We went here for Valentine's Day and it was really nice. We appreciated the slightly larger portion sizes  and therefore the lower cost for eating a meal!
Bad news was that it was late at night and some of the food we ate tasted "old." Also, our waiter was new, we think, because he really didn't know how to answer any of our questions.
I'd go back at an earlier time and on a less busy day before giving this a final grade.
This may be my new favorite Carmel restaurant. A co-worker recommended it, and I came here with my dad (who likes meat sometimes) and my step-mom, who has both a gluten allergy and dairy intolerance. Unlike most restaurants, there was plenty for both them and me (the vegetarian) to choose from, because divvy has a huge menu of small plates.
My favorite was the sweet potato fries with maple bourbon sauce, but I am especially in love with sweet potatoes (and often dream of having a well-roasted sweet potato's babies) so not super surprising. I also enjoyed the sunburst squash, tomato bruschetta, and tasting and sharing both the red and white flights of wine (we always drink plenty of wine, and flights are the best).
The atmosphere was trendy and new and the service was fantastic and quick. The finishing touch of the night, before we left, was the complimentary homemade caramel - but I hear sometimes it is another morsel like homemade fudge. And it comes in a cute little divvy box. Somehow it made me really happy.
One of my favorite lunch & dinner spots in Carmel. Â Love the unique and inventive take on small plates. Â Been there a couple of times in a large group and we were able to ask the waiter to bring out his top few dishes. Â Everyone I take there always raves about the food. Â Love the atmosphere and the drink list. Â My only complaint is the menu is a bit confusing and overwhelming. Â It could use some shrinking...
Review Source:I adore tapas. I am a tapas-holic. Divvy does not disappoint.. for the most part. Dishes weren't all 5-stars but of course we all have varying tastes. This is a great date night restaurant. Impressive, but have patience for the lack of service and be ready to sit at the community table if private tables are not available.
Food: 4/5
Location: 5/5 The interior is amazingly chic and close to the Palladium for a great after show bite and drink
Service: 3/5
What a great find. Â We had dinner for five -- late dinner on Sunday night before Christmas. Â Decor is modern and trendy and great. Â Small plates dining is really good -- with five of us, we got to try lots of different things. Â Even good stuff for the vegan in our group. Â Waiter was knowledgeable and attentive. As we ordered along -- with three carafes of sangria -- I was anticipating one huge check. Â But it wasn't bad. Â This is a fun place for a small plates dinner.
Review Source:So out of the 4 or 5 times I have been here I have really had incredible service except for one time. I had been contemplating a negative review for about a month. I was prepared to write one of the most brutally honest reviews that I ever have. It was in regards to a certain server that my yelp counterparts also had horrific experiences with. I pondered over this storm brewing inside me as I wanted to share with yelpers how truly shocking this experience was. I just could not understand how a restaurant could be so incredibly spot on! So incredible in service and in food and then with one visit nearly knocked me off my feet. I decided to write a letter first to the owners because I believe that if they didn't know about the situation how could I expect them to address the situation. Excellent service recovery by the owner Kevin! He called me personally to apologize about my experience. I was so impressed with his heartfelt and sincere apology that I will return. This could have been a one star update, but Kevin completely turned this experience around.
Kevin, thank you for being so hospitable! Your establishment will continue to be on the tip of my tongue to recommend as a local Carmel favorite.
We always enjoy places serving small plates like divvy, barcelona tapas downtown, chinese dimsum, zing downtown when they were still open. Its fun and you get to try, experiment, mix up, and share several dishes, normally between 4 to 6 for us depending on how hungry we are. Went there for lunch break a few saturdays ago during our bicycle ride along the monon, and then last saturday evening for a late dinner. Service is good, food is good (pork belly and beignet for me), place looks good with outdoor dining option and fireplace. And then they give you as take home after meal treat those small choco brownie in a box, quite fancy but its a nice. Plus they sometime offer a complimentary flavored water (if you dont like plain tap), we got cucumber water the first time we went, though not on the 2nd time maybe they were out. Price wise, it really not that bad at all and very much comparable if you eat at any decent place in Indy.
Review Source:In a nutshell, I am never going back and I only gave it two stars because of the dessert.
