17th South Magazine

Top Menu

  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Culture
  • Indulge
  • Happening
  • Living
  • Cover Story
Sign in / Join

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account
Lost your password?

Lost Password

Back to login
  • Home
  • About US
    • Our Mission
    • Meet The Team
  • All Articles
  • Contact Us
  • Past Issues
  • Pick Up A Copy
  • Read The Current Issue Online

logo

Header Banner

17th South Magazine

  • Home
  • Latest
    • Artistic Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • WESTSIDE WARES

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • PCM Premieres

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Burning Up

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Edge of Tomorrow

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • The High Gets Higher

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • COMEBACK KID

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • DYNAMIC DESIGN

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • European Experience

      November 1, 2018
      0
  • Culture
    • The Voice of Atlanta Radio

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Put a Sock on It

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happy to Be Here

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Coming Up Roses

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Going Green

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • Stompin’ on the Westside

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • PAINTING THE TOWN

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • EAT WITH YOUR EARS FIRST

      September 27, 2018
      0
    • Atlanta-based designer Megan Huntz

      Fashion, Forward

      August 23, 2018
      0
  • Indulge
    • A Modern Classic Menu

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Drinks on Demand

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Family Affairs

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Food News - March / April 2019

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • A SEASONAL BITE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Happening Hood Hangout

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • How Sweet It Is!

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Cozy Up, Drink Up

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Food News - JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2019

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Happening
    • ATLANTA ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • THE GREAT RACE

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • FASHION FORWARD

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • LE JARDIN FRANÇAIS WINTER FLORAL DESIGN CLASS

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • 2019 ATLANTA BIENNIAL

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND TOUR OF HOMES

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • YOUR BEST LIFE

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • MOSCOW BALLET’S GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER - DOVE OF PEACE TOUR!

      November 1, 2018
      0
    • BOO AT THE ZOO

      September 27, 2018
      0
  • Living
    • Minnesota's Shopping Mecca

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Treasured Acquisition

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Preserving the Past

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Cajun Country Culinary

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Spring Forward

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • West Highlands Retreat

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Highly Addictive Beauty

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Dose of the Ocean

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • A Gangbuster Alabama Getaway

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • Cover Story
    • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • CREAM OF THE CROP

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GET CRACKING

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • LAST THINGS FIRST

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • RISE & SHINE …

      February 21, 2019
      0
    • Matt Gryder and Matthew Fishman

      January 10, 2019
      0
    • Antonio Brown

      January 10, 2019
      0
  • BOOZY BLASTOFFS

  • BRUNCH BUCKET LIST

  • GET CRACKING

  • CREAM OF THE CROP

  • GLOBAL BEGINNINGS

  • LAST THINGS FIRST

  • RISE & SHINE …

IndulgeReview
Home›Indulge›Happening Hood Hangout

Happening Hood Hangout

By 17thSouth
January 10, 2019
7326
0
Share:

Meet the neighbors over comfort food and cold drinks at Bantam Pub

STORY: Hope S. Philbrick
PHOTOS: Erik Meadows

Entering Bantam Pub for the first time feels like walking into a party where you don’t know anyone. As you step through the door of the jovial Old Fourth Ward eatery, you arrive at the bar, only to find there’s no hostess stand. Though by the second visit you’ll have the hang of it, as a newcomer it’s not immediately obvious which folks are customers and which are staffers. No T-shirts, aprons or even a standard color scheme distinguish the servers, so unless you happen to spot someone carrying a tray of food, it can be hard to guess who works there and who doesn’t.

“Do we just sit anywhere we want?” I asked the room in general on my first visit. Somebody nodded yes, so my husband and I headed for the patio, where the noise level was a bit lower. Depending on the weather, you might also enjoy the tables out front and even up the hill.

The shrimp and grits platter is a popular brunch choice.

Our visit was spurred by a friend’s recommendation: “I live right across from Bantam Pub and have had a few good meals and drinks there,” she’d said of what’s become a neighborhood hub since it opened in 2013. “It’s cozy in the cold months.”

 

Once we’d grabbed a table, our server appeared as if out of nowhere to deliver menus, which feature familiar options such as barbecue, burgers, pasta, sandwiches, soups, salads and, for weekend brunch, omelets, biscuits and more. The full-service bar offers 10 beers on tap plus a variety of canned and bottled beers, as well as wine and cocktails.

When the server arrived with our drinks and set them on the table, my Dark and Slurry cocktail splashed up over the rim. I asked for a napkin, and my husband asked for a glass for his bottle of beer, and our waitress disappeared.

The Angus burger with sweet potato fries is a Bantam best seller.

After waiting for what felt like a reasonable amount of time for her to return, I got up and walked to the bar, where I grabbed a napkin from the stack and asked a bartender for a glass, which she handed over with a smile. This laid-back sort of make-yourself-at-home attitude gives Bantam Pub a block party vibe.

The servers aren’t quite inattentive, though they don’t hover either. The Dark and Slurry is comprised of “Kraken rum, ginger beer, sour and lime topped with Sweetarts.” Mine arrived without the candy topping, but I didn’t miss it. I’d anticipated a tall, bubbly quaff, but the short, stocky sipper was packed with such strong rum flavor, I felt transported to the Caribbean.

