Mason Tavern

Starting this review off with one word… FANTASTIC!
Not your ordinary tavern as the name would have you believe but a comfortable, classy location that not only serves up a wide range of drinks but also some amazing menu items I haven’t had anywhere else in all of my travels.
When our group arrived we were warmly greeted by the hostess and promptly seated. Our waitress Meagan was superb not only recommending dishes to us but also genuinely warm and friendly.
I started the meal with the cheese infused hush puppies. Nom, nom! No more regular hush puppies for me.
Next I had the Tavern Burger topped by a fried egg and it was fantastic… Yes I know I’ve already used this adjective before, but it was. Cooked to perfection on what looked to be a homemade bun. It also came with a side salad that complimented the burger perfectly.
Wrapping everything up was the Pot de Crème. A chocolate mousse style dessert that all of us shared. The rich chocolate taste caused some serious eye rolling.
At the end Ben the chef on duty visited our table to make sure everything was to our liking. A nice touch! This talented, young chef and his staff made all the difference between a regular tavern and this place.
I only wish I lived closed or this would be my new hangout.

Great buffalo chicken wrap. Portions were perfect and generous. Place was packed! I forgot to write this review but my boyfriend and I came before we went to a TechCrunch event nearby. Great place to watch sports or for a group gathering.
I put my business card in for a raffle at the host stand. About 3 weeks later I got a call in regards to putting my card in the jar notifying me that I did not win.
HOWEVER, I also received a great follow up email— «This is Josh Milteer, catering manager at Marlow’s Tavern in Midtown. Thank you for taking my call this morning! Attached is an e-​copy of our catering menu that I spoke about on the phone. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Like I also mentioned on the phone, I will take 10% off on your next catering with us and also pass out free appetizer cards that can be used in the restaurant. Again, thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon!»
This really showed me they care about their customers!

Got the scout mob for a random date night. It was trivia night, which was surprisingly quite. I got the veggie option in the scout mob and my husband got a burger. He loved his burger and I loved my sandwich. Great local beers. Lot of comfy seating and nice atmosphere with a very friendly waiter. Would definitely come back! The app menu looked good– we got the Mac & cheese app and we’re definitely happy! I bet a drinks and app sampling night here would be great.

Just visited today and had to leave an updated review. I had a wonderful brunch experience. In full disclosure, I was invited back to the restaurant after my not so great first experience by one of the managers. What a wonderful offer. And the staff handled it all wonderfully given that my message rescheduling my visit did not go thru and the manager didn’t even know I was coming!!! Oooops!
I ordered the same dish that I did the first time — bananas foster pancakes. So much improved upon!!! In both appearance and taste. Man, the servings are so huge. Three big pancakes. I couldn’t even eat half of the serving. I wish there were a bit more bananas on the pancakes, but otherwise really great. Had with a side of fruit which was also great. My friend ordered the portabello sandwich. She liked it, but said it really just tasted like mushroom and caramelized onions. Without tasting it, I would guess it needed more balsamic glaze. Again, huge serving. She had to take half of the sandwich home.
Service was truly excellent. Or server was a hoot! You are lucky if you get, Michael.
Thanks again, Mason Tavern, for the new experience. Will be back again. :-) Really looking forward to trying out the burger.

Amazing selections, BBB burger was great. Even had Gluten Free options for burger buns. Definitely will return!

Second disappointing experience in a row. We decided to give them a second chance but the service was terrible and the food mediocre. When the server messed up a drink order, he insulted the orderer. When someone asked for salad dressing (which was completely missing from all of the salads) he made a point of saying «oh, you’d like MORE dressing?» It was so awkward and not worth it.

Went on Sunday for brunch. Nice menu. Service was a little slow. Restaurant décor is cool and patio is very nice.
Note to chef: put the salt shaker down. Everything was way too salty.
We will give this place another chance because it has good potential.

OMG. The burger. I was expecting a pretty good burger after reading the description, a mix of short rib, chuck, and brisket. I heard that’s Pat Lafrieda’s preferred patty mix, so expectations were high. My wife made me split it with her since we’re supposed to be on a diet… it was so good that we ended up ordering a second burger to share… except this time we made it a double patty it was that good. So much for the diet. Seriously, this place has one of the better burgers in ATL. I’m Unilocal Elite now… so I know what I’m talking about.

