Tini

The place is adorbable! Very small and very classy! I love the décor, it’s modern and cozy. The drinks are wonderful and the wine list very decent. The food was really good too! All local farm to table. Same owner as Al Forno so if you are a fan you will love this «very different from Al Forno restaurant/​bar» too. It felt very French — the bartendresses were wearing black with pearls and I kept thinking of Chanel!

I only came here for drinks with a friend. I find it’s pretty overpriced for what it is and I’m not a fan of the size. You can hear everyone’s weird conversations on their awkward first dates… meh. The muddle grape cocktail was yummy but nothing special for the price it was.

Okay this is literally the best food and drinks I have had in a while. Yes it is pricey, but well worth it if you are looking for a swanky spot for a date or one classy drink before you go out.
Here are a few tips:
1. There is aways $ 15 for a bottle of wine special, you just have to ask. — the cheapest way to enjoy the tiny spot.
2. Go just for deserts after dinner. — it is a less expensive way to enjoy the food, and the deserts are very rich so small portions are a perfect size.
Enjoy!

I haven’t been to Tini in over a year, but had such a great experience the first time, I thought I would go back. That was a mistake.
The place is small, hence the name, and intimate. The first time I went, the bartender was responsive and able to strike up a conversation, this time the bartenders were only there to serve drinks. This was strange and put a damper on the overall feel and mood of the place.
The bartender poured my martini in front of me until it was so full that I couldn’t pick it up. I had to take the first sip as if I was some barbarian without manners. There was no sidecar, which would have helped the overflow issue,
As for the martini, it was awful. the vermouth was not only palpable, but overwhelmed the drink. At $ 13.00, I expect a good martini. What a waste of good alcohol.
Overall, I’ll think twice about going to Tini again. What a shame, it was a great place only a year ago.

My review is soley based on cocktails as I’ve never had the food here.
Tini’s is a very appropriate name for this place as that is exactly what it is… tiny, petitie, bite sized. Cute!
Great place to stop before and/​or after you catch at play at PPAC or Trinity. Great place to stop if it’s the only place you go for the night.
Bartenders are friendly and prompt. I love the dark atomosphere. Great drinks and drink specials.

You know, I just like this place. Right next to Gracies. It’s small, the food is good and comes out quickly (and relatively cheap for quality!), quiet, and the bar tenders are lovely. Yeah, its sort of packed sometimes and the menu-​powerpoint (which is set to the always exciting «random transition» option) is a total pain in the ass. But take it for what it is– a great place to bring a date or a couple of friends for conversation and food. Don’t bring your NFL-​jersey wearing troglodyte buddies here for ManNight.

Love the tini tiny dishes, yummy drinks and small atmosphere buttttt, wish the drinks were a lil bigger. It’s a great place to go out with the girls, I find it’s just not a guy friendly place from the small plates to the whole scene. Fun for a girls night out!

it’s not bad. the problem is i prefer my cocktail not Tini, more grand if you will. Some of the plates sounds so yummy, but it did not taste that way. The place itself is interestingly but has some special qualities, like the tiling on the wall. If you go you should ask for the story. I will probably give it another shot, but my bill. NOT so TINI.

Cute downtown spot. Everything fits with the name – tiny. But would be a cool place to take a date. The drinks were good. The Tini hot dog was tasty. And I loved the ice box chocolate cupcake. I think it was a little pricey, but you’re paying for the atmosphere/​cool factor.

