
This is the GO TO place for breakfast!! I haven't eaten any other meals here YET. But, I have had breakfast here 3 different times and each time I leave excited about the next time I come. The food is the way it ought to be; hot, fresh, and cooked with the customers enjoyment in mind. The decor is simple and not some upscale, "try to fool ya" kind if place. I am sure you will not be disappointed eating here!
(5)Cyd C.
Great service, special orders no problem and awesome sirloin burgers. Open 24/7
(4)Kathy R.
we have ate at Zelma for breakfast and dinner I think they are all great try the specials they are great .Breakfast served 24 hrs .Great value .
(4)Ryan L.
My wife and I couldn't decide what we wanted for dinner the other night and Zelma's was thrown into the mix. We'd never been before and it seemed like as good a time as any to try it out. I was skeptical, mostly because it's a diner that's open 24/7 off of Shadeland. Honestly I was expecting it to be bad and went in with pretty low expectations, but it was actually a really pleasant experience. The restaurant is clean (outdated, but still spotless), our hostess/waitress/chef/busser/ cashier (all the same person) was really friendly and attentive, and the food was cheap and delicious. I had a 3 egg omelette with ham, home fries, and toast for something like $7. The omelette was completely loaded with ham. You can watch the preparation of all of the food behind the counter. Her timing was excellent, both of our meals were finished at the exact same time just as the toast popped which she promptly slathered in buttery goodness. I cleaned my plate, was completely stuffed and satisfied. My only regret is that I didn't leave room for dessert which looked great. When we got home we promptly bought a Groupon for our next visit, which I'm sure will be soon.
(5)Aley U.
My boyfriend has talked about Zelmas countless times. So he finally decided to take me today. Upon approaching, it looks like a hole in the wall. You walk in and has the typical diner feel. We found our seat and our waitress, who was very friendly, greeted us. She took our drink order and let us review the menu. I'm very indecisive so it took me some time. Finally, we both decided on a burger. My boyfriend got the Z Gutbuster and I got the Mac and Z. They were quite delicious! The macaroni on my burger was a delicious homestyle type macaroni. My boyfriends burger was topped with bacon, French fries, cheese and barbeque sauce. We tried each others sandwich as well and were very pleased. Finally we decided on something sweet to finish it off. There were a ton of cobbler and pie choices. We decided to go with a new type of pie: chocolate banana. It was pretty different but not too bad! The banana overpowered the chocolate and it tasted just like a banana laffy taffy! Overall, it was a great experience. Great food, nice homey and southern atmosphere, and a warm smile from a great waitress. :)
(4)Ashley S.
This hole in the wall diner has the best 3am home cooked breakfast you'll find in Indy! The breakfast combo is $8.25 and you get 3 eggs, ham/bacon, hash browns, pancake, 1/2 order of biscuits / gravy, coffee and juice!!! It's big enough to split. The service is fast and the food comes out SUPER fast. The decor is outdated and from the outside it seems a little sketchy but this place always is welcoming and satisfying.
(4)Avalon D.
i ate here with my dad and i saw a huge living cockroach on the ground under a table just walking around. do not eat here. it's filthy. there's never just one cockroach.
(1)Leah L.
We are from out of town, and used yelp to find a place for breakfast. Zelma's is exactly what you want for breakfast food. Tasty and filling. The service was great and everyone was really nice. I'd come here again.
(4)