I fell in love with this place as soon as I walked in. I immediately thought how great of a date spot this would be.
Anyway, I came here for burger week. They were serving The Buffalo, Bacon, & Bleu burger and it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had! The beef was cooked a medium rare as requested the bacon was candied and cooked perfectly as well. It had the perfect amount of bleu cheese that was not overpowering and complimented everything beautifully. It was a symphony of flavors in my mouth
And as you can see from the pictures, the burger is exactly how you’d dream up of one. This burger is not on their regular menu, but you can request a BBB burger anytime!
Also, the waitress and staff were extremely kind and welcoming. I will no doubt be returning often!

I love this place! The space is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the waiters are the friendliest. It doesn’t get much better than this :) I’ve eaten here for both lunch and dinner with small and large groups, adults and kids, vegetarians (me) and meat-​eaters, and it has always been great. They really have something for everyone. I can personally recommend the Florentine Benedict and I’ve heard good things about the Hot Chicken and their special house sauce: D

So, I have only been here on Tuesday nights for Trivia Night.
This place is a hidden gem. You would not know that it looked so classy on the inside, but it has an awesome looking bar with booths and tables setup around the border of the space. It also has a patio that offers a good amount of seating. The windows open all of the way up making the patio and inside one large space. It is located at the end of a of a row of restaurants with a decent amount of parking.
Every Tuesday, they offer trivia and some beers for $ 3. On Wednesday, I do know that they have ½ off bottles of wine which is also a great deal.
The menu is made up of starters, salads, sandwiches, entrees, dessert. Here are the things that I have had or my friends have had.
Cheddar and Corn Hushpuppies: These crispy hushpuppies are not like your classic hushpuppies. They have a sharp cheddar cheese melted in the middle which oozes out as your bite into them. They are topped with a sweet chili sauce and scallion. They are fried to a crisp and are delicious. (If you are expecting a traditional hushpuppie, this is not it!)
Mezza Plate: It is pretty good and large. Nothing really stood out on it for me though.
Side Salad: It is served with a yummy Thai dressing. it comes in a small bowl. Th egreens were fresh as were the other ingredients.
Hot Chicken Sandwich: Fried chicken with blue cheese and buffalo sauce. This is HUGE!
Roasted Cauliflower pita with Mediterranean accompaniments. Its a little spicy, but a large serving. This is new to the menu.
Trout: It was served on a bed of Brussels sprouts. It was served on a plate that was a little too big and too white. It was just ok.
So my favorite item is their French Fries. They are thin and super crispy! I always get them with a side of Blue cheese dressing. The serving is huge!
Service is great! All of the servers have great recommendations for f&b.
Trivia night is a lot of fun. My group goes about 1 time a month and we always have a blast!

This is a nice, cozy bar. The bar set up is great and the lighting perfect. I was there (solo female) for a crazy long time and the bartendress, Sasha, was incredible! She is one of the top two bartenders I’ve ever encountered. She makes outstanding, original drink concoctions. She made me feel very welcome and comfortable: above and beyond expectations. We had fun! Plus, she provides excellent and speedy service. I had lots of different drinks and ate the duck appetizer. I can’t remember the name of it but it is duck meat on a light pancake of sorts with other ingredients. Original and delicious! (IF you like duck, as they give a generous serving.) I will definitely return and do hope Sasha is there.
Update — Sasha is no longer working here. I’m still getting good drinks though. The only negative is that every time I sit at the bar, I get random whiffs of a chemical smell. It happens every time. It smells kind of like when they tar the road. I suspect it may be the lights they have at the bar but maybe not. I’m posting this in hopes they find it and make it stop. It’s not a continuous smell, but it does come in random waves every time I’m there. Still a delightful place to go though.

Great place!
They have a great selection of local beers, and the atmosphere is super chill.
They have trivia night on Tuesday and that’s always fun.
As an appetizer we shared the roasted broccoli and cauliflower plate. It was nice to taste such fresh flavors that weren’t fried as an appetizer.
We had the spiced cauliflower and the hot chicken for our meal. The spiced cauliflower is okay as a vegetarian dish, but it’s not that amazing.
The Hot chicken, is amazing. I mean like extreme tasty.
Tasty, skinny, crispy fries!
Service is amazing and the waiters are awesome!

Sat at the bar and ordered a vodka tonic. I got a half full drink. I asked the bartender and he said he poured 2 oz of vodka and didn’t want to ruin the drink by filling to the top with tonic. OK, I thought, but didn’t want to start off bad, so drank it. (It was a $ 9 half drink.)
Ordered a Cuban and roasted cauliflower pita. Pita was good. Cuban was not good at all.
I’ve been here 3 times and won’t be back again. I tried!

