Restaurants in Gary

At Ed Debevic's, every house burger, hot dog, and diner entree shares a not-so-secret ingredient: sass. The servers welcome guests to the vintage venue with tongue-in-cheek remarks and paper deli hats, seating them next to vibrant examples of what Centerstage calls "smart-aleck decor": fake autographs, old-timey ads, and signs that carry proverbs such as "Eat Now…Pay Waiter." The mischievously retro tone is cultivated in homage to one of the owner's favorite restaurants, Lill's Homesick Diner. Back in the '50s and '60s, Lill acquainted Ed with the classic flavors of comfort food cooked from scratch, showcasing the spirited moxie that made her a standout in the short-order world.

Ed chose to emulate both her classic cooking and feistiness at his own diner. Many of his menu items are housemade, including the meatloaf, mashed potatoes, the desserts, and the blue-cheese sauce on top of the Ed's Blue Moon burger. Milk shakes and malts pair well with a variety of hot dogs and sandwiches, especially when counterbalancing the effects of Atomic Mix: a blend of diced jalapeños, onions, and tomatoes that garnishes certain plates. The staff stays in comically impudent character throughout these meals. And every now and then, the servers pause to put on countertop dance numbers that are almost as exciting as the time your grandpa turned the lazy Susan into a zoetrope.

Duck Walk Thai Restaurant's warm-toned, intimate dining room welcomes patrons with a menu of authentic Thai recipes. The BYOB policy allows patrons to tipple their own selection of white wine to complement piquant Thai spices or to bring in a seltzer bottle for practicing clown routines.

Every recipe goes through a phase of trial and error, but that phase occurred generations ago for the majority of the recipes at Jalapeños. The chefs fervently cling to these time-honored techniques and family secrets, even hand making the corn and flour tortillas that are used in virtually every dish.

Although familiar dishes such as housemade tamales, enchiladas, and burritos populate most of the menu, the chefs also introduce a few continental touches, including hearty crab cakes and chicken breast doused in a tangy marinade of citrus and white wine. To complement this variety of cuisine, bartenders create sangria from scratch and blend 13 flavored margaritas to correspond with each month of the year.

Filled with custom furniture, the decor appears to come directly from Baja California. Dark wooden floors and wall paneling stand in stark contrast to vibrant touches including bright yellow and purple chairs. Yet it’s not entirely up to accents such as the wall-mounted surfboard to create a festive atmosphere—Jalapeños also hosts live entertainment throughout the week.

A smattering of 20 sauces and seasonings dripping from handspun wings coats patrons' fingers as they cheer on their favorite professional sports teams broadcast on Buffalo Wild Wings' TVs. Eyes are torn between watching teams dribble a ball, shoot a puck, and land a grand jeté, and plates of plentiful wings, burgers, wraps, salads, and ribs. For more entertainment, trivia games exercise brains, and the Blazin' Challenge offers recognition for those brave enough to down a dozen wings slathered in the eatery's hottest sauce in 6 minutes.

A metallic blur passes over the sizzling grill top, lifting briefly to send a single scallop arcing through the air and landing neatly on a plate. The hibachi chefs at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar shape artful cuisine with panache, charming diners with dexterous knife work as they sear morsels of seafood, steak, and chicken at tableside grills. A selection of sushi and sashimi includes specialty maki, such as the chicago roll, which encloses shrimp, egg, and avocado in a layer of sushi rice, providing a culinary alternative to the city's signature hot dogs topped with celery salt and boiled Air Jordans.

Musicians are tightening their strings at Jalapenos Mexican Restaurant's two locations, preparing to complement rich, piquant meals of meat, beans, and cheese with lively tunes. Familiar enchiladas and corn tamales draped in rich chili sauces pour from the kitchen on rainbow-colored fiesta ware, which also delivers house specialties such as prawns sautéed with dungeness crab and vegetables and Cancun tacos filled with halibut and pico de gallo. Burgers and chicken strips provide a similarly hearty alternative to deep-fried chimichangas packed with beef, chicken, or pork chile verde, which is also available by the bowlful. The cantina's design adds to a festive atmosphere, its tangerine walls painted to resemble an arcade overlooking the sea and its carved, wooden chairs painted to resemble the hollowed-out burritos that carried the conquistadors across it.