I had a very similar experience to Jess F.
I have a lot of tattoos, and I take a lot of time researching to find a shop I want to check out before I make a trip. I came to Smith Street completely based off the mostly positive reviews on Yelp, but I was incredibly turned off by my experience.
I came in looking for a cover up.. I walked in and was greeted by a young guy at the counter. He was not very friendly..looked like he was sizing me up as I walked in--asked 'can i help you?'--I started to talk--then he interrupted me to answer the ringing phone. Then he let me continue--called one of the artists over to consult me. A larger guy with a metal front tooth came over and talked to me about the cover-up..I knew it would be a challenging tattoo, but the way he talked to me made me feel really insulted and uncomfortable.
He didn't like my ideas and didn't have any good ideas himself for a cover-up, and he recommended I laser it off. I told him I had no interest in lasering it off, and he just shrugged and looked at me like, 'alright--whatever.' He seemed completely uninterested in even trying to help me and was so rude the entire conversation.
I walked out--after being insulted and talked to like I was stupid-- I had no desire whatsoever to spend my money here. Besides my cover-up, I was also interested in getting other tattoos by them in the future, but not anymore!
I have an appointment at a DIFFERENT shop--and I'm getting exactly what I wanted. My cover-up just takes a little creativity, which Smith Street seems to be lacking.
I walked into Smith Street tattoo at about 6pm on a Tuesday. Â It was a mediocre experience in terms of service...a young kid half-heartedly greeted me while still helping another customer, so he was trying to listen to the other customer, while half-listen to me. Â I said I didn't mind waiting, which was good because he had already stopped paying attention to me.
I needed 2 tattoos looked at - one that needed to be redone, and one that hadn't turned out how I wanted and I was looking to change it. Â The kid had me explain and then went to get someone else. Â The next guy came over (he was working on something for someone else...copying and drawing) and continued to do it while he talked to me. Â I showed him the tattoo I wanted to "fix" and his response was "you can just get it lasered off." Â Coming from an artist and businessman I was surprised. Â So, he had no ideas and or inclination to help and he was willing to turn down whatever money I was offering. Â Let's just say I didn't feel welcome. Â He walked away.
The first kid came back and told me to have a nice day.  I reminded him about the other tattoo - he said it would cost $100 and would take 5 minutes (it's about the size of a  1/2 dollar. I know places have minimums, but perhaps the way he said it rubbed me the wrong way).  I asked him when I could do it, he told me I could come in Wednesday or Thursday at 11.  I explained that I worked and couldn't come during the day and he looked at me like I just told him the earth was flat or something.
So, I wasn't treated well from a customer service perspective, I wasn't helped with any of my questions/concerns (I was told to just quit, essentially), and I wasn't encouraged to come back to work on the one thing they would do. Â Now, I'm not a leper or a jerk, so even coming up with superficial, annoying reasons to justify the treatment is far-fetched. Â I went here off of Yelp reviews and was sorely disappointed with the entire thing.
Tattooed here by Eli years ago but only just getting round to yelping. My arm still looks amazing and it's my favorite piece. All the artists here are insanely talented, but I've always loved Eli's work especially. Great shop, couldn't wish for a better place to get tattooed in American Traditional style. Nice guys, masters at what they do.
Review Source:I had the honor of being tattooed by Eli Quinters. He was a gentlemen. He was extremely assistive in helping me choose a piece of flash and he gave me a clean and classy tattoo. I've never been more impressed with a tattoo parlor in my entire life. It is a remarkable place and a Brooklyn landmark. I would suggest this tattoo shop to anyone and everyone. Best tattoos New York City has to offer. I would like to add that this place is expensive but no one has ever gotten a good tattoo for cheap regardless of what they tell you.
Review Source:This is a decent place for tattoo needs. Â Steve seems cool. Â And Dan definitely is. Â The other guys seem a little out of it or stoned or autistic or something. Â Maybe Asperger's. Â Not bad as far as tattoo joints go - sometimes it seems like it needs to break through some incongruous ties to some mythical classic era, but maybe it's just their taste. Â
It's not as important as it seems, the world of tattoos - everyone has them now - and you can't go more than a couple of blocks without seeing someone with yet another sleeve. Â But that's what it is. Â Tattoos. Â Something permanent in a world of impermanence. Â It'll last longer than most of your relationships - so avoid putting your girlfriend's name anywhere, man. Â
I got a good tattoo and certainly a place where you'll find what you need.
So nice to walk into a real tattoo shop tha is keeping the spirit of old school NY tattooing alive. Great place, great people, and awesome traditional tattoos. Bert did a wonderful sparrow on my hand that I just love. Next time I want to get one from Dan as well. My new favorite shop :)
Review Source:I had my first tattoo done here this past weekend. Bert took me as a walk-in appointment and I must say, for a first timer, this was a great experience. The shop is very clean, everyone is friendly and accommodating, and I cannot be happier with my design. I brought in my own design and Bert drew it up and had it executed to perfection. I cannot recommend these guys enough. If you are looking to schedule an appointment, they are booked out a ways so I would do what I did. Walk-in and see if they can do it same day.
