Latest reviews from Athens
| 86 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Love that they had a bigger selection of beer samples. Love the small atmosphere. Wish they had more a bit more food though.“ |
| 78 /100 24 W UNION ST “Found this place while coming back home from a Jonas Brothers concert that was at Columbus on Sept. 6,2019. Was afraid that they didn't have food good thing I was wrong. I was excited that they had a bourbon barrel aged beer on tap. I found it very cool to have this place so close to me an hour away in a small college town. It is the same drive for me as it is to get to Charleston,WV.“ |
| 76 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “I guess. I mesed this one up, going to the brewery instead of the downtown tap room. It was a rainy day and there was no inside seating, so it was a damp session. Was still able to snag a small flight. Service was good. Beer was very good. Enough taps to keep you interested. The inside part did look nice, but would definitely like to check out the downtown taproom.“ |
| 80 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Located outside of town (I think), at the end of a dead end road. Nice scenery looking over the surrounding area. Patio and indoor seating available. Online ordering and payment during pandemic, and no flights or halves. Good music. Specialize in sours.“ |
| 76 /100 97 COLUMBUS ROAD “This brewpub is now painted (devil?) red and has named their beers to match this theme. There are a good variety of beers on tap with 1 nitro tap and a particular strength in barrel aged beers. Friendly service. Plenty of on site parking. Indoor and outdoor seating. 3 of the 4 beers I tried were good or better.
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| 86 /100 24 W UNION ST “30 taps, including 1 guest tap, that cover a wide range of beer styles. Moderate size with a long bar and tables both indoors and outside. Friendly, attentive service.“ |
| 86 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “'Only' 16 taps here but what a selection! At least 7 of the taps today are barrel-aged beers.
All three of these that I tried were masterful. Besides, there are quite a few additional choices available in cans and bottles.“ |
| 60 /100 The Union Bar & Grill (Bar) 18 W UNION STREET “This place is on Union Street pretty close to where it meets Court Street. On Street parking situation or find a lot. This place used to be a real dive and need to check this place out since the renovation. Service used to be below average just a couple years ago. Really they did not have too many craft beers not too long ago and they used to only have pints. Really need to check this place out again.“ |
| 68 /100 Cat’s Eye Saloon (Bar) 12 N COURT STREET “Here is a place I have been dozens of times during OBW and back in the day. This place is in the center of downtown Athens right on Court Street. Parking is on the street, unless you find a lot somewhere and walk, or you can pay at the big parking building half a block east off court on Washington Street. The beer selection is above average most of the time, but they kick it up a notch during OBW. Service has always been pretty good and friendly. The place has always been a worn dive bar, but I have never felt unsafe here.“ |
| 76 /100 Cat’s Eye Saloon (Bar) 12 N COURT STREET “Visited during Ohio Brew Week. The place is right in downtown, not too far from the parking garage, but if you prefer metered parking, that is right outside the door. Inside the place has a broken in, dive type atmosphere. The beer selection is far superior to what you would expect, though. During my visit they had a tap takeover of Ohio beers, but from what they said, they usually carry predominantly craft beer. Service was fast and friendly. They kept up with me and my group very well. Pretty neat place.“ |
| 34 /100 97 COLUMBUS ROAD “A lot of house beers that are mostly bad misses. This place needs to step up their game with the likes of Jackie O’s and Little Fish in town. They may want to talk to those people and ask for a little guidance. What I tried here in August of 2016 was not good at all.“ |
| 84 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “I really like what Little Fish is doing. I have been here twice, with my first visit coming in August of 2015 shortly after they opened. They don’t have a huge selection but have around 10-15 beers to try and what they do is very solid. During my August of 2016 trip I picked up one of their 22 oz bottles to go (Sun Fish). I hope they continue on the path they’re on because on my annual trip to Athens I love seeing what they have new. Definitely worth the visit.“ |
| 98 /100 24 W UNION ST “It doesn’t get any better than this really. I guess the only possible drawback to this, is the spot does get a bit busy. The staff and the locals are always friendly and this place has a great vibe to it, just like Athens does. The pizza is great, and they always have at least 20 to 30 beers or so to try on tap. This is a must stop for any beer lover if you ever get the chance. Still my favorite brewery.“ |
