Nesso Italian Kitchen

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Fresh. Local. House-Made.

Nesso Italian Kitchen sits inside The Alexander, a contemporary boutique hotel on South Delaware Street in downtown Indianapolis. The setting suits the food: polished without pretension, attentive to craft, and rooted in a clear point of view. The restaurant is part of the Cunningham Restaurant Group, and its 2025 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence signals the seriousness with which the team approaches the Italian table—from the kitchen to the cellar.

The Kitchen's Philosophy

The cooking starts with a commitment that runs through every section of the menu: fresh pasta rolled by hand, sausage and meatballs ground in-house from locally sourced cuts, and seasonal seafood chosen for freshness above all else. The kitchen's own words say it plainly—"we twist, we reimagine, we surprise"—and the menu bears that out. Bucatini cacio e pepe keeps things elemental, while pappardelle with smoked brisket, truffle ricotta, and breadcrumb shows the willingness to push Italian tradition somewhere unexpected. Crab ravioli with corn, English pea, and citrus butter lands in similar territory: recognizably Italian in form, distinctly its own in flavor.

Secondi follow the same logic. Veal Milanese arrives with arugula, taleggio, and a demi al pepe. Scallop is paired with fregola, braised pork belly, and 'nduja crème. The produce on many of these plates comes partly from CRG Grow, Cunningham Restaurant Group's own hydroponic greenhouse, founded in 2016 to supply herbs, microgreens, tomatoes, and peppers to its restaurants.

The Wine Program

The Italian wine list is, by any measure, one of the most extensive in Indiana—ranging from crisp northern whites to bold southern reds, with a serious after-dinner program that includes Chinato, Marsala, Vin Santo, and a deep amaro selection running to several dozen labels. The Wine Spectator recognition reflects both the breadth of the list and the care taken in building pairings that match the food's regional ambition. A regular half-price wine night makes the list accessible to regulars as much as to special-occasion guests.

The Room and the Experience

General Manager Justus Smith oversees a dining room where the palate, as the restaurant puts it, is the canvas. The atmosphere is that of a contemporary hotel restaurant done right—art-conscious, comfortable for a long dinner, and staffed by people who know the list. Guests have singled out the agnolotti and the burrata as standouts worth returning for. Private dining is available for groups, and the restaurant accommodates outdoor seating when the season allows.

For anyone looking for Italian cooking in Indianapolis that takes both tradition and creativity seriously, Nesso makes a clear and confident case.