Reviews of Fresco Italian Cafe on the Canal (Coffee Shop)

Jason Dunbar

Highly recommend this little shop on the canal. I really enjoy the Sicilian flatbreads. The ingredients are better than most pizza places and taste much more fresh. Sit in the patio and enjoy both a good light lunch and the scenery of the canal walk. There is a gondola boat docking spot right there in the warmer months.

Timothy Fitzgerald

I was pleased with the food we got. I was also happy with the prices, for where it was I thought it would have cost a bit more. I got the pizza and I enjoyed that they did not hold back on the amount of meat they put on. The reason I gave it four stars instead of five is because the dough tasted like it came from a Pillsbury Doughboy pack from the grocery store. It was almost fun as it did ad to the homemade feel, it just seemed a little out of place.

Michel Poulin

Great service, yummy food, and owners that take care of their clients.

Miranda D.

Good family restaurant serving delicious sandwiches and salads. Great for a casual lunch! Get The limoncello lemonade

Tanya Warner

Fantastic Italian ice

Jack PARNELL

This is a very good place to chill n people watch.

Michael W.

We got an Italian Beef (sauce on the side), Meatball, and a Lemonade. It was excellent. Sunday parking is free and the canal side tables are quiet and pretty.

Melissa Vardy

Wish the Canal had more places like this along it! Was very refreshing to stop at on a warm Spring day. They even took awesome care of our pups too!

Jonas Albrecht

Nice place to sit on the outside, the inside not so much. Very expensive, too.

Scottie Jones

Great atmosphere, friendly service and beautiful view.

Kyle McCarthy

Nice canalside cafe. Delicious lime slushies.

ROBERT COOPER

Consistently delicious, highly recommended for a quick and easy lunch. The portions are generous, the food is always fresh and made to order, and service is solid and professional. They've re-opened their old location at the former Marsh on Alabama Street, so I'm stoked they've returned! Recommend the small Italian turkey with a cup of tomato basil soup - stellar for cold weather and those with a big lunch appetite.

Will 77

Regular prices and it's on the canal downtown. Nice outside seating. I reccomend. Nice place to sit with a date.

Larry Rushton

Relaxing, shade, very good food, reasonably priced, and friendly staff.

Chris Leland

Treat yourself to an Italian beef sandwich and/or an Italian ice. Great food in a great location. Clean store with friendly staff.

Jason H

Great location. Good gelato.

Teresa knudson

So so. Food was ok. Not a very big selection. Great location, right on the canal

Lucy Matthews

Excellent Stromboli sandwich with delicious lemonade.

season ofthe kat

I have the hal italian beef i belive and its really great i added cheese and its flame

Denis Strailovic

Excelent drinks and friendly atmosphere

William Brooks

Nice flatbread pizza, better canal-side ambiance.

michael waters

I really like the place so I highly recommend it try there Italian Ice and then take a right on the gondolas.

Jeff Fox

Food was alright but atmosphere by the canal was great.

Becky Hibbard

Food was really good!

Doreen G

Nice little cafe on the canal. Perfect way to end your Gondola ride that is offered (for a fee) right in front of the place.

Ronald Carrell

Great food. Quick service. Nice atmosphere for nice weather.

Tucker Weisbrod

Delicious and fun. Great staff.

Samantha DeLong

Oh my goodness, I cannot say enough about how yummy everything is here! Service is pretty good, we've even had the owner service is before! Top notch! I almost always get the margarita flatbread and have never been disappointed

Michael Tucker

Basic and expensive

Austin Tausinger

They have the best most amazing sauce. The wait is a little long and the food is a little pricey but for the view and taste of the food it is all worth it! If your traveling to Indiana this is a must see place!

Margaret Frericks

Cute place on the canal. Good place to get a quick bite to eat and relax.

Stefan T

Come and you will enjoy. Fresh made food and as dessert a home made ice cream Close to the canal, nice view, perfect location. Wish to be back

Evan Pick

I came to Fresco Italian Cafe on the Canals while on vacation in Indianapolis. As soon as getting to the register to order my food, the two employees (two men) were grumpy and inattentive. We sat down after ordering, and when we got our food, they got our order incorrect (expected). Now, let’s get to the FOOD PART OF THE REVIEW. I will briefly summarize that our food mimicked the quality and taste of a packaged grocery store turkey chopped salad, tuscan tuna sandwich, and a tomato basil soup. I will not recommend Fresco Italian cafe to anybody that is trying to get food in downtown Indianapolis.

Tara Tara

Great food, great view, and a warm and friendly atmosphere. I like that they have treats for the dogs as well

Jackson Wong

Right next to canal, friendly staff and awesome food. Tomato soup is a must try!

