A Refined Diner

By Morgan Fecto | Photographs By Jose Lara

A garage isn’t the typical backdrop for enjoying a cherry gose or plate of charcuterie—until now. Enter Milktooth, an eclectic Indianapolis brunch spot hiding in a refurbished garage where chefs serve high-brow food and beverage, often with sous vide at the center.  

Along with perfect sous vide eggs, tasty retooled staples like Manchego and grapefruit Dutch baby pancakes and stone cut oatmeal topped with pork belly earned Milktooth a Best New Restaurant accolade from Bon Appétit in 2015. Its inventive menu also scored Milktooth a mention on Condé Nast Traveler’s “Where in the World to Eat” list in 2016, ranking it among top dining stops like Noma, Alinea, and Saison.

Chef Jonathan Brooks’ innovative takes on brunch fare range from herb-forward and light dishes to hearty hangover cures. Fans of the former should try the spicy miso with pickled kombu or a lentil salad with turnip green and pea shoot pesto, fennel, sweet potato, and a sous vide egg.

Not only is brunch always on the table at Milktooth—you can get it six hours a day, six days a week—but local coffee and craft cocktails are too. You can order a glass of Ovaltine for the kids, then a shot of amaro and an espresso brewed with local Tinker Coffee Co. coffee for yourself.

Like its baristas and chefs, Milktooth’s bar staff deftly balance refined flavors and classic comforts. The lengthy “booze” menu offers local beer, plenty of wine, and bespoke cocktails. The Dreamsicle Mimosa, made with bergamot vodka and a vanilla cream simple syrup, will elevate your idea of bottomless, and the Hamm’s Mimosa (made with Hamm’s Beer) will bring it deliciously down to earth.

Eater critic Bill Addison credits Milktooth with “[redefining] daytime dining in America.” With Brooks close to opening his newest restaurant Beholder, which will reinvent the idea of a night out, Indy eaters and sous vide lovers will have their plates full from sunrise till sunset.