| 94 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “Jackie O’s is my favorite brewery in the country. I realize I have not been to many on the West Coast, so I’ll say East of the Mississippi. Great selection of great beers. the Production Facility is smaller than the downtown spot and closes at 9pm so beware of that. I like the fact it’s small and has it’s own personality. Not as many of the experimental small batch here as there is at the downtown spot, but really well done. A must stop.“ |
| 86 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “(Visited 07/2015 during Ohio Brew Week, and a couple times since): LIttle Fish is one of the newer breweries in Athens, located west of the campus area on Armitage Road, near the West State Street Park. There is a decent-sized parking lot in front of the building. There is an outdoor biergarten/children’s area on the left side of the barn-style gray building. The inside opens to the tap room, with picnic bench seating along the front by the windows, and the bar in the middle of the space, featuring a gigantic chalk board behind it listing the beers on tap. The brewery is beyond all that, with a large foeder, barrels and brewing equipment in view. It is essentially one large space with a semi-industrial feel with hanging lights and ceiling fans. Little Fish has around 12-15 beers on tap, and samplers are available. On my visits the beers have included flagship type selections like Li’l Harvey’s Milk Stout, Saison du Poisson, Woodthrush, Reinheitsgewhat!? and House IPA, as well as barrel-aged seasonals and one-offs. They also have a NA Ginger Beer for the kiddies. The beers are consistently pretty good. Service on my visits has been very good, both from the bartenders and from the brewers. Very friendly, they know the beers and regularly solicitous of input. Food is not served at Little Fish. All in all, despite the deferential name, it is a solid brewery with consistently good beers that is worth seeking out.“ |
| 86 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Visited on a Friday afternoon. Located near the outskirts of the town. The building isn’t much to look at, looks like a boring warehouse when driving up. Interior is relatively small, with a small bar and a few tables. The outside area is pretty nice though, some picnic tables, a kids play area, and a food truck, all overlooking the river. Beers available in full sizes and sampler sizes. They had around 12 beers on tap when we visited, with 4 beers available to-go in bottles. Beer styles were very unique and beer quality was very good. I had never heard of this place before we visited, but it was my favorite stop in Ohio. Just good, fresh, unique beers and a really nice atmosphere outside.“ |
| 86 /100 24 W UNION ST “Visited on a Friday during lunchtime. Located in downtown Athens, close to the college. Quaint pub with a nice atmosphere. Beer flights of any size available. Eclectic menu including burgers, vegetarian options, and pizza. The beer quality was outstanding here. All 8 beers we had were top notch. Around 6-8 beers available in the bottle to-go. This is a top notch brewery, and worth going out of your way to visit.“ |
| 78 /100 Athens Uncorked (Bar) 14 STATION STREET “Visited during Ohio Brew Week. They are primarily and higher end wine bar, but they do carry mead and cider. They had Mad Moon, Brother’s Drake, and Rockmill. The Rockmill was probably a special occasion, but I’ve been sent here for mead outside of OBW. Super friendly and knowledgeable service. Really nice glassware. I will gladly come back here. They do have a small food menu with some really interesting things on it. I would love to come here to eat some day. Stop in if you can, you won’t regret it.“ |
| 74 /100 The Union Bar & Grill (Bar) 18 W UNION STREET “Visited during Ohio Brew Week. This place is the next door neighbor to Jackie-Os, so an easy visit if you are in town. Recently renovated place. The tap list was all craft beer, with 8 of the 10 being Ohio brewed. Super friendly service. Very attentive. Prices were good on the sample pours. $2-3 depending on the beer. Only the Barrel Aged Siberian Night was $3, and the others I tried were $2 for a 5 ounce pour. I look forward to checking these guys out outside of OBW.“ |
| 68 /100 Fluff Bakery (Restaurant) 8 N COURT STREET “Primarily a bakery, but over the past couple years, they have embraced the local craft beer scene and carry beers from the local breweries and usually a cider from Ohio. They also carry bottles of mead and cider and allow for individual glasses or whole bottle purchases. Prices of the beer/cider/mead are pretty good and in line with restaurant prices. The coffee here is good, locally roasted coffee. Pastries are always good here. I love this place, and almost always stop in when I’m in town earlier in the morning.“ |
| 74 /100 97 COLUMBUS ROAD “Lots of house beers on. Hit and miss. Easy stop if you are going to Jackie Os and Little Fish.“ |
