Karen C.
Yelp
Walking into Thinking Man, I first notice the variety of stuffed wild animals perched along the walls and the bronze sculpture of the "thinking man" with a Georgia Voter sticker slapped proudly onto his behind - first impressions are everything and Thinking Man did not disappoint.
I've only visited Thinking Man on their Tuesday Trivia Nights, but I'm really liking my experiences here so far! Both times I arrived to find their small parking lot out front filled by their faithful trivia crowd. However, there's free street parking alongside the tavern, so I didn't find parking to be an issue at all.
We seated ourselves upon seeing the "Please Seat Yourself" sign by the door. Within a couple minutes, waters and menus were plunked down in front of us by friendly servers. Most of the tables were occupied around 7:00 pm, so if you're coming for trivia, get here a little early!
Thinking Man offers a wide selection of craft beers on draft that's available in both glasses and pitchers. They also have an impressive array of bottled craft beers, too. I personally like the Bells Two Hearted. It has a nice, underlying sweetness that's laced with hoppy and bitter notes. If you're interested in tasting a draft beer before investing in a whole glass or pitcher, the bartenders are happy to give you a small taste first.
On to the grub!! I find that the food's decent, but nothing that will blow you away.
Chicken & Waffle Sliders ($8) - These little sliders are adorable! I personally found the portion to be too small, especially since a large sandwich + 1 side costs only $1-2 more. The syrup it comes with tastes amazing. It packs a strong, agave flavor without being overly sweet thanks to the rosemary. Sadly, along with being small, my sliders were rather cold when I got them. The chicken had lost the hot, crispy skin that we look for in fried chicken, and the waffles were soggy. I probably wouldn't get these again.
Potato Rounds ($4) - All right Thinking Man fans, don't hate me but...the potato rounds did not do it for me. Not only were they not crunchy enough, they're completely hollow inside! I was searching for some fluffy potato encased in a crisp exterior, only to be disappointed by an empty, soft-ish potato shell.
Spicy Fried Pickles ($5) - If you're going to label a food as spicy, it better be spicy. These pickles were not, sadly. All you can taste is salt and vinegar, really. The red powder sprinkled on tasted like paprika rather than the advertised "cayenne." It's quite sad, since some spice would have helped with the sharp acidity of the pickles. Not a big fan of these.
I love Thinking Man's beer selection and the friendly service. The atmosphere's great and you can tell everyone's having a really grand time. Don't come here looking for killer bar food, though. They have some interesting sounding items, but they're not really executed to their full potential.