Universal Joint Decatur — Restaurant in Decatur

My fiancé and I were super excited to try this place because we felt that it was a warm welcoming vibe. Coleman our server was phenomenal and I can not say enough good things about him but the manager Charlie rude unprofessional and abrupt. However we sat down and ordered our drinks and appetizers. Our appetizer came out very quickly which was great but our drinks did not come until about 7 minutes later. We both ordered and blue and tan and a snakebite which did not seem like a hard drink to make. Coleman made sure to keep us updated on what was happening and it seemed that the bartenders were struggling even though the bar was not full. When our drinks arrived they were not made correctly. They were mixed which was fine but neither had anything more than Guinness. I’m in the industry and mistakes happen so it wasn’t a big deal to us. However when our shots came out they came out with the mixer as a back instead of mixed into it like a shooter. Once we received the check we realized we were charged for a full blue moon(which my fiancé had to ask for the rest of the beer she paid for, since she had to purchase the whole bottle). Which wasn’t a big deal but why did she not get the rest of the beer until she had to ask for it(then it was completely full by the time she received it). At this point when we asked for our check Coleman got the manager (Charlie) to explain how we were charged for everything. I explained to the manager that Coleman was great but we were charged for unnecessary things like being charged for two Guinness when we both had a black and blue and a snake bite(which both only require half a pint of Guinness). Charlie was very abrupt and instead or explaining everything and trying to make sure I had a good experience, he cut me offf to tell me he would discount the Guinness and walked away. This was clearly not the experience that we were hoping but maybe on a day that’s not a Friday night the bar staff and the manager would be a little more personable and accommodating. To top it all off we went to the ATM to pull out cash to tip Coleman and it did not dispense the cash. When we asked a staff member about it they said the bar manager said it wasn’t their problem and to contact the bank which was very frustrating and felt like we were brushed off regardless of the situation. Needless to say we were very let down. TO TOP ALL OF THAT OFF. The women’s restroom had a 2 way mirror on a door that could open up into a hallway which is very unwelcoming to anybody using...

U-Joint is a mixed experience. The location and atmosphere are wonderful. Oakhurst is a relatively bike and pedestrian-friendly area and U-Joint has a beautiful patio including heaters during colder weather. This is great because so many other restaurants in Decatur shut down their patios as soon as it’s not perfect weather outside (winter and summer). The food is pretty good and they have some interesting and delightful menu items in addition to the normal bar food. Our kids love this place and often request it multiple times a week. Service is usually very nice and helpful as well.

If you have any sort of a time limit, this is not the place to eat. Even on slower days the food can sometimes take a very long time to arrive at the table. We’ve learned to build this into our dining experience and avoid this place if we have somewhere to be at a certain time. It doesn’t make much sense and we complained on one particular occasion when our kids food came out and then my wife and I waited 20 minutes additional for our food. The manager argued with us and said that it didn’t take that long and that a medium burger could take up to 15 minutes to be cooked. She said she would check their system and get back with us. We never heard back even with me calling up there a few times to ask for an update.

The last issue we have here is that there are “bar flies” who are here nearly every day and some of them decide to smoke less than 5 feet from the patio despite the City of Decatur having an ordinance that no one should smoke within 50 feet of a restaurant or park. A good many of them are respectful and will go behind the building, but nearly every time we are there, one of them will smoke right by the patio. It ruins...

Everyone was very nice. This place is a very chill spot in Decatur. Nice patio, lit with little lights hanging everywhere. Great ambiance. So on to the food. I ordered the Steinbeck: It's a burger with bacon, pimento cheese, jalapenos and I added grilled onions. The date had almost the same burger but with cheddar cheese. I forgot the name of his burger. Sorry. 😬 I had the option of fries, tots, side salad or for an upcharge an arugula salad. I got the fries, boo got tots ( which means I got tots too) lol! 😆🤷🏽‍♀️ Both were hot and fresh out of the grease... Tasty! So hot that you had to do the mouth breathing maneuver thingy ( haassss sheeee whoooo hoooo) lol.😂😂 They were salted perfectly. Now on to the drinks. Ummmmm.... The house margarita was no bueno! It was super watery. I got the tall version ( which means in a large glass🥤) I drank it caused I missed margaritas but that was my last time ordering it. From there on I just got a short (small rocks glass🥃) Jack and Coke with a lime. This was made perfectly. The bartender didn't skimp on the Jack. 😍 Yasssss. Finally a well made drink. Oh the spot had a nice hippie vibe, seems like a lot of regulars and neighborhood folk. Largely Caucasian crowd sprinkled with a lil pepper. Lol! not a pretentious spot at all. Go and have fun. They have a juke box on the wall that allows you to pay and play what you want....