The Vortex Bar & Grill (Midtown)

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Ate lunch and had some beers with friends here, we sat outside on a nice afternoon.

Eccentric burger place with a good selection of beer and cocktails. Loved the brash humor of the food and drink menus.

They had about a dozen or so beers on tap, mostly local or mainstream craft beer. Drafts were reasonably priced as they were 20 oz. imperial pints. They had a more extensive bottle list if you couldn't find a draft beer to your liking.

I had the "house" beer and another local Atlanta brewed beer to go along with my Coronary Bypass burger. If you love meat and good bar food, you'll love the menu.

Our waitress was attentive and asked about the next beer before we were finished. Thumbs up!

10-26-2012 19:14:18 | More by jmdrpi

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This a great place, not really a beer bar, but more of a burger joint with a good beer selection, I had a Bell's Two Hearted Ale, on tap. You won't find hard to find beers here, but what you will find are good beers to go with the awesome burgers.

The atmosphere has been great every time that I have been, a very eclectic crowd with rock & punk music blaring in the background. The service is always good and they know what they are talking about, beer-wise and food-wise. I would like to see a bigger tap list, but they do have a rather extensive bottle list with many styles and brewers to choose from.

This is a place, if and when in Midtown Atlanta that you should hit up at least once if not more often. The prices are reasonable and the overall experience is worth it.

11-07-2011 18:26:24 | More by PhillyStyle

FoxiBoxi

Florida

4.18/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Had a blast at The Vortex. The service was very good, and the vibe is very hip but diversified. We ran into a bachelorette party and business people while in line for drinks.
The beer selection is better than average, but they mostly have a large selection of mainstream beers. There is a craft brew selection, but not a lot of specialty series, one-offs, or rare beers. Still, simple clean beers pair awfully well with a great burger, and I think that's what they're going for here.

Overall, the sexy photos on the brick walls, crazy good burgers and upbeat atmosphere make this place what it is, not the beer selection. Still a goodie, though, and an Atlanta must.

10-03-2011 17:24:54 | More by FoxiBoxi

JayS2629

Alabama

4.7/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Such a fun place! The decor is fun and the atmosphere is fun. Its a little cramped and crowded, but it was very hospitable and quick. The service was friendly and knowledeable.

The beer menu is a large one. It doesn't have anything hard to find, but plenty of quality beers to choose from.

The food was amazing. I've been twice. I got the quadruple bypass burger the first time. This included a half pound burger, 5 slices bacon, 5 slices of cheese, a fried egg, grilled onion, and in place of the buns were two grilled cheese sandwhiches. I couldn't eat it all but it was absolutely delicious. The second time I got the blue shroom and it was awesome too. They also have an Elvis burger that has fried bananas and peanut butter on it. The place is known for its burgers, but my wife had other stuff and raved about that too.

Definitely a fun place, good service, good beer selection, and a friendly atmosphere. If you are ever in Atlanta, you should go.

11-10-2010 19:09:42 | More by JayS2629

DrewKid4

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

This is definitely the go-to burger joint in Midtown Atlanta (and the Lil' 5 Points one is the burger joint of Lil' 5). Not only a great burger but the variety is incredible. What surprised me in coming here was not only how consistently great the burgers were, but their surprising beer menu. If you are looking for a place to try uncommon beers, this isn't that place, but their selection is better than most restaurants. I usually get a pitcher with friends while eating here, but am always intrigued by their micro brew and foreign beer lists.

The service is always friendly, knowledgeable, and quick. The atmosphere is definitely one of the most unique places in town. Definitely go here for the burgers (their Pesto Burger is amazing), but you can enjoy a wide variety of beers here!

06-18-2010 02:56:13 | More by DrewKid4

tigerpaws

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $

Not really a beer bar per se but they have a excellent selection of very good brews. The atmosphere of The Vortex is very different than any other place I know. Old stuff all over the walls and hanging from the ceiling etc. The staff is well a bit different is how I'll put it :). But let me add in a good way, it's one of the things I enjoy about going there.

