high, low, & in between

open friday through monday, 10am - 3pm

located at 534 virginia avenue indianapolis, indiana

former employees Jess Lykens and Brady Laughlin

Though Milktooth officially opened its doors in 2014, the brick & mortar of 534 Virginia Avenue has been standing since long before. Once upon a time, a Plymouth DeSoto dealership opened in Fountain Square in 1933. What soon became O'Brien Automotive Family started with just that Virginia Avenue garage lot known as Tom O'Brien Co., which even supplied a car (driven by O'Brien himself) for Robert Kennedy as he toured his presidential campaign through Indianapolis. As a result of a 2014 Local Initiatives Support Corporation grant, the car depot found itself transformed into the imaginative diner that is now Milktooth. Aside from the breezy garage doors that often stay open during warm weather, remnants of O'Brien's automobile lifts support two of Milktooth's long, community style tables, paying homage to what once was.

 Like O'Brien's long ago, Milktooth is a family business through and through. Jonathan Brooks and his then wife Ashley Rose cut their milk teeth with intentions to make primary use of local produce, provide globally inspired breakfast and lunch fare, and prioritize a familial feel. Alongside them, Jon and Ashley's family helped prepare the space for opening: from fixing chairs and building tables to wallpapering and polishing great grandma Louise's dish ware. Soon after opening, Jonathan was deemed one of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2015, where there were eleven recipients in total. Bon Appetit Magazine named Milktooth one of ten Best New Restaurants in the United States that same year. Brooks went on to open Beholder in 2018, which boasts a James Beard Foundation semifinalist nomination for its extensive wine program and haute cuisine. Ashley has since founded Indiana's premiere brunch festival Baby Got Brunch (where Milktooth serves as a VIP vendor), Garfield Park Farmer's Market, and works as a restaurant consultant, food justice advocate, and culinary events coordinator. Original head manager extraordinaire, Elizabeth Foster, now owns and operates Dear Mom, an innovative magazine bodega meets local produce market on East 10th street. The iconic Jess duo, Parrotte and Lykens (two of our original servers), run the one and only Zodiac Vintage in the center of Fountain Square. Beloved former chefs Esteban Rosas and Gabriel Sañudo are now the magicians behind Julieta Taco Shop (and we will never turn down tacos for breakfast). 

Today, Jonathan's eldest sister, Julie Brooks Komsiski [head manager], runs the space alongside her daughter, Em Elise, as Milktooth approaches its ten year anniversary in October. Though not every staff member is related to the Brooks family by blood (front of house stars "Mama" Jess Wehmeier and Sam Ocampo have been with the restaurant since its opening), a palpable pulse of kinship and camaraderie keeps Milktooth's heart beating strong. We wouldn't be who we are without our beloved crew. Bryan Enas, founder of the vibrant Eastern European inspired Fasola dinners that often grace the Milktooth stage, heads our imagination lab of a kitchen while drink master Adrian Caldera [Ono] serves as the brains behind our bar. Accompanied by Brooks, chef Josh & wife Julie Baker presently run their Open Fire series out of the Milktooth kitchen (or rather, a back country campfire in our garden) and frequently host rustic, sensorial feasts boasting foraged goods and whole-beast roasts. 

Milktooth has never been your standard breakfast joint. With a rotating menu that ranges from oysters to loaded grits, Dutch baby pancakes to ceviche, whose ingredients routinely fluctuate depending on what's in bloom, you're sure to find something a little beyond the tried and true. We suggest taking a leap of faith and reveling in the divinity of the senses. Aside from an array of nourishing delights to luxuriate in, our drink menus boast a list of caffeinated, carbonated, & everything-in-between concoctions that are bound to leave you hankering for more. All syrups and savors are crafted in house with inspiration drawn from flavors occasionally found right in our garden. With a state of the art Modbar Espresso system and a lineup of connoisseurs in constant creation, rest assured your dream libation awaits.

Though culinary conception is our main squeeze, we strive to uplift and showcase the local artists that help put Indianapolis on the map. Indy natives Justin Brown and art collective The Droops [spearheaded by Emily Gable, now operating Bootleg Signs & Murals] are responsible for having originally transformed our bathrooms into bite sized wonderlands. The dining room itself serves as a makeshift gallery space where rotating exhibitions adorn the walls [currently on display is local painter Kyle Ragsdale], curated by administrative assistant and fellow artist Em Elise. From internationally influenced pop-up dinners to bustling parking lot markets soundtracked by local DJs, you're certain to find a gamut of multimedia events happening each season.

photography by Mallory Talty

milktooth's opening year