I wrote this back in February and have only been in for a cocktail or two since, but I hope to return soon.
Tini can be tons of fun. Our only gripe was that they really pack you in. 19 chairs afford you little room. I don’t mind being smooched up next to a dinner companion, but some might find it a little uncomfortable being three inches away from the couple next to you– especially when they are busy.
We tried a few different cocktails all of which were tasty and came in small glasses which explains why my drink which was basically a gin & tonic with Bombay sapphire was only $ 6. We also had a raspberry lime rickey, something pink and lemon drops… but I’m sure everyone will find something they like on the cocktail menu.
The menu rotates on a LCD screen up on the wall so we got to stare at our options all night. The three of us wanted to eat in courses which turned out to be perfect. First we split two salads: Avocado, grapefruit and pistachio was simple and delicious and a Caesar made with endive was simply the best Caesar ever.
We ordered our second cocktail and then our second course– three small plates– the french fries… which we were smelling since we walked through the door– shoestring style with garlic mayo and hot sauce I think. Definitely some of the best fries I’ve had. The pork confit taco with shedded cabbage and carrots. Wholey f*ck that was good, I could have had 4 of them and also the Tini weenie which was about three bites (lots of laughter) and served with a kind of minced slaw on top– definitely bests NY system any day.
We were still plenty hungry for more so for our third course we got the two specials which we had to ask about 3 times. Panko fried duck livers– with pickled cabbage or something and another little hotdog bun. Not everyone liked them, but I LOVED THEM. Like duck liver chicken nuggets. The other special (and most expensive thing we ordered at $ 14, everything else was $ 5 – 8) was beef tenderloin with a spicy black bean purée. I liked the livers better but we ate it up.
A third cocktail and one Tini desssert (a little chocolate lava cake or something like that) and we called it quits. It was good but I’m not a huge dessert guy so I shouldn’t judge.
We were there for at least 2 hours. So it’s possible that maybe the bartender/​servers have changed, we definitely were not rushed and had amazing service.

I like Tini’s. It’s pint-​sized fun.
We have stopped in on multiple occasions, it was even a stop of our very first date! Most recently we ventured back for a friend who plays in their music Wednesdays.
My first Tini’s concert experience… I’ll be honest, I went as a bit of a rubbernecker: Do they harness them and hang them from the ceiling? Do they stand behind the bar? Will someone get a the neck of a guitar poking them in the eye?
No, they set up in the front corner, and somehow it works… Not sure how, but everyone (sort of) fits. Even the cold acoustics of Tini’s begin to warm up.
A very literal naming– the food, drinks, everything (even some of the bartenders) are mini. When I saw the $ 15 bottle of wine special, I thought it must be one of those TSA-​approved-​airline-​sized bottles. HOWEVER it is a ‘normal’ sized bottle! YAY!

After reading all the rave reviews on Tini i feel a bit short changed after my lack luster experience.
After Waterfire i walked by Tini and noticed it wasn’t very busy, which is a rarity (only 1 couple seated at the bar and 2 bartenders behind the bar). My Mister and I decided it was time to give it a go. When we sat down the bartender gave us our drink menus then gave us time to peruse the menus. After asking us what we’d like to order that was the last bit of conversation we shared with either of the bartenders. They took my glass away before even asking if i was done or if I’d like another beverage, then left us sitting there for a good 10 minutes. I placed my card on the bar which was promptly scooped up and swiped. It wasn’t as if this place was busy and it was only 10:30−11pm that we were there.
It was $ 20 for the two thimble sized drinks and the bartenders acted as if we were invisible. I realize you’re paying for the atmosphere but the schtick only goes so far.

This spot is hovering between ¾ stars for me — I’ll be back for sure, as long as I’m getting my Tini on the same way I did the first time: before the dinner rush, with a single dining companion, preferable someone teeny. Otherwise, too claustrophobic.
Every morsel was deeeelectable. A salad of greens, beets and walnuts, bowl of luscious savory gnochetti w/​shrooms, and three-​bites-​of-​squealing-​joy found in the pork tacos plus a couple cocktails sated me and my girlfriend for a light dinner (but my husband would’ve easily wolfed that much on his own and then some).
There are now video screen menus on the walls of both sides of the restaurant, so they fixed the neck-​craning issue that got Unilocalers Unilocaling, but the video thing still isn’t for me. It was a major ADD challenge to capture and compare items with the possibilities always flipping, in fluorescent green text. There are already paper drink menus… let’s just double-​side that shiznit and keep it simple!
Small plates are fun.

