Best pizza in Indiana

Readers nominate their favorite hometown pizza places from across the state

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Posted on Jan 24 2025 in Features

By Britt Davis

According to Statista, there are over 1,600 pizza restaurants in Indiana. At “Indiana Connection,” we asked our readers to nominate their favorite pizza places near and dear to their hearts. We received over 200 responses and 104 individually-nominated restaurants. 

We quickly learned that our readers are enthusiastic about their favorite places. Most nominations included a list of reasons why their restaurant was the best in Indiana and a description of their favorite pizzas on the menu. Some also shared fond memories of time spent at their beloved place. 

When it came to nominations, one pizza place stood out from all the rest. Be sure to check out the following pages for the list of reader-recommended restaurants. Did your favorite make the list?

The reader favorite

Kim Cole, owner of Taproot Brewhouse & Company
Kim Cole, owner of Taproot Brewhouse & Company

Taproot Brewhouse & Company, of Pierceton, Indiana, was the clear favorite of our readers, with the most nominations. Owner Kim Cole originally started the endeavor as a brick-and-mortar store for her popular business, Taproot Tees, which she founded in 2013. Cole had been selling hand-painted T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats at local farmers markets, the Shipshewana Flea Market, and in partnerships with multiple retail shops, but was ready to create a permanent business.

“I bought the building for my T-shirt business, but it’s a very big space,” said Cole. “I always wanted to own a pizza place-deli kind of thing and so I thought if I’m going to do this for my T-shirts, I’m going to go ahead and do it all the way.”

Cole took two years to get the space how she wanted it, including painting the restaurant and gift shop in bright, welcoming colors. Taproot opened in 2021. “We make great pizzas, burgers, and amazing salads. We also have beer, wine, and liquor,” said Cole.

Original pizzas and drinks

Taproot’s small pizzas are made with naan bread.
Taproot’s small pizzas are made with naan bread.

Taproot’s pizzas are a standout. They offer small pizzas on naan bread and large pizzas on traditional pizza crust. 

“Many of our pizzas are named after my specialty T-shirts,” said Cole. “Our number one specialty pizza is named after our ‘How I Roll’ T-shirt that has a bicycle on it. The pizza has country sausage gravy, with onions and our three-cheese blend. Our second most popular pizza is also our most interesting. It’s called ‘Pump Up the Jam,’ after our T-shirt with a bicycle pump pumping a bottle of jam. It’s popular at farmers markets. The pizza has homemade strawberry jam as the base, with spinach, bacon, French fried onions, and the three-cheese blend. After it’s finished cooking, we top it with a fig jam glaze.”

“We also do great taco pizzas,” Cole continued. “We have a lot of people come back for those. One of our other best sellers is our barbecue chicken pizza, and we just started making a chili dog pizza.”

Taproot Brewhous & Company
With events of all kinds and Cole’s welcoming presence, Taproot Brewhouse & Company has become a pillar of the Pierceton community.

Taproot has an extensive drink menu with something for everyone. In addition to domestic beers, a variety of hard seltzers, and hard ciders, Taproot always has over 100 craft beers available. 

“We feature Ledgeview Brewing Company from Warsaw, about 15 minutes from here,” said Cole. “We also serve Bad Dad Brewing Co. from Fairmount and some beers from Michigan. Many of the regulars enjoy Sun King.”

When it comes to cocktails, their smoked old fashioned is by far the favorite, but it wasn’t always that way.

“In this small town, people love old fashioneds,” said Cole. “When I first opened up, I had the worst old fashioned. We are on the maple syrup trail, so tour buses come through to see it. On a particular weekend, when people came in from the trail, I made maple syrup burgers, maple syrup sweet potato fries, and maple syrup cinnamon rolls. I also made smoked maple syrup old fashioneds. I probably made over 300 old fashioneds from Friday to Sunday that weekend. Later, there was a contest in Pierceton for the best old fashioned, and I won it. Practice does make perfect.”

Community driven

Taproot’s building also serves as a store for Cole’s hand-painted T-shirt business.
Taproot’s building also serves as a store for Cole’s hand-painted T-shirt business.

Many of our reader nominations said that family-friendly Taproot is a great place to hang out. Cole said that was one of her goals.

“I am from this area,” she said. “When I bought this place five years ago, this town was dying. I wanted to open up and make a difference. My whole thing is really community-driven.”

“I’ve had people who are shy or don’t have a lot of friends come in and end up sitting at a table with people they don’t know,” said Cole. “Next thing you know, they’re going out to hang out with each other outside of the restaurant. I’ve also had people who came in by themselves and met someone and eventually got married. I’ve hosted two weddings here.”

Cole hosts many diverse events at the restaurant, including Sunday painting classes, ornament making for kids, gingerbread house making, ceramics, and even bongo drum-making classes.

Friday nights are game nights for people to play euchre, dice, and board games. “I like to have programs to get the community together,” said Cole.

The proceeds from Taproot’s trivia night go to an even greater cause. “We do a trivia night the last
Saturday of every month and the money made from that goes to help Feed Pierceton.”

“I alternate with the local catholic church to help feed the community through Feed Pierceton,” said Cole. “One month, they feed people at the church, and then the next month, I feed people through the restaurant 

on a day we’re closed. We have fed over 500 people out of the restaurant. Volunteers help to make the food, and people can drive into the alley to pick it up. We also have a generous local person that donates their golf cart so we can make deliveries to people who can’t make it in to get food.”

Along with the Feed Pierceton program, Taproot supports a share and spare box in their alley. “People can bring things they’re not using,” said Cole. “Right now, we are taking clothes, hats, and socks. We also take hygiene items and non-perishable food items. That’s always available. We do fundraisers in the restaurant to help stock that.”

Cole’s generosity also extends to furry friends. She once connected a dog with his forever home, and in return, his owners named him “Rooty” in honor of the restaurant.

Taproot Brewhouse & Company is located at 130 North First Street in Pierceton and is open Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., and Sunday and Monday from 12 to 8 p.m. Come for their delicious food or an old-fashioned and stay for the community feeling. You never know — you could come away with a new friend and a new favorite place to eat.

For a list of pizza places that made the list, visit HERE.

Britt Davis is editor of Indiana Connection