One of my favorite spots in Fountain Square! You can definitely make it a special occasion spot, but it doesn't feel to stuffy or fancy, and you don't have to dress up or anything. I have gotten the Cacio e Pepe multiple times and it's so good it has kept me from branching out on their menu, but I'll try something new next time, I promise! We showed up around 7:30 on a Saturday night with no reservation. We waited at the bar until a table was available, which maybe took about 15 minutes. But the time passed quickly with their delicious seasonal cocktail menu. Parking in Fountain Square is always easy and free, and Maialina (Italian for "little piggy" ) is right in the heart of the neighborhood, in the floor level of the Fountain Square Theatre building. After dinner you can head upstairs to the rooftop bar to watch the sun set with a great view of the city! read more

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I came to this restaurant for my birthday a year ago and I loved the food! I came back for my bestfriends birthday (close to closing time) and a bartender invited us to sit there with them. Jordan gave us amazing service and the food was just as amazing as the first time. I love going to Malianas and look forward to going each time. My friends and I have been sitting at the bar to eat each time since because of how much we love Jordan! read more

Everything we ordered was delicious! From the caesar salad to the pasta to the chocolate cake. We would definitely recommend! In a very cute neighborhood with other cool places nearby which makes for a great night overall! read more

Maialina - Garlic Parmesan Bread - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Look no further! This place is my new fave Italian place. Get the bruschetta; it's phenomenal. The balsamic reduction is . I had the shrimp primavera. Veggies were done perfectly and the shrimp were fresh and huge! Combine that with a great server and a cool atmosphere and it's an A+ for me! read more

This is one of our favorite Italian places to go. The food is always amazing and the service is just as good. This place is always so cozy and a great place to go for a date night or night out with friends. If they ever take the whipped ricotta and fig jam bruschetta off the menu, I'll be so sad! read more

Maialina - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This was a day-of decision on Friday. We got there around 6 and they said there was a 2 hour wait but that we could sit at the bar. We picked the bar, ordered cocktails and calamari. We've been on the search for the best calamari in the city and this was definitely in our top three. It tasted fresh and hand-battered, very tender and the sauce had a slight kick to it like everything else they served us. We also ordered the Cacio e Pepe and a dish with clams. Both were delicious, but also had a little kick to them. If you like your Italian sweet and/or mild, this isn't the place to try. read more

the atmosphere & vibe of this restaurant is unmatched! it's located in such a pretty place & the decoration/lighting is so well thought out. it was my birthday & i had a reservation for 4. we had so much fun, and all our servers were nice. they even gave me a free chocolate cake with a lit candle in it. food was tasty! i got the vodka pasta, and tried the chicken parm/cacio e pepe. everything was good & the food tasted like it came from natural/fresh ingredients. definitely coming back soon! read more

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Went to Maialina for the first time during Devour Indy! It was a very good meal. I had the chicken parmesan for my main course. The appetizers were large and easily shareable with others. The location in Fountain Square is great. Inside the restaurant is quaint and great atmosphere for a night out! Highly recommend to anyone. read more

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By far, my favorite Italian restaurant in all of Indianapolis great food great service great ambience outstanding staff, impeccable quality of food. My favorite is the gnocchi. Bar drinks, atmosphere family atmosphere great together with friends and family. read more

Some of the best homemade pasta in Indy. Appetizers are fantastic. Pasta is fresh. Enough said read more

Maialina - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

What a wonderful meal we had tonight at Maialina! A quaint, casual and romantic Italian restaurant in the heart of Fountain Square! The service was really good, the ambience was quaint and romantic and the food was really fantastic! Definitely recommend this restaurant and we can't wait to return! read more