Anny Lee

First off, I really liked the spiked lime Italian ice with 1800 tequila... But next time I'll save a few bucks and get the non-spiked version because it wasn't strong at all for the price. Also the chicken parmesan salad with the house dressing was SO bland - hardly any flavor at all both in the dressing and the chicken. It was weird how bland it was. My $18 meal for a small-ish to medium-ish sized salad and drink seemed a bit much. I did like sitting on the patio enjoying the beautiful weather and seeing the canal - so location is a plus for this place. I'd go back - but stay away from the salads!

Erin Gick

I ordered a caprese salad sandwich and hubby ordered another sandwich soaked. Also ordered a peach bellini. It took a long time to get our sandwiches. Waitress apologized and said kitchen was "backed up". Food was very good and it was the perfect night to sit outside and watch the gondolas on the canal.

Damon Currin

Had lunch with some co-workers food is on point

Moniza Masud

Very rude service. I was here with my family and my niece touched something that we admit, she shouldn't be touching and the man behind the corner told us to "control her." She is 3 years old, and the man working the counter was extremely rude and turned something minor into a huge deal.

Gil Vidals

Unfortunately I don't remember exactly what I had when I was there, however, the view is great as I was able to enjoy the canal and the warm breeze flowing past me.

Randall McQueen

Nice sitting outside and enjoyed the food

nmabak

location is the main reason I stop by. Gelato is good, but pricey for what you get

S Plekker

Super small inside dining area, and super busy

Doreen Love n Light

Great prices, great grub, and great atmosphere!

Andy Engle

Love this little cafe on the canal! Always great food and a great atmosphere with plenty of outdoor seating. Highly recommend; I've never been disappointed. Note: closes in the winter months.

Kara Veldhuis

Very small menu but what we had was good. I gave 3 stars instead of 4 due to the fact that the staff was cleaning and closing up long before they were suppose to close. They were taking the flower boxes down, stacking chairs and cleaning right around us. Also, they locked the doors right at closing so if you are sitting outside, you can’t get back in or use the restroom.

Mr. G

This place. Omg let me tell you. I have been passing by on my walks for 2 summers now. Passing by is like missing out on chillin wit the homies because you gotta work. The aroma of this place is your girlfriend when you finally get home on a Friday. That good. I finally dropped by with my wallet actually on my person. Almost not a good idea. I've been 4 days in a row on a lunch break. I started with a flatbread, the "gondolier", mwah. I'm a Chicago boi so the "Za" is important. It's like my actual heart. The Italian beef and the meatball sandwich are like you and the boys (or girls) heading out for a cruise. Try it with the giardiniera for some kick. But 2019 is all about margaritas for this guy, and the lime Italian ice was mervaglioso. It is definitely an Italian margarita. Muy bueno. The prices wont break you either. There's the best news. Do yourself a favor. Make the trip.

Megan Hobold

Great food. Great price and great scenery! The flatbreads were amazing!!

Jamie Smith

Delicious but expensive gelato

Amy J

Gondolas weren't operating but it was a weekday. We got gelato & it was pretty good.

Vijay

Good restaurant on canal. Seating inside as well as outside. Great views of canal.

the pd

Staff saw fit to send charred breadsticks on a delivery order. It's a shame the trouble you go through ordering from a local restaurant.

Donald Tate

The biggest issue with this place was the service. They messed up 2 orders (there were 6 of us) and they did not want to assume any responsibility for getting the orders wrong. The second problem with the service is they brought our food out 1 at a time. Be the time they got my order corrected and delivered, EVERYONE else was done. I did notice that 2 more kitchen employees arrived after they finally got our orders out. The food was not near good enough to make up for the poor service.

coachgrant1sports

Great food. Good service. Love the outdoor seating

Patrick Rachford

While the location is prime, the food is not. The styrofoam cups offer the worst structure possible for a frozen treat. Their cheap utensils bend and break from little to no stress. I was unable to finish my frozen gelato due to the mess. The tables weren’t clean when we sat. And the guy taking our order seemed to be annoyed we were there. The gelato was fine and the Italian ice tasted refreshing, but if you can avoid this please, please do.

Manasa Patibandla

Their minestrone and Vegetale pizza are amazing. The service is really nice and the people are really nice. Their lemonade and ice cream are so refreshing on a summer day. Visited once a month ago and got hooked to the place..

Matt Walters

Solid place to grab a bite. Great spot on the canal. Slightly pricey but not surprising for the location.

Phil Landis

Great place for a quick lunch or dinner. Great food. Delicious and simple food.

BIRTHDAYBASHER

Flatbread pizza was pretty great

Rich N

I used to go here at least once a week. One of the places I miss most in Indy.

Ernesto Posada Jr.

It was fun! It was nice getting on the gondola and just cruising up and down the canal. Very nice time to relax.

Jonathan Odegard

Great flavors and in such a great location. Beautiful scenery and an excellent spot for people watching on the canal.

