5 Restaurants You Have To Try On Your Next Trip To Fort Wayne, According To Reddit

One of the best ways to find scrumptious dining spots in a new city is to ask the locals. After all, they know the area and have the best tips. If the Midwest city of Fort Wayne, Indiana (which has one of the lowest costs of living in the country) is on your radar, you have a lot of choices according to Reddit. This city is full of restaurants with great cocktails, delicious burgers, farm-to-table offerings, Mexican favorites, and more. Using Reddit comments, we rounded up five spots where locals recommend spending your hard-earned cash on some of the city's most delectable meals. (See more on our methodology at the end.)

Less than two hours from America's cleanest city, South Bend, Fort Wayne is easy to get to if you're looking to visit. The Fort Wayne International Airport is around 19 miles away, and if you don't have a car, you can take the Line 8 bus, which takes around 30 minutes to get to downtown. After you indulge in some local favorite eats, you can burn it all off with a stroll through Lakeside Park's rose garden and walking paths, take in a show at the charming Embassy Theatre, or visit the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, no matter the weather. 

One spot that locals on Reddit consistently rave about is Bravas, a Spanish-inspired restaurant. In a post about must-visit restaurants on Reddit's r/fortwayne, it's mentioned quite a few times, with one person suggesting the burgers. It's also praised in a "can't-miss" restaurants post, with one Redditor shouting out the patatas. In fact, the patatas bravas are the reason Bravas opened in the first place. The founders wanted to bring Fort Wayne a taste of the sauce from the dish that they fell in love with while visiting family in Spain each year.

These days, the patatas bravas is, of course, on the menu. However, the sauce is also featured on the Bravas Dog, a Vienna beef dog that adds potato sticks in tribute to the original dish, as well as chili sauce. You can order mouthwatering burgers like the Cherry Bomb, a smash burger with lettuce, onion, cherry pepper relish, bacon jam, ranch, and white cheddar cheese, or dine on croquetas de jamon, which are Spanish fritters made with a jamon béchamel, breaded and fried. Then there are the Dirty Fries, which have smash burger crumbles, griddled onions, cheese sauce, and special sauce. 

Don't let the restaurant's website fool you. While, at the time of this writing, it says it closed the old location and is awaiting opening the new one, it just hasn't been updated. Bravas has, in fact, opened two doors down at 3416 Fairfield Avenue in Fort Wayne. There are long lines every weekend, so it's worth calling ahead. It's closed on Mondays.

If you're looking for a romantic location, Reddit says it should be Copper Spoon. It's mentioned in a post on dating where several people recommend it for the drinks and the romantic atmosphere. The low lighting in particular gets noticed, as well as "some wonderful surprises" on the menu. The drinks are also mentioned in the can't-miss restaurants post. Additionally, it's listed as the No. 1 choice for Fort Wayne restaurants on Tripadvisor. Copper Spoon uses locally sourced food and has events such as classes and dinner tastings to explore. It was given the Pin of Excellence in 2025 from The Pinnacle Guide and an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator, among other awards and mentions. There are over 130 cocktails in addition to the wine and spirits menus. (Speaking of spirits, take a look at this epic menu if you're wondering about choices. You may need the prep time to choose.)

The food offerings will make your mouth water, with salt cod fritters; steak tartare; and a double smash burger with cheese, pickles, lettuce, tobacco fried onions, and peppercorn sauce on a brioche honey bun, served with patatas and aioli. You can try the 14-ounce bone-in pork chop or ribeye and even vegan pasta. If that isn't enough, you can finish off your meal with pomegranate crème brûlée; grapefruit olive oil cake; or honey mascarpone cheesecake with butterscotch bark, tahini caramel, cocoa meringues, and an oat crust. There are, of course, after-dinner drinks as well.

