Space Atlanta

***WARNING: SPACE HAS CHANGED OWNERSHIP SINCE THE INITIAL 4 AND 5 STAR REVIEWS WERE WRITTEN IN 2010***
I WILL NEVER PATRONIZE THIS ESTABLISHMENT AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME!
Apparently I’m a dumb-​ass for not knowing that this is a club, therefore my purse would need to be checked.
The bouncer was extremely rude when he asked to check my bag and I asked him why this was necessary. He kept going on and on about how he didn’t know why I was getting «so mad» at him for doing his job. I wasn’t mad though, I simply asked since my friend and I were only there for happy hour.
I should have turned my ass right around and left at that point, but wtf… I’m a glutton for punishment! When my friend and I got inside we ordered our drinks (which actually came out in a timely manner and were really good) and all seemed right with the world again.
Well… until it was time for the food. Riddle me this: How long does it take someone to grill a burger and throw a batch of fries into some oil? 35 MINUTES!!! On top of that, my side order of fries came out about 10 minutes before my friend’s food, even though we ordered at the same damn time. The waitress didn’t come out to check on us, so when my friend marched up to the bar to cancel her meal I have no idea why she seemed surprised. All of a sudden it was «It’s right here though! Wait, it’s coming out now!»
Bitch, please! You didn’t check on it, or us, and now its about to be a Federal case because my friend canceled an order that took entirely too long?
THEN the cook comes out and tries to say it wasn’t that long, however when she reported the ticket time she had an excuse for why it was as long as we said it was. Apparently, the grill had to heat up and there were orders in front of ours blah blah blah. I proceeded to explain to her that from our entrance into the establishment, everything just fucking sucked. On top of that, the OWNER had been sitting at the bar the whole time, eating chicken and licking his fingers, acting like he didn’t know wtf was going on. Than his ass turned around.
This is the icing on the cake, people: He turns around and is staring and smirking at me. I ask him if he’s ok. He tells me all about how he just came from a funeral, how he’e been observing me and I’m just an angry person taking it out on his establishment. Apparently, I go around Atl just complaining in restaurants and even his bouncer had already given him a heads up about me. «You don’t go to Buckhead and do this!», he tells me. Um… I don’t go to Buckhead like that, but when I do go for happy hour I have NEVER had my bag checked! And furthermore, just because you are located IN the hood doesn’t mean you have to act like you’re OF the hood! Everyone in here was shitty. Like, it was unbelievable…
This sleazy greaseball made me sick to my stomach. There’s nothing worse than someone– especially a business owner– that doesn’t take responsibility for their actions or those of their staff! You don’t know me from a can of paint, and didn’t even inquire as to why I was unhappy? He refunded my money (actually I came out $ 8 ahead) and we walked out of there.
Looking back, the fact that they have happy hour from 5-​midnight EVERY day should have been a red flag. Places just don’t do that unless they HAVE to to try and attract business.

This place confused me. I’d been waiting to try it since we moved to this part of town, and was really looking forward to a cool spot. It looks good from the outside, but no one greets you when you walk in. There were a few oddly placed tables inside, and as we ventured further, we found what looks like a kind of throw-​together bar with a couple of TVs and weird mirrors that forced us to watch ourselves eat. The bartender told us we could sit at the bar if we wanted to eat; there was no waiter for the tables. Hmm, ok. So the menu is very, very brief, and fair warning, it’s nothing like what is on their website. Wings, fries, a burger, some fish… that’s basically it. We ordered our food, and got some *very* strong drinks. Other than taking our orders and refilling drinks after we’d been dry for 10 minutes each time, we got no love from the bartender. He was busy chatting up a couple of women at the other end of the bar.
A few people came in as we sat there. I am not sure if this is just more of a bar than a restaurant or what, but they need to make clear what it is on their website and signage and stick with a theme. The music they were playing was from those music choice stations on Comcast — not really very good. I would’ve enjoyed some V-​103 or XM radio more. The food — a burger and fried tilapia — was basically your standard frozen, delivered off a truck stuff. It wasn’t bad at all, but it also wasn’t memorable. They need to either broaden the menu or really perfect a few dishes. The bartender didn’t communicate well with the chef, and I was literally done with my meal by the time my dining partner’s food came out. Again… hmm. Prices were downright cheap for a sit-​down meal, but I would say they were in line with the quality of the food. It was very hot and fresh though. Can’t complain too much.
All in all, we’ll probably be back — there’s just not a lot of options around here, and sometimes driving into midtown or downtown doesn’t seem appealing. Maybe in the future we’ll try going later to see what it is like after 10. I hope they can get a grasp on what this place is supposed to be, because I like supporting local businesses and anyone willing to take a chance on a forgotten part of town is good in my book.