| 94 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Must visit brewery in Athens. They are doing some great things.“ |
| 72 /100 97 COLUMBUS ROAD “A warehouse that is a bit hard to find with red on black lettering. On entering a heavy metal themed tasting room with music stuff on the walls. Nice tap room considering theme and staff was pretty pleasant. Selection is good with some solid beers, no food and prices were OK. Not worth a specific trip but worthwhile if you are in town.“ |
| 80 /100 234 WASHINGTON STREET “A stunning location with front patio, great old tap room and a back patio as well. Service was a bit disappointing as they seemed more interested in talking cocktails than cider and when we asked a question they were quite misinformed. Tap list is sold with some great guest taps and Schramms bottles to boot. Overall a great cider house, just wish they were more cider than cocktails.“ |
| 72 /100 Kiser’s Barbeque (Restaurant) 1002 E STATE ST “Decent BBQ with about six craft drafts. Growler fills to go.“ |
| 76 /100 24 W UNION ST “Unfortunately at my age college bars are annoying, loud and too busy. This place ticks all 3 boxes. Service was OK, friendly but they didn’t really know alot about the beer. Selection is huge and that is the big draw. Food was decent, but over priced for what you got. I ordered a burger and kid you not thought I was getting a slider. I prefer the other location, but if you want a better selection this is the place to be.“ |
| 80 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “A huge production facility with a small comfy tap house that has an older and more local vibe. Service was awesome, they knew their stuff and let us try almost everything without even ordering a flight. Of course a big selection of beers along with wines and even mead. Prices were solid and in my opinion a much better and more relaxed stop that the pub.“ |
| 70 /100 Kiser’s Barbeque (Restaurant) 1002 E STATE ST “BBQ and beer, what could be better. First of all it could be better if it wasn’t inside a mall, but service is great and 8 local beer taps with growlers to go is awesome. BBQ is pretty good and reasonable for what you get. Sauces are really well done. A great lunch stop or they deliver so a hotel delivery with a growler can’t be beat.“ |
| 80 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “A warehouse like structure on a small road with a large outdoor play area. Service is pretty good once they start chatting, very local. Good selection of good beers with a huge flight of everything available at a good price. I have nothing bad to say about this place, a real gem.“ |
| 86 /100 Athens DO IT Yourself Shop (Homebrew Shop) 16060 CANAANVILLE ROAD “Visited after a day of hitting the breweries of Athens. Turns out, this should have been included at the beginning of the day. We got there as the place was closing, but Eric (the owner), encouraged us to come on in and chat. This place is located just off the interstate in what looks like an old house. Big front porch and everything. No parking really available, but you can pull off the road in front of the house and be okay. Inside you’ll find buckets of grain, actively fermenting and aging beer/wine/mead/etc, all kinds of equipment. He even had some used items you could buy. I admit, the place is a bit disheveled, but Eric seems to know where everything is and can point you in the right direction if you need something specific. I ended up leaving with a bag of grain, and a good conversation. I’ll be back for some more brewing stuff. This place is highly recommended.“ |
| 86 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Visited on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather was not warm enough to enjoy the outdoor area, but looks like a good spot for drinking beer on a sunny day. Front area is pick-nick style tables, and a bar area. Huge chalk board with beer options (I only saw their beer listed), along with other information regarding the brewery. The beers I had were good. The price point was typical to most other breweries in Ohio. Service was knowledgeable, and very friendly. Will be back for sure. Would recommend to others.“ |
| 86 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Nice place. Kinda weird to find at night as it’s a rough turn off the main road onto a tiny street and a parking lot with no lighting. Other that that it was all great! Large warehouse type brewery with a decent sized bar and several tables. Early Kinks music playing. I felt like I could hang out for hours. Bartender was very friendly and knew a lot about the beers. They have a couple bar snacks and it looks like they have food trucks as well. There was a tamale vendor inside as of my visit. Fairly crowded on a pleasant Tuesday early evening. 10 beers on tap as of my visit and all were executed well with a few standouts. I definitely appreciated the mix of styles and several lower ABV options. Overall this is a very nice complement to Jackie O’s in a gem of a beer town. Worth going out of your way for.“ |