I’m glad I went but I won’t be going back. As everyone has said, the place is tiny. The seating is very cramped. It’s very gimmicky/​trendy.
The food was all delicious but very expensive and very small. The wieners were the bomb but they are like $ 8 and minuscule. I could have eaten 10 of them. We also ordered a gnocchi dish and a few other things. Everything delicious. The drinks were great but again, expensive and small. The martini’s were around $ 10 and about half the size of a normal one. I was psyched to see Sagres (Portuguese beer) on the menu but it was about $ 5 for a quickie (7 oz.). Sagres is inexpensive beer.
The bartenders are all very professional, helpful, skillful and friendly. But unfortunately that doesn’t make up for everything else.
We walked out of there (2 of us) with an $ 80+ bill and were still hungry and thirsty. Ended up heading down the street to Blake’s for some beers and split a steak and cheese.

One of my top 3 places in Providence. I try to go here as much as my wallet will allow it.
Service is always awesome, because it’s so small obvs. It is very cramped so get there really early or really late. The head chef is very nice and often pops his head out to say hello.
I’ve never had anything bad here. One of my favorite things about small plates is that they really have to think about how to pack a ton of flavor into every bite. All of the dishes here are very carefully thought out and it shows. Every bite of food is complex and exciting.
Many of the menu items change seasonally, and just about all of the ingredients are locally grown. Some of the delicious mainstays that I always have to get are steak tartare and gnochetti of the season.
Small plates/​tapas are my favorite genre of food, if that makes any sense. It’s a SMALL PLATES restaurant. The portions are small because you are meant to order a few of them. I don’t know why people would walk into an upscale atmosphere, see an $ 8 plate, and think it’s a deal of the century.

I’ve eaten there probably four times, never had a bad meal. It is somewhat intimate, in the sense that you’ll be rubbing elbows with the people sitting next to you, whether you know them or not. This is fine though, because I’ve found the crowd there to be uniformly pleasant and sociable.
The waitstaff is also uniformly pleasant, sociable, and as a previous reviewer stated, «cute». It’s true. (They are also quite professional and attentive.)
I have no particular problem with the flatscreen menu, but I suppose it would be tough to turn around and look at it from the right side of the bar… I’ve always been seated on the left.
The bathroom is not to be missed. It’s like something out of a science fiction movie.
This is a good place to go if you’re looking for a change of pace, someplace quirky and cozy, with small plates of delicious food, and nifty cocktails.

I really am surprised to see the negative reviews for TiNi! It really is a very cute, classy, hip, tiny lil’bar owned by the same people who own the famous and amazing Italian restaurant Al Forno and they’re actually friends with MARTHA friggin STEWART…
Two things:
1– People complaining about how small this place is… You guys are either blind (as you can clearly see the size of TiNi before entering) or don’t have the basic wit to understand why someone would name a place «Tini» ?
2– Yes, I do agree that their portions are small, BUT, if you want a big ol’ greasy burger or a plate of hot wings with your beer; there are many cool dive bars in Providence. TiNi mostly serves locally-​grown and mostly Italian-​influenced small portion bites that are there to compliment your drink; not substitute your dinner. However, TiNi DOES have a very filling portion of pasta (Gnocchi and TiNi Noodle) dishes. And, their garlic mayo fries are more than enough to keep your belly full unless you’re that monster soccer mom who goes to Burger King everyday for lunch…
That said, my only dislike about TiNi is when all 20 seats are taken, it can get pretty loud. Especially when people have couple of their favorite «tini» drinks… But, it’s mostly educated, upper-​class professional crowd coming for after-​work drinks or catching a small bite before or after a play at Trinity Rep!
Go there during the week and you will see what I mean! :)

Overpriced, cramped, way too trendy.

First rate cocktails expertly prepared from fresh ingredients right in front of you. Tasty food and friendly bartenders.
I don’t understand why people are complaining about size or price. If it’s not for you go to Blake’s or Murphy’s around the corner.

I have visited TINI twice now and the food varied between visits. The first visit was much better the the second. But it still was very good. The portions are small (perfect) and interesting. The small wiener is well done, and fits in the place. I like the small space, stark but interesting. If you do go sit on the left, so you do not need to crane you head to see the menu on the TV.
Also the view of the bar area is more pleasing. Over all I would TINI say it is worth a visit