Merrillville

Last updated on January 11, 2025.

Merrillville, Indiana, a town south of Gary, doesn’t have much going on outside of retail and chain restaurants. If you find yourself passing through, I can mention a few places to stop and see as well as some restaurants.

Albanese Candy Factory

The Albanese Candy Factory and Outlet Store, located on US 30, has a wide variety of candy to choose from, including gummy bears and chocolates. In the past, visitors could take a self-guided tour of the factory and peek into the operations floor from a short walkway at the back of the store.

Southlake Mall

Further west down US 30 is Southlake Mall. It has lots of big name stores and a few smaller locally-owned shops. There’s also a food court. Sadly, it’s not anywhere as good as it was when I was growing up, but it’s still a decent place to shop.

Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral

This beautiful cathedral was built in the 1970s. If you’re in town on a Sunday morning you can pop in during church services and take a look. Otherwise, you can take a tour during the annual Greek Festival, held in the middle of July.

Where to Eat in Merrillville

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Merrillville is full of chain restaurants. Fortunately, there are a few locally owned places worth getting a bite to eat.

Gino’s Steak House

A great place to have lunch or dinner is Gino’s Steak House. They offer delicious cuts of meat as well as pasta, fish, and chicken dishes. Appetizers are excellent, prices are reasonable, and service is friendly and efficient. (Note: over our last few visits we noticed a huge drop in quality, both for food and service, and can no longer recommend Gino’s.)

House of Kobe

House of Kobe is a Japanese steak and sushi restaurant with hibachi chefs. It’s an entertaining place to dine with friends or family, and the food is delicious. We’ve enjoyed every meal we’ve eaten there.

We usually go for lunch and always sit at the hibachi table. My go-to is the steak and shrimp with a side of chicken fried rice. If you’re looking for a more special experience, the dinner menu is a lot fancier (and much more expensive) than the lunch menu.

Brothers

Brothers is a family-owned restaurant that serves hearty breakfasts and big lunch plates. I had an excellent breakfast combo while my friend Pete had a burger. It was more than enough food and the prices are fair. I’ll definitely be back!

Athenian Greek Cuisine (Permanently Closed)

Athenian Greek Cuisine is a family-owned restaurant serving authentic Greek dishes. The interior is decorated to make diners feel like they’re in Greece.

We started with fried calamari and saganaki, which were both good. For my main course, I had the broiled octopus. I topped off my meal with a rice pudding. The food was decent, but it’s not nearly as good as the restaurants in Greektown in Chicago.

Roxana’s (Permanently Closed)

If you’re looking for a unique cuisine, head to Roxana’s. They serve American and Mediterranean as well as traditional Afghani dishes. The food is delicious and service is friendly. (Note: Roxana’s merged with Kabul Kabob of Bridgeview, Illinois, in September 2019).

I started with the lentil soup and shared an eggplant and crispy shrimp appetizers. For my main course, I had the mantu, which are dumplings filled with spiced beef and topped with yogurt and tomato sauce. On another visit, I tried the Roxana meatballs.

Map of Merrillville