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I wanted to love this restaurant, but we made a choice that turned out not to be a good choice. My boyfriend doesn't eat cheese. So we asked if we could get the garlic parmesan bread without the parmesan. Basically, we just wanted garlic bread. The bread came out looking like they had pulled the soft part out, seasoned it and put it back in... but that wasn't the case at all... they had literally piled on garlic. To the point that it was offensive and weirdly really spicy. I scraped the garlic off the remaining pieces and it was literally a whole head of ground garlic just from 2 pieces. Everything after that just tasted like garlic. Including the mint gum i tried to cover the flavor with after dinner and ice cream i had hours later. I'm probably going to smell and taste garlic the rest of the week. Too bad because i think the dish i ordered might have been pretty good but i could literally taste nothing but garlic. It took mouthwash before bed and again the next morning to make my mouth tolerable after that experience! read more

Wow, this is one of my favorite restaurants in Indianapolis and has not disappointed each time I have visited! Its location is perfect- right around other great business to get a drink/dessert at before or after. The food is great. It is always so hard to choose what to order. They even have some drink specials during the week. The price is very reasonable for quality Italian food. The ambience is lovely as well. All of the servers are friendly and helpful. I love the Shrimp Fondue as an appetizer. The Margherita Pizza is another great option for an appetizer. My favorite entree is probably the Caico e Pepe or the Vodka. My least favorite I have ordered is the Sausage. I have two minor complaints about Maialina. One is that you have to leave the restaurant to go to the bathroom. The other is that you have to pay for break and butter. If you want bread, I suggest just buying the parmesan garlic toast. It was delicious! It is down the hallway in a more common area. Nonetheless, I am sure I will be back very soon! read more

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Taking advantage of Devour Indy menu, we visited Maialina for the first time. Wow, how they have transformed this old barbecue joint into a cozy upscale eatery. We both agreed that we should have sampled Maialina much sooner. First, this restaurant does Devour Indy the right way. They immediately give you the Devour menu with the normal menu. We have encountered way too many restaurants participating in Devour Indy where the guest "must" request the Devour menu. My wife has reviewed her amazing meal on your Yelp review. I will stick with my sensational meal. The two meatball appetizer was served steaming hot with a plump marinara sauce. The meatballs were well seasoned and larger than a golf ball. The arugula salad with lemon nvinaigrette was one of best I have had. Maybe it was the generous amount of shaved Parmesan that tickled my fancy. The hefty serving of Chicken Parmesan and side of spaghetti was again served piping hot. Although very satisfying, about 3/4 of it went home with me. This is because of the large portions of the courses. Maialina has earned a spot along with Iarias and Iozzo as our favorite Italian restaurant. read more

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Our waitress forgot to put in our appetizer order. After sitting at the table with nothing for 20 minutes, I inquired and she stared at me blankly. It finally came after our entrees were served. Salmon was good, shrimp scampi was far too heavy on the lemon and garlic - almost to the point of the pasta being inedible. Shrimp were large and nicely cooked. As others have noted, Parmesan and red pepper flakes served table-side in small plastic takeaway style containers. Not what you want/expect when paying $25 for an entree. We were hoping for more. read more

One of my favorite bites in the city comes from maialina and it's the ricotta bruschetta. Literally have stopped in just to get that before. The crunchy bread, soft cheese, honey drizzle and herb on top it is *chef kiss*. I do also love the gnocchi bolognese. I really haven't tried much else because I found a good thing and I stuck with it! Maialina is also convenient in the fact fountain square offers free parking and there are a bunch of other shops in walking distance you can visit while you are there! read more

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Loved the food and the service. The Ricotta Bruschette is a must try, the combination of flavors is the best. Both of the pastas we had were equally delicious, we switched the chicken for sausage in our Vodka pasta and it a great taste mixed with the spicy sauce. We will definitely go back soon. read more

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Yep it's us! We came here on a whim looking for something good to eat and the reviews were pretty solid about this place. The ambiance and service in here is fantastic! The food is ok, but the drinks were terrible. I'm not sure if it was specifically what we ordered but we were not fans. I can't say this place is bad though! It was cool and we had a great experience we just weren't that impressed with the food for the price. Side note though, that ricotta bruschetta was AMAZING!!! read more

