Bold Monk Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Atlanta

I want to begin this by saying I really wanted to like Bold Monk. It seems like a very appealing restaurant, especially with the novelty of the bookstore and that it's a brewery. My husband and I visited this restaurant for a date night last summer, drawn in by the bookstore and the beer garden but both were closed for a private event. We were really disappointed as it was the reason we went there. We ended up eating inside, had a couple of beers and a yummy dinner of brisket poutine, French dip, and the Spring Chicken. Trey waited on us. At first, we were out off because it took about 15 minutes for him to greet us, with several employees coming over to see if we had been helped, advising they would alert the server of our arrival. It was not big deal, but when he got to our table, he was standoffish. Later in the meal, he warmed up to us and became way more friendly. He even helped to put together a "cooler" of ice in a to go container for my leftover chicken because we weren't going straight home. We ended up tipping him 25% for his efforts, and had forgotten about the initial delays. We decided we would have to come back and check out the bookstore and beer garden another time. We decided tonight was the night, but this time with our 6 and 8 year old in tow. I will say that they are both very behaved and love reading, so they both had their e-readers with them and were calm and polite. Upon our arrival, we found again that the upstairs area, where the bookstore is, was closed for a private event. The host told us we could still check it out no problem. We looked for about 15 minutes then went back to grab our table that was ready for our reservation. We were sat, the boys read for awhile while my husband and I decided all of our food and drinks we were having, then the boys decided after us (no kids menus here). We still sat talking while we waited for our server to arrive the first time, altogether about 10 minutes. Finally he arrived and it was Trey again. We were pleased considering how he left us wanting to come back the previous time. Except this time, the cold, bothered person we had a semblance of in the beginning of the 1st visit was waiting on us. We're not mean people at all, and try to be exceptionally pleasant, considering we both worked in restaurants for years. We get it, especially when it's busy. The attitude this server was giving us was on another level, like we were bothering him for sitting in his section, not a drop of friendliness. Our boys ordered their own adult sized entrees, we ordered drinks, poutine, and entrees too. They were out of the Spring Chicken so I had to scramble to figure out what to order. Wish he would have shared with us what they were out of at the beginning of the interaction. The server checked on us once throuought the appetizer and dinner. My drink was empty, never offered another. We asked for boxes, got our check and paid. Never once did he say thank you, or seem like he cared we were there. This didn't make sense to us considering he was jovial to the tables of adults around us. I want to make it clear, my kids made no big messes, and understand how to behave in restaurants. We ended up tipping 15%. On the way out, while my family checked out the beer garden, I felt compelled to mention something to a manager. I mentioned to him the experience, advised Trey was cold, rude, and didn't thank us. He asked us where we were sitting, clearly wanting to make it right. We had already cashed out, so he asked which reservation we were so he could make a note in open table for the next time we came back. At the same time, said "copy that, ghost rider" with a completely straight face. He repeated this a couple of times. While his inflection seemed serious, the words were just...odd, perhaps dismissive. I had to bite my tongue to not laugh at this.

I don't want to post a negative review, however as this is the second time we've dined there and not feeling pleased about the place we spent $170 at, we decided to put it on our blacklist, we will not...

Updated (2/2021): It’s been a little over a year since I first went to Bold Monk and my complaints are still the same. The beer is decent and they have good number of options. The food was hit or miss, and service is still soo slow.

Here’s the beer we got, but please note that they also have liquor and wine: Compassion ($9 for 14 oz.): I normally don’t like sours, but this one was drinkable; $9 seems like a lot though Walk on Water White ($6 for 16 oz.): Good, easy drinking Sacred Inspiration ($6 for 16 oz.): I’d get the Walk on Water White over this one

We went on a Saturday afternoon before 3:00, so some people got brunch and some got lunch. Here’s the food we got: Brussels + Eggs ($12): Brussels have great taste, but same complaint as before about the Brussels sprouts being SO oily. My suggestion is to make the base of this dish potatoes, with Brussels and eggs on top. And please, please, PLEASE drain the oil from the Brussels; won’t get it again unless they make some serious changes Bold Monk Chicken Biscuit ($13): I didn’t like it because the chicken was a little weird; wouldn’t get it again Monk Burger ($16): Good, best thing we tried; the sauce that comes with the fries is so good Richard’s Fried Chicken Sandwich ($16): Good Lamb Burger ($17): Good Hummus Platter ($14): Good, but not worth $14

Covid: They supposedly require masks, but I saw multiple customers walking around without masks. The tables are spaced out. They have the beer garden outside. They have hand sanitizer.

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Original (1/2020): We went with a party of 8 on a Saturday night at 6:45. When we put our names down, they said it would be a 2.5 hour wait. We were seated around 8:30, so less than a 2 hour wait.

