Community Brew & Tap — Restaurant in Cornelia

My boyfriend was so sweet to take me here for our anniversary. We got to this beautiful location inside a former bank.

The bar was super quiet. We were about 15 minutes early for our 730 reservation. He did not offer us a drink, instead telling us to wait on a bench away from the bar.

We were not seated until about 8 o’clock and then about 10 min after we ordered wine (8:40) from an extensive but confusing menu, the bartender came over to tell us that he didn’t have that $55 bottle of wine, and hasn’t had it for several months. (Update: Based on the response from the owner, updating the menu is apparently not part of this "fine-dining" establishment's motif). He came over with a recommendation for a very different wine that was $30 more before asking what we even wanted. Despite telling him we do not like American wines, he pointed out 3 more American wines. (Update: My guess is that they don't have the international wines at all and want to keep the menu looking "elevated.")

For couples looking to drink here, I recommend 1. asking what is available from the menu and 2. looking up the wine on google to see the 50-70% markup of twist off bottles. Ultimately, the uninformed bartender and his actions were why we didnt drink (Update: To be clear, this place does NOT know wines. They have a Sancerre marked as a Pinot, and he told my BF that a chablis is not sweet, so "elevated" must mean something different to this place).

The short rib cheese curd special appetizer we ordered was very good, though honestly something we would’ve found in a bar.

The staff took my knife while clearing the appetizer, and did not bring a replacement before the Caesar salad we ordered came out. Unfortunately, this left me without a vital tool to try to eat any of the ENTIRE romaine stalks that made up this salad. Sadly, not only could I not eat it due to size, the amount of dressing used was chunky and excessive, and not great tasting. (Update: This caesar was by no means was "fine dining" or "elevated.")

I will say that the meat was cooked to perfection, and really the best part of the meal. The menu does not mention that ALL the meat cuts are heavily smoked. We didn’t mind, but giving you a heads up. (Update: Despite the response, "Woodfired" at actual dining establishments does not always mean smoked. It was also served to us at 9:30, from what should have been a 7:30 reservation.)

Regarding the sides- the mushrooms were chewy and tasteless, and I did not touch them after trying one. I also thought the mashed potatoes tasted of bland butter, but my BF noted thats how all mashed potatoes he ever had tasted. (Update: You should be able to tell the difference between every mashed potato ever and $18 "fine dining" potatoes, but you wont find that difference here.)

Although two items (Caesar and mushroom) returned to the kitchen barely touched, none was taken off, so our $200 meal for two (without wine) ended after 10 pm, an utter disappointment.

Really pretty venue though if you’re looking for an event- i definitely wouldn’t let them cater it! (Update: If the bartender is the owner, I rescind this recommendation. He seemed really unprofessional.)

Update from restaurant response Your restaurant, much like the way you treat your customers, is disturbing. Your comments shrug any responsibility of this poor meal, and there is a lot of improvement you could have actually called out (like updating the menu).

This meal wold have been a 3 star experience if it wasn't for the bartender making awkward comments to the tables near us and hard-selling wines that we said were not right for us. If this was an actual fine dining establishment, the dishes that were sent back untouched would have been taken off as a sign of good customer service. IDK who votes on that "Best of North GA," but...

UPDATE: 6/9/25

Got a call from Susan Wagner the GM. She apologized for the service and expressed her appreciation for the candor, and details in the review. She asked nothing of me except that we come back for another meal and she insisted on sending us a gift card for our experience.

I write 20-30 reviews a year. I get maybe 1-2 calls like this. It shows management gives damn.

Raising to 4 stars as a result of this.

We’ll go back soon. ————-

Okay, fasten your seatbelt.

In so many ways- remote- rural location, reclaimed bank setting, the interior decor, and clever service delights like “choose your Damascus steel steak knife”, this is a total gem of a restaurant.

On our second visit though, our review is mixed and it all comes down to- you cannot charge $100/pp for a meal, and not be prompt and accurate with the service.

The Food- A M A Z I N G.