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A group of friends and I visited during Devour Indy to give a new restaurant a try. Most of the group tried the devour menu, but I stuck with the basic staple, spaghetti & meatballs. Did it think it was good? Most certainly! The sauce was very good and the pasta definitely had more of a homemade, thicker type texture than some Italian restaurants. For taste, I was impressed. The service was top notch! I wish we remembered the waitresses name because she was very attentive and great personality. I would say my only drawback was the cost. it was $16 for a very small portion of spaghetti and two meatballs. We started with aperol spritz drinks, which I thought were overpriced for the area @ $12 each. My wife got the $35 devour menu and it seemed like all the courses they brought out were much smaller than normal. She was still hungry after the multiple course meal, and she is not a big eater. The food was good, but I just thought the cost didn't quite fit the area. read more

Maialina - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Absolutely loved it! Food was great and so was the service! Wasn't too busy on a Sunday but definitely make reservations for weekends as its always packed! We got the ricotta bruschetta, chicken parm, and shrimp primavera; all of which were absolutely phenomenal, we will definitely be back! read more

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Amazing food and wine! The noodles and sauce were so fresh. We had a reservation but there was only room in the bar area, which we didn't mind. read more

Maialina - Cacio E Pepe - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

The food here is really good I have been here more than a few times. Service is always a little snotty. Was disappointed that I couldn't order a half order of bread. I was dining alone. I enjoyed the pasta so much I returned with a fat but not a reservation on a Wednesday. The hostess seemed annoyed to have todo her job she was not friendly and basically turned us away there were MANY empty tables. Good food awkward experience. We did have a fabulous Italian dinner that night at another establishment that is admittedly more expensive but I do like it much better. Always top no h service and food. Great bartender. At iozzo's garden of Italy. read more

One of our favorite Italian spots in the city! We have decided the ricotta bruschette would make the cut to be our "death row" or last meal, it's so incredible! Last time we were there, they were super kind and helpful! The vibe is classy while not feeling stuffy! Highly recommend checking them out! read more

This is easily my favorite Italian restaurant in Indianapolis. Everything i have tried here has been fabulous. As soon as a you walk in, you are greeted with a cozy and dimly lighted ambiance. The inside is very big and great for bigger groups of people. Family friendly as well. To start off, their bar is great so I highly recommend ordering a drink. Next, you must start out with the Shrimp Fondue for appetizers!! It is something you do not want to miss out on. The bread has a perfect crisp against the hot, melted cheese. As for meals, some of my favorites have been the Rigatoni Rustica and Ravioli (pesto). The Rigatoni Rustica has deliciously flavored crumbled sausage within the Alfredo pasta mix. You will be so full, but want to keep eating more of it! As for the Ravioli, the pesto sauce on top is one of the most fresh and tasty pesto sauces I've ever had; it seems they must be making it in-house. Either way, you'll be wanting to lick the plate clean! I highly recommend this place for a family get together or celebration. It's the perfect ambiance with delicious food! read more

Maialina - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

It's not too intimate for how close we are to the other tables. nice if you like to listen to others conversations lol but it's def a super cute date night spot or for a great girls night!! my server was super sweet and knew the menu and what to offer. we originally order cocktails but didn't like them so we switched and ended up liking what each other order so that was nice! the food was excellent. I literally have to complaints. seasoned well, nice and hot. presentation is nice as well, I appreciate my plates being clean when they come to the table. I would DEFINITELY recommend dining here. Brava, Maialina read more

