A Posh Pour

These upscale Atlanta pubs offer sophistication by the pint

BY ALLISON WEISS ENTREKIN

Close your eyes and picture a pub. Do you see a dimly lit bar, warm plates of Shepherd’s pie and ale the color of coffee? Now, picture this: artistic light fixtures, plates of organic greens and—yes—ale the color of coffee. That’s what you’ll experience in Atlanta’s new crop of upscale pubs.

“Pubs are the temple of the working man’s food and drink,” says Greg Best, co-owner of the new Holeman & Finch Public House (www.holeman-finch.com; 404-948-1175) in Buckhead. “Our philosophy is that we ought to make that temple a good one.”


Holeman & Finch
Public House Indeed, at Holeman & Finch, diners are transported back to the days in which pubs served as the settings for political deal-makings, worker-grousings and new-couple canoodlings. There is nary a television in the establishment, and the slate bar tops boast leaf-like appendages so drinkers can face each other instead of the beer taps. Georgia-pine floors, a glass-enclosed kitchen and family-style tables give the pub a warm ambience, and menu items like roasted veal sweetbreads served with Georgia greens, hog jowl and brown butter add an air of sophistication.

Though pubs and pints go hand-in-hand, don’t neglect Holeman & Finch’s signature cocktails; each juice, syrup and tincture is created in-house, and concoctions like a “Southern Cola” (Amaro Cio Ciaro, Coca-Cola sweetened with cane sugar and frozen lime) give happy hours a funky twist. If you’re set on ordering hops, the pub offers a wide selection of domestic microbrews, and the friendly staff is happy to explain the origin and taste of each.

Marlow’s Tavern Just a few miles south of Holeman & Finch is Midtown’s TAP (www.tapat1180.com; 404-347-2220), a foodie pub (or “gastropub”) that is undoubtedly one of Atlanta’s hippest places to see and be seen. Muscle your way to the front of the bar and look up—you’ll spy a glass-enclosed vault from which 21 beers and 16 wines flow. Each brew is served in a specially sized and shaped glass that enhances the drink’s aroma and flavor, and there is also a cask-conditioned ale served from an authentic British beer engine.

Fado Irish Pub,
where you can
listen to live
Irish music on
MondaysThe food at TAP pays cheeky homage to pub grub—the ham-and-cheese sandwich is of the prosciutto-and-brie variety, and the fried oysters are served in a salad with spinach and balsamic-glazed onions. Be sure to grab a table on the 1,800-square-foot patio; with a prime location overlooking Peachtree Road, it offers courtside seats for Atlanta’s best people-watching.

Also dressing up the classic pub is Marlow’s Tavern (www.marlowstavern.com); its fi ve metro locations have helped elevate the stature of the city’s neighborhood bars. Each locale’s brick walls, black-and-white photographs and red ceilings make you feel like you’re in a Humphrey Bogart movie, but the funky light fi xtures, sleek bars and open kitchens remind you that you’re living in a new millennium. Feast on a plate of Colombian skirt steak that’s been marinated 24 hours and accessorized with a dollop of potato-leek stuffi ng, and wash it down with a creation from the tavern’s signature martini menu.

TAP One of Atlanta’s most celebrated pubs is 5 Seasons Brewing Company (www.5seasonsbrewing.com), which boasts an award-winning selection of homemade microbrews that even the snob-biest beer-lovers salute. With two locations (and growing) and a portfolio of more than 60 beers, it takes its taps very seriously.

Food is equally important, as evidenced by its menu of locally grown produce, homemade breads and all-natural meats. Plates of organic salmon served with sticky rice and spicy Thai coconut curry send taste buds singing, and the made-from-scratch flourless chocolate cake only prolongs the high note. “We were tired of pubs with freeze-it-and-fry-it approaches,” says 5 Seasons co-owner Dennis Lange. “We wanted to create a place with good food, good beer and a relaxed environment.”

In Atlanta, pubs have long offered patrons glasses of ale with a side of conversation; many now offer pints with a serving of sophistication. As the city’s taverns continue to grow up, our defi nition of them will, too—and the things you see when you picture a pub will never be the same.

PUB PLANNER

What’s happening at Atlanta’s pubs:

Beer and Cheese Tastings
First Monday of every month at 5:30pm at Brick Store Pub
www.thebrickstorepub.com

Live Irish Music
Mondays at 8pm at Fado Irish Pub. www.fadoirishpub.com

Keg Tappings
Thursdays at 5:55pm; Sundays at 12:55pm at 5 Seasons Brewery Alpharetta www.5seasonsbrewing.com

Don’t know the difference between an ale and a lager? Still wondering if a lighter color means a lighter buzz?

“There are two types of beer—ales and lagers,” says Michael Gallagher, co-owner of Brick Store Pub, a longtime Decatur watering hole. “Ales have top-fermenting yeast and are brewed at about 54 degrees, while lagers have bottom-fermenting yeast and are brewed at 36 degrees.”

So what does all this mean? Ales tend to have a softer, fuller taste and more alcohol content, while lagers are crisp and sharp and contain a little less alcoholic punch. Porters, stouts and wheats fall under the ale category; pilsners, bocks and double bocks are lagers.

Gallagher notes that while beer connoisseurs can tell brews apart by their tastes, it’s a lot tougher to decipher a beer by its color. “There are both dark and light ales and dark and light lagers—the colors run the gamut,” he says. “The color difference has to do with the malt, not the fermentation. And, contrary to popular opinion, just because a beer is darker doesn’t necessarily mean it has more alcohol.”