Marcus Bar & Grille — Restaurant in Atlanta

A prime example of the black atlanta dining experience.

I love Atlan’na,

Growing up in Alpharetta’s suburbs, I longed for city trips. Though I dreaded the commute down GA-400, Atlanta offered my favorite foods. From upscale restaurants to drab diners, delicious Lemon Pepper wings, Chicken & Waffles, BBQ Ribs, and authentic soul food were everywhere. Perhaps it’s nostalgia, but I still taste the oil from those perfectly fried chicken pieces I had when I was 15.

Atlanta’s restaurants are all sparkle and mild substance. The most gorgeous and instagrammable food destinations often sacrifice service and quality for ambiance. Even more common are restaurants that attempt to evoke glamour but fail. Marcus Bar & Grille had more L’s than W’s on my visit.

The ambiance was what I expect from Atlanta restaurants. The interior was fashionable with a precise aesthetic and detail. The female DJ was exceptional and approachable. I almost mistook her for my cousin! I’ll compare every DJ to her. The social experience was exceptional.

The buffet experience was abysmal. The food options were static, rushed, and lacked freshness. The plates and glasses were disgusting due to poor wash cycle quality and sanitation standards. The highlights were few and far between, especially considering the high tab. The fruit and salad bar was plagued with flies and bugs due to the open garage door. Overall, the food was a hard 2/5. Special shout out to the CornBread Waffles & Catfish Nuggets. Those were great.

The drink service was undoubtedly the worst part of the experience. Besides the fact that our server(s) were clearly overwhelmed the Sunday we were there, they were also clumsy with order taking, made numerous mistakes and were extremely difficult to get a hold of. My servers weren’t able to clarify what my party and I should expect on our experience (What do/don’t we order with the server or how often will you check in to offer drink refills?). Moreover, they got our drink orders wrong several times. The most egregious part of the experience was how the server (who wasn’t assigned to us initially) came to respond to our concern about the mimosa that was delivered to our table being wrong, he told us that he was colorblind and that we needed to test the drink before confirming it wasn’t what we ordered.

That was absolutely insane. Four people can deduce the appropriate color of a basic orange juice mimosa and what was brought to our table was clearly a peach mimosa. After my friend tried the drink and then subsequently confirmed the drink was not what we wanted, he chose to leave it at our table before rushing off to get what we had hoped was the correct carafe. But when he brought over the right drink. HE STILL LEFT THE PEACH MIMOSA DRINK. When we followed up with him, he simply stated “Well I thought you might want to drink it anyway, I left it so that you could get a free drink.” We wanted to return it because we didn’t want it. Because we didn’t order it! We were never going to drink it and even if the flavor was somewhat appealing (which it wasn’t) IT WAS EXTREMELY OFF PUTTING FOR HIM TO ASSUME THAT WE WOULD JUST DRINK IT ANYWAY BECAUSE IT WAS FREE” My issue is that he rushed to assume we would consume anything if it was free which -if you’re black and reading this- is something we always have to be mindful of when we dine out. Joke’s on him though I guess, he spilled a drink on another patron shortly thereafter.

To end my review, Marcus Bar & Grille was actually very fun. But ultimately, it’s just another number on a growing list of black owned restaurants that offer more glitter than gold when it comes to eating out in Atlanta. The food wasn’t memorable and the staff left a bad taste in all of our mouths afterward. But that DJ? That woman was truly the moment. She was definitely worth a return trip. If we ever go back, it’ll just be...

OMG!! Yes! I had to start with an OMG moment.

In birthday tradition, my friends picked the restaurant and I showed up. This year, the birthday kickoff was at Marcus Bar & Grill. Marcus Bar & Grill sits right on Edgewood which makes it super easy to find. Yes, there is street parking, however, they had a valet option as well.

Walking up, the front windows are frosted with the fake snow which immediately sets a holiday cheer ambiance before even walking inside. Once inside, the beautifully decorated Christmas Tree brings the immediate happy thoughts of the Holiday Season. Furthermore, the hostess stand was filled with two smiling faces who greeted us with a super warm welcome.

As we had a reservation, we checked in with the hostess and we’re seated immediately. The ambiance of Marcus Bar & Grill is bright, inviting, decorative and nostalgic. With the “Skate” theme in full force, you are immediately thinking of scenes from the films “Atl” and “Roll Bounce” by accident. LoL!

When Crystal W. arrived at our table she was super bubbly and very engaging. She welcomed us to Marcus Bar & Grill and offered up some drink suggestions. Oh yeah, Crystal understands service and I loved every moment of it… Once she took our orders, she gave us some time to decide on our food selection.

Babeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Let’s talk about food.

