Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in Northwest Indiana

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in Northwest Indiana? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Nisi Greek Taverna

4.9

4.9 (584)

$31 to $50

Greek

Schererville, IN

About the restaurant

Modern Greek Cuisine. Opened up by Greek Master Chef Pandelis Vouros. Book today!

Top review

Ruth

Dined on Jun 21, 2025

Everything was just perfect! From the moment we arrived! Food and drink were both delicious! Phoebe was the best. Saw to our every need even before we said a word.

Lighthouse Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (1470)

$50 and over

American

Cedar Lake

About the restaurant

Nestled on the shores of cozy Cedar Lake, Lighthouse Restaurant welcomes residents, visitors, and boaters with its beacon of great food, fun, and friends. Surrounded by windows, diners enjoy the scenery of the water while savoring cuisine that is found nowhere else in the region.
Voted BEST IN THE REGION for Steakhouse, Seafood, Fine Dining, and Wedding Venue!

Top review

Tim

Dined 4 days ago

Excellent food, beautiful lakeside view, expert and attentive service and overall wonderful experience!

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Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Merrillville, IN

4.6

4.6 (4643)

$30 and under

American

Merrillville, IN

About the restaurant

Experience the perfect fusion of award-winning wines, Napa-style tasting rooms, and modern casual dining at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. Enjoy contemporary American cuisine influenced by international flavors from our scratch kitchen. Each dish is expertly paired with our selection of wines for the best food and wine match. Whether you explore the tasting room for a pre- or post-dinner adventure or join the world's largest wine club, we believe in the power of food and wine to create lasting connections. Dining reservations are highly recommended, but walk-in guests are always welcome on a first-come, first-serve basis. Gluten-free and vegetarian dishes are available.

Top review

Diane

Dined 6 days ago

Our server Julia is great she has helped us several times and I’m always happy when we are at one of her tables

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Popular dish

Classic Tomato Bruschetta

Popular dish

Drunken Shrimp

Experience

Brunch & Bubbles | Saturdays & Sundays 10am – 2pm

Goblin & The Grocer

4.6

4.6 (346)

$30 and under

American

Michigan City, IN

About the restaurant

The Goblin & The Grocer is a restaurant, market & take away built to be an inviting year-around lake retreat & respite. As hosts we are passionate about serving thoughtfully prepared, locally sourced food & drink with a unique combination of service that is knowledgeable, friendly & laid back.
We are proud of our Award Winning Bloody Mary's, Brunch with Bottomless Mimosas & Farm to Table Menu!
Dog Friendly Patio & Best Wine List this side of Texas!

Top review

DanVIP

Dined on Jun 19, 2025

Food & service were fantastic. Very accommodating

Root & Bone - Chesterton

4.6

4.6 (76)

$31 to $50

Southern

Chesterton

About the restaurant

Soul nurturing, conscientiously sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. A craftsman’s ethic coupled with artistic culinary thought. A tribute to the timeless recipes and traditions of a rural America and the warm embrace of its hospitality.

Top review

Walker

Dined on Jun 24, 2025

A great culinary gem in a small town. Loved the brisket meatloaf and homemade biscuits.

Coppolillo's Italian Steakhouse

4.6

4.6 (324)

$31 to $50

Italian

Crown Point, IN

About the restaurant

CHC Restaurant Group, the group that recently brought Rosebud Steakhouse to Munster, is excited to introduce our Italian Steakhouse concept, Coppolillo's Italian Steakhouse to Crown Point, Indiana. We will begin serving the Crown Point area on Monday, July 8, 2024 at 3:00 PM. Please call and/or make your reservations on OpenTable.

Top review

Darlene

Dined 7 days ago

Our anniversary dinner was excellent. We had the Boneless Rib Eye and the Short Rib Bolognese and our anniversary dessert was the most delicious blueberry cheesecake. Our waitress was very attentive and we thoroughly enjoyed the quiet atmosphere with the lovely background music.

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant - Schererville, IN

4.6

4.6 (385)

$30 and under

American

Schererville, IN

About the restaurant

Top review

CarlaVIP

Dined 1 day ago

I like the new restaurant but they were out of quite a few of the wine choices. We’ve been hooked on the Peach Sangria pitchers but they were out of all sangria drinks, including the Nightjar Sangria and several other fruity wines. I’ve never experienced that before. Very disappointing. Our server Sean was very pleasant. The food portions are notably smaller for a higher price point but we had a good time overall.

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Experience

Brunch & Bubbles | Saturdays & Sundays 11am – 2pm

Experience

Pop a Bottle of our Gratitude

Experience

Wine ‘O’ Clock Happy Hour | Mon-Fri 3 - 5:30 pm

Windy City Social

4.5

4.5 (132)

$31 to $50

American

Munster, IN

About the restaurant

Welcome to Windy City Social, your premier destination for vibrant, open air dining and socializing. Indulge in a menu that celebrates the spirit of Chicago with locally inspired flavors, fresh ingredients, and an inviting atmosphere perfect for casual gatherings or special occasions. Whether you crave artisanal pizzas, succulent seafood, or creative appetizers, our menu is crafted to satisfy your taste buds. Experience a unique dining atmosphere where every dish is made from scratch, expertly prepared, and beautifully presented.

Windy City Social is a part of the CHC Restaurant Group -

Top review

Stacy

Dined 5 days ago

The staff was very friendly and helpful, I’ll definitely be back

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Experience

3 Floyds Beer Dinner at Windy City Social

Rocco's Tavern

4.5

4.5 (31)

$31 to $50

Steakhouse

Michigan City, IN

About the restaurant

Place your reservation today and come join us as Rocco's Tavern! The French onion steak-burger will be instant favorites. An assortment of East and West Coast oysters will be available daily, raw or roasted. Rocco's will feature the best of the local markets including, Hebron Farms and East Side market. Guests will be able to take their home from the retail case.

Top review

Brian

Dined 4 days ago

Loved it all! Food was fantastic and service and atmosphere fun!

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse - Merrillville

3.5

3.5 (43)

$30 and under

American

Merrillville, IN

About the restaurant

Time counts at BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse. Since our humble beginnings back in 1978, we’ve continued to refine our brewhouse experience to make BJ’s a place where you can make the most of any meal. We want BJ’s to be a place where the moment you leave is the moment you plan on coming back. We pride ourselves in our craft and attention to detail. Our guests come here for our award-winning handcrafted beer. They come here for the Southern California twist we’ve put on the Chicago-style deep dish pizza. And they come here for our Pizookies®, our world-renowned dessert. But above all we know people come here to make their good times better. So in many ways we haven’t just crafted a brand, but a mindset. And our guests are the reason for this. And it’s because of them we’re continually striving to make sure every moment they choose to spend with us counts. Welcome to BJ’s, a restaurant with a Brewhouse soul.

Top review

angie

Dined on Jun 15, 2025

Our food is consistently excellent!! Pork chops, burgers and salads…and of course you can’t forget the Pazookies…

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