Jane and Michael Stern have criss-crossed America for decades, tracking down the best local eateries. For the January/February issue of Saveur magazine, they wrote about cafeterias.

Their favorites are in and around Indianapolis, which they call “the nation’s cafeteria nexus”.

Where should you eat in Indy? They suggest these “square-meal shrines”:

Jonathan Byrd’s, 100 Byrd Way, Greenwood, Indiana (map). To try: turkey pot pie.

Gray Brothers, 555 South Indiana Avenue, Mooresville, Indiana (map). To try: chicken and noodles.

Shapiro’s — three locations. The original: Shapiro’s Downtown, 808 South Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana (map); the suburban: Shapiro’s Carmel, 918 South Rangeline Road, Carmel, Indiana (map), and the newest, Shapiro’s Indianapolis International Airport, Next to Gate B14 (map). To try: corned beef on rye.

But whatever your choice, finish it off with that Hoosier staple: sugar cream pie.

(Photo — NOT of sugar cream pie — courtesy of Shapiro’s)