Hidden bars & speakeasies in Indianapolis
Indianapolis hides 8 bars worth the hunt, including Slippery Noodle Inn, Historic Roads Hotel and The Commodore. Unmarked doors, back-of-the-laundromat phone booths, no-sign basements — speakeasies that earned the word rather than borrowing it for the decor. They spread across Downtown / Wholesale District, Atlanta, Fountain Square, Bates-Hendricks and 3 more areas, so two or three can make a whole afternoon. Every entry is hand-vetted against real sources — not scraped off a top-ten list or averaged out of crowd ratings.
-
Slippery Noodle Inn
Operating since 1850 as Indiana's oldest continuously operating tavern, this building formerly functioned as an Underground Railroad station, a Prohibition speakeasy, and a brothel. In the back room, original bullet holes remain embedded in the wall where John Dillinger and the Al Brady gang used the space for target practice.
-
Historic Roads Hotel
Built in 1893 during the Indiana natural gas boom, this Queen Anne hotel evolved from a railroad inn into a Prohibition speakeasy and brothel allegedly visited by Al Capone. Now operated for charity and public tours, it is widely investigated by ghost hunters for reports of moving antique dolls, shadow figures, and disembodied footsteps.
-
The Commodore
Hidden inside Fountain Square's historic Murphy Arts Center building behind an unmarked door near the elevators, The Commodore is a dark, plush speakeasy serving meticulously crafted cocktails.
-
The Vault Indy
Occupying a historic neighborhood building tied to local bank robber lore, this women-owned speakeasy requires a passcode entered on a keypad door for entry.
-
Wiseguy Lounge
Concealed behind a discreet back-corner door inside Goodfellas Pizzeria, this dim, mahogany-accented lounge boasts over 400 bourbon selections.
-
Verita Cocktail Lounge
Tucked into the basement beneath Bocca Italian restaurant, Verita is an intimate brick-walled cocktail den accessible via a stairwell by the host stand or a back alley door late at night.
-
The Inferno Room
One of the Midwest's most aggressively immersive tiki dens, The Inferno Room is packed floor-to-ceiling with authentic Papua New Guinea tribal carvings and glowing tropical decor.
-
Bootleggers
Located in the historic stone basement beneath The Flatiron at The Point on Penn, Bootleggers is a gritty Prohibition bunker that requires ringing a bell and giving a secret password.
Hidden bars & speakeasies in Indianapolis — FAQ
Which hidden bars & speakeasies in Indianapolis are the strangest?
Ranked by how strange they actually are: Slippery Noodle Inn, The Commodore and Wiseguy Lounge. Slippery Noodle Inn — Operating since 1850 as Indiana's oldest continuously operating tavern, this building formerly functioned as an Underground Railroad station, a Prohibition speakeasy, and a brothel.
Where in Indianapolis are they?
Across Downtown / Wholesale District, Atlanta, Fountain Square, Bates-Hendricks and Mass Ave and 2 more. Each listing gives the neighborhood and address so you can cluster a couple into one outing.
Is this a good weird date in Indianapolis?
That's what the list is built for. Every entry has a specific move rather than a vague recommendation — at Slippery Noodle Inn, for instance: Order a local craft beer and fried pork tenderloin while sitting near the rear wall to inspect the 1930s bullet holes, followed by live blues music on the main stage.
How were these hidden bars & speakeasies chosen?
An agentic research system digs for the genuinely obscure — the spots even locals miss — and every one is verified against real sources before it makes the list. We deliberately skip the landmarks already on every Indianapolis guide.