Everything was delicious! (Curried deviled eggs, hushpuppies and burger) Sounds like standard things to order, but everything was done in a special way and was exceptional.
The atmosphere was perfect. Felt a lot of peace being in there. The staff was genuine, helpful, and very nice.
Highly recommend. And I will definitely visit again.

Mason Tavern’s dedication to becoming a beloved local eating and drinking establishment should be commended. They’re like that new girl in the office who is just so cheerful all the time and brings in goodies and you can’t help but like her. After the initial buzz about this place died down and it had settled in, I checked it out a couple of times for dinner.
The first visit, it happens to be Decatur Restaurant Week. A set three-​course meal was $ 15. The first course was the cheddar and corn hushpuppies. I’m no hushpuppy enthusiast, but these aren’t like the ones you’d except at Red Lobster. Basically, if you like deep fried oozy cheese balls, you’ll be in heaven. These were actually my favorite out of the three courses. The second course was the tavern burger. It reminds me a bit of The General Muir’s fine burger since it has Russian dressing. I could do without the spicy bread & butter pickles but oh well. I liked the burger but it wasn’t quite on the level of Holeman & Finch or Bocado. I do feel like I need to give it another shot. Dessert was the s’more brownie with marshmallow ice cream. It was pretty good overall, very fudgey.
The second visit, I gave the Cuban sandwich ($ 12). It’s a beast of a sandwich! Whoa is the only way to describe it. It’s a bit creamier than I am used to (I thought mayo was an ingredient but I didn’t see it on the menu), but no matter. I particularly liked the bread.
The third time, I went breadless and tried the seared tuna salad ($ 14). You can get your generous tuna chunks prepared how you like, but I went with the recommended medium rare. We were all impressed about the amount of tuna. The Thai vinaigrette was a little spicy but reasonable, and I approved of the addition of edamame for a bit more protein if you’re in a pescatarian frame of mind.
My suggestion would be to offer different side options since sandwiches only come with fries or slaw. Don’t get me wrong, the fries are great, but sometimes I don’t want fried tubers. Or offer an option to upgrade to poutine for a small upcharge. And I admit I haven’t tried the slaw yet but I’m not a huge slaw person in general.
There’s a patio for milder temps, and the inside is dark and slinky, with some booths and tables. There are TVs at the bar so you can view a sporting event of your choice. The three servers we’ve had were all very hospitable and attentive.
Mason Tavern’s certainly a quality restaurant to add to your rotation. I’m looking forward to trying other dinner items and maybe their brunch.

I’ve been to Mason Tavern 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The food, service, atmosphere and menu options are always outstanding. I love that variety their menu offers. I can be as healthy, or unhealthy, as I want. And they have been so considerate of my dietary needs.
My favorites include:
Charred Broccoli — I never know I could be this in love with broccoli before. It is seriously amazing!
Half Roasted Chicken — So tender and juicy. The flavor of the chicken is great but the thing you’ll remember the most is how tender the chicken is.
Piggy Mac and Cheese — If you are looking for a killer Mac and Cheese look no further. I ordered this and couldn’t stop everyone at my table from digging in as well. Good thing they give you a generous portion.
Cuban — I was excited to see this on the lunch menu. It isn’t something you often see at restaurants around ATL. The sandwich really hit the spot. I even had enough left over to take home and enjoy later in the day.
The bar could very easily be my favorite in ATL. And that is not an easy accomplishment with all the options we have here. My husband is particularly fond of the Old Fashioned. He was very impressed with the steps they took to ensure it was made perfectly. I am a gin girl and fell in love with the Velvet Fog cocktail. It was light and refreshing with just a hint of sweetness. The beer menu is also impressive. They have a great variety from the hard to find beers to the go-​to favorites.
I can’t say enough wonderful things about the restaurant.

