609 Social Market & Provisions — Restaurant in Decatur

3 stars for me, probably 4 for my dining fellows...but I'm the one writing the review, so here we are.

Came over to Decatur with 3 coworkers and were joined by two colleagues local to the area and we decided on this spot to have our reunion lunch. We were excited to try something new!

Inside, it's quite spacious. The design is pretty and I especially liked the look of the modern bar, but it is a little...conflicted. To the right as you enter is a small private room with a table and chairs that I don't think meld with the rest of the space; to the left is a small selection of dry goods, leading up to a large open-air selection of fresh fish for purchase. There's a lot going on! This is a small nitpick ultimately though; the restaurant was clean, and the bathroom especially so. Hurray!

A larger nitpick is that it did smell...fishy to me.

The highlight of the experience was our service! I can't remember our waitress' name (Ciera, maybe??), but she was on top of all our needs and a very pleasant conversationalist. Other staff were similarly welcoming and helpful as we entered, exited, and moved about the restaurant.

We got a bunch of different stuff; two people got burgers, one got a Cobb salad, another got the special of the day (sweet tea brined half chicken), another got a pasta, and I got the "crispy Nashville club."

One thing we really liked was how willing to accommodate the restaurant can be. For instance, they happily removed the bleu cheese from the Cobb and brought some pickled jalapeños as requested.

Maybe I got unlucky.

Everyone else seemed to enjoy their food. One person even came back later that evening with her husband because he wanted to try the place -- and they enjoyed both times! The sweet tea brined chicken was also very well received. I did try one of her side of hot honey Brussels sprouts -- those were yummy.

But my crispy Nashville club just was not what I was expecting. The waitress let me know when I ordered it that it came with chicken even though it doesn't say so on the menu. I kind of guessed as much. She also said it was tossed in a sort of Buffalo sauce -- again, not surprising, etc. But I dunno - there was just a disconnect going on in my brain, I guess. Cause when I read "club," I was thinking a sandwich with crispy, toasted bread and then lots of thinner layers of other toppings (in this case, the promised pimento cheese and bacon). That's...not at all what I got.

My plate had a positively ENORMOUS piece of fried chicken between two large (brioche?) buns, a few shreds of lettuce, very large, very thick-cut bacon, the smallest splash of ranch ever, and no discernible pimento cheese. It was too large and too sloppy to eat with my hands, so I wound up cutting the chicken up and eating it bite by bite.

I did ultimately discover the pimento cheese; it was smushed between the bottom bun and the bottom part of the chicken. There wasn't much of it and the bottom bun was so soggy I didn't want to eat it. The flavor of the hot chicken was so overpowering I never got a sense of the flavor of the pimento cheese.

My one conflicting thought is that the chicken itself was very nicely cooked. Super juicy and succulent. Even the breading stayed crispy for a little while, beneath all the sauce. Not sure I'd call it Nashville hot -- I usually associate that with a dry rub and not a ton of wet, spicy sauce, which this had in abundance -- but it WAS good chicken.

I'd describe this dish as a Buffalo or spicy fried chicken sandwich. And in that regard, it was fine -- solid, even! But if that's what it had said on the menu, I probably would've ordered something else, because that's not really what I wanted.

And, unfortunately, to round it out, the fries were subpar. They needed salt very badly and had a sort of mealy texture.

I can see the potential here but definitely a shaky first visit for me at least. I'd consider returning but would order something...

TLDR- Wonderful Service by Jamie, Wonderful Food by Kenny, But Hostess Experience Needs Improvement

I recently visited 609 Social Market and Provisions and had a mixed experience. Here's a detailed breakdown:

The Service:

-Toni (Host): Unfortunately, my experience started on a less positive note. When I arrived, Toni the Host completely ignored me for a solid 10 minutes as I waited to be seated at the front door. The restaurant was not insanely busy. This initial lack of acknowledgment was disappointing and left a negative first impression. And it didn’t stop there, I dined alone so I understand the confusion but I had also gone to the restroom and when coming back to my table I saw her cleaning up the table that I sat back down to.

