The Nook — Restaurant in Huntsville

The original moderne West Huntsville craft beer haven. With more beers on tap than Rocket Scientists at MSFC, a person will seldomly be left cold by perusing the draft menu. If, by chance, you prefer bottled beer or fine whiskey, you will find equally large offerings from which to choose.

The friendly staff seem like they walked right out of a Billy Joel song, except they won't be quick with a light of your smoke since the Nook is a non-smoking establishment. If you want to have assistance in picking your drink, everyone in uniform is highly capable of curating the menu. They aren't beer snobs, per se, but they have discriminating tastes and they aren't reluctant to give you an opinion .

The location is easily accessible from the major roadways in Huntsville (Governors' Drive, Memorial Parkway, I-565). The setting is in a seasoned business district, on the edge of two historic mill villages. The ambiance is quaint, with a cozy attached biergarten that is cool in more ways than one.

The food is hearty fare, but not intended to be the main attraction. It will get you through the hard times, but it won't be your steady. The exception to the rule is when Frau M takes up residency in the kitchen. These occasions are worthy of the calories. Deutsche, straight from Bitburg.

The Nook is fondly nicknamed Conference Room N by the folks at NASA. Don't be intimidated when you find yourself in the middle of a serious conversation on thrust or event horizons. Just lift your glass, smile and remember you're in the Rocket City and this is just our version of...

The (exceptional) Nook creates a comfortable and relaxing vibe. I’ve come here a few times, and it’s the kind of place I enjoy sharing with others. They offer creole and cajun cuisine. My favorite is the gumbo (theres a slight sweetness to it), but for now I still get the sampler for $16 where you can pick 3 samples of any specialty. I enjoy the samplers with a large cheese plate since the samplers already come with crackers ;) In the picture, this is the small cheese plate, but i upgraded to the large because i didn’t have an idea of how quite small it is. I enjoy my meal with the pumpkin ale. It doesn’t taste too much like pumpkin, which is great, i did not want it to. It’s a satisfying hint of hop and fall in this beautiful winter/spring weather. My server’s name was Monica. This is the first she’s served me, but I can honestly say all the people who work here, or rather, who have served me, have been exceptional personalities. Especially the quirky ones. The cooks are amazing, whoever you are. Thank you to the owner for establishing this wonderful place here in my hometown of Huntsville, AL. For your own reference, my meal was around $35. P.S: The only thing I’d tweak is the modern music outside—it competes with the natural sounds of the trees, wind, and birds. It’s not a major issue, but if the playlist matched the calm atmosphere, it would blend in better. That said, the music itself is good and popular, just a bit...

The Nook is a really wonderful place to find lots of craft beer and sprits. I'm a beer lover, so I won't review the spirits.

This is an out of the way place, and it's ready to miss the turn into the parking area so I recommend gps for your first visit. Inside you will find a nicely appointed drinking area with good lighting, and the bourbon bar in a separate, appropriately darker, room. You can sit at the bar or a table inside, or you can go outside if the weather is reasonable. They have a fabulous beer garden with plenty of trees, tables, chairs, and another bar. This is my favorite place to sit.

They have many, many beer taps with craft beer from all over the world, as well as bottles. It's a fairly transient list, so it's never the same twice. They have a smaller selection of wine. The server will come to your table, so no need to go in to order your brews and wine.

They have a small cheese plate (with optional meats) that's really good, though they serve saltine crackers with it, which I find a bit strange. On Thursdays they serve authentic German cuisine (short menu, different each week).

There is often good live acoustic music outside, weather permitting.

There is a small unisex bathroom inside by the bar, and separate men's/woman's rooms in the beer garden.

The owner is talkative and friendly, and there quite often...