Newly opened in the same complex as Community BBQ and Bhojanic, Mason Tavern has set out to become the new neighborhood watering hole. Boasting a variety of seating options ranging from large community tables to cute 2-​person booths, the tavern welcomes groups of all sizes. The elegance of the dark interior and golden lights may make you feel a bit out of place if you were to stroll in wearing jeans and a t-​shirt, but not to worry! The servers have been nothing but welcoming and friendly on all my visits.
They have a decent number of local beers on tap, as well as a pretty large selection of bottled craft beers. The drinks are pricey, particularly for students, with the beers averaging about $ 7 and cocktails at ~$ 10. It’d be great if they implemented some drink specials later on, or if they gave Emory students discounts. :D
All of the food I’ve tried here so far have been pretty good. My go-​tos are the Tavern Burger and the Hot Chicken Sandwich. Sandwiches come with your choice of fries or slaw, and I say go for those fries. They’re seasoned well and come with an aioli sauce. The mango-​jicama slaw was just so-​so. It may be healthier, but it’s far less tasty.
The Tavern Burger: It’s juicy and has a generous slice of cheese, as well as some tasty pickles. The meat is well-​seasoned and cooked to your preferred temperature.
The Hot Chicken Sandwich: The chicken packs just enough heat for it to be spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. The blue cheese adds a great creamy funkiness to the sandwich.
Fish and Chips Roll: It tasted like… bread. Just bread. The fish didn’t have enough seasoning or taste. The tartar sauce was almost nonexistent and the chips just fell off once you began to eat it. Even a generous squeeze of lemon and some salt would have improved this drastically. I’d pass on it.
I love Mason Tavern’s goal of becoming the go-​to neighborhood spot. They’re doing an amazing job for a newly-​opened restaurant. The service is friendly and most of the food is very yummy. I wouldn’t come here for drinks due to the price, but it’s a solid place for a tasty and reasonably-​priced meal.

Alright, I’m impressed. Mason Tavern has only been open for about a month and they are already firing on all cylinders. Good atmosphere, good service, and good food. What more can one ask for?
The setting of Mason Tavern is what I’ll describe as modern industrial with a monochromatic grayscale color palette and wood finishes throughout. In the back corner of the restaurant, numerous tealight candles twinkled creating mood. I couldn’t help but notice the «zebra stripe» pattern bar lighting at the central bar — cool. We were seated along a gray painted brick wall in a comfortable booth.
The service was exquisite for a tavern. It became evident early on that the front of house employees had been well trained in all manners of hospitality. The hostess was friendly and welcoming and seated us promptly. Our waitress was equally friendly, prompt, timely with her visits to our table, and attended to our every need.
Mason Tavern featured a respectable selection of draft and curated bottled beers, as well as wine and a handful of featured cocktails. The menu was alluring with modern and traditional interpretations of the finest pub grub.
We started with the Beer Cheese. The beer cheese was accompanied by homemade «Cool Ranch» corn tortilla chips and a couple of shishito peppers. Making homemade chips with their own seasoning blend was certainly a laudable effort. I really liked the chips. I liked the beer cheese. However, I do not think they paired well together. The seasoning blend on the chips overpowered the beer cheese (couldn’t really taste the beer cheese with the chips). Perhaps they could pair the chips with an herb dip and pair the beer cheese with soft pretzels or pita wedges instead?
If there is any declarative statement to be made by Mason Tavern, it is made by their Tavern Burger. Are you hearing me Metro-​ATL? There’s yet another serious burger in town that can certainly hang with the best of ‘em (Holeman & Finch, Bocado, General Muir, Pinewood, etc.). You heard it from me first. You’re on notice. The Tavern Burger: house blend short rib, brisket, & chuck beef patty, topped with American cheese, Russian dressing, lettuce, spicy b&b pickle on a buttered bun. It’s exactly as tasty as it sounds. In my opinion, the Russian dressing makes it. This is a seriously good burger. My only complaint about it is that it may be a tad smaller than its competitors. Oh well, quality not quantity, right?
The Hot Chicken sandwich, in the finest Nashville tradition, is also a worthy and satisfying choice. I suppose I ought to mention the fries too — they’re shoestring, so if you like your fries extra crispy you shouldn’t be disappointed. The fries are served with a smoked tomato aioli — not bad, but not as distinguished as it sounds either.
For dessert, we shared the S’more Brownie. The brownie came out nice and warm with beautifully toasted meringue on top and a scoop of marshmallow ice cream beside it. Good pairing of flavors and textures. I appreciated the brownie not being too sweet or too dense. A good dessert.
Already, Mason Tavern has earned my respect. I am eager to try more of their menu offerings (though it will be tough to resist the burger) on future visits.

So the number one reason you should visit Mason Tavern is to see the mixologist… because of him I will likely become a regular at the bar :) He created a special drink appropriately called the «Shana-​Love» while I was there. The drink was exquisite… it was pretty to look at and tasted so good (sound familiar). Well, besides the fantastic drink, I had a great burger too and enjoyed the brownie with whipped crème ice cream for dessert (I never heard of whipped crème ice cream before visiting Mason Tavern and it was AMAZING). My friend ordered the chicken sandwich and her food looked really good too. Would highly recommend that you try Mason Tavern if you are in the Emory area and ask for the Shana-​Love. They have the recipe behind the bar!