Owner Tim Lance describes Bantam Pub as a gastropub. “Some may consider us a dive bar, but the food elevates us beyond that,” he says. I’d rank it somewhere in the middle. The fare is well prepared and not greasy, but the recipes are familiar, straightforward and simple. If you can cook, you could probably replicate most of the dishes here at home.

The smoked bourbon wings come with a trio of delicious dipping sauces.

The smoked bourbon wings are a menu standout. Crispy and hot, moist but not oily, flavorful yet enhanced by the trio of dipping sauces (barbecue, hot sauce, blue cheese or ranch), they’re lip-licking yummy. As we nibbled, our server delivered a small cup of Sweetarts candies while muttering, “Forgot these.” My husband gobbled them down as an intermezzo.

The pub’s best sellers include the lamb burger, Angus burger and Bantam chicken sandwich. The former was cooked to order and topped with a sweet combination of feta, tomato-chile marmalade and crunchy micro onions served on focaccia tomato bread. The Angus burger was juicy and just the sort you’d hope to find at any party. Sadly, we were too stuffed to try the chicken.

As if the lamb burger wasn’t tasty enough, it arrives topped with feta cheese, a tomato-chile marmalade and fried onions.

All of the sandwiches are served with fries (white or sweet), but the menu fails to warn that they’re battered. It’s a nice surprise if you happen to like battered fries, but if not, you can swap them out for a veggie or side salad. The warm and comforting mac and cheese seems inspired by Alfredo with its white sauce. Gobble it down plain or top it with your choice of blackened shrimp, salmon, hanger steak or grilled chicken.

On weekends, brunch is served until 3 p.m. The shrimp and grits platter features stone ground grits accented with tails-on blackened shrimp and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar. Absent sauce, it was a bit dry. Corned beef hash is served as a loaf you can top with eggs served any style. Order them over-easy or medium and you can use the yolks as a sauce to help mitigate the hash’s inherent saltiness.

As for the atmosphere, Bantam weighs in at just 800 square feet. “When we registered the pub, we were told it’s the smallest square footage pub in Atlanta,” says Lance. “I was originally going to call it Ralph’s, because it’s on Ralph McGill and my father’s name is Ralph, but that didn’t seem to do it justice.” He settled instead on Bantam, meaning diminutive. The small space houses one TV that’s only turned on for big events such as the World Cup. The close quarters and limited distractions encourage socializing. “We’ve had tons of people meet their life mate or spouse here,” brags Lance.

The Dark and Slurry rum cocktail, spiked with Sweetarts candies, will transport you to the islands.

At Bantam, you might arrive knowing no one, but leave with a new friend.

BANTAM PUB
737 Ralph McGill Blvd. N.E., 30312
404.223.1500
bantampubatlanta.com

Recommended: Dark and Slurry cocktail ($9.50); smoked bourbon wings ($12); Angus burger ($11); lamb burger ($14.50).

Bottom Line: Bantam Pub serves fresh preparations of comfort food at fair prices. The service is relaxed and casual, and a neighborly vibe reverberates from the bar onto the dog-friendly patio.

TagsBantam Pubcomfort food and cold drinks at Bantam Pubdog-friendly patiodog-friendly patio atlantaOld Fourth Ward comfort foodOld Fourth Ward gastropubOwner Tim LancePHOTOS: Erik MeadowsSTORY: Hope S. Philbrick
Previous Article

The High Gets Higher

Next Article

FASHION FORWARD

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • CAFE CULTUREMARCH / APRIL 2018

    CAFE CULTURE

    February 22, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • IndulgeReviewSEPTEMBER 2018

    VIVID EATS

    August 23, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • Griddled beef coulotte is served with a potato hash brown, garlic confit, huitlacoche and porcini caramel corn.
    IndulgeJUNE 2018Review

    PERFECT FIT

    May 25, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • In Town EscapesJuly 2017Living

    A Calming Kayak Tour

    July 6, 2017
    By 17thSouth
  • Uncategorized

    PLANT-BASED PERFECTION

    September 27, 2018
    By 17thSouth
  • Cover StoryOctober 2017OFF-DUTY EATS

    Steven Satterfield

    September 28, 2017
    By 17thSouth

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may also be interested in...

  • LivingNOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2018Wellness

    Plant Power

  • LivingPeople

    Spring Of Life

  • Fresh BitesIndulgeJune 2017

    Food News – June 2017

Visit Our Sister Publication

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's going on with our magazine!

Follow us

Instagram @17thSouth

Follow on Instagram

Find us on Facebook

logo

17th South:
In the heart of Atlanta,17th South magazine reaches active, exploration-minded residents ages 24-65 who want to experience the best the area has to offer, through stories and features on individuals and businesses they can relate to in their direct communities. We feature of-the-moment and hidden gem restaurants, beautiful private homes, philanthropy, arts and cultural offerings, and the trendsetters and tastemakers who are making it happen!
Valuestream Media Group
simply-buckhead-magazine
17th-south-magazine

Contact Us

  • P.O. Box 11633, Atlanta, GA 30355
  • 404.538.9895
  • advertising@17thsouth.com

Find us on Facebook

Follow us

17th South Instagram

Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Pick Up A Copy
© Copyright 17th South. All rights reserved.