You will not be disappointed! Thanks Bert!
I had placed an appointment with a friend here wanting to see Dan Santoro for a long time after I had seen the tattoos he had done on his old Shop assistant craig. Â They are dark metal looking old school tattoos which are awesome. Â Unfortunately I came two hours late on the day of my appointment. Â I had a struggle with the trains and a poor estimation of time and planning for a place I had only been to once in my life. Â That aside when we came we still had the deposit and I am sure we had annoyed them. Â Dan Santoro couldn't tattoo me but Steve Boltz was willing to. Â He suggested we pick flash off the wall since our time would be cut short. Â All the flash on the wall I love so it wasn't a problem and he was polite. Â For my black and grey tattoo he had told me he would use an ink called Sumi-e that would fade grey in a different shade. Â He made an extra effort to make a special tattoo and had thought to do something else even though we had been late and not made the best impression. Â I am glad I came here because the artists take what they do serious, they actually are deserving of the title artists and are innovative and think of how to give you the best tattoo regardless.
Review Source:I wish I could say more stars, but these guys are totally unreliable. I had a piece started with Eli, then I came back to have it completed and the shop was closed. I know they don't always answer the phone so I went down there - and the shop was closed. No message, no sign and nothing on their voicemail - so I am going to Adorned to get my piece finished. What is a great tattoo worth is the guys aren't there?
Review Source:A good friend brought me to Bert of Smith Street Tattoo to get a dragonfly tattoo that I had been wanting for months. She highly recommended Bert since he did her tattoos. I told him what I wanted and he took it from there. He gave me the most beautiful and colorful dragonfly tattoo on the top of my left foot. I was beyond thrilled!
I was told that getting a tat on ones foot is the most painful. I have little tolerance to pain! LOL But must say that Bert has an extremely gentle and light touch. So much so that I went back to have an old tattoo re-inked and re-designed. Again, Bert did an amazing job!! I am now thinking of a third one... just not sure where and what but I do know that I will definitely go back to Bert. He is THE BEST and I highly recommend him.
I have a perfume bottle (see photo) done by Eli and a pair of antique binoculars done by Dan (also in photo section) and they're some of my favorite tattoos (I have ten as of now).
Both were great experiences and I can't recommend the shop more. They're professional, laid back, and are really helpful when it comes to tweaking your tattoo design (if it needs it). The night I got my perfume bottle, a couple came in wanting a piece by Mr. Boltz and it was some elaborate gruesome idea and Steve explained that while he could do it, it's not his style and they should find someone else to do it the justice it deserves.
I thought that was awesome. None of that stupid Inkmaster 'Be great at every genre!' bullshit. They're masters at traditional. Pure and simple.
The banter around the shop is hilarious and being the last customer in the shop the night I got my tattoo by Dan, they ordered pizza and even shared some with me! Post-tattoo pizza? Yes fucking please.
If you want an incredible, clean, traditional tattoo that will be timeless and the eye of your jealous friends, go here. If you're looking for tribal, call up Dave Navarro, i'm sure he could recommend a cute place.
Smith Street exceeded my expectations! The shop itself is clean, welcoming and agreeing with the S F. - Â the music is great! All the guys are friendly and you don't feel like you're doing them a favor by being in their store. I have two tattoos now, from both Eli and Dan. Both are incredible and I am constantly getting compliments! Pricing starts at $100, and for the quality of the work - you're getting a bargain. The work is so good my dad (a self proclaimed hater of tats) complimented my Dan tat on my foot and called it "art." Such a proud moment :)
Review Source:Can't say enough good things about this place. I was tattooed by Eli and he was welcoming and friendly, had great ideas without being pushy and did a really neat job of the tattoo. He made sure he knew exactly what I wanted, and took his time putting the design together to make sure it was just right.
I'm definitely going back for more. If you're a first timer, or thinking of adding more ink (and you're fan of awesome, colorful, port-style tattoos), this is the place to go in Brooklyn.
I got my *first* tattoo here a few days ago. It was on my ribs, and I wouldn't consider it small by any means. I have been following the guys at SST for at least a year and was excited to get an appointment with Steve Boltz. I rearranged my work schedule and flew across the country to get inked. Â
From a tattoo artist's point of view I understand if there was  a bunch of trepidation to tattoo some dude off the plane right on the ribs for the first time, BUT, Steve took me seriously, listened to what I wanted, and, drew up an amazing piece of work inspired by flash that he had on file. Not only was he patient, he was super professional and has focus like a brain surgeon during his sessions.
