Tini

Everyone has their own tastes. I previously reviewed this place for a one-​star and felt the need to delete it and start over.
Since my last review, Tini updated their upstairs and opened up a new bar and dance floor. Again, it’s not the best place to go to, for me personally, but it’s a nice break if you need to step away from Metro for a bit. The upstairs really helps to make it a bit less congested downstairs and less «tini-​tiny» feeling.
My reason for not loving the place is generally the clientele. I feel so intimidated when I go here, both by the bartenders and the clientele. Maybe it’s cause I’m the size of a child, but still. I feel like this place has turned into where all of the straight women bring their gay friend for the first time to show off that they have a gay best friend. We get it, you have a gay best friend. No, just cause he’s gay doesn’t mean I’m interested in him, honey.
Tini is a staple for many gay men in this city; just not my cup of tea!

I love tini. I basically live there considering how often I go. The atmosphere varies on the night but its always a good time. Their signature cocktails are all excellent and unique but I usually stick to Stella Artois, tequila shots, and vodka tonics though. All of the bartenders and bar backs are so friendly and fun, they’re the reason I come back! Here is what the crowd is like on each day/​night.
Sunday: Sunday fun day. When its nice out the patio is crowded and people are constantly going in and out. The party goes on all night and it gets pretty wild.
Monday-​Wednesday: Usually pretty chill and lighter crowds. Ollie’s airs RuPaul’s Drag Race on Monday nights so when that is over, people from Ollie’s come to Tini.
Thursday: With Metro next door having karaōke, people usually go back and forth between Metro & Tini. Its pretty busy and sometimes the dance floor upstairs is open along with both sides of Tini.
Friday: Both sides and the dance floor are always open and its super busy with people going between Tini and Metro. I feel like on Friday a lot of straight girls come in here and get really drunk.
Saturday: Saturday is usually just as busy if not busier than Fridays. Just like on Thursdays and Fridays, people are going back and forth between Metro and Tini plus other Mass Ave bars.

Honestly, I would say 98% of people I know LOVE Tini… including myself. If packed, tiny places aren’t your thing though… probably not the best place for you (indoors) but the outdoor seating is spacious (and just as lively, I promise you). Typically it’s so crowded, the bar literally pours onto the sidewalk and outdoor seats, windows flung open. I’ve always loved the bartenders here because aside from being a bunch of babes, they’re always having fun and always serve your drink perfectly. Prices are good and the music videos playing are entertaining (REALLY good throwbacks). Definitely an obligatory stop or hang out on a night on the town.

When it comes to bars, I’m a pretty big snob. More than anything, I look for a professional and knowledgeable staff and good cocktails.
PROS
— Excellent staff (Curtis was behind the bar and does a fantastic job)
— Bright and clean décor
— Very reasonable prices
CONS
— Décor doesn’t really fit the quality of the bar program — it looks more like a nightclub than a cocktail bar
TIP
Go early to get a good seat and enjoy the bar before the place gets too crowded.

Tini in size but not in quality and character.
I simply LOVE this bar. Before my first visit here, it used to be half it’s size (which is part of the fun of the name) but it has grown to double it’s size (and popularity) for various reasons.
First, awesome service. These bartenders treat you like you’re at home and they know what they’re doing. An awesome selection of drinks grace the menu and your palette.
Second, the space is a perfect people watching spot to add to your bar hopping list. Fun to peer from one bar to another and to meet people.
Third, they are growing! These owners know what they’re doing and they are adding an upper floor that will be a drag area and space for dancing.
Keep going, Tini’s because you are small but mighty!

Bustling place with a welcoming staff and fast service. High quality drinks that are worth the few extra dollars. The music videos playing on the tvs make for some fun discussion and feelings of nostalgia. Worth a stop if you’re on Mass Ave and looking to start off the evening with a great drink.

This is my favorite place to go for drinks on Mass Ave. It’s a good mixed crowd (guys/​girls, straight/​gay), and not too pretentious. They have doubled the size in the last year, and it seems to have helped with the overcrowding. The drinks are good, but can be pricey compared to other bars in the area. If you are looking for a hangout video bar (i.e. not a dance club), give this place a try!