| 86 /100 24 W UNION ST “Love this place. Jackie os is a great bar in a college town that offers a wide variety of taps, and an awesome food selection. When busy, service can be slow, but the staff is always friendly and helpful. The public house side is larger, and the original pub side can sometimes suffer from an unpleasant aroma when crowded. Other than that, you would be hard pressed to find a more fun, relaxing place to drink amazing beers from such a large selection. Highly recommended!“ |
| 90 /100 234 WASHINGTON STREET “Love ciders? This place is a must-visit. Not only do they brew some of the better ciders I have ever had, but they are passionate about the beverage and feature a good amount of choice guest taps and bottles of ciders, too. I think they usually have at least one or two real beers on tap, but the focus here is almost entirely on ciders. But if you’re not an enthusiast, don’t fret. This place will make you love ciders. If you don’t enjoy them here, then OK, I guess you just don’t like cider yet. I was there last night (in town for the Jackie-O’s 10 Anniversary), and Jstax saw a bottle of french cider on the menu he never had so he ordered it. The owner came over (I don’t think she’s met us before) and I was legitimately excited that we had ordered that and she gave us some details on it. She seemed genuinely excited that we were giving that bottle a go, her passion was clear and I really appreciate that. Not just her, but all the bartenders I’ve ever interacted with at this place were a joy. Athens has got that kind of weird-but-fun vibe to the whole town, and this place is a nice example of that. It’s located on a street that’s not quite downtown but only like a 10 minute walk from it. Every time I visit I find easy street-parking. I like the vibe of the inside of the place. Bar is square shaped, with a nice amount of booths. I’ve never had trouble finding a spot. Being tucked away from the chaos of court street, it’s always far less crowded than other bars around town, and the people you do find there always seem to be good company. I don’t remember the prices exactly but that’s probably a good thing. Being in Athens, they have to stay competitive. All things the same, Athens is a good town $-wise to drink beer, especially compared to Cincinnati. I love Jackie-O’s and try not to miss any of their events. Whenever I’m in town though, we always make sure to go to West End too. Overall, even if you’re just merely open-minded about ciders... This place is a must-visit.“ |
| 82 /100 24 W UNION ST “Took my nephew back to school and we stopped in for a beer. It was a Tuesday night and the place was fairly crowded with an interesting mix of people. It was too late to try the food, but it looked good. They had lots of their own brews on tap and they allowed me to sample a few before settling in on a couple. Beers were good and so were the prices.“ |
| 88 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “Stopped by on a random trip to pick up a few bottles. The server was very chill and friendly. She was attentive to "everyone" and their needs too. The place looked like an average taproom. It felt cozy and was kept up nicely. The locals were inviting too. The tap list was accommodating with different styles. I enjoyed the bottles that were available to go. Most "average" taprooms do not offer to go bottles or if they do there is only one selection to choose from. Before I was about to leave a guy from the production facility came out and invited a hand full of people to go on a tour of the place. I jumped at the offer. The guy was very passionate about his job and enjoyed sharing his time for us in between his duties. I am truly glad a took the time to journey here.“ |
| 88 /100 24 W UNION ST “Downtown Athens. Big college vibe to the place. You have to order at the counter and then get your food when buzzed. I think I was expecting something more and different, but the food was solid and there was a good list.“ |
| 66 /100 Busy Day Market (Grocery Store) 30 W. STIMSON AVE. “Stopped in here trying to kill time before Jackie-O’s opened at noon. The place is located very close to Bella Vino, one of the other bottle shops in Athens, so it would be easy to stop at both if you are so inclined. The beer selection at this place is fair. It is located toward the back of the store with a cooler for mixed six packs, and then along the left wall is coolers for the still together six packs. Toward the front by the cashier there is a growler station of about 10 taps, all craft and mostly local stuff. The guy running the counter was content letting me peruse. By the looks of this place, it is one of the go to spots for college party supplies. Lots of beer pong paraphernalia, various cigar wraps, large stock of cheep beer and malt liquor, and so on. It’s a decent little shop. I would stop in here again if in the area.“ |
