Where to Grab the Best Food & Drinks in Evansville

This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.

Evansville is a small city that should be regarded as a foodie’s paradise. There were so many unique places to grab food and drinks in Evansville, Indiana. We only wish that we could have had more room in our stomachs to try more. If you want the perfect day filled with all the best places to eat in Evansville, Indiana, this is where you absolutely need to stop.

Table of Contents

Honey + Moon Coffee Co

We started our morning at Honey + Moon Coffee. They make handcrafted espresso drinks, and specialize in bubble waffles.

Waffles made up of a bunch of tiny spheres. There are two of these bubble waffles, each on a white triangular plate. One is plain, the other is covered in cheese and bacon and eggs. Both plates have a cup of syrup. — Bubble Waffles from Honey + Moon Coffee Co.

I went for the plain and simple bubble waffles and paired it with a Honey Lavender Latte. Jason went big with a bubble waffle stacked with eggs, cheese, and bacon. We were both very happy with our decisions.

Why Honey + Moon is the best place for food in Evansville

Honey + Moon Coffee is a unique place to grab a quick bite to eat. The coffee was delicious and the food was filling without being heavy so we had plenty of energy to continue exploring and plenty of room for more food later in the day.

River City Coffee & Goods

Evansville has so many delicious coffee shops to try! I tried to limit it to just one, but it was too hard to choose. Our next stop on our Evansville food tour is River City Coffee & Goods.

This adorable coffee shop is one part cafe, and one part boutique specialty store, carrying locally made goods. They had everything you can imagine. Handcrafted mugs, funny signs for your home and office, goal planning notebooks, jewelry, souvenirs for your pets, planters, pins, the list could go on and on. This is the perfect place to shop for gifts from local makers.

A simple white coffee cup with a light green sleeve that reads "River City Coffee & Goods." The streets of downtown Evansville are out of focus in the background. — Coffee from River City Coffee & Goods.

Two grey sofa chairs sit facing each other. There is a white coffee table between them. The wall is decorated with woven baskets and floral arrangements that are for sale.

We spent tons of time looking around and buying gifts for friends. And we grabbed coffee to go to fuel our ongoing adventures in Evansville.

Why River City Coffee & Goods is the best place for coffee in Evansville

River City Coffee & Goods is one of those stores that reminds you why it’s so important to support local businesses. The items they sell directly impact many local creators and small business owners. The store itself is a small business that helps to sustain other small businesses. That, and their coffee is delicious, so what’s not to love? Support a few small businesses all at once while shopping here and keep your dollars in the local community. I grabbed a plain latte at this stop and it was fabulous.

Detour: Self.e Alley

If you’re a local of Evansville, this is the part where you raise an eyebrow. I’m talking to my Evansville visitors for this one. If you stop at River City Coffee, you’re just a short walk away from Self.e Alley, an alley of beautiful murals in downtown Evansville.

A colorful mural that reads "greetings From Evansville, Indiana." Each letter in Evansville shows a different landmark from the city. — Self.e Alley in Downtown Evansville.

I am not typically one to seek out murals while I travel (I’d rather save time for finding more cocktails) but this one was unique. More than just a positive phrase, a photo with this mural felt like a souvenir of our travels, so we stopped by to snap a few photos with it when we were in the neighborhood.

Bru Burger Bar

If you’re ready to grab a bite to eat for lunch, Bru Burger Bar has the most delicious burgers. And if you’re one of my Meatless friends, you’re absolutely going to love this place.

A dark blue, rounded building, made up of a series of tiles. Each tile is made of metal, although it gives the illusion that it is filled with air and could be deflated with a poke. The sign on the front reads "Greyhound" but on the side of the building it says "Bru Burger Bar" — Bru Burger Bar housed in the old Greyhound Bus Station in Downtown Evansville.

Bru has not one but several vegetarian burger options on the menu, which is so rare in itself. Not only that, but they occupy an old Greyhound bus station and have a ginormous patio out back for ultimate socially distanced lunching.

A vegetarian burger made with an impossible burger patty. The burger is spilling with guacamole and mangoes. there is a pile of french fries next to it. — The Hiki’ole vegetarian burger at Bru Burger Bar.

Why Bru Burger Bar is the best place for food in Evansville

This spot provides options for everyone that aren’t always easy to come by. They tackle dietary restrictions with ease and provide some solid meal options for people who are gluten intolerant or vegetarian which can be rare, especially for a burger bar. If you’re gluten-free and meatless, Bru has options for you!