Maialina - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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What a beautiful way to resurrect and old venue. The remodel was done quite expertly. A large bar greats you as a centerpoint. The old tile floors, partially worn tiny tiles give it that flair you just cannot duplicate. Large windows all around make for a light and airy atmosphere. The menu has something for every tast and there are also daily specials. An extensive wine list and and specialty cocktails are available, as is a full bar. We started out with the garlic bread, which consisted of 3 halved slices of bread with a marinara dipping sauce. Quite yummy. I opted for Bolognese. I love Bolognese, but I am not that fond of the gnocci, which i swhat the dish called for. They were king enough to serve the Bolognese over spaghetti for me. Wonderful flavor, full with meat and clinging to the pasta. And it was a mountain of pasta. I actually had to take some home with me, and I'm a fairly big eater. Unfortunately I didn't have any room left for dessert, but my friend did and let me try a bite of her Tiramisu... OMG sooo good read more

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After hearing about this spot from some friends, I decided to finally check this spot out with a friend. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and we're not too pleased as they tasted old and we were even told this was the last batch so it felt like we got the remaining scraps. The vodka chicken pasta and shrimp pasta we tried were pretty decent and definitely huge portions to take home as leftovers. I must say however, I would definitely recommend making prior reservations for weekends as we did not have any and had to wait a few minutes for a spot to open up at the bar. Since it was a bit packed the service was a bit slow but that's understandable. Overall, I felt like my expectations might have just been too high after hearing about this being authentic italian food or perhaps ordered the wrong items on the menu and have to give it a 2nd try! read more

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An unpretentious Italian place with high-quality ingredients. I love that I can dress casually and also enjoy some incredible Italian food. We made a reservation, as this is a new, hip spot, but you can definitely also walk in. The staff were all friendly and we were quickly sat. Our server was great - efficient, funny and had good recommendations for us. I went for the Chicken Parmesan with a side of pasta (could also have chosen a side of vegetables or potatoes). You can't not get pasta in an Italian restaurant! At least that's my meter on how yummy the spot is. My friend got the Parmesan pasta, as they said that's one of the most popular dishes. It looked amazing as well! My food was great and I scarfed it up quickly. I like that the food comes out in normal portion sizes like real Italian food should. This is not a place where you'll get a plate of pasta the size of your entire body - this is a place where quality reigns over quantity and you leave feeling full, but not like you've overdone it. A lot of people were enjoying Aperol Spritzs and all we needed was the Italian coastline itself. Thanks, Maialina! I'll be back for a salad and lasagna! And the salmon... and... Last thing I'll leave you with: Maialina means pig in Italian. Show off on your future date here with that knowledge. read more

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Italian from Maialina is hard to beat. Every time we come we have to get the ricotta brushette - one of the best appetizers I've ever had! Ricotta truffle whipped ricotta with fig jam, thyme, and spicy honey! All the pasta dishes are good. Our favorites is the cacio e Pepe read more

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Excellent food and great service! Got the Gnochi and the vodka chicken, both were outstanding.

Excellent atmosphere and excellent food. Four stars as opposed to five because the MOD and the server were a tad bit over the top. Didn't ruin the meal by any means, but they need to tone it down just a bit. I'll still be back and be back soon though. read more

First time to Maialina and I'm already trying to plan the next trip! Smaller menu but it makes it easier to chose what you want. This family owned Italian restaurant has stolen my heart! We started with the Carciofi, a light, yet flavor packed app of artichokes, bruschetta and that addicting balsamic glaze. I could have ordered two! My friend and I split our entrees so we could have two tastings- highly recommend! We got the Vodka pasta and the Shrimp Primavera. I have to be honest, I'm not one of those "I could endlessly eat shrimp" kind of gals, but the Primavera has a good mix of veggies and the spices took the win over the Vodka. The serving sizes are more than one, but of course, I couldn't stop eating.. I'd go back for the primavera and like I said it wasn't even because of the shrimp. Jordan was our waitress, so if the manager finds themself reading this review I hope you give that young woman a huge thank you. She was easy to talk to and so down to earth. Im excited to come back and try more food! read more

