We've been eyeing Futuro for a while, and even wrote up a little preview about them back in February. They are a passionate husband and wife team specializing in Detroit style, tavern, and Chicago deep dish pizzas. We made the trip downtown on a rainy Saturday.
The interior is just my style, aqua teal accent wall, lots of plants, and framed pop culture posters from the 80's and 90's (I spotted a Masters of the Universe magazine cover and the hover board from Back to the Future II). We ordered at the counter and saw only one table downstairs, but they have an entire upstairs with additional seating. Most people were driving up for carryout orders.
I'm no local business expert but this location seemed kind of hard to find and was surrounded by one-way streets and alleys - we weren't even in the right parking lot we were next door but figured it was fine since it was Saturday.
We got breadsticks and each got our own small Detroit style pizzas. The breadsticks were heavy, they weigh twice what you think they should by looking at them - but while they are dense they are also soft (and very filling). They were seasoned well and different bites brought waves of cheese or garlic or doughy herb aromas. I'm serious you could have two of these and call it a small meal. Good stuff!
I ordered the Spotted Pig which is applewood smoked bacon, jalapenos, goat cheese, ricotta, hot honey drizzle, pecorino romano, and housemade red sauce. I actually ordered by showing a picture of a pizza I saw online and they recognized it, I said I want this one with the dots on it!
The crust was cheesy and crispy at the edges and a slightly crunchy airy sponge in the middle that was cooked evenly so it didn't droop under the weight of the toppings, but it wasn't hard like a crouton. So in other words, they executed the style extremely well.
The Spotted Pig was fantastic, and the complex and complimentary toppings kept me guessing. Each bite I would get a hint of hot honey, or applewood smoked bacon, or creamy ricotta. Savory, sweet, and just a little heat. Since I ordered from a photo I actually didn't know this pizza had jalapenos on it, I thought they were green peppers. They must have been fresh jalapenos because they really weren't all that hot.
Chris got sliced and ground pepperoni and applewood smoked bacon on his. He thought it was good and agrees that it achieves the Detroit style perfectly. He said the cheese and toppings had a great flavor but that the sauce on top kind of covers up the taste of the toppings - which isn't a slight on the venue it just comes with the style, the sauce is prominent because it's on top.
Overall the ingredients, the style execution, the vibe, and friendly staff all add up to a wonderful gem on the near east side in downtown Indianapolis. There isn't much else in the area so I hope the location doesn't hurt them in the long run, and we hope this place sticks around so we can come back to try the tavern and Chicago styles.
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