Restaurant openings are a treat to me. You get to watch a business be born and see the new interior design, meals and feel the buzz in the air that surrounds something new. I got the chance to check out a new Gainesville restaurant grand opening this past Friday, Oct. 16th. Tinker, a Venezuelan “street food” place has been known for their food truck meals the past year and half they’ve been in business. But now, amidst the pandemic, they’ve opened up a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Spoiler alert; it’s incredible.
The Tinker Details:
Located at 502 S. Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601, Tinker is a modern surprise. A modest exterior gives way to a beautiful, open interior with tall ceilings, industrial elements and pops of orange. Their current hours are Thursday-Friday from 4pm to 10pm and Saturday-Sunday 10am to 10pm.
The Grand Opening
Tinker’s grand opening was a self-reported success. Their all-weekend extravaganza went from Friday, Oct. 16th to Sunday, Oct. 18th and even featured a local DJ. They have been doing a stellar job at keeping their restaurant safe with professional sterilizations, employees wearing masks and making sure everyone there had a COVID safe mindset. They had a large parking lot with free parking, and it’s also, in my opinion, walking distance from campus (about a half an hour walk from UF’s campus or a five minute drive). It’s right downtown across from the fire station and easily accessible to the Gainesville community.
Just a note; they only have indoor dining, so if you’re not down for that, their food truck should be back up and running soon with the same delicious meals as their restaurant!
The Food is to Die For
When I walked into this restaurant, I was excited to experience something new. Never having had Venezuelan food before, I was eager to expand my flavor profile. The Spoon photographer I was with, Marissa, was actually a die-hard fan of the Tinker food truck. She recommended me her favorite items on the menu, which was the same menu (and prices) as the food truck with a few new additions. The pricing on the items wasn’t too expensive, so fellow college kids should be excited about that.
I ordered the Tinker Beef Burger with all the toppings except ham (I’m not a fan of ham). The burger, featured in the final photo in this article, was one of the top five best burgers I’ve had in my life. It was massive with a generous amount of toppings that included cabbage, bacon, gouda cheese, house sauce, pink sauce and parmesan cheese. The burger itself was cooked just right and it was the perfect “treat yourself” moment I needed that week. If you’re sick of having the same old burger, I definitely recommend checking this one out (they even have an Impossible meat vegan version of the burger).
The item pictured above is the Teque balls. Think of mozzarella sticks but in small ball form; that’s what this was, but better. The sauce we dipped them in was the green sauce and it was the perfect punch to add to the Teque balls.
Marissa, the Spoon photographer, ordered the Arepas. The Arepas Marissa got, pictured below, were one peluda one and one steak one. Topped with cheese, house sauce, pink sauce and cabbage, Marissa said these messy bites were filling and hit the spot.
In her words, “It was delicious as always and the same as the food truck.”
The final item ordered was the Chicharrones Pepito with gouda cheese. Pictured in the image right below the “The Food is to Die For” subheading, this item was almost like a Latin version of a cheesesteak. Marissa’s boyfriend, Omar, loved it.
“It tasted almost like pork rinds,” Omar said. “It was 75% meat and cheese and the bread is really only there to contain the filling.”
Tinker Thoughts
If you’re looking for a new weekend spot owned by a local family, Tinker is the place for you! Spoon University at UF prides itself in promoting locally owned businesses, and I’m happy to say that this one lived up to and surpassed my expectations.