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    Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe

    4.6 (67 reviews)
    InexpensiveGrocery, Cafes
    Open 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe Photos

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    CLEO’S BODEGA & CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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    Sujal M.

    For those who know Indy know of the racial divisions when it comes to the neighborhoods, beyond the 38th street change. Areas within the city where there are food desserts- no large grocery stores or even mini markets that can provide that neighborhood with a sense of being in the forefront of that grocery store's thinking. Cleo's Bodega is in near NW/Riverside, just off MLK drive. Like the the bodega's in NYC, it's both a market and a restaurant. With an array of vegan smoothies and trap sandwiches (which seem to be maybe just grilled cheese), Cleo's offers something for plant-based folks. I got the Beginner's Luck and Avocado Twist smoothies. The ambiance inside is one of community but also affirmation of Black pride, pride in creating in something unique in an area that frankly is pretty bleak. The smoothies were fresh and tasted decent (7.5/10). There is offstreet parking, and while I didn't check out the grocery store part- I'll try to next time I decide to get a smoothie. Cleo's Bodega- a nice thing for Riverside.

    Jennifer M.

    What a gem! This place combines corner store with neighborhood café effortlessly. The staff is super friendly and patient, making you feel welcome. The food is affordablypriced and tastes great. The smoothie was a favorite! When you finish enjoying your goodies, head over to the grocery side and grab some fresh produce. Nothing like enjoying yourself, cooking your belly and grabbing healthy sides for home cooking, all while giving back to the local neighborhood.

    Foggy C.

    My mother and I needed some fuel before we ran some errands and Cleo's bodega was on our route. We've been here before and like always the cafe was clean, bright, and playing nonstop bangers. My mom got coffee and I got a surprisingly delicious smoothie. The cashier was friendly and speedy when it can to retrieving our order. Before we left we decided to get a bean pie which was amazing! One day I'll have to try their hot meals.

    Cafe interior.
    Yiesha B.

    We loved that it's a community grocer selling fresh produce and other necessities that are needed. The cafe has a great vibe and it had a very diverse clientele. Very clean and warm environment. The staff was friendly and the coffee was really good! If you're in the area definitely support Cleo's! They also have a lot of FREE community resources that you can check out.

    Iris F.

    First time here and I am upset that I am so late. I have been missing out! Energy here was amazing, everyone that helped me with my order was nice. I even had a conversation with some other customers which is cool. It felt so authentic like a true neighborhood bodega! I had raspberry hibiscus tea and this sandwich called the Island Curry. I don't think I've tasted anything like it. It was small but that was ok. Let me say, it reminded me of a sandwich I would make myself after I got home from school. So because it was on the smaller side I just ordered another one. It was chipotle pepper sauce, cilantro Chef Oya's trap butter and Turkey. Man! I can not wait try another sandwich and get a smoothie next time.

    Ro W.

    Do I recommend this place? Yes, yes, and YES. I had an event this morning in their restaurant area which was closed at the time. By the time we wrapped up the workshop, they were opening. They offer vegan cheese and bread. I'm not sure if you heard me. They offer vegan cheese and bread. I just had the best grilled cheese that I've had in a long time. I also ordered a Cleos Frappuccino. Chef's kiss. While waiting, I explored the grocery store and found some chips and candy from my childhood. I totally lost control. Both the store and restaurant were clean. Great customer service. My food and beverage were made to order. I cant wait to go back. They open at 7:30a for breakfast. If you're in the area, make sure to stop by.

    That Other Sandwich
    Faren J.

    I'm a little hesitant to post this because it's one of my go to spots and I'm not sure I want to share, but they do to go orders Whether I need a change of scenery to work or am meeting friends for lunch, Cleo's is always at the top of the list. The vibes are great and you're bound to make a new friend. Choose from a signature Trap Grilled Cheese made with Trap Buttah from Chef Oya. My personal favorite is That Other Sandwich (it has sundried tomatoes!) but all of them are delicious. You also have to get a fresh smoothie since you're there. You can also choose from the intentionally crafted blends or create your own. I recommend Higher Vibration or Feel Good Sunrise add spinach. Finally, there's a robust coffee menu: hot, cold, basic, fancy. Or tea. Whatever you like there are options. Parking is plentiful and you can stop at the bodega that's connected to the cafe to pick up groceries before you head home.

    Schárvín W.

    Nice little Cafe just west of downtown. Friendly, down to earth folks. A nice variety of Smoothies ( I got the Halle Berry, delicious), desserts, snacks, and sandwiches. Enjoyed the conversation and watching them plan on things they can change/ improve upon to provide the best possible experience for visitors. It's also a nice small event space for poetry, music shows. I'll be back often.

    Vegan baked goods
    Nicole H.