We had been anxious to try Divvy for a while. Who wouldn't? Trendy Carmel hot spot with small plates and cocktails? Sign me up. My first mistake was bringing our out-of-town guests to a place we've never tried. It was only my mom and grandma who are subjected to supply me with unconditional love so I guess it wasn't completely embarrassing.
Here we go... Our server, Lola, who actually referred to herself as "the crazy Russian" was HORRIFIC. First offense: she must have the memory span of a flea because she introduced herself and gave her "spiel" TWICE! Verbatim! Each and every time she came to the table, she referred to us (Two 24 year olds, a 52 year old, and a 77 year old) as children, kids, young ones, or some other variation of the word. I honestly took offense to that. She spoke so quietly that you could only say "WHAT?!" so many times before you just nod and smile like you pretend you know what she said. Not to mention, Lola was training a new server who didn't open her mouth once.
The decor is an attempt at hip and modern. But the tables end up cafeteria-like, the green paint is not right, and the music is too quiet for the ambiance they are trying to portray.
The wine list might be good, but you would never know because they make it known that every one on the list is only available through wine distributors and not in stores. Ok cool, but could you at least provide me with the country of origin? NO. Would you care to list a description? NO. Could you at least train your servers to be able to explain or recommend your wines? NO! We ended up ordering a Shiraz knowing we were taking a chance and Lola the crazy Russian actually told us that she does not recommend that wine. Alright Lola, what do you recommend? The $68 bottle, or course! Taking half of her advice, we scratched the Shiraz and ended up asking for a moderately priced Merlot. When I ordered it, she gave me a look like she was hex-ing me. To no surprise, she didn't know a thing about wine service and poured my mother a sample of the bottle that I ordered.
The food was below average but not atrocious . We ordered the Balsamic Bruschetta, Goat Cheese Cakes, Corn Creme Brulee, Steak Bites, and Beef Carpaccio. Everything was presented poorly, the bruschetta was bland, steak bites were tough, ugh. The food was so unmemorable that I am having a hard time recalling just 2 days later.
In a last ditch effort to save the meal, we ordered dessert. OMG, the Beignets were good. Warm, doughy, fluffy donuts, dusted with confectioners sugar, served with three dipping sauces: Strawberry, butterscotch and dark chocolate. I don't even care that I ended up eating that dark chocolate sauce with a spoon like soup. I deserved it after the failure that is Divvy.
Last night was our second visit to this trendy Carmel small plates bistro. Our first was with a much larger group, and last night was a 4 top.
Dishes are served progressively, so you order a little bit at a time, and then order more until you're done. The recommendation is one order per person, per round. We found that this was probably a bit much, and didnt order quite so much.
We started with the balsamic bruschetta, simple Mac N Cheez, Bruleed Brie, and French O'Dumplings. The Bruschetta was fantastic, lots of flavors. My parents dont normally like feta, but ate every bit heaped on this dish! The bruleed brie had a sweetly delicious fig jam.
Our next course was sweet potato fries, corn creme brulee, and duck drummies. I love the duck drummies in the Thai chili glaze. Its probably my favorite item on the menu! Simple, but tasty. The corn creme brulee had some heat, but the cheeses and sea salt tempered the heat a bit, and left a surprisingly full flavor aftertaste.
Our final course was both sets of sliders (turkey and buffalo) and the braised beef. The braised beef was not my favorite. There wasnt anything wrong with it, but it just didnt excite me like so many of the other dishes had. But thats what makes this place so inviting. Since its all small plates, you can share everything, and if something isnt a winner, thats ok because you have plenty of other options to enjoy.
Service is laid back, and sometimes feels a little too slow. I also understand that the kitchen can get backed up as each dish requires a certain attention to making sure the presentation and all the unique parts are present.
All in all, an enjoyable dinner. I like the concept. My wife and I like to try lots of different dishes, and find ourselves often trying to decide what to order in a restaurant because so many options sound so interesting. So Divvy gets 2 thumbs up from us, and we will be back with friends!
Recently had a nice experience at Divvy. Â Not perfect by any means, but I will definitely be back, which tells me that they must be doing something right.
The rights -
Nice ambiance and decor. Â Sure, there might be a few people that look like they are auditioning for "Real Housewives of Carmel" but........it's Carmel, so just roll with it because you should have expected it.
