Spirits Tavern — Restaurant in Dahlonega

Spirits Tavern is the kind of place you can go with your college friends for a fun meal or to hang at the bar but it’s classy enough that you can bring your parents here too.

The prices are great and the food is delicious with plentiful portions. There’s a solid selection of beer and booze- with higher end liquor too - and, my favorite, a creative craft cocktail menu titled “Potions.” Love it!

We got there at 9:05 on a Thursday night and discovered the grill had just closed, but the host told us they could still make items from the appetizer menu, soups and salads. There were plenty of options so we decided to stay.

The staff, from the host at the door to our server, were all very friendly and accommodating. Love the slightly-spooky Victorian spiritualist vibe!

Our appetizer-dinner for four consisted of the amazing fried brussels sprouts and kale, shrimp egg rolls, three servings of the chili-mac and a Caesar salad.

Shrimp egg rolls were solid with good crunch- the spicy sweet chili sauce was the perfect accompaniment.

The kalettes - fried Brussels and kale - were amazing. It’s the creamy bacon and sorghum cider vinaigrette that makes these crispy treats so lick-the-bowl delicious. Seriously, I’d have bought a second bowl of it wasn’t so late.

The Caesar salad was plentiful and the greens and tomatoes were very fresh with a lot of crunchy croutons if that’s your jam.

Chili Mac was a hearty beef chili with beans served over fried Mac and cheese balls with shredded cheddar as a garnish. Filling and delicious, a little spicy, this is inspired comfort food! They have sour cream too so don’t forget to ask for it. The tanginess take this dish over the top!

I appreciated the funky cocktails on the Potions menu. The “purple rain” with crème de violet and cardamom was an interesting botanical cocktail, but I really enjoyed my “spiritual tea” with Irish whiskey and peach. My husband’s old fashioned was mixed just right. I appreciate the high end cocktail cherries used in the drinks too, a classy touch.

We had such a great late night experience with Spirits, we will certainly be back when we can sample the full grill… I would really love to try one of...

Sometimes when people write 5 star reviews you have to ask yourself if it was really a five star experience or if they are just being nice? Let me assure you this is a 5 star restaurant. Me and a friend go about once a week. We have never had a bad time. We have never had a mediocre time. We've never even had a good time. Every time is absolutely exceptional. We should probably not eat out as much; but like pirates, the siren call of Spirits Tavern is not easily ignored. The food is always amazing. There are specials and always a new creative dessert that I actively have to hold myself back from getting. Their Mac and Cheese Bites are a must, every time. Any restaurant worth its salt has good sauces and I have not tried a single sauce here that I wouldn't want bottled and or placed in an IV directly into my veins. (Cucumber Ranch. Who would have thought. Not I, but I shall never be the same.) Prices are also very, very reasonable. For a (Split) Appetizer, drink, and Burger I usually end up paying around $25 + tip The Staff is Fantastic. I've had almost every server, (Again I go too often) and they are all great. Olivia is my favorite and every time I see her I walk away smiling. Everyone is attentive but not intrusive and is happy to talk or leave you alone.

This review is getting long so I'll wrap it up but I could write a thesis paper on how much I enjoy this place. (Page one is the Mac and Cheese bites) It's nice and cozy which can lead to a longer wait at peek times but their system makes it easy to see where you are in line and take a little walk around the square without worrying about losing your place or missing your table. Any wait was easy, mostly short, and...

Normally I love spirits. As a local I have been many times with no problems. I work in the service industry myself so I understand that some issues aren't front of the houses fault. However, not only did we get on the wait-list an hour and half before close with multiple open tables, but we were specifically told the kitchen was TOO BUSY and that's why they couldn't seat us. We and one other table were the only people on the wait-list and while they somehow got food, we were told we could not order from the grill since the grill closed an hour before they closed. I asked the hostess if since we had 10 minutes before 9 and we were still waiting on a table if we could just order and sit when the table was ready which she replied that the kitchen was TOO BUSY so no. That wasn't too much of an issue as while we wanted burgers we thought we could get salads or fried chicken. However, upon ordering we were told we can only order appetizers or chili. So me and my friend ordered the chili trash pile, and a bowl of chili and fries. Everyone else had their food and since we were the last table we assumed it wouldn't take too long. That wasn't the case as it took 30 minutes to get our food. I don't mind waiting at a sit down but we truly were the only people without food and it was chili and fryer food. We didn't complain or say anything and even when we received our $20 a piece bills for CHILI, A DRINK AND FRIES! Our waiter, Cole, then proceeded to say, "For future reference our kitchen closes an hour before we close." in a terrible condescending tone. So as someone who loves spirits the whole experience was really...