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Really enjoyed Maialina! Visited with a large group and we had a room to ourselves. Service was very good and they were fine with everyone paying separately. The Aperol Spritzer is an excellent cocktail to start with, very refreshing. We ordered multiple appetizers including the Grilled Artichokes, Calamari and Bruschetta. All are winners. I ordered the Italian Chopped Salad and the Truffle Flatbread. I always think the quality of the salad is an indicator of how good the rest of the meal will be and this one was fresh not bagged and comes in 2 sizes so could be a meal on its own. The flatbread was tasty as well. Others ordered the Spinach Ravioli, Spaghetti, Salmon and the biggest serving of Lasagne I've seen. Everyone was very satisfied with their choices. It was nice when the manger came to check on our party and a bit odd that we had to ask him about dessert options as our waitress hadn't but no biggie. Several of us ordered the Tiramisu which was a perfect way to end the meal. Maialina's is in a great location so take a walk around after your meal and checkout some of the shops. There is free street parking and some small parking lots nearby. It's definitely worth the drive to Fountain Square to check this place out. I will definitely go again. read more

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Love this place! Pasta is delicious and you can't go wrong with any appetizer! For a busy somewhat part of town in fountain square it's always calm when I go here read more

One of our favorite places for date night! We've dined at Maialina many times pre-COVID, but this was our first time back since. All of our favorite dishes were still on the menu and just as good as we remembered. I'd been craving the Ricotta Bruschette - whipped ricotta, fig, spicy honey and thyme. I could eat the whole plate, but stopped with one piece to save room for my entree. Nonna's Meatballs are also good. The star is the sauce, especially when you dip some crusty bread in it. I had my old fave, Sausage, for dinner. It's a nice mix of spicy and light. My husband had his usual Vongole, and while he enjoyed it, thought it was a little heavy on sundried tomatoes. My only complaint is the expediting. The server and bartender were amazing, but the timing was way off tonight. My husband's soda came 10 minutes before my cocktail. Our apps came out 5 minutes apart. Our entrees were served just minutes after our apps. It wasn't terribly busy when we were there, but perhaps there was a large party causing some timing issues. Not enough of a problem to keep us from returning, but something to note. Overall, Maialina remains one of our favorite spots. We already look forward to our next visit. read more

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We have been looking for good Italian ever since we came back from Italy... we a year and a half later we found NOTHING!!! Until now! This cozy little spot did hit authentic Italian food with a vengeance! Cannot wait to go back Sorry, no pics of the pasta, we jumped that shit without hesitation read more

Maialina - Capris - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

We have been wanting to try this restaurant in Fountain Square for a while so decided to go during the Devour Indy Winterfest. We had a reservation and we're seated right away. Our server came over right away and took our drink order. She was very attentive to all our needs. The cocktails were great. I had a Halle Berry. I had an arugula salad that was very tasty. My main entree was the gnocchi bolognese. The serving size was very generous and delicious. I would definitely order it again. Be sure to order dessert with your meal. My suggestion is the Tartufo which contains gelato and chocolate with nuts-yum. read more

Maialina - Old fashion - Italian Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Food was really good and the server was awesome. It was packed, so I suggest reservations (we were there on a Saturday night). They have somewhat of a simple menu, but everything is amazing. Our table also had the meatballs, calamari, bruschetta and vodka chicken. We all loved our dishes. read more

The service was great, food was delicious and it was just a perfect experience. we have never had a bad experience at this restaurant. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming read more

Wow. This place is fantastic! I enjoyed their Devour Menu this pat weekend and can't wait to return. The atmosphere is lively and fun. The service was excellent. There is something on the menu and drink list for everyone! The devour menu included 4 courses. I chose the ricotta bruschetta, Caesar salad, cacio e Pepe and tartufo. My boyfriend chose the meatballs, arugula salad, gnocchi bolognese and tartufo. Everything was delicious. I would order all the items again. I especially loved the ricotta bruschetta and cacio e Pepe. You cannot go wrong with the food choices here. I highly recommend Maialina. I cannot wait to visit again soon. read more

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