2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
Who has the best pizza in Indiana? Huge festival on Monument Circle will let you decide
On Aug. 9, only one slice will reign supreme on Monument Circle.
The inaugural Indianapolis Pizza Festival is coming to the heart of downtown, and it's featuring some friendly, delicious competition with $5,000 on the line. Hosted by social media food critic and Indy native Tommy Barrett, the festival brings together more than 30 local pizzerias for a daylong celebration of what he calls Indiana's underrated food scene.
"We need more eyeballs on some of our food places. I think we have good food in Indianapolis. There's a very bad stigma that we don't," said Barrett, known online for his viral "StartsWithAQuestion" videos on TikTok and Instagram. "I felt like this was a great opportunity to take what I've done on social media and make it a tangible product for not just people who follow me, but for the whole city."
Barrett's festival dishes out unlimited pizza samples with general admission ($30 in advance, $40 day-of), or the full VIP treatment complete with craft cocktails, dessert vendors and prime shaded seating near the stage for $75.
Each ticket includes a vote in the high-stakes competition to crown Indiana's best slice alongside celebrity judges like acclaimed pizzaiolo Frank Pinello, host of "The Pizza Show" and owner of one of New York's most iconic pizzerias.
"Every single person's vote counts the same," Barrett said.
He is channeling his love for food, which he discovered when every work trip and weekend getaway with his wife turned into a quest for the best local eats, to shine a spotlight on Indiana's pizzerias.
The festival lineup includes well-known spots like Futuro and King Dough, but also up-and-coming shops looking for a breakthrough moment. Many of them, Barrett added, don't have big marketing budgets.
'There's no Domino's, no Papa John's,' he said. 'It's the mom-and-pops who deserve the credit, who may not have the best budget for a social media marketing team. It's just really word of mouth."
The festival is also raising money for United Way of Central Indiana, with proceeds from each ticket and $1 from every drink sale donated to support community initiatives.
Between slices, guests can enjoy live performances by the Tyler Robling Band and Jay Baker, or sip a custom beer brewed by Upland Brewing Company, local wine, or lemonade shake-ups.
While there's no official pineapple-on-pizza debate planned, Barrett said all toppings and tastes are welcome. He said he's already thinking about making the festival an annual tradition, and possibly branching out to other food events throughout the year.
For now, he hopes that everyone can discover something new at the festival.
"Try a place you've never heard of," he said. "And if you love it, maybe you drive 30 minutes to support that business again."
