The Wrecking Bar

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

4.58/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Hmm. Well, ATLbeerDog has the setup and backstory pretty well covered already, so let's talk a little about the beer, shall we?

Kicking off with four starter beers - hey, it can't all be mango-and-mint-infused barleywines on day one - they successfully delivered a quality golden, amber, witbier, and stout. As of writing this, they've already released a fifth beer: an English mild. The bar staff gave me their word that cask beer will be offered fairly soon.

While not exactly extensive, the menu is certainly diversified enough to provide you what you're looking for, whether it's a salad, sandwich, entree, appetizer, or, as I usually opt for (and did on this occasion), a beer-accompanying cheese plate.

Then, there's the parking situation. If I find a place has limited or no parking available, requires me to hike a mile through unsavory parts of town, or is surrounded by ill-conceived, over-charging lots, then, well, they'll be unlikely to see me again anytime soon. The Wrecking Bar has only a small number of spaces available, however, they currently have valets. Thank God for valets. I pray they remain in place at the Wrecking Bar.

With good food and good beer housed in a cool venue, oh, and with those trusty, hard-working valets, I'll definitely be back soon. All in all, a pleasant spot that still even has that "new bar" scent.

06-28-2011 16:28:23 | More by ChainGangGuy

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.56/5  rDev -0.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Our last beer stop in Little Five Points, and what a stop!

The Wrecking is stunning, inside and out. The old bank building is beautiful and imposing, so monumental you don't expect the underground cave-like maze of dining spaces that make the bar and restaurant. This is place to bring a date, a friend, your mom or your boss. Everyone will be impressed by how cool, classy and intriguing The Wrecking is.

We were greeted and served by friendly bearded hipsters that knew so much about their beer and food and were so happy about their stuff it was contagious.

There are 10 taps plus 1 cask, served in shorty (8 oz) or pint (16 oz). Kolsch, Mild, Amber, Bock, Victor IPA (had), Jenny Stout (had), Jenny Breakfast Stout (had), Border Patrol American Strong Ale (had) and Denamelizer DIPA (had).

They also play with wood-aged brews (oak, wine, whiskey) but none were ready yet during our visit.

The food is even better than the beer, very local- and pork-centric. We had the Moonshine Meats Beef Cheek (amber braised local grass fed, caramelized onion and blue cheese gratin, crispy kale, baby carrots and fennel-beer jus), pimento cheese (house mustard, local pickled veggies and spent grain crostini) and mac-and-cheese with crispy pig ears. All unbelievable, expect for the pig ears that were crispy and crunchy but flavorless.

Prices ain't bad for food and beer this good, but the bill will quickly add up after a couple of shorties and small plates. It doesn't matter, you must come here!!

03-12-2013 06:24:32 | More by DoubleSimcoe

Georgejt

Indiana

4.3/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

The Wrecking Bar is an authentic brew pub in the Little Five points area of Atlanta. I've visited numerous times, and I have yet to be disappointed. They have a nice selection of house brewed beers, and they seem to always have a unique concoction on draft, such as the most recent vanilla bean infused IPA.

I tend to order the BBQ or burger, and I always leave satisfied. The atmosphere is great as well with it's rock walls and location in the basement of a historical mansion that was restored.

Overall, if you are in the area, this is a must try!

06-15-2012 13:51:22 | More by Georgejt

mcrowther

Georgia

4.63/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

New Brewpub in Little 5 points. The brewpub is tucked down in the lower level of a restored old mansion and is very cozy. Usually at least 6 beers on tap with a cask firkin on most Fridays. There some unusual styles like German IPA and a California Common. All beers are spot-on style wise but the real star is the west coast style IPA- the brewer Chris Terenzi promises that eventually there will be at least 2 IPAs on at all times which should be great. Food is basic upscale bar food but well-executed. Along with the Porter L5P is now maybe the prime beer neighborhood in the ATL.

Uodate: As most know, owner Bob Sandage is now the brewer, and the beer selection and quality are even better. A creative cask beer is on almost every Friday, there "regular" beers rotate pretty often and all so far are very much spot-on style wise. I have visited a lot of brewpubs worldwide and this stacks up pretty well with just about any of them.

03-20-2012 21:10:20 | More by mcrowther

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I'm going to completely re-review this establishment. It has steadily become better over the past year or so and is now the best brewpub in Atlanta in my opinion. Over the past few months, I've found myself coming here around once a week or so. EDIT - I'm going to re-re-review this place as it has steadily become world class.

Located just a couple blocks south of Little Five Points, this bar is in the basement level of an event space. As I walk up to the bar, it has an upscale rustic feel. There is a nice outdoor seating area, and also a large barn-like biergarden. As I walk inside, I feel like I am in a wine cellar. There is exposed stone everywhere and an intimate bar area that separates itself from the restaurant. There is also a lounge in the back where they do live music on Sundays. The place is small and intimate.

The beer has steadily improved and is now very good. Their Sauvation Pale Ale is tremendous, as is their Jemmy Stout and the majority of their one-off and seasonal beers. Cask beer is served at appropriate temperatures with great carbonation. The beers are in general pretty true to style, but they are all still interesting. Beer is served in appropriate and room temperature glassware. They tend to serve styles typically served closer to cellar temperatures too cold, but I've noticed an improvement in the temperature of their beer. Their beer quality has steadily become better and better and the majority of their styles I consider the best brewed in Atlanta.