Another spot that Reddit's r/fortwayne loves on the higher-end side is the farm-to-table Tolon, with one person in the can't-miss restaurants thread saying, "Tolon is just flat out amazing," and another calling it "top notch." It's also recommended for date nights, and the festive mural on the wall will certainly give you something to talk about. The restaurant was opened by Matthew and Nicky Nolot and focuses on fresh, local ingredients. Tolon is mentioned as one of the Best Restaurants in Travel + Leisure's 2026 write-up on the city, which highlights menu items like the duck fat frites and espresso-rubbed steaks and suggests ordering cocktails.

At the time of this writing, dishes include the duck fat frites with duck egg and basil aioli plus smoked sea salt; crispy pork belly burnt ends with white barbecue sauce, candied jalapeños, and a cornbread waffle; ribeye with a signature umami rub, bone marrow bordelaise, duck fat and garlic herb frites, and a foie gras butter; Creole salmon; and a duck and mushroom risotto. Dessert includes the evocatively named Buttered Popcorn Pot de Crème with a caramel sauce and fleur de sel, and caramel apple cheesecake with a salted-pretzel crust. There is also a solid wine list and creative cocktails like Lady & Chef, with James Catcher's rye, pear cordial, lemon juice, egg white, aromatic bitters, fresh basil, and a lemon wheel. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday.

If Mexican food is the cuisine that makes your mouth water, r/fortwayne suggests you check out Birrieria La Cabaña. Posters on the must-go restaurants thread have high praise for the food, with one person posting, "This place is GOATed!!" while another says, " ... they have some of the best goat birria and quesobirria tacos I've had in town. They also do birria ramen." Yet another mentions the birria pizza. The can't-miss thread posters also say it has some of the best food in the city, with praise for the food and service. In fact, there's a whole separate post in r/fortwayne specifically dedicated to discussing how good Birrieria La Cabaña is.

One of the restaurant's best-selling dishes is the birria pizza, which consists of flour tortillas with cheese, a choice of meat, onions, and cilantro, and it's enough to serve two to three people. The menu also features the quesabirria with three crispy barrio tacos covered in melted cheese. You can indulge with carne asada fries; tacos doraditos; and birria sliders with melted mozzarella cheese, onions, and cilantro. To wet your whistle, try the agua frescas, as well as Jarritos Mexican sodas. Birrieria La Cabaña has delivery and takeout if you want to treat yourself to a streaming marathon at home with your meal. It's closed on Mondays.

For our final pick, local Redditors praise Chance Bar again and again as a fantastic place to dine in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One person on the must-go restaurants thread says, "The food is always interesting and really good. ... It can be as casual or fancy as you want it to be. Its a one of a kind place." A can't-miss restaurants poster says you shouldn't let the name make you think it's a dive bar, calling it "one of the best farm to fork fine dining restaurants around. DO IT! You won't regret it."

Founded by Corey and Amy Bowers, who have Chicago restaurant roots, Chance Bar has daily offerings in addition to the menu that are curated by the in-house chef. You can check out the latest offerings on the restaurant's social media or by calling directly. The restaurant has a rotating menu, but at the time of this writing, you can try dishes like Pequash Farms deviled eggs with caramelized sweet potato and maple bacon; Skuna Bay salmon with crispy skin, creamy Indiana corn grits, dill salsa verde, and pickled quinoa; a Wood Farms double bacon cheeseburger; and pork and beans with pork belly, Hoosier pork-braised white bean, savory cranberry jam, and pumpkin cornbread. Desserts include brioche bread pudding, peanut butter pie, and no-bake cheesecake. Finally, if you want to escape Fort Wayne's urban bustle after your meal, you can drive less than an hour away to explore the Ouabache State Park and maybe even spot some bison.

To find the best restaurants that you should try on your next (or first) visit to Fort Wayne, Indiana, we did some digging on Reddit's r/fortwayne. We looked at a post on the best must-visit restaurants in Fort Wayne to see what most people were recommending and why. We checked out another post asking for dining ideas for a business trip to the city, and many of the same restaurants stood out. We also looked at a post that asked for a romantic date night spot, and we narrowed down our top five based on which spots were recommended again and again. In addition, I spoke to two friends who live in the city, both of whom had dined at some of these restaurants. We also researched each restaurant's website, which are linked above, to check out the vibe and current culinary offerings.