| 58 /100 Casa Nueva Restaurant & Cantina (Restaurant) 6 W STATE ST “I stopped in here for lunch during a Jackie O’s release (I had a late calendar page) and couldn’t make a ton of sense of the food menu. It’s limited and seems to expect everyone to have been here a bunch already, with the front-page seasonal offerings the only things spelled out well. Anyway, I got some overpriced nachos (I get that things are more expensive because it’s employee-owned and there’s no tipping, but a few toppings made the price obscene). One bartender started to help me and never came back, so another finished my order eventually. There are 8 taps, with the focus on Ohio beers. Great Lakes had more than half of them when I was there, and Devil’s Kettle was on one and Jackie O’s on another. The interior has a couple different rooms, and I sat at the main square-shaped bar. It looked like mostly regulars at the time. The focus here seems to be on beverages, not food, although I’ve heard a few locals swear by the food. I don’t know. My first visit wasn’t the greatest.“ |
| 60 /100 38 N COURT ST “I guess I never rated this place when I first visited. It’s a good stop during Ohio Beer Week, when a few breweries take over the taps and offer unique stuff (it’s been Willoughby for a few years, which is a nice get for them). Otherwise, when school is in, the kids’ tastes tend to dominate and cheap macros are the leads. There are still some occasional good taps and bottles to be found. And it’s a pretty typical sports bar overall. Big, spacious, crowded during events, not particularly clean, simple food offerings, lots of college-aged employees, and neons for decorations.“ |
| 72 /100 97 COLUMBUS ROAD “After visiting Jackie O’s and Little Fish, DrSilverworm and I stopped by here to complete the Athens brewery rounds. This one has a pretty nondescript building, inside and out, just a no-fuss, no-frills bar and a few tables. It’s a little north of downtown Athens along Columbus Road. There was a food truck outside because there’s no kitchen. There were 8 beers on tap at the time, and they’re okay overall. They seem to favor simple malt-forward styles, at least at this stage in the game. The prices are good and the bartenders were attentive and good. There’s not a whole lot that stands out about the place yet, but it’s one to monitor for sure.“ |
| 82 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “Stopped in here on a Saturday late afternoon with DrSilverworm, who had been once before. It’s just outside of town on a hillside tucked off South Plains Road. The structure itself is like a lot of other breweries, with a big open interior and big windowed garage door, and tap room tucked into one quadrant. There’s a big chalkboard wall behind the bar with the selections written out. There are long tables inside and a few outside, as well. No food, but food trucks park outside. The beer itself is very good; not necessarily any that jump out so far, but very promising and good quality across the board. There was only one guy working that day, but he was leaving no one waiting. As hard-working and friendly as you could imagine. Great place. I’m going to have to sneak out of Jackie O’s for more visits here whenever I’m in town.“ |
| 84 /100 25 CAMPBELL ST. “Great experience at the production facility tasting room. Solid selection, nice people, good service, friendly smiles, fun atmosphere. Highly recommend visiting if you are in Athens.“ |
| 60 /100 Busy Day Market (Grocery Store) 30 W. STIMSON AVE. “A small grocery store with a nice selection of beer, more than Bella Vino at this point which is next door. The reason to stop in is they have taps for growlers and you can also sample for 0.25.“ |
| 94 /100 8675 ARMITAGE ROAD “I’ve been here several times now, and every time it is great. Their parking lot is on the small side, but always seems sufficient. The times I have been here while it was busy, I was still able to find a parking spot. They may want to look into expanding it though. The brewery is off the beaten path a little bit off of South Plains Road about 1.5 miles from downtown on a more rural road. There is signage, so despite those things, it is pretty easy to find. It is located in a large warehouse. Inside, the taproom, tables, and restrooms are to the left. On the right side is all of the brewing equipment and barrels. It’s very cool to see everything like that. The beers and non-alcoholic beverages made in house are listed on a large chalkboard behind the bar. Each item has a description and the ABV and IBUs of each beer. The times I’ve been here they had a ginger ale and a cucumber spritzer on tap. Both were tasty and a nice thirst quencher. Each time I have been in, the bartender was also one of the co-owners, so they were very knowledgeable about the beers. They don’t have food here that is made in-house, but there is almost always a food truck outside. You are welcome to bring food in with you as well, if that is more your speed. Beer prices are in the $3-5 per pour, or $2 per sample pour. Flights are available in whatever quantity you like. Overall, this place is very cool and a great addition to the Athens beer scene. I look forward to many more visits in the future.“ |
