Monday, April 23, 2007

Quick Review of Gibney's Pub in Atlanta, GA

The first stop for lunch during my most recent business trip to Atlanta took me to Gibney's Pub. It's located behind/under the Peachtree Center in downtown Atlanta. I'd been there for an after dinner beer a few years ago and wanted to find it again this time and do a more thorough review. Well, find it, I did. A thorough review...not. Since I was heading over to my client's office, it was a trip from the airport to Gibney's for quick lunch, check in to hotel, and get to my meeting. Alas, no barley and hops for me on this trip to Gibney's. On my next trip to Atlanta, I'll be sure to pay a later night visit to Gibney's and check out some of the brew on draft. While you won't get the volume or quality of Vortex (farther north in Midtown) or The Brick Store Pub (6 miles east, in Decatur), Gibney's had a few decent ones on draft like Flying Dog Pale Ale, Sweetwater IPA, Terrapin Rye, and Abita Turbo Dog, among 15 others on tap. Duvel and some others that I did not note were available in bottles. The Terrapin Rye is one that I've had before and will hope is on tap next time I pull up a stool at Gibney's. From a food and atmosphere perspective, Gibney's delivers a solid pub feel. From the dark wood, to booth and bar seating, to tile floor, and dimly lit after dark, the proper pub mood is set. The standard pub fare is evident here in the sandwiches, salads, munchies, and other typical pub grub. What this visit did remind me is that there is more than one decent beer option in the downtown Atlanta business district; the other being Max Lager's. Other decent beer joints around Atlanta require at least a MARTA or taxi ride to get there. If you're in the downtown/convention center area, you can choose from the Hard Rock/Hooters/Benihana category, or search a bit more for a place like this. The other benefit, other than better beer of course, is that you stand a better chance of seeing more of an after work local scene than a business/tourist scene of the chain restaurants I mentioned earlier. All depends upon what you're looking for.

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