    I've been meaning to go since they opened in 2019 but I'm not in the area a lot and then the pandemic hit...anyways I finally went this week! The hype is well-deserved. Step inside the cafe and it's so cute - nice layout with a good amount of seating but feels spacious. Excellent art adorns the walls. Free WiFi. Even better? A great patio that has a lot of tables. Folks are friendly and the food is good. I loved my "the other sandwich" which is a pesto grilled cheese. It was smaller than I expected (I don't get grilled cheese often but at Lincoln Square and they use giant candy thick bread). This is just two regular bread slices. But it tastes great! I just want to share so folks aren't surprised. Honestly I was full after my sandwich and 1/2 the smoothie. Speaking of the smoothie, I got the Westside. It was good! Preparation only took like 5-7 min, so quick service. Chill vibes. I will definitely return! They also have coffee and lots of baked goods, so many options!

    Lunching at Cleo's super excited to try!!
    Cierra L.

    Now listen!! I came back in town and was excited to try! The whole vibe I LOVED! The menu and smoothies.. I LOVED! And y'all.. we got to eat and enjoy some live music. It was so relaxing! Now i had got that shredded beef sandwich .. yes Lord! The bun was soo soft! and i got the "West side" smoothie oh double yes Lord!! i most definitely would recommend! And they had people out there selling FRESH veggies! I LOVED IT ALL! The customer service was amazing and it's black owned! Yes I'd recommend!! I'll be back whenever i am back home

    OG garlic grilled cheese.

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    2 years ago

    Love Cleo's, food selection is healthy. It's a wonderful gathering place. It's critical to our neighborhood.

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    1 year ago

    Amazing coffee selections with cool names to go with them. Any sandwich or salad is perfect for lunch!

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    2 years ago

    Great community spot! I got a smoothie and then read outside for an hour and it was really nice. Check it out!

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    1 year ago

    Good people, smooth vibe, and tasty food. A great place to patronize locally. I just wish they had a bigger menu.

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    Kroger

    Kroger

    3.1(77 reviews)
    1.9 miMile Square
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    Just wanted to say that the Kroger's downtown Indianapolis on East Michigan Street is one of the…read morebest of all the Kroger stores that I've ever shopped at the staff is friendly the store very very clean , the woman that normally works the self checkout stations , is very friendly she seems to go above and beyond the normal standards of an employee the manager she's very helpful very friendly also the lady that runs the customer service area is also very friendly and very helpful. I enjoy shopping there I've been shopping there for quite some time now. Only thing I don't like is sometimes they don't have the electric carts so I try to shop early in the morning so maybe I can get electric cart. So if you ever in the neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis stop by Kroger's on East Michigan Street they have great values great products or you're not shopping just stop by and tell them what a great and wonderful job they're doing. I definitely give this store location of Kroger's five stars and two thumbs up in my review. I don't have any pictures to post and maybe next time I'm shopping there I'll take some pictures and get the names of the employees that are very friendly and edit my post and my review.

    I read some of the other reviews and I guess I went at good times because I didn't see any homeless…read morepeople and the employees were very nice. Came here to see if they had Luna bars and was very happy when I found them. And they were on sale 4/$5 which was even better. Great deal!! I also wanted something sweet and ended up with this chocolate tres leches style cake. Never had anything like this before and it wasn't bad. Not sure if I like all the liquid but I did like the flavor. And it was only 200 calories. If you've never had a cake like this I would definitely recommend trying it. And they had other flavors if chocolate isn't your thing. Would also recommend going to the customer service desk and signing up for a Kroger card so you can get the sale items. Only takes a few minutes to fill out the paper.

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    Needler's Fresh Market - Hot foods

    Needler's Fresh Market

    3.3(147 reviews)
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    Who the heck knew that there is a Needler's in downtown Indianapolis? Apparently, everyone except…read moreme. I guess this used to be a Marsh, before all of the Marsh stores closed. So all of the old reviews that mention Marsh don't apply to this newer store, now called Needler's Fresh Market. I don't know -- I think Needler's is pretty good! It has a little bakery on site (Lemon's Bakery Cafe), which has hot food and baked goods, with seating by big windows that overlook Mass Ave. Beyond the cafe, the rest of the joint is a small grocery store. You'll find a modest produce section with fresh-looking greens and fruit and things. They sell house-made hummus and sushi. The wine section is abysmal, but I did find a bottle of one of my cheapie low-key favorite bottles of Malbec here, so I picked that up. The dried ramen section is also better than it needs to be. The prices seem to be about the same as Kroger and other grocery stores. Checkout was quick and there were several registers open. The only thing is that I entered through the cafe and exited by the registers, so I got a little turned around once I exited. Keep in mind that you can only enter/exit through the cafe at certain hours. They lock that door after a particular time. (I think it's 5 or 6 p.m.)

    well, I love Needler's, I've been going to this downtown location for many, many years now!…read moreNeedler's is a very convenient fresh market store, that I consider it being the better market! better then Kroger's, Preston's say way, and Myers! its just a expensive market Thank you Mr. Anthony L. Hampton Sr.

