Tinker Street Restaurant — Restaurant in Indianapolis

TLDR: Finally tried Tinker Street after years of hearing great things. The staff were wonderful, but in my opinion the food felt confusing at times and didn’t quite justify the price. This review focuses mostly on the food and reflects my own taste and experience. Everyone’s palate is different, and since the menu changes often, your visit could feel completely different.

After living in Indianapolis for five years since moving from New York City, I was excited to finally see what all the hype was about. I had always hesitated because the prices seemed a bit steep, but we decided to give it a try with a 5:45 pm reservation.

We were first seated behind the hostess counter. The area felt a bit tight, which didn’t bother us much, but the direct sunlight streaming through the front door made it difficult to sit comfortably. The staff immediately helped us move to a better table, which we really appreciated.

The menu was creative and playful with strong fusion influences, so we ordered a variety of dishes to get a fair sense of the food. The Korean Fried Mushrooms ($22) were crispy and flavorful, but the small rice flour pancake underneath seemed unnecessary. It wasn’t seasoned and there was only one so not enough to wrap the mushrooms and felt out of place. We both thought a light dipping sauce would have brought the dish together better than the kimchi served alongside.

The Coconut Curry Soup ($12) was warm and pleasant but not especially memorable. The Whipped Pumpkin Ricotta ($22) from the fall menu was something I wanted to love, but it was heavy on cinnamon and tasted more like pumpkin pie filling than a savory dip... it was confusing. The Circle City Sweets baguette served with it was excellent, though it was the same baguette offered with the Fried Brussels Sprouts ($23). Fried brussels sprouts and baguette felt like an odd pairing. It seemed like the bread was included just to fill out the plate for the price.

For our mains, we ordered the Curried Cauliflower Steak ($29) and the Shrimp and Farfalle ($34). The cauliflower dish was disappointing. The rice was undercooked, the potatoes were too firm, and the cauliflower itself wasn’t tender inside. It also had an overwhelming amount of pomegranate molasses that made it intensely acidic. The first bite was all sour with no balance, and the sauce tasted almost identical to the soup we had earlier, which didn’t help. The dish was so off that neither of us could eat it, and we decided to send it back which is a first for us. The staff kindly offered a replacement, but we were too turned off by the flavors and declined.

The Shrimp and Farfalle was much better. The shrimp had a beautiful char and were juicy and flavorful. The pasta was a little mushy and some pieces stuck together, but overall this was one of our favorites of the night.

For dessert, we tried the Ricotta Doughnuts ($12). They came out warm and the texture was slightly dense but not bad. We've had better ricotta doughnuts. The espresso ice cream they were served with though, was fantastic.

What really made the evening positive was the staff. They were kind, professional, and attentive the entire night. When we declined a replacement for the cauliflower dish, they took it off the bill and even removed a few other items, likely because of the earlier seating issue.

In our opinion, several dishes missed the mark, especially for the high prices, so expect to spend if you go. We felt that we paid a premium for food that didn’t fully deliver on flavor or execution. There were definitely some highlights, but overall the experience didn’t feel worth...

If I could give Tinker St a higher rating than 5 stars, I would. We have been enjoying this fine establishment since it opened, and have always had a fantastic meal on every visit. Last night, though... Just WOW!!!! We were celebrating a birthday, and boy did we celebrate! We started off with an exceptionally well priced bottle of delicious bubbly, and ordered our 3 appetizers. There were four of us, and we like to sample and share. We started off with the citrus salad, beet tartine, and brussels sprouts. The salad was a refreshing palate cleanser for the other apps. The beet tartine was delectable due to the sweetness of the beets and the creamy goat cheese and light bacon garnish. Just perfect. I might be using that word a little too much in this review, but it was warranted. The brussels sprout dish affected me so much I am still thinking about it almost 24 hours later. I love sprouts a lot, but often when dining out these days they are covered in a sticky, salty, overly sweet preparation.These sprouts were fried to a consistent texture, with bleu cheese, onion, and the tang of lemon, sprinkled with hazelnuts. The effect was like a savory dessert. It wasn't sweet, but the flavors mixed together was like no other dish I have ever tasted. Hands down, my most favorite brussel sprout dish ever. Order this. I'm serious. OK, next the vegan broccoli soup, which was also- pure perfection. You would have never known this soup was vegan, due to its creaminess and balanced flavors. Not too thin or thick- but broccoli with a bit of tofu puree and deliciously seasoned. Our friends got the shrimp and grits, (always a fave part of a Tinker St dinner), and the Great Lakes Walleye with lentils. The fish was cooked perfectly. Moist inside with a crispy outside, and luscious lentils alongside. My better half and I shared the mushroom stroganoff. The mushrooms were flavorful, with a nice soft chew, and the pasta was al dente- so it was a pleasure to enjoy and did not last long on the plate. The four of us ate every single bite of every dish on the table........ we were so happy. Honestly, one of the best meals ever. But we weren't done! Then came the birthday desserts.... We got the banana pudding, the ricotta doughnuts, and the red velvet brownie. All three were excellent, and all unique. The ricotta doughnuts were refreshingly different, the banana pudding, a lovely taste of comforting goodness, and the red velvet brownie was elegant with cream and raspberries. We did not lick the plates clean, but we came really close. Tinker St just keeps getting better and better. Of course, our service was just as great as always. Not intrusive, and when you ask a question, you get real information. Love that too. This is the place for a perfect celebratory dinner meal, but it's also a great place to break bread with friends, or impress a date with your good taste. Tom Main has taken Tinker St to "such great heights'. We couldn't love it more. No photos because we had no patience to wait for the first bite, and once we started.... we couldn't stop....

My husband and I visited Tinker Street after doing much research online. We eat out a lot and many times in fine restaurants. Let me first say that the staff was very prompt and friendly and the food was delicious, but there were a few things that happen that made me rate it a 2 star. First off let me say that it was a very hot day. My husband and I are soda drinkers with our meals. The ice in the sodas melted very quickly, as the sodas were not exceptionally cold to begin with, thus making for a very watery drink halfway through. When our server asked if we wanted a fresh drink, we said yes . Little did we know until we got the bill that we were being charged for each refill. Secondly, we had looked at the menu on Tinker Streets website. After we left I mention to my husband that I thought our entrees came with an all gratin potato which we did not get. We again went back and looked at the menu on the website and it show that a potato was included. I decided to contact the restaurant because I run a business myself and I know that if customers don't call and let you know you have no way to fix the problem. When I called I spoke with Peter, one of the owners, who was less than sympathetic. His response to me about the entree was "Well the menu we have doesn't always match online. The menue I'm holding does not show augratin potatoes." ( I will say that the price we were charged is the same price that included the augratin potatoes so there was no price reduction for taking something off the menu. Just a bit frustrating.) He made no apologies for it and his response to the being charged extra for refills was simply "We do not have a soda machine we only have them in cans. Lots of restaurants charge for extra drinks." I responded by telling him that while I understood that, I feel like the server should have made us aware before we had a $10 soda bill, and that my husband and I eat out quite a bit and I can't tell you the last time I paid for an extra refill. (You can buy for 12 packs for $10!) I will say that the food was wonderful, just not the response I expected from an owner when a customer takes the time to call instead of post a...