Parlor Doughnuts

We consider donuts to be a dessert instead of breakfast, and if you don’t agree, I beg you to reconsider. Why? Because they’re only one breakfast, but donuts can be a breakfast-dessert, a lunch-dessert, and a dinner-dessert, so that means three times the donuts. And with Parlor Doughnuts, it’s so, so worth it. Once you’re done with Bru Burger downtown it’s time for a quick trip to the suburbs to try Parlor Doughnuts for your lunch-dessert.

The storefront at Parlor Doughnuts in Evansville, Indiana.

This doughnut shop is huge. It’s probably the biggest donut shop I’ve ever seen. And it was incredibly busy when we visited. It was very quickly apparent why… Parlor Doughnuts can easily be ranked as some of the best donuts I’ve ever had. Anywhere.

The oblong donut box from Parlor Doughnuts is longer than it is wide. It is approximately 18 inches long, but only about 6 inches wide, making for a funny but memorable donut box shape. It is held in one hand with the storefront out of focus in the background.

I would consider Parlor Doughnuts to be more in the cronut family. It has large flaky layers like a croissant, but had the delicious, creamy icing and a greasy-crisp outside like a donut. We tried a vanilla donut, a french toast donut, a s’mores donut, and a chocolate-on-chocolate donut. Jason likes his donuts chocolatey, I like mine vanilla. We both agreed that the donuts we selected were the best ones. My only regret is not trying one of everything.

Four large donuts inside an odd shaped donut box that is long and skinny. One donut has vanilla icing with rainbow sprinkles. One has tan icing, maple syrup drizzled over it, and powdered sugar on top, one is covered in chocolate icing, darker chocolate drizzle, crushed graham crackers, and mini marshmallows, the last one is a chocolate donut, with chocolate icing, dark chocolate drizzle, and chocolate chips. — Our donuts from Parlor Donuts. From left to right: vanilla, french toast, s’mores, chocolate chocolate.

Why Parlor Doughnuts is the best place for food in Evansville

Parlor Doughnuts is the best place for donuts in Evansville, it’s also arguably one of the best places for donuts in the country. I can’t wait until I can get back here and have more of these donuts. Based on the large crowds they were attracting, it seems I’m not the only one who thinks this is a must-stop donut shop.

Mo’s House Cocktail Lounge

I tried to search for a perfect dinner spot for you, but in all honesty, I ate so much throughout the day that I was still full by the time we were going to grab dinner. We opted for a cocktail lounge instead. Mo’s House was one of the top places on my list to visit in Evansville, and it really lived up to the hype.

Two faded leather chairs sit side-by-side. There are 14 tiny mirrors on the wall behind these chairs. The walls and ceilings are painted dark green. — The adorable interior at Mo’s House.

A pink cocktail in a tall glass, garnished with a lemon wheel. There is a golden metal straw in the drink, it sits on a gold table. The bar is out of focus in the background. — A delicious cocktail specially made by one of the amazing bartenders at Mo’s House.

Mo’s House was made up of a few rooms, each one was more adorable than the next. A lot of thought and care went into designing every inch of this place, and that was clear from the moment you stepped in the door.

The interior of Mo's House. Darkly painted walls and ceilings. Warm wooden floors and a beautiful hand-carved bar. There are lots of bottles on shelves behind the bar. — The coziest sitting area at Mo’s House in Evansville, Indiana.

Why Mo’s House is the best place for a drink in Evansville

The bartenders at Mo’s House are so knowledgeable about pairing flavors and made great recommendations (and off-menu creations) for me. The ambiance is relaxed and calm, it kind of feels like hanging out in your best friend’s living room…if your best friend has incredible style and is great at making cocktails, that is. There’s no better place to grab a cocktail in Evansville.

The Best Food & Drink in Evansville, Indiana

When we visited Evansville, we weren’t entirely sure what to expect. We were looking for an easy place to make a quick weekend getaway. What we found was a plethora of amazing food and drink options that made us dream of the day we’d be able to come back and try some more. Evansville is an incredibly well-kept secret, and a foodie’s paradise. You’ll only wish you had more time to try a little bit of everything.

Explore More Nearby

We paired our trip to Evansville with a trip to nearby New Harmony, Indiana. If you’re looking to extend the fun, consider checking out my post below to learn more about this small town in Southwestern Indiana.