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    Saraga International Market

    4.1(214 reviews)
    3.2 mi
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    Kroger could never. You can find things at Saraga that you can't find anywhere else in Indy, and…read morefor that, I love this international grocery store. That said, this is not my favorite Saraga. (My favorite Saraga is the one in Castleton.) This Saraga is a little grody, to be honest. But how can you hate on a grocery store that exists in Indianapolis with such an abundance of food from all around the world? Overall, I am so glad this place is here. I visited Saraga not knowing what I was looking for, but was quickly drawn to the Japanese snacks aisle. I saw lots of different flavors of Ramune (that Japanese marble soda), which is my children's favorite, and Pocky, my favorite. Then I went to the seafood aisle and looked at the fish swimming in the aquarium below their unlucky brethren who had been filleted and arranged in the display case. Then I walked to the Mexican food aisle and saw many kinds of Mexican candy. The frozen food aisle had lots of different things, from Indian samosas to Korean vegetable pancakes. The meat aisle is hardcore. But, that's to be expected at an international grocery store. Be prepared to see pig snouts and chicken feet packaged next to less offensive, ambiguous red hunks of meat. This is the place to get bulk rice and beans, imported snacks and produce that you can't find anywhere else, like yuca root and plantains. I love Saraga in general, and this one is good and important to this part of Indy.

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    Saraga International Market - Oh boy

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    Broken rice. Oh no.

    Meijer

    Meijer

    3.2(112 reviews)
    4.3 miSoBro
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    Actually, the whole shopping trip was pretty good and there was a wait in line, but it wasn't too…read morebad. However, I was waiting in line 12 and a child in front of me dropped some coins and was paying for his own cookies. His mother was in front of him, so I helped him try to find his coins and so did she, and there was only one person behind me. Everything moved along relatively smoothly, but when I got up to the register, and the mother and son had left the cashier who is an older lady wanted to complain to me about the woman that her son taking too long and moving in the way, and having their cart still there whatever I told her twice that it was not a big deal and that I didn't care about the weight, but she wanted me to join in with her in demeaning this customer that was before me. It really put a bad taste in my mouth because she was neither pleasant nor kind. I expect a lot more from the cashiers at Meijer because I've never had this experience before, but I was in a really good mood because it was New Year's Eve and she really soured the moment. How rude.

    It has been nearly nine years since my original review of this Meijer location, an eagerly…read moreanticipated arrival for me as a longtime fan of Meijer. An updated review is long overdue. First off, the anticipated battle between Wal-Mart and Target has been a non-starter. All three still co-exist within about a mile or so of each other with Target, in particular, blossoming with the growth of Glendale Town Center. While my original review was for opening weekend, this review is now several years in with hours changed, staffing patterns established, and a sense of the mundane established. ADA still tends to be fine (and slightly better than Target in my opinion. The Ben's Pretzels that was here is long gone. The South Bend Chocolate Company spot that was planned never came to be. The area where you can buy pizza is a small dining area at the back of the store with a few tables and a vastly reduced selection. The pharmacy here is still a highlight. I've always appreciated the staff - something I can seldom say about the rest of the store. As a chain, Meijer has a long history of hiring people with disabilities and frequently for more than being a doorway presence. In the battle of the three major stores (Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer), there's no question Target's the winner. I primarily head to Meijer for certain items, for pharmacy (I don't care for CVS pharmacy, a Target partner), and for ice. I also head here because the accessible parking is superior to Target and Meijer has small carts that are easier for a wheelchair user to manage. Customer service? Clearly a Target win. It's not even close. Even at opening, Meijer fell short and it's only gotten worse here. Last night, I visited Meijer in search of a few items. I can almost never find help to reach an item. Customer service continues to carry on personal conversations in lieu of serving people. The self-serve check-out is nearly always unreasonably long. Actual check-out lanes are typically 2-3 available with ungodly long waits. As an ostomy wearer (if you don't know, you probably don't want to), mine actually popped last night because I was in line so long waiting. Seriously. Seriously inexcusable. I live about 2 miles and five minutes from this location. I frequently get in my car and drive all the way to McCordsville because that location is better staffed, friendly, has greater selection, and is immensely cleaner. I realize it's newer, but it's actually been a while and I consistently have a better experience. Yes, I know McCordsville is a small town. Yes, I know 56th and Keystone is a bit rougher area (as evidenced by the fact that security and/or IMPD is consistently a presence here). But, really? If you're going to have this location why not show some pride in it? My feelings of "meh" have given way to feelings of embarrassment to the Meijer chain for this location. I should not have an ostomy pop because I've waited in line for so long trying to check out. The cashier? Perfectly fine (I do tend to view Meijer employees as Stepford employees...incredibly robotic and devoid of personality). Am I done here? Probably not. It's too convenient. However, more and more I'm giving my hard-earned dollars to Target and/or making the trip to McCordsville. This area deserves more than a dirty and under-staffed Meijer with a worse selection. I absolutely want Meijer to continue to be here - I just want this Meijer to be representative of the best of Meijer instead of the worst.

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    Cleo’s Bodega & Cafe - grocery - Updated September 2026

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