This is one of the best spots i have ever been to. The staff is unbelievably friendly and professional. The food is AMAZING!!! The new chefs small plate menu is to die for. I personally LOVE the beer cheese nachos! My fav drinks are Tini Bubbles & Lime in the coconut.

If this review was strictly on the new small plates menu, it would be 5 stars, but I’m going to take a jab at the bar side of the business after I get done singing the praises of a new up and comer Indiana Chefs Academy graduate Asanti. She does things with small plates that makes me want to smack the smug off of the bartender’s face. She has a talent for using flavors that complement each other without overpowering each other. The first time we went after the reveal of the new small plates menu, we had the smoked shrimp ceviche and the bbq pork flatbread. Both of them were delicious. There is the main ingredient, but then there is just a hint of flavor such as jalepeno or goat cheese drizzle that flirts with your tastebuds. We liked it so much, we returned just to try more of the small plates. On the second visit, we had the Tini Nachos and the Thai Pork Panninis. Again, both were delicious. I suggest getting there fast to try it out because when discovered, I think Asanti will be moving on to bigger and broader menus.
On the bar side, I really like the drinks at Tinis. When we first started going there, the bartenders knew who we were and even knew our drinks. It’s not like that anymore. There are a couple who really know what they are doing, but the bartender on our last trip didn’t even know the drink we ordered, and it’s on their menu. We were there two hours and only served two drinks. I can drink two drinks within a half-​hour. It wasn’t that busy, as it can be on the weekends; and I counted at least three bartenders working. Come on and give me a drink!

There are so many positive reviews for this place that it makes me think I’m obviously wrong. That might be true, but I can’t be the only person who doesn’t like Tini’s, right?
I’m not going to insult their drinks. Get a cocktail. Get 10! Everyone is wasted. You’ll fit right in.
The drinks are good. That’s that. Why the hate then? The people. I would love to play drunk bingo at this place. Screaming girl dropping and breaking her glass? Yes. Creepy person touching you despite you giving them no attention at all? Yes. Bar tender rolling his eyes at you? Yes. Drunk guy tripping down the stairs? Yes. I only need one more to get a bingo.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just not a cool person. This place is just not my thing. It’s super loud so very difficult to have any conversation, and the patio is kind of like a watering hole for people I don’t want to hang out with.
I’m fun. I promise.

First time we went to Tini, it was a terrible experience. Not because of the staff, but there was this woman there who was just giving us tons of unnecessary attitude about a chair. There ain’t no bringing us down, so we left. It was time for her to maybe drink a glass of water and just cool off.
So, we went back another time and thank to the high heavens the woman freaking out about a chair was not there.
Just to keep this short and simple, I have had quite a few different drinks there and they really get me to where I’m going. I’m really all about double gin and tonics.
Sometimes, I feel a little out of place there, but that is my own fault for being a bit on the goofy side.
Another tiny problem I have with it is that it’s kind of a tiny place. The place gets packed pretty quick and someone being built like a football player with the broad shoulders and all such as myself, has to say «excuse me» and «sorry» a lot more than the usual bar here. However, I’ve made some friends and ran into friends by accidentally bumping into them. It’s always a great conversation starter.
Most of everyone there is pretty easy on the eyes too, which is always a plus.
I feel like it would be the perfect place to bring a first date that you were nervous about and wanted to feed into that with a few drinks, mostly because it’s an intimate bar with fun music videos on the televisions.

I went to Tini for the first time tonight with friends to celebrate marriage equality. It’s a tight squeeze and I had to wait a bit for my first drink, but it was a huge celebration on a Wednesday night, so that’s to be expected. They opened up the other side of the bar not long after I got there and the service sped up considerably.
It was reminiscent of my time in Rome. Loud and in your face while being trendy and always interesting. The drink menu is lengthy, but my first whiskey sour wasn’t very good. My second, from a different bartender, was fantastic (except they don’t use egg white). I imaging the first bartender was overwhelmed given the unusual Wednesday crowd (yay gay!) I assume more staff was called in and arrived as they could.
The cocktails seemed reasonably priced and the crowd was lively and entertaining. The décor is aesthetically pleasing and comfortably trendy. They also have a nice patio that overlooks Mass Ave. The air was filled with chatter and music that was playing from the multitude of flat screens. It was definitely an experience. The crowd was very friendly and seemed to enjoy talking to strangers as much as I do. I’ll be back for sure.

