Atkins Park Restaurant and Tavern

11/24/08

Great food

by DZM2 at Citysearch

I pick restaurants based on whether their food is consistently good. This is one of those places. The entrees are generally American style dishes. Think pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes, or fried chicken with mac and cheese. They also have burgers/sandwiches. The dining area is small but we've never had to wait long for a table. (The bar is huge and what most people go to Atkin's Park for). When you're done eating, make a night of it by wandering over to the bar area for socalizing (always busy) or any of the other VaHi bars withing walking distance.

• Pros: Food, location
• Cons: Parking

06/08/08

Comfort Food

by rebecca4278 at Citysearch

After all these years, Atkins Park is still one of the best places to get traditional comfort food, like fried chicken, meatloaf and salad. It feels like an Irish Pub inside.

• Pros: Good food, good location
• Cons: Parking

04/26/08

Good Eats

by phippsplaza at Citysearch

A nice place to eat. I love the Boursin cheese stuffed Steak. It is noisy on the bar side, but great on the food side.

• Pros: Food is great
• Cons: Parking in Atlanta.

02/28/08

Disaster Zone

by 029430 at Citysearch

This was hands down one of the worst experiences I have ever had at a restaurant. We spent close to two hours in this restaurant, well that time was mostly made up of sitting there with no drinks and food. The service was so unbelievably poor, we were never offered refills on our beers we ordered at the bar, we were never offered water refills until we asked for our check. The waiter actually offered us free drinks because of the wait and guess what...they never came. Our waiter was MIA for most of the time, unhelpful and didn't even know the menu. The waiter also mishandled and misplaced our order and in the end we were doubled charged for the meal which of course we corrected but it took more time. As far as the food....it was an utter disaster. The touted Homemade Garlic Sausage with risotto was hardly edible. The risotto was severely under cooked, it was like eating rocks. If you don't know how to serve risotto, take it off your menu. If we could have found our waiter we would have sent it back but 45 minutes into this ordeal we didn't want to complicate things even more. The sandwiches we ordered were shrimp poboy and italian muffeletta....the shrimp poboy had a whopping 5 shrimp total and about 2 pounds of bread. We actually took a pic with the leftover bread...it actually took up an entire plate. In all the sandwiches were boring, tasteless and mostly bread. I'm just glad I never ordered an actual entree from this place, no telling what that would have been like. The sides were potato salad and fries....if you don't think anyone can make this poorly think again...this place can. The potato salad was sludgy and mushy and tasteless once again. And the fries were overcooked.

What's sad is when we left we actually went to another restaurant a block away to order drinks and appetizers so we wouldn't feel we wasted our night out.

Do yourself a favor and stay very far away. The only reason this establishment is alive is due to it's location.

• Pros: Good location and environment
• Cons: The food, the service

02/25/08

Great Bar and Great Food

by foodster1000 at Citysearch

Great food and great drink together. What more could you ask for? Atkins Park Tavern is completely welcoming and you feel like you have been coming there for years, even though its your first time. It seemed like there were tons of regulars there as well, and everybody was having a fantastic time. Definitely my new favorite spot to go to in the Highlands. I'm happy with how great everything was an exceeded my expectations, even though Atkins Park's reputation is so good. I will most definitely be coming back more often.

• Pros: everything was amazing

This octogenarian keeps the food and drink coming until the wee hours of the morning.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
A neighborhood fixture since trolley-cars still roamed North Highland Avenue, (1922, making it Atlanta's oldest continuously licensed tavern) Atkins Park should be the considered the pioneer of Virginia Highland's bar blueprint. It's slightly elegant, slightly casual and their Southern-influenced comfort food stands on its own. Deep booths flank the elongated bar while the separate dining room offers a quieter space for families or those looking to escape the smoke. The menu, while good for supper gets downright crave-able after a few late-night pints. The fried chicken (in finger form or bone-in) flies under the radar as one of Atlanta's best. Well executed NC-style barbecue, shrimp po'boys and fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese add culture and flavor, separating Atkins from the usual burgers 'n'brews joint. Expect a Va-Hi bar-crawl crowd with a few true neighbors scattered in. Go for the booze, splurge on the food and go home happy.

11/14/06

Cool old building, food is blah.

by reneeextensiondiva at Citysearch

I would rather have a drink here than eat. Men seem to like it but to me it's worse than my own cooking. The atmosphere is cool thanks to age and history.

• Pros: spot
• Cons: food

10/31/06

Va.-Highland's Best!

by jaymaygm at Citysearch

I just realized how old I'm getting writing this review, after being a fan of Atkin's Park the past thirty(?) years. I believe that Atkin's Park is the oldest licensed bar in the city. During my days at GSU, we would come here and get toasted, with real neighborhood regulars. Yes, it's "Cheer's" in Atlanta. Love it when someone has had too much, and they grab the brass rail at the front door to open and nothing happens, as it is not the real door, and you have to go to the side of the entrance window. Over the years, it's only gotten better with age, hopefully as I have, extended a nice dinner menu, on the restaurant side. We just sit in the bar area, with the great bar menu. Late night dining is a must. An Atlanta tradition, and icon! Check-out the great Sunday Brunche's and Bloody's!

• Pros: Atlanta Icon, Bar Food, Drinks & Neigborhood Crowd!
• Cons: Parking could be a problem, if driving!

09/27/06

My favorite bar in Virginia Highlands

by the_dude7 at Citysearch

I'd have to say this is probably my favorite bar in the Highlands. The food is really good for a bar (try the specials!) and there are always people in here even on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the middle of summer. On the weekend nights, it can get pretty packed in here...fairly diverse crowd. Bartenders are good as well. I believe there is a nonsmoking section next door in the restaurant area.

• Pros: good bar menu, diverse crowd
• Cons: none

06/18/06

I won't stray again

by dnich_decatur at Citysearch

Yes, I ventured out and tried Food 101. It does not have the family neighborhood feel of Atkins and most of all the food did not even come close to the great menu selections, home style cooking and large portions you get at Atkins. Not to mention at a better price. I don't need to pay for a fancier look. I like the comfortable feel of Atkins Park with my friends. The positive is, by venturing out, I found out how good we have it here. I will be loyal in the future.