Told my Midwest friends if they go out east, any of the 4 guys at Smith Street will provide tattoos that are high quality. Totally pleased.
Tattoos here are completely *pain free*!
I am totally kidding. I just figured that someone is putting that in a search engine somewhere. I'm pretty heavily tattooed and I can't get over the first question people inevitably ask: "Did that hurt?" No. It most certainly did *not* hurt to have needles vibrating under my skin. Next...
So what you need to know, is that the studio is clean enough that you can probably eat off the floors, the staff is professional, friendly and agreeable to work with you on your ideas and while *not* pain-free, it might help you to know that they are pretty fast, depending on detail, size, of course. And they are good at what they do. I strongly recommend Dan. He whipped up a sweet little owl/moon for the back of my upper arm and put it on me in less than 2 hours. I love it!
If you're looking to get a traditional style tattoo in the New York Metropolitan area, look no further. Â These guys aren't cheap, and the reason for this is that the work they do is extremely clean, colorful, creative, and tasteful. Â The artists are also super nice and flexible, and will happily draw up a custom design. Â I've seen people get very traditional images tattooed here, but I've also seen them create great sketches from something totally out of left field. Â These guys aren't just passionate about tattoos, they are passionate about art itself - and it shows.
Review Source:I love this shop. I got a piece done by Steve Boltz in October and I fell in love with the tattoo and the shop. Everyone there is so nice and friendly. I chatted with Steve during most of the tattooing process. They are such cool dudes and really want to make you comfortable and happy with their work. No outlandish attitudes. I can't wait to go back and get more. Definitely go here.
Review Source:If you are interested in quality tattoos, look no further. I met Eli several years ago at a convention, and have followed his progress to one of the most respected and well round tattooers on earth. I recently visited the new location (with my 55 year old mother) and was floored by the shops hospitality, friendliness, and cleanliness. Both my mother and I have booked appointments with Steve Boltz, but all these guys are top notch. It is not that there is a shortage of top tier tattoo artists in NYC, but this shop is so down to earth, realistic with projects, prices, and quality I suggest looking no where else. I know just about every month, they host guest artists from around the globe, which is a cool feature. I have been in hundreds of shops, and give this place solid two thumbs up!
Review Source:These dudes don't be playin'. I got tattooed by Steve Boltz a few times. He tha man fo sho! He the best & nice too. All the tattooers here are da best in tha biz! Eli is a nice guy too. The shop itself is real cool to be in. No hipster snob shop. They be tattooin' fast as hell too.
5 STARs!!! East coast style beotches.
These guys are the real deal; I got tattooed by Steve Boltz at a tattoo convention in Hollywood, CA and watching all three of them knock out tattoos every couple of hours - Eli, Steve and Bert - was pretty damn amazing! They were consistently busy and somehow remained calm and cool the whole time. Gonna give props to their apprentice whom they lovingly called "Poodle" who set up and broke down their stations before and after each client. It would benefit you to get some work done from one of these guys. I hope I can make it to Brooklyn someday and get more work done by Steve.
Review Source:I haven't stopped by the shop yet, but I've been seeing Eli for tattoos since I was 18. Â He does bad ass work....my hips, arm, feet, and he covered up this huge dark badly done tattoo I had on my upper back. Â It's GONE. Â You can't see it at all, and the cover up tattoo is sick.
I send everyone I come across looking to get tattooed to Eli.
I agree, joseph. Â and furthermore, it is notable to add that the people who own and operate this place are very friendly, well spoken people. Â My first tattoo experience ad a not-so-known place in VA was pretty akward. Â I also didn't pay very much, and the tattoo itself wasn't done with a whole lot of care. Â I was talked to in a condecending way and just sorta hurried out of the store afterward. Â At Smith Street though, i paid over twice as much ( and it was a larger, more elaborate design so it would only figure) but for the people who own and operate this place bieng three of the top tattooists on the East Coast, and the US in general, i was treated very kindly and I had a great time. Â Not that i was anyone's BFF4L, but I felt as if i was a guest, not a customer, if you understand what i'm trying to get at. Â It was also great to see a place where the walls are adorned with flash designed by the people who own the place, or friends/colleagues of the likes. Â No tribal designs and no lame-o "new school" stuff in some contractable aluminum case on one side of the wall. Â All in all, you get what you pay for.
Review Source:Checked out this new shop a few weeks ago,and was impressed by the portfolio's of the tattooers,and the layout of the shop...They do some of the cleanest traditional tattooing in the city...And have some great flash on the wall to choose from,or they can draw a custom design for you.
I got a rose from Eli Quinter's,and the color is bright,and the tattoo is so clean.They also have some talented guest artists working there at various time's.Check out the shop,and the artists portfolio's,you won't be disappointed.
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