Tinker Street Restaurant & Wine Bar
| Address: | 402 E 16th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA |
| Phone: | +1 317-925-5000 |
| Site: | tinkerstreetindy.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Kellie Wile-Bush
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 dont 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 doesnt always match online. The menue Im 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 cant 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 nasty complaint.
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Renee Korb
This was my 5th visit to Tinker Street. This visit was a little disappointing. the food was good but my expectations for them is spectacular and they fell short on 2 of the 4 dishes ordered. The tomatoes with fried pickle and blue cheese was bland. The cherry tomatoes were tart, the larger ones spectacular but no taste what so ever of any blue cheese and the fried pickles tasted like cornbread and nothing more. Of the 2 main dishes we ordered the past was hands down a winner, as they usually are with pasta. The other dish was Gulf Shrimp with grits and a Sriracha cream sauce, a very bland dish all in all with some great potential. I brought it home to take to the office, a real splash of sriracha and some salt may bring the dish around. One last thing, the server was not very sound on wine. After hearing and seeing the disappointment in my client after the servers suggestions, I asked if we could forget the request for a sweet wine and look for a fruit forward wine. After which we found at least 2 suitable options. I know we are in Indiana where beer rules but if you offer wine train your staff. I will return in search of yet another fabulous meal I once had, they just fell a little short this time.
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Brian McQueen
This is a welcome restaurant to the Indianapolis area. My wife and I went here on a kids-at-grandmas-lets-go-somewhere-on-a-date night. It was a good experience. We went on a cold night, we were able to park in their lot, and were there early enough that we had no wait. A couple notes: - Kids are not allowed (I think 21 & over only). - Parking on site, but you may need to street park anyway - The patio is open year-round, but in the winter, the flaps are down and it is heated - 16th Street use to be called "Tinker Street" - hence the name. The food was beautifully prepared and tasted great - see my pictures for what we had. The restaurant is small and cozy, but still, I didnt feel cramped. It was a good date night. My wife and I usually have wine with our meal, but this night we only wanted water. The waitress seemed very annoyed that we were not ordering wine. At first we thought maybe we were being overly sensitive, but after a while, we were certain that it seemed like a problem to her. This is the only reason for my 4 stars vs. 5. That aside, it was a very nice meal in a nice atmosphere.
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S Sanner
Trendy, Predictable, and Bland. The service is above average here. They work hard to entice, present and follow up. The wine list is acceptable though the mark-up it three to four times retail on most selections. Too many tables are crammed into this small space... When my friend and I were originally seated near the service line, a waiter came inches away from her head with a stack of dirty bowls. We asked to be moved and were accommodated. The food was on the bland side. The mushroom soup is almost flavorless. I asked for the lamb medium as I just cant stomach bloody cold meat. It was served very rare anyway. The rest of the menu was predictably seasoned - lots of goat cheese and other flavors found on every other trendy menu in town. I truly had hoped for something savory and inventive. I hope they rethink charging for dinner bread as this is a perfect opportunity to show off the chefs currently used flavor palate creatively. All in all, I was disappointed. Im sure Ill try the place again, but Im not in a rush to do so.
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Derek Lasini
We were visiting from Chicago for an evening and chose this restaurant based on good reviews. We expected it to be good, but we were absolutely blown away. The host and wait staff were extremely courteous, knowledgeable and fast. The atmosphere is very pleasing and bright, but still cozy. The food... The food was what really blew us away. I had the pork loin and it was cooked, seasoned, and plated absolutely perfectly. My girlfriend had the butternut squash salad and it, too, was perfect. The deserts were out of this world (smore specifically). As were the small plates (brussel sprouts, specifically). Portion sizes were perfect too. Not too big and not too small. The wine list was also very thorough and appears to change fairly often. The prices were very, very reasonable considering the caliber of the food. We would rate this just a slight step below Michelin star rated restaurants such as Alinea and Next, it was that good. I wish I had taken pictures but the experience was so good, I didnt even think to take my phone out.
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Hans Schonberger
My boyfriend and my favorite restaurant in Indy, and its conveniently located down the street. The fact that they start your meal with a complimentary taste of bubbly to toast to your meal is reason alone to give them five stars. But they dont stop there. Their menu rotates frequently, so Ive never tried the same thing twice, and Ive absolutely loved every Ive ordered. My favorite has been the corn on the cob trio they served this summer, wrapped in popcorn crumbs with an aioli drizzle over each cob. Oh, please, take me back to that meal. Most recently I ordered off their devour Indianapolis menu. I started with Brussel sprouts that came with a side of grainy bread, moved on to the ramen and ended with their signature smore pot de creme dessert. Outstanding from start to finish. My boyfriend ordered the duckling and the bread appetizer, and that rivaled their pork belly entree in terms of his favorites.