Brian Robinson

This a great little cafe on the Canal. The iced coffee that I had was amazing. The outdoor patio is a great place to sit and relax. Highly recommend.

Frances Meschino

Great Italian ice!! They serve wine and beer. Beautiful view. Boat rides are kind of pricey but they sing in Italian which was awesome!

Dede

Really nice and the food was great

Courtney Kavaluskis

Great place

Yung Lion

The pizza was fantastic!

Vida Herrera

It is a really good place. We like to walk by the canal and then stop for italian ice (delicious) for us and my kids love gelato. You can find a variety of drinks and food for everyone. It is a very clean place, people is really nice, you can eat there or take it with you to enjoy while you walk.

Carla Knapp

A quaint little cafe with the familiar feel of the neighborhood Italian joints you’d find on the East Coast. The Italian beef sandwich was spot on, and the fresh vegetable chop salad was a unique and refreshing side option, though I wish the portion size was bigger for a paid upgrade. I’m looking forward to coming back when the weather improves to enjoy some drinks alongside the canal.

william mcewen

Well needed service and fare after a long flight. Would recommend.

Rachael H

Quaint little cafe right on the Indianapolis Canals with outdoor seating and beautiful views! Serves delicious flatbread pizzas, Italian sandwiches, desserts (s'mores - yum!), and even freshly made dog treats! Everything tastes handcrafted with good quality ingredients. Price is reasonable for the food. Take a walk on the Canal and stop here for dinner!

Dianna Moua

Cute and cozy with delicious sandwiches.

Baekdu Choi

They gave our dog a complimentary homemade treat!!

Fares Alahdab

Absolutely one of my favs. We really enjoyed the food and seating there. Staff were super friendly. It was clean. Just an overall great experience.

Nick Pierce

A bit pricey but good quality food. Cute Italian girl working here. No capp

Roger Jones

Good food in a great place. Visit here often for lunch on nice days. Always have good food and friendly service.

Don Eaton

Good place always great service

Gabriel Mejia

Very friendly staff, great flatbread pizza!

Nikki Sasser

Absolutely delish!!

Laurie Fancher

This is a wonderful little stop on the canal. Their salads are incredibly fresh and tasty.

Jen S

Food is great! Friendly service. Laid back, relaxing atmosphere

Vanessa Clark

Very pleasant environment. All ingredients are fresh and food is very good.

suhas c

Really good. Fine food. Neat service.Thank you.

Chantal Murekio

Good food with a good view of the canal

Sssteve W

Great place on the canal. I had a Sicilian pizza that was great with lots of meat and cheese. Kids loved the meatball starter.

eric johnson

About the only spot on canal for food/drink. We had a beer. Nice spot to sit outside.

Sarah Mcconnell

Ta Totsl loved this place visited every day while in Indianapolis great food

Lucinda Sizemore

Great food ..Gondola ride was amazing ..He was an amazing tour guide and singer

Alexander Beech

It was surprisingly good. A little pricey, but a decent change of pace for lunch

Angie Newbill

Great cafe on the canal. The sandwiches and flatbreads are good as is the gelato. Perfect for people watching. Also try the spiked italian ice slushy, it's amazing.

Marlana Beishline

Cute cafe on the canal. Good food. A little pricey for the portions but really good.

Mary Gehret

Food was good but a little pricey. Service was quick too

Ashley Towal

Good atmosphere. Not quick service but good food. Italian beef was great.

Mark Daniel

Good but on the pricey side.

AJ Armstrong

Cute little cafe on the canal. Service is very rough. It seems as though everyone that works here is brand new and no one really knows how to to do anything. It took us 20 min just to get 2 iced lattes made. Would be a much better experience if service was on par with location and scenery.

Jessica Eichhorst

Great place on the canal

Andy Robinette

While the venue and scenery was above par, the quality of food did not meet those same standards.

Mike Eckerle

Awesome location with great beverages but food is just average.

Matt Babb

Fantastic food and friendly staff. We'll definitely be going back. The indoor seating was a bit cramped but their making due with the space they have. Only major concern was the outdoor seating didn't have a lot of shade.

Maria Kidner

Service and atmosphere has great potential, but not there. Fabulous location

Ms Jenni Templeton

First time & loved it!! Great pizza and salad.

Annie Wood

Great little spot! Loved the flatbread pizza for lunch.

Abbi Holcomb

So cute for a drink and snack along canal

Raviursbp Urs

Neat offordable

Joe Marshall

Really good Italian beef. Goes great with the Italian ice!

Myka

Disappointing experience. Staff seemed annoyed to be there and not very good customer service. Food tasted good but way over priced for the small portions. Music had cussing in it and was inappropriate for my 5 and 7 year olds. Great views with the gondola and canal and ok atmosphere outside. Just feel there were so many missed opportunities to make this a really neat, quaint Italian feeling, family appropriate cafe.

