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• Henry's on East Street

Henry's on East at 627 N. East Street in Indianapolis. (Heather Charles/The Star)

Veggie panini at Henry's on East has cucumbers, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese and pesto. (Heather Charles / The Indianapolis Star)

The ham, egg and cheese Panini at Henry's on East. (Heather Charles/The Star)

Gems, I tell ya. They do exist in Indy. Miss Mary Mac and I found a sparkly one in Henry's on East -- once we finally got there.

Mary can't parallel-park, so we drove around the block 16 dozen times looking for a spot. The short, drizzly walk to the restaurant was worth it because Henry's was a pleasant surprise.

The quaint feel of the surrounding neighborhood -- even with a skyscraping backdrop -- lends itself perfectly to the equally cute and stylish coffee shop.

The mood

I expected pretentiousness as we walked in. White linen-covered tables? Painted concrete floor? How industrial-chic!

Ah, but then I noticed how the tables and chairs didn't match. The mocha-colored walls lined with local art brought us in, instead of pushing us out.

A few gents occupied overstuffed armchairs in the corner. Two servers eagerly waited for Mary and me to approach the counter.

Normally, I'd be annoyed at someone taking my order while talking on the phone, but in this case it didn't matter; the server was nice enough to let us pay after our meal. We must have looked trustworthy, even as we chose the seat closest to the door.

(Kate does not endorse the dine-and-dash -- most of the time.)

The food

You won't find Henry's paninis and salads waiting expectantly in a glass display case. Sandwiches are made to order. We choose our yummies off a sprawling chalkboard menu where, in perfect script, the list of sandwiches, soups, baked goods and brews was impressive.

Mary did a take-two on breakfast. A ham, egg, and cheese panini with a side of sweet fruit ($5.50).

The veggie panini caught my eye, mainly because of the pesto ($7). Fresh cucumber, onion, green pepper, along with Swiss and cheddar, resided happily between slices of crisp foccacia.

Both lunches were brought to our table hot and overstuffed.

I apparently had no foresight because I had ordered a chocolate coconut bar with pecans, whole chocolate chips, and toasted coconut ($1). How I expected to fit that in, I don't know.

But our host was kind enough to bring one for Mary as well. He knew I wasn't planning to share.

The drinks:

Two Diet Cokes ($1.09).

The damage: $17.28

What a relief to find a pleasant coffee shop where we didn't feel rushed or packed in, and where the people cared if we liked the food!