We went to the bar upstairs to get some beers and chill while we waited. The upstairs is very nice with a lot of seating, a view of the brewery, an outside area, and bathrooms. It feels like you're in a person's home library—it's very cozy. Even with a lot of seating, it was packed upstairs and we had to move fast when a group left so we could get seats. The beer was good. We got the Bold Monk Chant Lager and the Bold Monk White Oak White. They also have wine and liquor available, as well as beer from other breweries. The problem upstairs was the service. The lines were long and moved very slowly. We waited in line about 15 minutes just to pay, and then they couldn’t find our tab. It was just kind of a cluster.

In terms of dinner, I thought the food was good. For appetizers, we got the Belgian Frites ($7), Brussels ($8), and Meatballs ($14). The fries were good. The Brussels sprouts were very tasty with an Asian flair, but were too greasy. The meatballs, which came with only 5 tiny meatballs, were grossly overpriced and not worth it. For dinner, we got the 1899 pizza (buffalo mozzarella) and the 1850 pizza (mushroom). Both were good. I would only recommend the 1850 pizza to true mushroom lovers because it’s overpowering. We also got the Monk Burger ($14), which was a decent burger, and came with a good portion of fries. The Abbot ($16) was a good sandwich, but $16 seems like a lot. My friends ordered the Guanciale Mussels, but instead received the Chorizo Mussels ($14), and because of how busy it was, they just didn’t feel like correcting it. They thought the combination of chorizo and mussels was a little weird and wouldn’t have gotten it.

On another note, I never comment on furniture, but the bench we were sitting on at dinner collapsed, so I thought it necessary to mention (we were sitting in the front room). Also, the table leg is weird and every time we got up and sat back down, because of the way the bench was, we kept hitting the table leg and it really hurt. A small and weird complaint, I know.

Overall, good beer. Decent food. Slow, slow service. Beer: 4 stars. Food: 3 stars. Service: 1 star. Like another reviewer said, we’ll be back, but we’ll wait a while for them to get their service and...

OVER-RATED 👏,👏,👏-👏-👏

Fear not fellow Google Mappers as I have frequented Bold Monk many a time since it first opened, including on its first official day, and I am confident I will not steer you wrong…. aaaaaanndd away from Bold Monk. Now, that is to say, this is a brewery that has a combination of amenities that is unrivaled, especially on the ATL Westside. I understand the appeal. However, I believe you can do better than Gordon Biersch 2.0.

TL;DR Do yourself a favor and don’t try and combine “upscale” bar food food (anything you’d want to order is basically bar food minus the upscale) with mediocre beers and TERRIBLE service. Find any number of restaurants on the Westside that have better food (LOTS to choose from) and literally any of the other breweries (they are all superior to Bold Monk) and you’ll be in a better situation.

THE GOOD Brewery + Upscale Bar Food combo -Great idea in theory, and the menu is decent, but it’s overpriced. Plain and simple.

The Space/Location -Not going to lie, the space is cool as hell. From the stained glass windows to the beer garden, it’s very versatile. It also has an event space, and patios that are dog friendly. In its original concept it promised a coffee shop but that was not executed, which was a bummer. The parking can be a challenge. It’s right off Chattahoochee Road and the Chattahoochee Works are walking distance.

Drink Selection -Between the brews they make, guest drafts, full bar and some ciders they have something for almost everyone. Sounds great, but the bartenders every time I’ve been there have been horrendous. Too many examples of poorly mixed drinks or even wrong drinks.

The Branding? -Props to the marketing team, they created a slick look, website and logo. I can see why they attract visitors from all over.

Reservations -They take them on OpenTable, never had a problem making one either. They even take them for outdoor seating, a plus.

THE BAD Service -I take into consideration the staffing shortages and challenges that have been occurring nationwide since 2020, but Bold Monk has had a service issue since day one (Dec. 2019). This leads me to believe it’s not due to the pandemic. From very slow service, to a waiter leaving mid-shift to smoke while our food got cold, to forgetting to take drink orders, to bringing out completely wrong dishes, to sending dishes back and receiving one with the same mistakes, I’ve seen it all there.

The Beer -Very, very mediocre beers. In my opinion every other brewery on the Westside has them beat in this category. It’s a travesty they can’t put forth better beers, because it should probably be a lock for a brewery to do so. But in the end they’re like the New Realm of the Westside ATL: great location, eh beers.

COVID safety -Early in the pandemic they were great. They were one of the first to offer outdoor seating, sprayed sanitizer on your hands upon entry, and had fans circulating air outdoors. Now? Not so much. Servers weren’t wearing masks when I went last (late Dec. 2021).

Upscale (in price too!) bar food -Listen the food is OK, but again it’s overpriced for what you get. It’s not a good menu for people with allergies or dietary restrictions. Plus the servers are clueless and can’t help you with that. The frites are good, but $7 good? IDK. Pizzas are eh....