Picture this: 🍳 you walk into a sunny yellow building across from the University of Indianapolis, and a stranger greets you like an old friend. ✨
That is the magic of The Besties’ Table, a breakfast-and-brunch newcomer where every guest gets called a “bestie.”
Chef Tyler Williams turned a childhood dream into a buzzy south-side hotspot, and Indy can’t get enough.
How Besties Table won Indianapolis hearts
So how did a brand-new restaurant become a south-side favorite almost overnight? 🤔
The short answer: this place was years in the making.
Williams grew up in Haughville, raised by a single mom who first sparked his love of cooking.
He has wanted his own restaurant for as long as he can remember — he still keeps the menus he scribbled during seventh-grade math class. 📝
After earning a tourism and hospitality degree from IUPUI, Williams landed a corporate office job.
Then the pandemic hit, he was let go, and everything changed.
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He started selling meals straight out of his mother’s kitchen, and by 2021 he had a full-blown catering company, The Cooking Besties, named for the childhood friend who helped him launch it.
Soon he was cooking for big names like Nike, Cummins and Eskenazi, quietly building a brand Indy already trusted.
The breakout moment came at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where Williams served his hot honey chicken wings during five Pacers home games.
One night, he sold out of wings before the national anthem. 🏀
That buzz followed him straight to Shelby Street, where The Besties’ Table held its grand opening on March 28.
The debut was a frenzy — the kitchen reportedly powered through more than 200 pounds of chicken in a single weekend.
But the real secret sauce is bigger than the food.
Williams calls every single guest a “bestie,” and that warmth is exactly why people keep coming back. ❤️
Food Highlights 🍴
Ready to order? Here’s what the besties are raving about. 😋
- French toast and chicken: A clever play on chicken and waffles that swaps the waffle for golden French toast, and it’s become a fast favorite.
- Hot honey chicken wings: The dish that built the legend — sweet-and-spicy wings so beloved they sold out before the national anthem at a Pacers game.
- Traditional chicken and waffles: For purists who want the classic done right, this brunch staple delivers every time.
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- Hot honey shrimp deviled eggs: A bold appetizer that takes a humble potluck favorite somewhere sweet, spicy and totally unexpected.
- Bestie eggs: Bacon-and-chive deviled eggs that double as the restaurant’s friendly, signature namesake bite.
- Peach cobbler French toast: A dessert-meets-breakfast indulgence Williams first wowed crowds with at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Atmosphere
The vibe here is bright, green and genuinely welcoming. 🌿
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Williams painted the building a cheerful yellow and filled the interior with live plants that make the cozy space feel alive.
An overhead garage door rolls up for breezy indoor-outdoor dining whenever the weather cooperates.
Pair that with a staff that treats you like a bestie, and you’ve got brunch with a serious side of warmth.
Bottom Line
Come for the hot honey chicken wings that built a following. 🍗
Stay for the playful brunch twists, the plant-filled room, and a chef living out a lifelong dream.
Best of all? You’ll be treated like a bestie from the second you sit down.
Address: 4022 Shelby St, Indianapolis, IN 46227 📞 (317) 292-4379 🕔 Open Tue–Sun, 7 AM–2:30 PM (closed Mon)