Service has steadily become very good. Bartenders are able to discuss in detail each of the beers on tap. Most of the time one of the brewers or the beverage manager is available, in which case you can get even more information about what you are consuming.

The beer selection is very good. They typically have around 8-10 beers on the menu, the vast majority of which are rotational and/or seasonal. They have a different cask every Friday. They have recently done interesting styles such as: Smoked Porter, Rauchbier, Breakfast Stout, Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, and Kolsch. They have done fairly extensive barrel aging, including wine, bourbon, port, and Manhattan barrels. They have also done beers with cocoa nibs, cherries, and cedar chips. At any point in time, they have at least a few one-off interesting beers to try. This is one of the best selections I've seen in a brewpub anywhere in the US.

The food here is fantastic bar food. Their sandwiches are extremely good, and the few dinners I've had have also been great. They also have weekly specials which have all been quite nice. I have yet to have a miss in the food I've had.

Prices are quite reasonable. Beer servings (pints or snifters depending on style) tend to be around $5, with half pours around $3. Food is a bit pricey, but sandwiches are under $10.

02-20-2012 22:20:43 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Vierenner

Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

What a fun place! Had a few hours to kill while waiting for a flight out of Atlanta ... thanks to BeerAdvocate for guiding me here!!

I certainly expected to find an interesting beer selection, but a very pleasant surprise was their interesting food selection. Highly recommend the Schweinshaxe ... comes with kale and pablano grits. The rest of the menu is equally intriguing.

The staff was oh so friendly. They sat me down in my own private living room area to get a little work done. Beautiful setting.

I love passion for craft beer. It's infecting America!

01-28-2012 00:01:38 | More by Vierenner

shivtim

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev -10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Wrecking Bar is a very welcome addition to Little Five Points, and to the Atlanta beer scene as a whole.

The space is great - a historic building that has been beautifully renovated. Unfortunately parking is somewhat of a nightmare in the area, but they do have valet parking, and there is a MARTA station within walking distance (although it is not the most pleasant walk).

The atmosphere is just a tad upscale while still being cozy. Granite and wood. Kind of like a hunting lodge meets a fancy basement. It gets loud when it's crowded.

Beer is solid. I haven't yet had anything that's fantastic, but everything is good to great. The recent double IPA is very nice. Overall a good selection, and beer-wise it's easily one of the best brewpubs in the Atlanta area.

Food is the highpoint here. It's mostly simple and straight forward, but extremely well done. Some of my favorites include the pork shank, poblano grits, and the artichoke dip. You really can't go wrong.

Service is good, the wait staff knows what they're doing.

This place is already probably too popular for its own good - beware the 90 minute waits for tables on Saturday nights. For the best experience, try to go at an off-time.

01-23-2012 00:50:30 | More by shivtim

DWolf

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Everything about the Wrecking Bar is a little unique. The building's facade (not where you enter) is unique - reminiscent of a bank. The food is also unique, offering some tasty selections. This, we appreciated the most. The food was thoughtfully prepared and served. The wait staff was helpful and offered suggestions. The beer ... the reason we and most people will come to the Wrecking Bar was very good. I stop short of calling it great, but the creativity and craftsmanship was apparent. My only gripe ... not being able to put together your own flight of tasters. Really? C'mon! Overall, it was worth stopping in if you are in the area.

01-19-2012 01:44:47 | More by DWolf

barleywiner68

Georgia

5/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

I was here for the grand opening last Father's Day and this is probably hard to imagine if you have become a regular of the WB, but the beer has actually gotten better and better over the past several weeks! What I like most about the brewing here is that they are willing to take risks, they introduce bold styles, all nicely hopped, and based on what I have tried they hit their mark every time! The Bourbon Barrel Aged Belgian Dubbel is a must try and the 13 minute Amber was also excellent. I would describe it more as a traditional English ale reminiscent of Fuller's London Pride. The Wee Heavy ale was also very good, not as sweet as other Scotch ales, but with subtle hints of cinnamon and cloves. While here one should definitely partake in WB's mainstays - the Victor west coast style IPA and the Nelson ale. The hop nodes and flavor on this one is unlike that of any ale I have tried! Finally, the menu has improved exponentially since last June. Try the Rainbow trout and/or the risotto!

12-28-2011 14:40:59 | More by barleywiner68

OxfordAleElite

Georgia

4.5/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The Wrecking Bar is Atlanta's best new addition to the wonderful world of beer. This is a gastro-brewpub located conveniently to the beer friendly neighborhoods of Inman Park and Candler Park, just a few blocks from the Little 5 points business district. We really appreciate the craftsmanship of the beers brewed on location, and they offer tours on Saturdays. The staple Jemmy American Stout is everything I hope for and want in a stout. My favorite brews come from the cask. With a selection that is always changing, this is the best brewpub in Atlanta to explore new beers. We also like most of the food on the menu. The atmosphere is cozy and comfortable and perfect for those chilly nights.

12-10-2011 20:10:51 | More by OxfordAleElite