Dakota Tate

Pretty good local place to eat at. The crumble sausage has some room to improve on. No complaints besides that. Clean place with both indoor and outdoor seating. The cashier was super friendly and polite.

Scott

I love Fresco. Really good food. Have some alcohol options. Nice patio right on the canal. Good service. Great place for lunch and to spend on the canal.

Edmund Bloom

The gelato was great!

Bianca Gogel

Salads are slightly expensive for the quality but everything else was great!

Casey Salter

They have the BEST spiked Italian ice!!!!! Cannot recommend enough!!!

Obie Poole

Worth the wait if there is a line. Roast beef is Phenomenal

Courtney Eckerle

The margarita flatbread is the best I have ever had! If it is crowded, don’t expect super fast service, but the food is worth the wait! The watermelon Italian ice is also amazing!

Dwight Elder

Great pizza and cold treats. Salads are great. Staff very friendly

Shawn Miller

Some really good food. Not a lot of indoor seating.

Wolf Bite

Amazing local bite. Stomboli was amazing.

Michael Claxton

My wife and I very much enjoy this place! The staff is awesome, and the location is everything! Being able to relax on the canal and eat some great food, or go walking with some Gelato or Italian Ice, is SO nice. We've gone twice, and will continue to! Prices are very fair too.

paige stone

Homemade lemonade & freshly made Italian ice right on the canal

Cole Wilgus

I wanted to like this place. The espresso was watery, then the spaghetti and meatballs were so bland. The sauce was watery. Didn't even taste like they salted the water for the pasta, zero salt. Honestly, I bet their Italian beef and stromboli would've been good, I just got the wrong thing. Better luck to you all.

Mark E

The Italian Beef is sooo good. It's much better than that Chicago chain that just came to the Indy area. The prices were fair considering the quality of food, service and location.

Adam M

Great Italian Beef sandwich! And gelato for dessert.

Jay van Santen

Location is great -- a taste of Italy with the gondollas docking in front. Staff is very good. Food is flavorful. The problem? The portions are small. If you order a sandwich -- it will be a third the size of a Subway. Side salads with a full sandwich are in a container with about twice the volume of the salad dressing on the side. A meal of a half sandwich, side salad and a smallish glass of wine -- running $20 -- leaves one wanting more...

Duane Stearman

Fantastic great atmosphere

richard erpelinck

Nice location, nice view, but needs coffee with italian taste and strength

thomas buchler

Fun little place with a variety food of options. It sits nicely on the canal. Friendly service and Italian ice with or without the alcoholic add in. During my visit the ladies working the food counter where very polite and helpful.

Miranda Cunningham

So nice. Not many gluten free options which I need but my salad was yummy and my drink was perfect for an afternoon on the canal. Just the thing for a overstressed NICU mom.

Joey Ngai

Great location, great check point along the canal. Stopped here and got a tomato soup, it's a bit on the sweet side but it's ok.

Kamara Davis

Great flatbread pizza served hot&quick

Edgar Perez

By far the best italian beef sandwich i have tried in this city. go. go! What are you waiting for? What are you doing still reading this? The beef sandwich is just so good! i loved it! now i have to go back and try the meatball sandwich. A+ on everything.

Andrea Washington

The Lime Italian Ice was refreshing and not too sweet.

Nate Corley

Get the shaved ice.

matt backs

Excellent little place. Very friendly and great food.

Michelle Lane

Good food. Swift service. Reasonable price for area.

Ryan Wilhite

Great sandwiches, pizza and a good view! A pale ale on the canal at lunch with the kids was fantastic.

Michele Roberts

Delicious food, limited indoor seating but grateful seating out on canal!

April Johnson

Fun little stop on the canal

Samantha C. Martin

Great place for people watching and Italian Beef sandwiches!

Khyran DeLay

Poor customer service very rude.

Lainey Bell

Great little cafe with good Italian ice

Kathy Moore

Tasty & convenient while walking.

Juan Herrera

Great food great drinks

Carol Stewart

Great food and excellent service!! Highly recommended!!

A S

Such a fun little place to eat for lunch! Right along the downtown canal and the food is delicious!

Josh Vidals

They charged to much for an alcoholic beverage. I couldn't even taste the tequila! The food was good, but prices were a little high overall.

Jessica Leland

I'm obsessed with the French dip sandwich here! I try at least once a month to walk the canal and have a sandwich. Follow it up with a scoop of REAL Italian lemon ice! Soooo good!

H. Anne Weiss

Been here twice. I went once for a work lunch and then on the weekend after a bike ride.

Jon Paquette

Love to walk here for a sammich on the canal!

Tom Ruby

Great food and service. Beef sandwich speci alty.