As for food everything I've had is good but this is the place for BURGERS! Just how many ways can you fix a burger? Well The Vortex list has many combinations with catchy names and they are EXCELLENT as are the sides as well.

We always try to make it to one of the locations when in Atlanta. I prefer the one in Midtown simply because there is more room. But the one at Little 5 Points seems to have a more diverse crowd. Either way just go it's a fun place with good food and a beer selection to make you happy.

01-22-2009 16:09:48 | More by tigerpaws

PerzentRizen

Mississippi

3.23/5  rDev -19.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

When we arrived (three guys) the place was rocking. I think it was about 8 pm last Friday night (Jan 16). We put our name in to get seated and we headed to the bar.

First off the menu basically says everyone is an idiot and they are supreme beings and you better play by their rules. I figured it was just a macho readneck kick and I was pretty much right. The bartender looked like someone out of Roadhouse or easy rider. I told him I wanted a St. Bernardus Apt 12 and he snorted - "I hate Belgium beers". That's like saying I hate France beers or I hate America beers. Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed but a tool non-the-less.

I get most of my beer. A good 1/5 runs out as foam because he uses the bar bottle opener to open it as opposed to a hand opener. He apologizes and then pours it into the proper glass. Oh well its good but way way too cold. You can tell they would rather serve BMC only but are catering to a beer snob crowd.

Well we get seated and the waitress is decent enough. We order - I got the Blue Shroom Burger and it was amazing. I have to say the food and beer were better than the service.

After I get the bill I see yes it is a bit pricey here, but good just the same. I figured it was worth it so we leave a good tip and hit the door. I probably won't be back but it's worth a try if you're in midtown.

01-21-2009 01:33:22 | More by PerzentRizen

shivtim

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -18.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3 | $$

The Vortex is a pretty average bar with an above average tap and bottle selection. It's a smoky, dark, loud place, and not exactly a beer destination. Sure, the bottle selection is pretty darn good, but I'm not sure how long some of that stuff has been sitting around. I'm also not sure why the hamburgers are so famous - they're good, but nothing special. Certainly not the best in Atlanta. Service is average, and they don't seem to know much about beer (with the possible exception of the bartender).
Overall, it's a decent place, just not a beer mecca. If I'm in the area, I'd choose Cypress Street Pint&Plate and Taco Mac Metropolis over Vortex any day.

12-24-2008 17:06:50 | More by shivtim

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I stopped here after finding it on beerfly and subsequently checking out the website. Let me say first that the walls are covered with pictures of girls and all kinds of skeletons (pretty much as advertised), but the servers are not the same quality as the website would lead you to believe. The burgers are good, <$10 for specialty burgers, made quickly too. The beer selection is decent, with about 16-18 taps and maybe 80 bottled selections. I stuck with local beers like Terrapin and Sweetwater.

After dinner we went 1 block north to Taco Mac, and I have to recommend that place over Vortex. Much wider selection of beers on tap at Taco Mac.

09-26-2008 10:46:51 | More by TurdFurgison

glid02

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The atmosphere is good, just walked through the downstairs on the way to our table and there was a lot of stuff going on. Upstairs is kind of plain but all the windows made it seem like we were sitting outside but with A/C.

Quality was not what I'd hoped. I've heard good things and think I just hit a bad day but the DFH 90 Minute I got on tap was warm and a little flat. It was served in a goblet though, which was nice.

Service was good, everything was out quick and nothing was messed up.

Bottle selection is great, I just wish they had more draft selections. I can only remember about five non-mainstream beers that they had on draft.

Food was really good, I got the burger, which they're known for. The buffalo wing sauce is also really good (had them with my fries). They actually cooked a burger medium rare, which is pretty rare.

I'll definitely go back, it's not really cheap but it's certainly not overpriced. I'm also curious as to how often they change their draft selections.

08-03-2008 04:06:10 | More by glid02