Thinking Man Tavern

I have been going to the Thinking Man for years and have always had a good experience, but last Saturday night, 9/19/09, we had a falling out. A friend and I were playing a game of darts and he ordered another beer. Lo and behold, he had already had five (not necessarily indulgent considering we had been there for nearly four hours) and was told he was cut off. It was my understanding that a patron is cut off when he shows signs of having too much. But my friend was fine and composed, and even our server agreed with this. But the manager told her the limit had been met and that was that. My friend even spoke with the manager, but he would not budge. The manager made our group feel unwanted and disrespected. We had put $20.00 in the juke box that night and our tab was over $130.00, so I thought we would have been treated with the dignity we ourselves make an effort to show. But I guess not. The Thinking Man lost business that night. I will not lose sleep over this, but I hope others out there will think twice before giving your hard earned money to a bar that makes you feel burdensome and unwelcome. Decatur has plenty of drinking holes, and I recommend trying any one other than the Thinking Man Tavern. more

There are very few places I've been where one can walk in and feel at home. I've been going to Thinking Man Tavern for a few years and this is one of those spots. The first time I went, Emory was our bartender and by the end of my visit I was hooked. Since then I feel like a part of the family! The food never disappoints, the service is on point even when they are slammed. I am addicted to the patty melt. It's the last thing I eat each time I swear off red meat forever, and the first thing I eat when I fall off the wagon! :) The soups are also always fresh and amazing... and lest we forget this is a watering hole - the beer selection is terrific. Check out pint night on Wednesdays for great beer prices! Pros: great food - full menu lasts farly late-ish. super service. great beer selection! Cons: if the patty melt weren't so darn good I swear I'd be a vegetarian by now!! more

I love this place; great beer, good food for a bar. The jukebox is awesome! I love all the board games. It isn't too loud, so conversation is possible without shouting. Lots of beer options. The staff was very nice. A great option away from the usual yuppy bar scene. Pros: Beer choices Cons: None come to mind more

I don't have the luxury of multiple visits to this pub to have a well-rounded opinion. We stumbled in for a Wednesday lunch on 7/9/2008 before seeing visiting guests off to the airport. At first glance, the interior seemed a bit shabby and poorly maintained. We couldn't find a booth to sit in that wasn't duct-taped to keep stuffing and springs from popping out. While that's not ideal, it was far from off-putting. We were greeted by a delightful young man with a (Bostonian?) accent who proved to be the highlight of the day. In fact, he was far and away the best hospitality person I've encountered in Atlanta in a couple of months at least. We found an interesting menu of pub grub, loved the potato discs and posters of National Geographic pull-outs along the booths. But the bartender who came out from behind the bar to serve our table (I do so wish I'd caught his name) was certainly the highlight. Because he is the only face I have to put on this pub and what they have to offer, I give it a big kudos, but will wait and see if further visits pan out like other reviewers. Pros: daytime bartender was extraordinary Cons: needs some upkeep more

Gosh, how to say this? It's over. It's time for me to see other pubs. No, I don't want to be friends. It's not me, it's you. Really.\r \r My wife and I won't be back. Which is sad--we were regulars (two or three visits a week) and used to think of the place as the neighborhood living room. I hate to lose it, but the Decatur/L5P area is blessed with great pubs. \r \r The staff is great, but the owner forgets that ""pub"" is short for ""public,"" and treats the place like his private living room. He was astonishingly rude to my wife, something I find hard to forgive. But like I said, the staff is great. This problem is entirely the owner. Pros: Great atmosphere, solid if limited menu, good drink choices. Cons: Rude, rude owner. more

Neighborhood bar at it's best! The people are super-friendly and unpretentious. The food is great, the beer prices are lowest in town and draft selection compares to Brick Store. Highly Recommended! more

This place is great if you just want to go someplace and hang out, have a few drinks, and eat some great food. It's kind of a ""nerdy"" bar with lots of board games and books and that's great for a date night. The locals are super nice and the service is usually on point. You might want to stay away from Wed. nights from 7-10 unless you like alot of weird old people playing trivia. The food is awesome even though they just changed chefs, the new people are carrying on with great success. The specials are what makes the food great most nights. Well worth the trip to lovely Decatur for this place. It will probably become your next favorite bar. Beer selection is great as well. Also good wine selection. Pros: Good food, great service Cons: Trivia night more

This bar is great. Don't pay attention to the yuppies that gave this place a bad review. They probably frequent the Virgina Highlands, and my advice to them is stay where you are. You will also notice that these users rate 1 thing and that was this place. They are probably competing bars giving this place a bad review to find business. If you look at my profile I have rated pleanty of restaurants and bars. Take my advice if you really want a deal try 6 beers for 18$, and these beers on Ratebeer dot com are highly rated, so you are not having to chug on Miller Light or Budweiser if you know what I mean. Also, 8 beers and a meal for 30$, now that is a deal. I would recommend going on Wednesday nights which is ""Pint Night."" The pints are cheaper. Also, they offer a $2.50 ""Starving Artist"" beer which rotates every week it seems. The people are relaxed, and the atmosphere represents the type of person you would see at this place. Hunter, the bartender, is really nice and always checks to see if you are doing okay. Who cares about the attitude of the owner, as long as I am not having to drink with this guy, I don't care. The food is bar food, so get over it. If you want to go to a great restaurant go to Chops. The beer selection is great, St. Bernardus (10% abv), Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (9.5% abv), Terrapin Rye Ale, and Victory brand beers, are a few beers on the menu. Hunter, the bartender also told me they are going to serving more microbrew beers. This I think is great, given there are a lot of awesome American microbrews. If you want to relax and have cheap drinks come here, if you are a Virginia Highland yuppie punk, stay away. Thinking Man's is a place to relax and drink. More people should drink this way, if you truly appreciate good beer. Pros: Great Beer Prices Cons: In a weird area, if you live in Midtown. more

Food was over cooked and soggy and they don't even serve hot tea. Everyone says how much they love this place. I don't get it. Service was very good however. more

This is a great little spot. The patio is nice, or inside there are games and books that you can borrow while at the bar. The jukebox has an excellent selection with many rare gems that one would not expect to find on a jukebox. Also the walls are lined with pictures, postures, and stickers, that speak of left leaning intellectual sentiments. A nice reprieve from the ""frat mentality"" that is so pervasive in say the Highlands or Crescent Ave. And the food, the food is great! Way above your average bar food. Everything I have had has been fresh and tasty. The beer list is as well edited as the jukebox, with several imports and microbrews, their beer prices are very reasonable. Pros: great food, good beer prices, great beer list more

I went to Thinking Man Tavern for the first time and I loved it! Board games, hoegaarden, and trivial persuit cards (which were strategically placed all over the bar) made this an enjoyable place to drink and talk. My friend and I played connect 4 for almost two hours, it was awesome. I will return very soon. Pros: Good Parking, Atmosphere, Service Cons: extra couches more

As a nearby resident, I USED to frequent this establishment. It's nothing special, but the service was generally friendly and the atmosphere low-key. Then one day I met the owner, who happened to be working the bar. To my surprise, he turned out to be a very disagreeable holier than thou hipster who seems not to care much at all whether his patrons are happy are not. I am not going back there, and I feel sorry for the cool people who work for him---and the unfortunate soul who may be unlucky enough to have him as his bartender. A thinking man? Well, given the convenience of the tavern's location for me, he's losing hundreds of dollars in business that I would have spent there. Disgruntled in Decatur more