Wan Na C.
Google
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 the total cost.