Good drink menu with a nice beer selection. Â The hard cider with an optional added flavor was sweet, but good.
Small plates. Â Everybody shares!
The steak bites and the grilled strip were very good.
The wrongs -
Understaffed on Tuesday, July 3rd. Â The next day is a national holiday, of *course* people are going to go out since they don't have to work the next day.
Service at our table was confusing* (see below). Â We got there on the early side of dinner and the bartender waited on our table. Â The place proceeded to fill up with patrons rather quickly and it was obvious that our server/bartender was slammed. Â He came back by and we *thought* we placed an order for another round of drinks. Â 5 minutes later another server came by and asked if we wanted more drinks. Â She was not sure if the bartender had actually taken our order or not. Â 5 minutes later, she was back to take our drink order. Â The bartender dashed over to apologize and then dashed back behind the bar. Â We had yet *another* server take our next order 20 minutes later, but by then we realized that the place was hopelessly understaffed for a full house and we went with the flow.
Chicken nachos were very average. Â Not much flavor and overall a disappointment. Â I would not order them again.
The sausage that came with the beer cheese fondue was greasy and unappetizing. Â Very doubtful that I'd order it again.
So, sort of a mixed bag in terms of the menu items we tried and the service was not great, but sort of funny until.............
*The bartender came by towards the end of our dinner and apologized (for the 2nd time) for the uneven service that we'd gotten.  He couldn't have been nicer or more sincere about it and offered to buy us a round of shots.  We laughed, thanked him for his offer, and said "no thanks" to the shots.  2 minutes later he's back at the table with a round of shots, insisting that we try them.  Nope, no Kamikaze's or Jäger Bombs.  He brought us shots of pistachio liqueur (Verdenoce), vodka and Bailey's.  Tasted like a slightly sweeter version of a White Russian and was very smooth.
So the bartender pretty much turned this into a 4 star rating from what would have been a 3 star rating. Very nice to see that some people will go out of their way to make sure that guests at their establishment leave feeling happy.
Long lost friends could be found over the delightful bites that come out of Divvy. Â I am utterly impressed that less than 2 miles from my house, we have a modern, eclectic tapas restaurant that has such a selection for all taste buds that there is something for everyone - unless you are afraid of trying new things that sound like they don't really go together.
The chef has mastered balance and flavors. Â I didn't utterly enjoy EVERYTHING I had but the person next to me might have which is why it's not that every dish is for everyone, but I do feel there is at least one dish that can make your taste-buds go, "mmm mmm mmm".
Things that made me go "mmmmm" included the divvy dusted pork belly with blackberry bbq. Â Holy yummo. Â However, it is heavy, so it's great for a dinner, but not so much a lunch, which is what I made the mistake of doing. Â I basically needed a very long nap after I ate it. Â It was melt in my mouth delectable. Â I also truly enjoy the chicken nachos which come with a side of pineapple salsa that is so fresh and filling by itself! Â
On my 1st trip I tried the Braised Beef and the bread was a bit too soggy for my taste. Â I did not enjoy, so I don't recommend that, but on that same trip, I experienced the Lobster Mac-n-Cheese and can I just say HOLLA!!! Â So deeeeeeeeeee-lish.
On another note, I love that it's a "bar" and not a restaurant so NO KIDS ALLOWED. Â I have two munchkin faces, but I do not want to see them all the time, oK? it's awesome to have a place where I can go and be GUARANTEED a nice adult evening out. Â Don't get me wrong, I am a Red Robin lover too but seriously, it's SO nice to go into a nice restaurant specializing in entertaining the adult in me.
Overall, I look forward to going back b/c there is always SOMETHING on the menu I have not tried. Â There are just endless choices in so many categories and while I also find that to be the worst thing about this place, I just love that I know that I can try something outside my food wheelhouse whenever I step foot inside of Divvy.
Loved Divvy. I feel like we tried everything on the menu, but there was just so much--duck, scallops, bacon, chicken, edamame hummus, desserts..everything was delicious. Loved our server, Jan, as well. One of my favorites were the scallops...I am no foodie, but they were so tender and I could have eaten them all night. Loved it.
