Chicken and Beer — Restaurant in College Park

Just left this location, (sorry long post) all I say is that I am flabbergasted...speechless...in shock...any of these words will suffice, my flight was delayed from 6:45 am to 1:10 pm, I received 2 meal vouchers, $12 ea. due to the inconvenience. Decided to utilize them as I was hungry/starving. Walked up to the first reasonable looking restaurant asked if they take the vouchers, the young lady was very helpful, said they accept the vouchers, I have food allergies she gave me an option to have a salad with salmon or shrimp, she pointed it out on the menu, she walked away I further reviewed the menu to see if there were any other options I wanted, and I finalized on what she originally suggested the salad. It was $16.99, it CAME with fried chicken or shrimp for the 2 protein choices, (salmon was not listed as an option), but sounded really good at the time vs the shrimp, when she came back I confirmed that I wanted the salad with the salmon if that indeed was an option, vs the chicken or shrimp, because I didn't see it on the menu and she confirmed I can get it that way, so that's what I ordered, I looked at the drink menu I inquired about the bloody Mary, she politely advised me that the alcoholic drinks are not covered on the voucher, (which I appreciate the reminder, but I did see that noted on the voucher itself so I was already aware), the price $18, I politely declined and said that's a little too much for my budget for a drink, I then decided on a cider for $10 (still a little high, but I'm nervous flyer and needed to take the edge off), ate my $16.99 salad, which I noticed while eating that it was just roughly 1.5 cups of arugula (not packed) a few red onions and about a 1/2 tablespoon of shredded cheese, lightly tossed in a vinaigrette with about a 4 oz salmon filet slightly overcooked but it was fine its just an airport restaurant, and I'm hungry/starving and I'm using vouchers, so its fine, whatever... ok. I planned on the bill being like $30 with tax, minus like $20.00 for the vouchers (salad + tax), so $10.00 out of pocket for the drink, I originally planned on tipping like 30% due to using the vouchers, and because she seemed so tentative...I got the bill it was $50.00, which I was confused, I said $50.00? She didn't say anything her whole demeanor changed, she just put the tablet in my face, I looked at her tablet with the bill on it, $16.99 salad, $10.00 cider... AND $17.00 FOR SALMON!?! $17.00 for the 4 oz slightly overcooked (PREVIOUSLY FROZEN) salmon, not a whole meal with 4oz salmon with 2 sides, but just a 4 oz piece of salmon, for $17.00, that she suggested as a "protein replacement", with no warning, no heads up, NO nothing....not a $3.00 upcharge, not a $5.00 upcharge, but a $17.00 upcharge!! All I could say was "oh wow $17.00 for the salmon??!?", and she said, " ooh let me help this customer real quick while you add your payment information", and walked away, and was very dismissive to me. I'm just...I don't know....speechless!?! I'm just overall speechless, she was so tentative about other charges, what was/not covered on the voucher, but to suggest a protein replacement that is an excess of $17.00 (more than the salad itself) without even muttering a word of the additional cost.....like I said speechless....absolutely ridiculous...then she hurried up to come back to the table to say, "dont forget my tip" with an attitude?!?! I just couldn't believe what was going on, Im not a confrontational person at all, and the vibe I got after getting the bill was definitely confrontational, am I in the wrong for not verifying if there was an additional cost for the salmon vs the shrimp, when she suggested it as a "replacement", I don't know, very deceiving, will not visit again ever, just because of this one experience.... extremely upset, do...

I’ve heard about Luda having a restaurant, but never stumbled upon it until today. It happened to be by our gate while waiting for our flight. We got seated immediately. Our service was impeccable the entire visit and our waters stayed filled the whole time. Now here’s the nitty gritty:

My friends ordered a Kentucky mule & Moscow mule. The Kentucky came in the classic cooper mug, but the Moscow came frozen in a beer glass like my beer. I obviously had to get beer per the namesake of the restaurant. I got the Hazy Like A Fox IPA by a local brewery in Georgia called New Realm Brewing. 6.5% ABV, light and slight fruity note. Refreshing.

Food wise: We started off with the loaded rosemary tater tots with shrimp ($17.98). I didn’t taste any rosemary tbh. It had a good overall taste to it though: garlicky, bacony, and creamy with the sauce on top. The fried shrimp was very tasty. Not overly fried and it had a good seasoning. However, the portion was very small and it was pricey at nearly $20 with the added shrimp as an additional charge.

My friends ordered a chicken sandwich doused in “Hotlanta” sauce and the fried chicken plate with sides of mac & cheese, collards, & a biscuit. The person who got the fried chicken plate said the chicken was really juicy - even moreso than the sandwich. And obviously I had to get some chicken dish so I actually got the chicken sandwich also with the “Hotlanta” sauce on the side. I didn’t want to get messy, but ended up anyway lol. So next time I would just opt with it already tossed in it. The sauce was really good though - tangy, honey, hot. The chicken itself was bigger than the bun but was still easy to eat. No condiment (like mayo) on it so I had to rely on the sauce. Crunchy coating on the end parts and moderately moist. Came with 2 pickle slices and potato wedges. I would rate it a 7/10.

Overall this place is good to try out at least once, but I’m not hype about it like...

If you're stuck in ATL for more than a quick 30-45 minute layover, Chicken + Beer is THE place to go. I chose to sit at the bar, as I knew I had almost 4 hours before my next flight and I wanted to try as many local craft beers as my body could handle before getting back on a plane. Especially because I always end up next to someone who stresses me out (don't we all?) The beer selection is phenomenal. Seriously, if you like beer, like REALLY LIKE beer, this is your stop in Terminal D. The bartender I hung out with for a few hours, Rob, was extremely knowledgeable. And if you become his "regular," as I quickly did, he'll take good care of you. The conversions around the bar are always fun, and it seems there are plenty of "cool" people who want to come and check out Ludacris' bar/restaurant. The food is also amazing. I took Rob's advice and ordered his third favorite thing on the menu: the shrimp and grits with a fried egg. The appetizer portion was big, but because it was so delicious, it almost wasn't big enough. Luckily, they have a larger serving for those of you who think you can eat that much. The other item I had the pleasure of trying was a new item that Sous Chef Gary was working on creating. He came out and delivered it to me and my current bar best friend and told us to enjoy. I took this as a sign of perhaps I had drank too much beer, but either way, it was amazing. The new item was a cornbread and collard greens combination with a spicy sauce to tie the flavors together. It was great, even to this California native who is clueless about "comfort foods" that don't include avocados, micro greens, or resemble a taco. Overall, I couldn't rate this place higher. My special shout out to Rob and Gary for being fantastic, and to whoever hired them. I'll be back as soon as my work or play brings me back...