Great music, the service was ok and the food was good. $ 2 Tuesday’s

I was surprised, well in fact I didn’t know what to think. The West End is making it’s move.
The live music was awesome and truly some of the best in Atlanta.
I can’t wait to go back to see what else this place has to offer.

We went to Space yesterday for dinner at 6PM with our neighbors after driving by it last week. We have been looking for a place in the area to make our bar and for dinners several times a month, so our hopes were all pretty high.
The good: The staff was very friendly, the drinks were priced right and strong and the fried green tomatoes Served with shrimp & chicken Cajun cream sauce was AMAZING.
The bad: the band was SO LOUD that we could not hear each other talk at our table, which I can see for a late night crowd, but at 6pm on Tuesday? And the food that we were looking forward to was just standard bar food (wings, sliders, etc) that was pretty mediocre.
The thing that was SO DISAPPOINTING for us was that the Space Atlanta website (
) makes a big point to talk about the chefs, both of them, and so we expected some really good food. But what we got didn’t look anything like the pictures on the website and a lot of it seemed as if it was premade from Sysco or what you would expect from somewhere like American Deli (fried food with a mound of flavorless crinkle fries on top of it).
The worst was the $ 2 offering (which was a great idea) but only the pasta had sterno, so the fish and potatoes looked really unappealing and like they had been sitting next to the from door uncovered for hours.
We also had some basic service issues, like they didn’t have any hot sauce or ketchup for the table, and when you serve that amount of premade fries with everything you are going to need to provide some condiments. Even more frustrating was that they only had a hand full of tables to eat at and I’m guessing the band was taking up the area where they normally have more, but it was really not conducive to functioning as a restaurant. Which may not be their goal?
The bottom line: We may go back for drinks, but I don’t think we will be eating there again. And I think Space Atlanta needs to figure out if they are going to be a «real» restaurant or stay what they are now, a bar with some bar food options.

Nice place. The crowd doesn’t jump off until 10:30 pm, so you can come and enjoy the seven dollar buffet and relax.

Good food. Lots of people and a nice vibe. Check it out if your into a lot of old school music as I am. I had a great time.

I finally made it to Space for the first time last night, and everything we tried was fantastic. For starters we had yucca fries and fried green tomatoes. Both items were excellent. I also ordered a house salad, which was fresh and yummy. For my main course I had a slice of pizza with ham and pineapple. The crust was cooked just right — a little crunchy on the bottom and soft on the inside. The sauce was also a winner. (I often think the sauce is what can make or break a pizza for me, so this is really important.)
Space is only a two minute drive from my house, so that is a huge plus. They have a full bar, nice ambience, and great food. I also bumped into a lot of people I know from the neighborhood, so this is as good as it gets. If you visit from outside of the neighborhood there is plenty of free parking in a secured lot. Highly recommended.

Finally, West End Atlanta has a Restaurant for neighbors to frequent a few nights a week!
SPACE ATL shows promise to be the next ‘big thing’ in the Historic West End, Westview communities since the Beltline trail.
Good music, good food, good drinks, good service– the stage is set and the show has begun!