Appetizers:

M’s Cornbread - Oh chile! This is my new addiction. I’m talking about cornbread PERFECTION. The balance of sweet to corn ratio is spot on and the softness of the cornbread with the crispy edges makes you think of mommas Sunday Soul Food Sessions!! Thennnnnn, the nerve of the butter to set the cornbread off even more and heighten the flavor profile. Lastly, the audacity of the seasonal jam to give me a spark of flavor twist that I never knew I needed. Hear me clear, I don’t know what kind of Jam that was but Babeeeeeeeee.. when it was spread across that cornbread, the marriage in which they created left my mouth in amazement. This is how you start a meal!

Roller Skate Ribs - My grandfather would have a time with these ribs. I’ve had fall off the bone ribs before, but these Roller Skate Ribs have the gall to melt in your mouth. Thennnnnnn… as if melting in my mouth wasn’t enough, these ribs slow cooked to the point that the bone is just there for looks because the moment you pick it up the ribs begin to slide towards the plate. Yes Lawddddddddddd. Not to mention, the rib rub that has been concocted for these ribs will have your mouth flavorly screaming HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY.

A-Town Deviled Eggs - The Deviled Eggs are good. The presentation is nice and they are not over seasoned. However, it’s not about them. It’s ALL about the Homemade Hot Sauce that they sit in. Hunniiiiii that sauce is the SAUCE OF ALL HOT SAUCE. Flavorful, not too hot, great pairing for the deviled egg flavor profile and spot on addition to heighten the dish.

For my main dish I chose the Smoked Brisket.

Ok. Before I begin, bow your head… Dear God, thank you for this food. Bless the cook. Amen!

Babeeeeeeeeeeee. This butter soft Brisket was OFF THE CHAINNNNNNNNNNN. I’m talking meaty, robust flavor, perfect temperature, and most of all, not oily… As I am a lover of brisket, this dish really raised the bar for me. The attention to detail put into the cooking of this dish really shines in each and every bite. As far as the portions, it was enough to fill me up and take some home. Yes, I had leftovers. LoL!!! And the nerve of the brisket to take even better on day 2! Ha.

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Marcus Bar & Grill for any occasion. The ambiance, service, and food fit any and every reason even if just placing a to-go order. You will not be disappointed!

**don’t forget the M’s...

Mother’s Day Dinner for 4 Approaching the restaurant, I noticed they had nearby valet parking and another valet lot one block over, though I wasn't sure if it was affiliated with the restaurant. I went down another half block and found a self-service parking lot with the usual scan-to-pay system, costing about $11 for three hours. We took the short walk over to the restaurant, entered, and approached the hostess podium. I mentioned I had a reservation, and she said she’d be right with us. We stood around for a bit, as we were a little early, and I assumed they were waiting until the actual reservation time. After a few more minutes, the hostess asked again if our full party was there, and I confirmed for the second time that we were all present. This was the first fumble. The hostess led us out to the patio to a nice long high table with a couple of umbrellas, to shade us from the sun. She advised that every Sunday, including this Mother's Day, was buffet style.  Our server came by, seeming a little frantic, and asked if we were ready to order drinks. I wanted to order a beer before checking out the buffet, but she disappeared before I could. She was too fast and didn’t get the full drink order from the table. We made our way over to the buffet line and were blown away by all the different choices. Just to name a few: waffles, grits, collard greens, shrimp, ham,  mac and cheese, salmon, chicken made two different ways, BBQ ribs, and more. We scooped up our first plates and headed back to the table. Everything was delicious. Highlights for me were the mac and cheese, collard greens, and the chicken. Our server was nowhere to be found, and I still hadn't had a chance to order my Hazy IPA beer. I had to get up twice to track her down. She finally came over and took a thorough drink order. I ordered the Hazy Like a Fox, and my oldest ordered the Lychee Lemonade. We headed back to the buffet to load up again and try some other choices. When we returned to the table, the additional drinks still hadn't arrived. I saw the server running by and asked about my beer. She advised, "There is only one bartender." We continued eating, and the drinks finally arrived. Our server wasn’t the best. I don’t know if she was spread too thin, covering too many tables, but we didn’t feel like we received attentive service. I understand it is a buffet, but we should not have go searching to get service.  Some positives from our first visit were the live DJ who kept playing a steady flow of great music and the eclectic decor of the restaurant. Retro and cool, there were so many unique design items hanging on the walls and scattered around the dining room. I even noticed what looked like a dining area for private parties, resembling someone's personal vinyl collection. Very cool setup. Overall, we enjoyed our first visit to Marcus Bar and Grill. The top-notch food, DJ, decor and ambiance were all winners, but the hiccups with the service were a letdown. My review is a 4, but could have been higher if not for the hiccups.  Glad to have a Marcus Samuelsson...