Came here for a work event and was very impressed! All the staff was so nice and the drinks were great. The whole area is pretty narrow, but they have a private room on the other side with another bar. Great for private parties or events. Amazing outdoor seating as well. Great for people watching!
If you and a friend are looking for a cool place to have some drinks, make this a stop — but beware you might just end up spending all night there :)

I enjoy Tini pretty much almost every week. The service is great and I enjoy when I come in, Josh always know what I want to drink before ordering. Ever since their re-​opening the space is definitely more open and doesn’t feel as cramped on a late Saturday night.
It is definitely one of my favorite places to unwind with a manhattan on the rocks after a stressful day.

Tini is a favorite little spot on Mass Ave to start an evening out. Great place to meet up with friends for a cocktail and good conversation.
Tini is a play on the fact that it is a tini martini bar (although it is a bit less «tini» now that they expanded into the unit next door, creating two almost mirror image bars). When it is busy, it is wall-​to-​wall people and gets crowded quickly. The staff is efficient, however, so you rarely have to wait long for a drink.
In addition to a full bar for standard cocktails, beer, and wine, Tini offers a nice menu of signature drinks. My personal favorite is the spicy mango. Who’d have thought Tabasco sauce in a mango martini would be any good, but it is excellent!
Recently, we tried their small plates for the first time, sampling the hummus plate and the spinnach dip. Again, both were wonderful. Plenty of food for a snack for two.
Video monitors throughout the bar play popular music videos and they have the volume set so that it creates an upbeat atmosphere, but not so loud that you can’t hear each other talk.
Prices are very reasonable for Mass Ave and lower than other martini bars around. I would highly recommend stopping in.

I love that I can walk in and tell the bartender what im in the mood for and they can make me something to hit the spot. You cant get that just anywhere. The bartenders are nice, the selection is amazing. Ask for thr sweet sex on the beach if you want something fruity! The atmosphere is nice, the place is super clean and they play great music with the videos. You cant go wrong with tinis

Well, it’s tini-​tiny. haha Expect to shimmy your way through the crowd of people as soon as you walk in the door. Think of yourself as a sardine, perhaps. But really, due to the size it’s very hard to feel comfortable. That was the case for me, anyway. But the music was great. The booze was flowing. They knew how to reach the right people.
All in all, it’s just not my scene — but due to the fact that it’s packed on the weekends speaks otherwise for others. Different strokes for different folks. But that’s why I love Mass Ave. It’s got a little of everything going on and I applaud them for that fact.
Will I return? If I’m with the right group of people, anything is possible.

This bar really reminds me of a NYC type of bar. The drink menu is awesome. The spicy mango martini is very good! The bar is not very wide so it can feel crowded quick. The staff is very nice and they take your order pretty fast. Arrive early and sit at the table by the window for some fun people watching.

Such a neat bar. It really is tiny (the name Tini doesn’t just refer to the drinks), but I’ve never felt cramped in here.
The drinks are well-​made and don’t skimp on the alcohol. The bartenders are well-​versed on the liquors they stock.
And now they serve food. The mac & cheese is not to be missed.
The atmosphere is video bar. There are a bunch of flat-​screens on the walls showing all manner of music videos from the 80s to today. It works for this type of establishment and clientele.

Tini as in Tiny. But in a cozy, intimate, it’s-almost-European-the-way-we’re-in-eachother’s-personal-space kind of way. Maybe the perfect setting for making a friend? Or stepping on toes? Whichever you fancy. Either way, some friends and I ended our Cinco de Mayo fiesta at Tini. The Beyonce was bumping and the bartenders were friendly, so tequila or not, we were set.
Tini is sleek — think modern architecture, a lit up alcohol wall, tvs screening music videos and cool colors like blue and silver. (stop yourself from making music requests — the music on the tv is on a roll — no altering this playlist). The entire space is probably 12 feet wide tops — no exaggeration. The suffocation factor is my primary reason for not running to Tini as one of my top bar choices — but the location (right down the street from my home) does make it mighty handy.
As for drinks, I didn’t go too wild, so this is a horrible example. But, I have been told for quite some time that I needed to try a pickleback shot — so that I did. Quite delightful — went down easy — heavy on the sodium.