Review Source:When my sister's eyes go crossed upon biting into anything edible, I know we've found a winner! Â
We dined at lunch time and they have a very affordable $10 lunch menu. Â Anything from a salad to tacos to a sandwich can be had. Â You'll even get complimentary cucumber water which turned out to be very refreshing. Â My sister enjoyed the pork tenderloin slammers with macaroni salad and I inhaled the shiitake slammers and tomato quinoa. Â Everything tasted amazing... very fresh, lots of variety, decently priced. Â I loved the variety of vegetarian and vegan items on the menu.
The ambiance of divvy is very modern and almost soothing. Â Loved that they have several huge party tables in the front of the restaurant. Â The table settings and decor are all ultra modern and very fitting for the area in which the restaurant resides. Â My only complaint is that the booths and tables are pretty small for the concept of sharing tapas. Â Our waiter, Dustin, was super friendly and very knowledgeable. Â
I definitely recommend giving divvy a whirl!
Really disappointing. Mixed drinks were too strong, not well mixed. The concepts were good, but the taste was not. We tried the Manhattan and the Elderflower Gimlet. The waiter couldn't identify where the lamb came from. His eventual answer: off the meat truck and probably from New Zealand. The "chef" is a nutritionist. What kind of conscientious nutritionist buys mystery meat? Â
The corn creme brulee was very overrated. It has potential, but the execution was bad. The smores brulee had potential, but it was burnt and the marshmallows weren't thoroughly warmed. The chocolate mousse had far too much salt and I like salt with chocolate and carmel, but it was all dropped in one spot like some sort of red salt bomb. The scallops rockafella was smothered in cheese among other things to hide the quality of the scallops, which wasn't high. Most dishes we tried were just one flavor note. The pretzel rolls (from Costco) were average. The mustard and bacon jam served with them were just ok, but nothing great. The duckadillas had one of the worst tortillas I've had. Wal Mart purchase? Â The "braised beef dish" was a mushy mystery meat smothered in some kind of bland sauce.
The decor is probably the best thing about divvy, but not worth the price or the trip, and I live right down the street. $100 of my hard earned money and came away with nothing except a stomachache and a little bit of a buzz from the strong drink.
Divvy is an interesting place, there is no doubt it has unique characteristics. I can't really compare it to anything else I can think of in central Indiana. It reminds me of Vegas with the modern building and decor. I have to give the look/feel/ambiance 5/5 stars. I had higher expectations for the food however, mainly because it's owned by the same people that own Woody's Library restaurant, which I love.
For the record, I love the tapas/small plate concept. The menu is divided into veggie/poultry/seafood/red meat, etc... so it's easy to find vegetarian options easily (as well as gluten-free or vegan). Â I still recommend this place to friends even though I think their menu is sub-par to it's potential (details below). It's located in the new Carmel city building, next to the Palladium.
So... moving on to the food. You start with your choice of water or cucumber-water. We got the house cucumber water... very good if you like cucumber (so I hear). I elected to go with the Founders Porter instead (which I enjoyed). Expect to pay $5.5 per bottle for craft beer. They have 6 drafts, which don't think rotate out. I originally wanted their draft sampler ($5) but they appeared to be out of a few of the choices so I got a bottle instead.
We enjoyed about half of the plates we ordered. The ones I really liked and recommend are, Corn Creme Brulee and Bruleed Brie. I read good things about the Tempura Tofu but personally didn't like it at all. Â The waitress noticed that we didn't care for some of the options and offered to substitute out for other plates or a dessert.
Since the food was not very good as a whole, I gave this place a 3/5 star, but I really recommend trying it out for yourself. It's a perfect place to go with a small group of friends.
A solid addition to the Carmel dining scene. Â Hubby and I stopped in on a Friday evening. Thought we might have to go somewhere else for dinner. Thus was just appetizers, right. They are small plates but priced
So that you can easily enjoy enough to get full! Â Bacon steak, pork belly was delish. Calamari done just right. Fondue plate ok. Hubby loved pretzel bread. Sausage was tasty. Â They had my fave beer, sun king, weemac, in can but that will do. We will be back.
Divvy had been on my list of restaurants to try and today we decided to give it a whirl. I don't venture to Carmel often, and today left no better impression. An empty parking lot, dark uninhabited boutiques, church bells ringing in between a murmur of instrumental music, all combined, left an eerie feeling in the air. Isn't this the way horror movies begin? ...
