The Workshop Tavern — Restaurant in Aberdeen

*I AM VERY HIGH ON THE OWNER AND CREW OF THE WORKSHOP TAVERN. I REMEMBER WHEN THEY FIRST OPENED, THEY JUST SORT OF POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE. NOT MUCH PROMOTIONAL LEAD IN, WHICH IS A MONSTER RISK, ESPECIALLY IN ABERDEEN WHICH WASN'T KNOWN FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES IN THE TOWN DISTRICT. WHEN I WALKED IN I LOVED THE LOOK, NOT OVERLY CONTEMPORARY BUT NOT DRUDGY. A PERFECT BALANCE OF EVERYTHING, SOMETHING VERY BLUE COLLAR. THE OWNER AND CREW ARE TOP NOTCH. THEY HAVE THE PERFECT SIZED MENU, NOTHING ELONGATED WHICH USUALLY PULLS FOOD QUALITY DOWN BECAUSE OF DEPTH. EVERYTHING IS FRESH AND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D WANT, WITH A LITTLE EXTRA. IN FACT THEIR PORTIONS ARE INCREDIBLE. IF YOU LIKE A LITTLE OF THE SAUCE (LIQUOR), THIS PLACE HAS ONE OF THE BEST SELECTIONS IN AREA, THEY ALSO HAVE A GREAT BEER SELECTION. IF YOU LIKE ROGUE HAZELNUT BEER, WHICH IS OUTSTANDING. THEY GOT IT, WHICH IS RARE. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE PLACE AND THESE PEOPLE. RECENTLY A PIZZA PLACE OPENED ON THE CORNER NEXT TO IT, THIS AREA WAS RATHER BARE FOR MANY YEARS. IT WAS ABANDONED AND SEEMED TO BE ON ITS LAST LEGS FOR COMMERCIAL BUSINESS. THANKS TO WORKSHOP, AND THEIR SUCCESS OTHER BUSINESS SEEM TO BE WILLING TO GIVE RUSTIC ABERDEEN A SHOT. IN 15-20 YEARS ABERDEEN COULD RIVAL DOWNTOWN SOUTHERN PINES, IT STARTED HERE. I HAVE AN AFFECTION FOR VAN HALEN, AS DOES THE OWNER. HE OFTEN ACCOMMODATED ME BY PLAYING VAN HALEN IHEART RADIO. ALWAYS A COOL GUY TO ME. TO SHOW HIM MY APPRECIATION AND TO GIVE A LITTLE LOVE TO THE PLACE, I BUILT HIM A FRANKENSTRAT EDDIE STYLE GUITAR. FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK THEY DESERVE IT. I AM MOVING SOON BUT WHEN I RETURN I'LL DEFINITELY STOP INTO WORKSHOP. IN A NOD TO OUR LOVE FOR VAN HALEN, THE PLACE IS GONNA HANG IT ON THE WALL. IF YOU SEE IT. DO A SHOT FOR THIS PLACE, THEIR WORK AND FOR...

Arriving in North Carolina, literally on our last legs and falling into good food with good friends is a life-saving event, and the kind of thing that makes lasting memories! We were flying blind, and it was only by chance that we stumbled into the Workshop Tavern! Oh, lucky day to have discovered their Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese! A rescue that I sorely needed after a long day of travel… welcome to the South!

I am getting old and those airplane seats are not particularly comfortable, leading to what my sainted mother referred to as a bun struggle. By the time I arrived in Southern Pines I was as tired and worn out as a old possum in a wet wool sock. I mean you get to a place in this life where all you want in the world is air conditioning, sweet tea, fall apart succulent pulled pork, Mac and cheese, great service, and a nice place to hide. Hallelujah WorkShop Tavern!

It was all great! The Mac & Cheese was perfect and the pulled pork was a great addition! I couldn’t finish and it was great for breakfast on crackers. Mac & Cheese when done right is one of the perfect foods. One of the gifts of the gods! Of course when it’s bad, it’s a sin. This stuff is the bomb!

Workshop has this great atmosphere, this Welcome back kind of vibe, even though it was our first time. The server was excellent and was kind and engaging, exactly the reception I had hoped would welcome me to the south. I come to visit the dearest of relatives, the kindest, gentlest, most generous, people I have ever known and finding places that welcome us with warmth and truly good food is what creates lasting memories. Thank you to The Workshop Tavern for creating that space for us to come...

I don't write many reviews, but we had such a great experience at The Workshop Tavern that my conscience required it. For starters, we have been visiting Aberdeen for many years, and had come to the sad realization that more and more Aberdeen is looking like a town of franchise and chain restaurants. For that reason, we have expected very little from the Aberdeen restaurant scene.

Then we discovered The Woodshop Tavern. It was quite by accident, after we were turned away by the nearby brewery that was having a private party. In our party of five, we had ages ranging from 19 to 84, and I am pleased to report that every one of us had an outstanding experience at the Tavern. The Tavern offers a varied menu, with plenty of meat and vegetable options and some awesome salads and bowls. And this is all in addition to items that you might think of as typical "bar fare," but even those were very skillfully prepared and really delicious. The Tavern has a warm, inviting interior, a welcoming and hustling staff, and my favorite part?: they had great music selections playing the whole time, but not so loud that we had to be shouting at each other. We could carry-on an all-ages discussing with no problem.

In other words, we think that the owners/managers/staff of The Woodshop Tavern really "get it," and there is no question that we will be stopping by again on future visits to Aberdeen. Thank you to all of them for operating such an exceptional, privately-owned restaurant in a town that we thought had been lost to the chains! We were so happy to...