Indiana has lost more locally loved places to eat, following another notable restaurant farewell in Evansville earlier this year. From sushi on a lively restaurant row to Southern-inspired small plates and a small-town tenderloin favorite, these departures leave some very different empty tables.
One restaurant ended nearly a decade of service in September, another announced an early-October goodbye, and a beloved diner wrapped up its run as summer ended. Each had its own reason for closing, and each gave customers something they could not find quite the same way elsewhere.
Chiba in Westfield
Chiba’s Park Street sushi restaurant closed at the end of September after serving Westfield since 2017. Owner Keith Dusko had brought experience from restaurants in New York and New Orleans, turning the Indiana location into a neighborhood destination for sushi, tropical cocktails and seafood.
Fresh fish sourced from places including Hawaii and Japan helped distinguish the menu, while Park Street’s restaurant-row setting made Chiba a stop for evenings out and celebrations. In his farewell message, Dusko thanked the community for welcoming the restaurant and for sharing family milestones over the years.
Construction on Park Street had made reaching local businesses difficult. A restaurant spokesperson described the disruption to Current Publishing, which confirmed the permanent closure. Dusko left open the possibility that Chiba might have a future elsewhere, but the Westfield dining room is gone.
Magdalena in Indianapolis
In Fountain Square, Magdalena’s owner announced October 6 as the final day for the New Orleans-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar. The intimate spot had operated for nearly two years under Nick Detrich, an Indianapolis native whose earlier work included celebrated cocktail bars in New Orleans.
Guests came for oysters, thoughtful cocktails and shareable Southern-influenced cooking. Its menu ranged from pimento cheese with fried saltines to Crawfish Monica, while Sunday suppers gave regulars another excuse to gather. Detrich named the restaurant for his grandmother, lending the project a particularly personal meaning.
Months of drainage construction along Shelby Street complicated access, and heavy rain sent water into the dining room. Detrich told the Indianapolis Star that sales had not recovered enough to keep going. In his farewell announcement, he set October 6 as the final day of service.
Jonesy’s Junction in Akron
Jonesy’s Junction closed at the end of August after a decade in its Akron storefront. Owner Tim Jones started serving food from a tent in 2010, expanded to a trailer and opened the restaurant in 2016. His specialty was one of Indiana’s most fiercely debated foods: the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich.
That sandwich earned statewide attention when Jonesy’s won the Indianapolis Star’s 2025 Tenderloin Tourney. But the menu also included burgers, onion rings, brisket and homemade-style comfort food, served in the easygoing setting of a small-town diner. Customers traveled for the tenderloin, and local diners had a reliable place to meet over a hearty meal.
Jones chose to retire for health reasons, and the restaurant stayed busy during its farewell weeks. An October roundup by the Indianapolis Star recounted the final weeks and the community response.
Indiana will keep welcoming new restaurants, but these three leave behind particular memories: special dinners, familiar faces and favorite orders that became part of everyday life.
Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same
Leave a Comment