McCray's Tavern — Restaurant in Atlanta

After a long day, I had some guests in town and they wanted to experience the Midtown experience. Upon doing some searching, Yelp help me decided on McCrays. I was super excited as based on the reviews it was known to offer the small-town neighborhood bar feeling with great food and a “heart of the city” ambiance.

Upon walking in there was a sign advising that they were short-staffed and to be patient. I have grown to know this is the new normal now post-pandemic. In any case, the bartender came over within 7 minutes and got us to a table. He was very pleasant and though you could see he was working very hard as the bar was very full he still provided great customer service and a welcoming tone.

Upon being seated is where my night took a turn for the worse.

When the waitress arrived, she was very withdrawn and short with us. She said “hi” and went straight into our drink orders. No welcome, no “my name is,” nothing.

As this was our first time at the establishment we were hoping for some recommendations and/or location specialties, but she provided neither. Upon ordering a sweet tea I was advised, “we’re out for the night and we’re not making any more!” My word! She could have stopped at “we’re out” and I would have understood. (for a time reference, this was at 9:32 pm and they close at 11:00 pm so I could understand them being out for the night)

Proceeding to place an order, one of my guests asked her “how thick are the burgers?” This question was of importance as the “Grizzly” advises that it has two patties. The waitress proceeds to point to the menu and say “they’re a half-pound.” Allow me to express my level of detestation towards this reply. Anyone who knows food understands that a burger is not the exact same at all restaurants, nor is the explanation of a half-pound, an acceptable one for a patron who is new to the establishment and/or seeking insight from their server. The level of service at this point went all the way down to zero and I was absolutely in shock from her reply… Sidenote: for anyone who plans to order the “Grizzly” (which is an amazing burger) heads up, it is (2) half-pound patties, and they are a TRUE half-pound. We are talking meaty and moist. A true example of “Prime Beef.”

To the food!

The food at McCrays is an absolute flavor-filled delight. The portions are filling, and the quality of ingredients and preparation is to be admired. For this to be a neighborhood bar & grill, the food is of a higher caliber and I am here for it. I decided on a Chopped Salad and the Buffalo Chicken Flatbread. Both of which I would recommend. The salad was filled with fresh ingredients and tossed in a way that drew your eyes to the variation of colors. As your eyes are drawn to the colors, upon tasting, your taste buds fall in love with the flavor profile provided by the detailed combination.

The Flatbread provides a perfect medium of crispy and soft with a perfect balance of cheese to protein ratio. I’m talking bite after bite of flavor bliss.

Overall, I would visit McCrays for the food, but I would order to-go as the service experience was a deterrent for me… If you are in the neighborhood, you have to grab a bite. If you see me grabbing my...

I am writing to express my profound disappointment with our most recent brunch experience at McCray's Tavern, an establishment that has been highly recommended by residents in my property management community. Unfortunately, my friends and I had an experience that fell far short of the positive reviews we had heard.

In preparation for the holiday weekend, I reached out to McCray's to confirm a reservation for a party of 7 on Sunday 12/24 at 1:00 PM. Upon my punctual arrival, I was initially pleased to find one of my friends waiting at the bar, having arrived 20 minutes early. However, the disappointment began when we were seated, and our server, Malika, handed us carafes of water, leaving me to pour our own drinks.

The real letdown occurred when the rest of my friends arrived, and we all ordered bottomless mimosas. To our surprise, Malika returned with the disheartening news that, due to football season, mimosas were no longer served after 1:00 PM on Sundays. When we asked for clarification and inquired about where this policy was posted, she directed us to the menu and the website, both of which contradicted the information she provided and still today, mention nothing.

In an effort to seek resolution, we requested to speak with the manager. Unfortunately, the gentleman who approached us was far from accommodating. Instead of handling the situation with compassion, he adopted a short and sarcastic tone, stating, "It's 1:00; we stop serving at 12:30 during football season. Everybody knows that." As a first-time visitor, I was unaware of this policy, and my friends, who were visiting, were equally taken aback.

One of the most disheartening moments came when the manager expressed that he didn't want to "run us away" but showed no willingness to make an accommodation for our party of 7, despite the restaurant being nearly empty. This lack of flexibility left us feeling undervalued as customers.

While we understand the importance of adhering to established timelines, we would like to suggest that if this deadline is a critical element for patrons, it would be beneficial to communicate this information more explicitly.

In particular, including such details on the official website or bringing it to the attention of guests at the time of making reservations over the phone would ensure that all patrons are well-informed about any time-sensitive policies. Unfortunately, discovering this information only upon our arrival presented some challenges and led to a less-than-optimal experience.

Regrettably, we made the decision to leave McCray's Tavern, and based on this experience, we cannot recommend it to others. It's disheartening to have such a negative encounter, especially considering the positive reviews from my property management residents. We hope that McCray's Tavern takes customer concerns seriously and considers reevaluating its approach to...

Let me start by saying the food at McCray's Tavern is awesome.

The night manager, Maurice Hill, different story.

I attempted to order online (as I do at least 2x's per week). For some reason, the online ordering system stopped taking orders around 9PM. The kitchen closes after 11:30 PM.

Upon calling the store to gain clarification on why I couldn't order, I was told by Maurice that he would be updating the system; allow 2 minutes to update, and I should be able to order.

After waiting 5 minutes, I was still unable to order. I called the store for a second time and was advised that there's some type of error in the system that cannot be corrected- I would either have to give my credit card information over the phone or come into the restaurant.

I didn't want to give my credit card information so I opted to visit the restaurant. Upon entering, I asked the hostess if I could speak with the manager (Maurice). I politely asked Maurice if there's anything that could be done for my inconvenience. Not only am I physically having to come down to place an order, I'm having to wait inside as well.

Maurice's response was, "I'm not giving you a free meal." (The hostess and another associate witnessed the entire conversation)

I told Maurice, "I did not ask for a free meal, I asked if there is anything that could be done"--- I then politely told him to have a great night and left the restaurant.

I received very poor customer service tonight! As a customer, I don't feel as if my concerns were heard. Maurice was very unempathetic about the entire situation. He did not care that his system was not working properly.

I would've been completely happy with a 10-20% discount on my meal, I LOVE THE FOOD AT MCCRAYS. However, to be told, "I'm not giving you a free meal", felt borderline discriminatory....no one asked for a free meal. I just asked what could be done for my inconveniences.

Customer service 101 - treat people with empathy. Maurice is definitely not the recommended manager for handling customer conflicts. I hope you all can get the order system working properly. Currently there's a 2.5 hour window you all are missing on capturing online orders at this location. If there's truly an error than can be adjusted by the onsite team (Per Maurice's statements) I'm not a mathematician, but that's a lot of missed revenue...