Anywho, we were greeted at the door and sat in the dining room. Right off, I have to say that I enjoyed the interior decor. The simplicity of their table settings were comfortable and modern. Loved the pencil cup silverware holder and the wood tiled wall in back. Skimming through the leather bound menu I was excited until I began noticing that many of the small plates had identical sauces or accompaniments. The only real choice was whether I wanted fish, beef, or veggies with my pineapple salsa verde, creamy horseradish sauce, or teriyaki. They really must have purchased creme fraiche in mass quantities also, because it was everywhere!
Looking past that, we ordered the smoked chipotle pepper jelly and bacon jam to start. The jelly was paired with small cornbread muffins and butter. The cornbread was tasty, but the jelly was unimpressive, with no distinguishable heat. The bacon jam came with pretzel bread and creamy horseradish sauce. The sauce had a nice level of horseradish, but the bacon tasted more like shredded dry jerky than crumbled bacon.
For the next course we ordered the seared tuna, lamb latkes, and corn creme brulee. The tuna came out a very dismal gray color, served with teriyaki, and glass noodles. The teriyaki was extremely bland making the whole dish forgettable. The latkes were drowning in a pool of chipotle pepper jelly (again) and drizzled with, you guessed it, creme fraiche. They were overcooked and dry. I took one bite of the sweet corn creme brulee and I was ready to go.
After spending a decent amount of money on dinner, it's disappointing that what I liked best was their cucumber and lemon infused tap water. BUMMER. The concept is there, the decor and atmosphere a plus, but they loose it with the food. It's tapas people; if you only have two bites to make an impression - give me flavor!
Had a great first time experience at Divvy. Â Our waitress, Lola, was very helpful in explaining the menu and making recommendations. Â She was very attentive and brought in a food in a way that our table never felt crowded with all of our small plates. Â Highly recommend the queso blanco, steak bites, and Sweet Pablo.
Review Source:Fantastic environment and location, but not long after being seated could I tell that this was run by the owners of Woody's Library. Â It started with our orders. Â We were a group of six and ordered 8 small plates. Â Remember they are SMALL PLATES. Â Our waitress informed us that there wouldn't be enough of room at the table, so she would bring them in two stages. Â This made no sense. Â We said we were going to share (the whole point of this place) and we would make room. Â She rolled her eyes and left. Â If we let her have her way, we would have had a few members without food. Â Not a good suggestion. Â When she came back with our food we had no silver ware. Â It was later delivered in a little box, which I guess was cute. Â Too bad it only had place settings for 4. Â Whoops. Â I then had to ask for napkins. Â I didn't think serving food was really this complicated. Â After we received our napkins we never saw her until we left. Â Never came to check on us, offer more drinks or food. Â One of my friends never even received their beer. Â The food was pretty good, but often fried, with sauces and presentation as the focus. Â The whole experience made me miss Zing which was a similar mod-tapas restaurant downtown near the canal which has since closed. Â Prices were a little high considering that there wasn't much to any of the food in ingredients or volume. Â A cute place for a date or to try out, but I wouldn't make this place regular. Â Service stunk.. don't know why I would have to ask for napkins or silverware.. I'm don't think I've ever had to ask for both.. and then not even receive enough. Â The Woody's owners spend plenty on the decor, but again miss the point. Â If I hate the person serving me I won't be back. Â And really.. get some fresh ingredients and stop frying everything.. FRIZZLE apparently means FRIED by the way. Â And don't order the FRIZZLED soybeans which were like edamame converted into mushy roasted peanuts.
Review Source:First off, the address is 71 W. City Center Drive. Â It is not on W Carmel Drive. Â I love the small plates concept and this menu is amazing with a wide variety of dishes. Â The vegetarian and gluten free options are marked on the menu. Â I went there with my husband and his parents. Â My husband and I will definitely be back to sample more of the extensive menu! Â We shared the mac and cheese with lobster, goat cheese, tempura tofu, corn creme brulee, scallop rockafella, frog legs, and tenderloin satay. Â Everything was delicious and easy to share! Â The service was very attentive. Â The decor was gorgeous with options to seat two people up to a large group.