The onion rings are iconic, but may be just a tad bready… even though the tempura batter is the whole point of them.

My party of 4 ordered 2 NY strips and a ribeye which were all perfectly cooked. My son got the bone marrow add on and was in heaven.

My wife enjoyed the Ceasar dressing but thought there was maybe 50% too much grated cheese on top of her romaine wedges.

Lots of oohs and aaahs over the artichoke chip too.

We had old fashioned cocktails which I would say were amazingly well balanced. Better than many Chicago/NY places. The bartenders here know what they are doing.

Being vegan, they versioned their mushroom risotto for me and it was great and the portion was perfect.

The food is so good and rich that none of my other 3 party guests could finish their meal and we skipped dessert even though there was a definite pining to try the tableside bananas foster we saw being flamed around.

So, on Service: Off the mark

Our waitress was knowledgeable and professional and had a Ritz Carlton style response “I’ll take care that” to each request.

But she was handicapped by the kitchen, the tables and the bar in my opinion.

Our drinks and reorders too were exceptionally long even though this was a rainy Wednesday and the restaurant was half full.

The time between ordering drinks, and food was elongated because she got sat two other tables.

Somehow we drew the short straw because 2 adjacent tables were seated after us and both left before we even got our check.

Finally, I made reservations and noted, in advance, that I was vegan and we were celebrating something. It’s just annoying to then have the waitress ask right off the bat - do we have food sensitivities and are we celebrating anything. That my salad came out with cheese on it means the kitchen or expediter didn’t check before delivering it.

Finally, and this is exacerbated by the fact we were in the restaurant 45 minutes too long… the chairs are cheap and uncomfortable. Think wooden pub chairs. At this price range of restaurant, with as many clever details they’ve thought of- the uncomfortable chairs is a let down- which all 4 of us noted.

Love this restaurant in so many ways, but I wouldn’t eat here again unless I was assured a booth.

Food...

We booked our reservation through open table , I highly recommend reservations and I’m sure they do too. We haven’t been here in six months so we were excited to be going back . The restaurant was built from the old Community bank and trust building ,hence , Community Brew and Tap. I just to frequent Cornelia growing up and worked at the movie theater(the Grand , I think ) that was right near the bank when I attend North Ga tech. We arranged bed a few minutes before our reservation by a friendly gentleman who alerted the upstairs hostess we were there. We took a seat to wait for our table to be ready . Behind the hostess stand is a nice bar and the bar tender seemed well skilled at his craft and had plenty of knowledge about his drinks . I’m a people waver by the way lol. We were called and directed to the upstairs hostess who too, us to our booth. Large circular booth that you scoot in to . There are large chandeliers , and exposed brick walls and exposed ceiling, all which we loved . We were greeted by our server , Shannon , and let me tell you she was right on point . She greeted us and asked if it was our first time , then asked if we’d like to hear the specials . She went over the specials. My wife ordered a glass of wine and the house made bread was brought out . It was good , served with an oil and vinegar dipping plate with diced tomatoes and cracked pepper I believe. I ordered the Caesar salad , ribeye , creamed corn and Brussels sprouts. My wife got the salmon with rice . Our salads arrived and we started our journey , the Caesar dressing was fantastic and the perfect start. My steak arrived and the young man asked me to cut it to be sure it was the right temperature, it was spot on perfect . The steak was able to be cut with a fork , but I did use my knife some . My wife loved her salmon , the cream corn is to die for and I highly encourage people to try it . The Brussels sprouts were okay , a little over fried in my opinion but not enough for me to mention and my wife loved them . For dessert , I did the cinnamon apple cake with house made cinnamon ice cream , and the dish was smoked at that . The other dessert we had was the crème brûlée and it did not disappoint , but the cake was the star and I loved the smoky flavor . This was a great great outing and I will not wait six months so I won’t be able to review again The perfect complement to the evening was Shannon, she knew when to be there and when to not . She was a delight to chat with and we felt very special. I will definitely ask for her next time , thank you to the chefs and the entire staff and management, as the night was a...