Gen Con is a magical place. And when it comes to the food and drinks at the restaurants around Indianapolis, many eateries near the convention center go all out, curating fandom-inspired menus where drinks are sometimes named after games, or even Genevieve herself!
There’s something for everyone, from cocktails to mocktails, and just as there’s no shortage of drinks, there’s definitely no shortage of food. Pizza, wings, hummus plates, burgers, pretzels, chicken sandwiches, it’s all there. Sure, there are vegetables, but let’s be honest, that’s not why we’re here, and they really only were eaten as a way to cleanse the palate.
While playing games all night and doing one of those “food near me” numbers, exploring Indianapolis through its food is oddly comforting. Even when that quesadilla isn’t authentic, or you’re eating way more onions than usual on the tiniest burger you’ve ever seen in your life, you just tend to go with the flow. You might have eaten really well the night before, but somehow you still end up back at the same restaurant, or in my case, at a food tent out at Block Party, where all your friends are.
You want to support local places, but sometimes you also find yourself at a Denny’s at 2 a.m. because you’ve been gaming all night. Some rooms, like the BIPOC Lounge, even have snacks waiting for guests, and it’s that kind of small detail that makes it feel like a real community here. Outside of the games, food and drink are probably what bring people together the most.
There is always at least one moment where you do something completely out of the realm of ordinary life and just splurge on a nice dinner or two because you want to share that moment with friends. You might not usually spend like this, but Gen Con makes you do crazy things, and mostly, that’s kind of the point of all this anyway.
After eating my way through Indianapolis, I’m still a little speechless. Who knew one city could nail both cheesecake and its sister restaurant, nail the best burger filled with hot Cheetos and topped with salty melted American cheese?
From time to time, I found myself aimlessly wandering after a game in search of food because in the game of life, you’ve got to eat, and I firmly believe you should eat well. And if that doesn’t work and it’s close to midnight, and someone hands you a Diet Coke and a plate of cookies, you just take it. You never know when your next meal’s coming, and honestly, that’s part of the fun.
If you’ve been to Gen Con once, and especially if you’ve been more than once, you know the truth. Board gamers don’t mess around. They’ll keep you at that table, food or no food, for as long as possible because, at the end of the day, the entire reason we are here is that we have board games to play.
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