Review Source:I wrote a long post that was lost. It blows me away this place has more than 2 stars. Really bland food and over priced. It is a good concept but the food is just not good. We had 6 menu items to share and it was 90 bucks for two. The Duckadillas were horrible, and if it wasn't for the sauces on everything, like the Thanksgiving Balls, there wouldn't be any flavor to the food. Very amateur cooking but a good atmosphere. The wait staff is bad as well. Our server interrupted my wife four times while she was asking questions about the menu so she could answer the questions of the guy next to us. I won't be going back or recommending it.
Review Source:If you think you don't like the typical Carmel crowd, then you'll probably want to avoid divvy. Â Fake body parts and fur coats are optional, but many of the guests on a Wednesday night in January chose to have both on display.
However, if you are seeking a cool, dark atmosphere with delicious food and drinks, sit at the bar, talk to the fabulous bartender, Jason, and ignore the other patrons.
Divvy has six draft beers, none that blew me away and the closest thing to local was Goose Island. They do have Sun King cans and several other bottled beers. Â Their focus seems to be more on cocktails and wine, so I'll be sure to broaden my horizons on my next visit. Â I drank a Harpoon IPA and the divvy water, a cucumber and citrus (?) infused water served out of a blue bottle. Â Kinda hokey but a unique alternative to plain water. Â
My friend and I ordered two small plates and both were yummy, bacon jam served with bread and the goat cheese cakes in a tomato sauce. Â They have a few entrees but the majority of the menu is small plates. Â
Divvy is owned by the same people as Woody's Library Restaurant. Â Kevin, the owner, introduced himself and seemed excited about his latest venture. Â I believe his wife is the chef.
In the bathrooms, they have a type of hand dryer I've never seen before. Â It's similar design as the Dyson Airblade, but it shuts off automatically after 20-30 seconds and doesn't seem to dry as well as the Dyson. Â I love new hand dryer technology. Â
Divvy is located in City Center, and if you haven't been it's worth checking out the new shops and restaurants popping up in the area.
First, the restaurant itself is done very well.  Second, the drink I had was really good, the Pleasure Punch, which was a Prosecco cocktail.  Third, the two appetizers we ordered were not that good.  The first was a white bean Baba Ganoush served with toasted focaccia bread  I didn't taste anything other than white beans in the Baba Ganoush, which was disappointing.  Second, there is a thin line between stale bread and toasted bread...it tasted more like stale focaccia bread, also disappointing.  I know that judging from one appetizer isn't enough, but considering what I've heard about the place, I had pretty high expectations.  I would consider going back when I visit though.
Review Source:What an absolutely refreshing addition to the restaurant concept. We enjoyed all aspectsof this unique place: hospitality, atmosphere, service, menu choices, presentation, preparation, but most of all the quality of the food. We will not only return, but recommend it to any and all who want a fabulous place to eat!!!
and yes, the mango sorbet is heavenly!
I will have to say I was a little bias going to Divvy because I work at Architectural Brick and Tile and we supplied almost every hard surface for the restaurant so I have been dying to see the installation. The atmosphere there was wonderful! It's a little on the smaller side but the layout was great!
We had a wonderful waitress and the services was wonderful! I felt like there were plenty of people checking on us and we were well taken care of.
Now for the food. Phenomenal! We tried so much! The dusted fried olives, steak bites with potatoes, lobster, frizzled soy beans, the warm bacon jam with horseradish mustard and pretzel bread, bruleed brie, sizzlin shrimp, pecan triangle and the chocolate mouse. I loved everything and so did everyone else!
My favorites were the lobster and the chocolate mouse. We did have a little surprise when my friend ordered the ostrich burgers and I have to say I really liked it and I didn't know I was eating ostrich. She decided to keep that a secret. I would go back in a heart beat!
Very good small plates.  I got the cormnbread and chipoptle pepper.  Ahi tuna on seafood  was the best.  Lamb litke was amazing.  Chocolate mouse was a great small desert.  Owned by woody, of woody's library restaurant in carmel.  Ostrich mini burgers were great.  Pineapple and jalapeno peppers were hot hot.  Overall reasonable price, however be careful, like any restaurant with a bar, you don't get carried away with drinks or the price can be high.
Review Source: