Black Bear Tavern — Restaurant in Atlanta

I frequent this place often... Maybe twice a week for the past 6mo. depending on my work schedule... But never again. I liked this place because it was walking distance to home & served "okay" food considering the type of establishment it is. It's definitely a "Good ole' boy" style environment even though it's on Peachtree, so POC beware...I was introduced to this place by old industry coworkers (I bartend) & thought I'd give it a shot since I'm a new neighbor (Born & raised in Atlanta, new to Buckhead as a resident) Very familiar though. Never once had I expected 5 star service or food out of this 1 star place... no matter how many times I had previously frequented this establishment. I would almost consider myself a regular by how often I frequented! Tory (an absolute sweetheart) kept me coming back! My last few experiences with this particular male bartender (greasy hair, sweaty, wears flannels, works day shift) were different. I just left roughly 30-45mins Ago on 1/28/22... and it was terrible... last week when I was there, I had a fruit fly land into each of the two beers I ordered... I wasn't upset! I know where I am. It's a step away from a dive bar. Though expectations aren't high, their customer service should still remain #1. They should own up to their mistakes and fix it! This same bartender replaced each beer and it was business as usual even though I had to pay for both still... I had no problem with it... didn't even expect a comp. they just need to CLEAN. I took my losses and proceeded on. Today really upset me though. The "manager" took my usual order of Nachos + Steak Med Rare this go around and greeted me nicely as one would do. I drank my beer and waited for the food. The food came out cold, which is RARE! The bartender seemed offended that I sent the food back and stormed to the kitchen to complain about me in visible sight... Intentionally giving physical signs & gestures of dissatisfaction as he talked about me to the cook for me to see to show how he was unsatisfied he was with me...He most certainly wanted me to see that interaction. He then asked if they could MICROWAVE my order to make me satisfied versus preparing a new order... who microwaves nachos... especially with Med Rare Stk. I was met with unnecessary aggression from the bartender who kept telling me "He watched the guy in the kitchen make it so it can't be cold..." all the while the person is the kitchen is listening in on the conversation and giving me direct eye contact.... I’m a low maintenance guy… I’ll eat anything but THIS WAS COLD! Meanwhile the MANAGER that took my order is acting oblivious to whats taking place in his restaurant and continued typing away on his computer with no intention of intervening. He’s only 10ft away and can hear everything! You'd think he was another bar patron by how silent he was. He never uttered a word or looked on our direction. I don't foresee this place being open much longer anyway because it's a dirty bar in Buckhead &, the service sucks. Not to mention the food is merely "okay" and it's always empty. No more than 4 ppl in there at a time even through peak hours. In my 50+ visits I've never sent back anything or raised any problems so I am unsure why I was met with poor service & aggression. I make it a point to tip at least 30%- 40% when I go out. I don't pay for disrespect. Today was a disappointment because I enjoyed this place through it's faults, just for them to turn around and treat my business like it doesn't matter. I ultimately cancelled my order and left... I just wanted my nachos remade but that was too big of an inconvenience for this...

I have never had a worse experience with a business of any kind. When I saw them listed for ATL Burger Week, I was excited to support them as a local small business (and as a business owner myself). I called ahead to see if I could get the burger to-go (for timing issues), but I understood when I was told this was not possible. To-go has never been allowed in the past for ATL Burger Week, but thought it might be different during a pandemic. I went to dine in and there were two other patrons in the restaurant, one with a mask hanging off his ear, one with no visible mask. The bartender/server also was not wearing a mask at any time I was in the restaurant.

When I went to the restroom to wash my hands, I also noticed that the tables were not marked for social distancing. Not a big issue when the restaurant is empty, but there was nothing to keep another group from sitting at the table next to me.

Again, it wasn't crowded, so this wasn't a major issue. What happened next blows me away. I knew that me and the owner (who I have met before) have a mutual friend, so I asked her for his number so I could give him a heads up about the Governor's Executive Orders regarding restaurants and they could be fixed before someone else noticed and reported them. I texted him with the information to help him owner-to-owner instead of reporting this to the Governor's office or writing a review. He proceeded to call me and yelled at me for 7 minutes about using his personal cell phone number. There are businesses on the brink of bankruptcy and some that have gone under because they are following the laws and trying to keep their patrons safe. Instead, he would rather focus on HOW I contacted him instead of WHY I contacted him. Timmy, I'm sorry I used your personal phone number, but I will not apologize for caring about my community. It is not too much to ask that your staff wear a mask while working handling food (gloves should be a given, regardless of a global pandemic). According to the owner, he was trying to do his best for his employees that have to feed their families. We all get that. Masks are not going to break the bank. Working together as a community helps us get past this, not yelling at the people who spend money and reach out to you...

It’s been a while since I have been to Black Bear Tavern. To my surprise, EVERYTHING is still amazing.

Black Bear still provides a casual very laid-back type of environment. This was perfect as my friends and I had a long week and just wanted to partake in great laughs with great food… Upon walking in, the bartender welcomed us and advised us to sit where we would like. All of the empty tables were clean which made me very happy. LoL!

Once seated, our waitress came over and greeted each of us with a warm smile and a pleasant welcome. With a traditional American Bar menu setup, we didn’t require too much time to figure out what we wanted.

I decided on the Southwestern Egg Rolls as my App and the Swiss and Bacon Burger as my Main!

Hear Me When I Say…. Wowsersssssssssssssss!!

The Southwestern Egg Rolls are packed with meat and veggies. These are not the kind of egg rolls you find in your grocer's freezer. Along with being a great portion, they were fried to golden perfection. Being set at the perfect temperature makes for a super enjoyable experience. Warm and perfectly cooked insides surrounded by Golden Fried Goodness put me in a place of tastebud-pleasing bliss. I want some more just thinking about them. LoL!

The Bacon and Swiss is HUGEEEEEEEEEE… Just like I needed it to be. There is nothing like a Moist, Meaty, Well Done Burger on a Friday. Furthermore, the fresh lettuce, tomato, and pickles allow for a perfect first bite. I decided to pair my burger with Tater Tots (well done) and they literally melted in my mouth. I’m talking golden fried potatoes, lightly salted, still hot as I dipped them in the room temperature ketchup! This is how you Friday Night in the Atl. LoL!

Overall, I left full, pleased with the service, and to top it all off… I had food for the next day. Oh yes… I had...