-Jamie (Server): Jamie was an absolutely incredible server. From the moment I was seated, Jamie made sure I had everything I needed. My glass was always full, and every request was promptly and graciously attended to. Her attentiveness and friendly demeanor truly enhanced my dining experience. She also was super understanding of the previous accident by the host and promptly fixed the table back up for me. Five stars for Jamie!

The Ambiance:

609 Social Market and Provisions is quite pleasant, with a modern industrial but welcoming and stylish interior that sets a comfortable mood for dining. The music is a very nice playlist of modern pop and not too loud to maintain a nice conversation either.

The Food:

I ordered the current market fish special with a side salad, which was fresh tilefish from the Gulf served on a bed of red curry sauce. The dish was absolutely phenomenal. The tilefish was perfectly cooked, maintaining a tender and flaky texture, while the red curry sauce added a rich and flavorful complement that elevated the entire dish. This culinary experience deserves high recognition and was a true highlight of my visit.

Overall Experience:

While Jamie’s absolutely outstanding service made up for the initial lack of attention to the front of house by the host, it's important for the restaurant to ensure all staff members provide a consistent level of attentiveness and hospitality. I hope to see improvements in the hosting service in the future to match the serving experience, as entire the dining experience otherwise has a lot of potential to be even better.

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars)

Explanation:

I’m giving 609 Social Market and Provisions 4 stars because, while the food was phenomenal and the service from Jamie was exceptional, the experience was marred by the initial lack of attention from the host, Toni. Consistency in service is crucial for a top-tier dining experience, and addressing the host’s inattentiveness would elevate the restaurant to a 5-star rating.

Would I Recommend to others?:

Despite this, I do recommend 609 Social Market and Provisions to others, especially for the excellent food and service provided by the server. I am looking forward to coming again in the future. One of the better restaurants in the area and a true hidden...

Alright, let's talk about 609 Social Market & Provisions in Decatur. Because sometimes, even a man who's eaten cobra heart in Vietnam and fermented shark in Iceland finds himself wondering what passes for good eating on Bank Street in small-town Alabama. And sometimes, just sometimes, you walk into a place like this and think, "Alright, maybe there's still hope for us yet." You roll up to this place, tucked into the historic district, and it immediately feels different. Not another bland chain, not a desperate attempt at "farm-to-table" by someone who’s never seen a real farm. No, this joint has ambition. It’s a market, first and foremost – a proper, serious market. They’re slinging fresh seafood, Gulf and Atlantic, right there. You can buy it to cook, or, and this is where it gets interesting, you can let them do the heavy lifting. I’m always wary of places trying to be too many things, but 609 Social pulls it off. The kitchen here isn't just an afterthought to the market; it's a goddamn testament to what you can do with good product and a bit of culinary backbone. Let's get to it: the oysters. Clean, briny, fresh as the morning tide. That’s a good sign. It tells you they respect the ingredient, which is more than half the battle won right there. But then there’s the gumbo. Oh, the gumbo. This isn’t some watery, tourist-trap sludge. This is dark, rich, deeply flavored, with that slow burn and complexity that only comes from knowing what the hell you’re doing with a roux. It’s soulful. It’s the kind of dish that makes you forget for a moment you’re not in some hidden New Orleans joint. You can snag a burger that some folks swear is the "best possible," and while I'm generally allergic to hyperbole, the one I tried certainly had the char and the juice to make a strong case for itself. Even a simple-sounding feta dip arrives with character. Sure, maybe a chip isn't always crisp enough to snap like a gunshot, or a side dish might not hit that perfect note every single time. This isn't a Michelin three-star temple of gastronomy, and it doesn't pretend to be. But what it is is honest. It’s a place that cares about quality ingredients and delivering a genuine, satisfying meal. The room itself? Comfortable. Not fussy, not overly styled, just a good, solid space in a handsome old building. It feels like a local's spot, a place where people come to eat well, drink well, and just be. In a landscape often dominated by the utterly forgettable, 609 Social Market & Provisions stands out. It’s a beacon of good taste and honest cooking in a place you might not expect it. Go for the oysters, stay for the gumbo, and remember that sometimes, the real gems are found far from the bright lights and the hype. This one’s...