The good
It is a neat place with a nice environment.
Wait staff is always courteous and friendly.
potato soup is good. I do not crave it fortnightly, but it is worth ordering.
Menu is vegetarian friendly
The mediocre
The pizza is, in my book, mediocre, but still one of the better menu items.
The sandwiches are ok. A nice potato salad or pasta salad would help.
The Menu is the same as it always has been.
Really the menu is a lunch menu, not really a dinner menu. there is a daily pasta special, but nothing very substantial.
The bad
The beer... The beer is cold crashed before it has completed fermentation, which is why all of their beer has diacetyl (a fake butter or butterscotch flavor)... It's a process passed down from the old brewer to the new brewer and it makes the beer undrinkable.
The guest taps aren't very good either.
Overall:
The food is passable, nothing very special, but at least it isn't frozen Sysco heated and plated. If only they had good beer without significant flaws (It is a brewpub after all) then the food wouldn't have to be fantastic.
Best pizza in the Tri-Cities (and yes, I've been to Ethos. Ethos = artisan pizza, done okay; Atomic = regular pizza, done very well). We had the Caribbean Jerk (fantastic!) and the Wanderer (really poor jalapenos, but otherwise okay).
The red potato soup is every bit as amazing as everyone says it is. You MUST get a bowl. In fact, that soup is probably better than the pizza. If you have to pick one, go with the soup. You won't regret it.
Also: don't shy away from the rootbeer just because it only has one refill. It's served in giant A&W tankards, so you get a decent amount. Just get a water on the side, and you'll be safe.
I think we'd come here again, and that's saying something for the Tri-Cities dining scene.
I have always been a fan of Atomic, for about 15 years. In recent years the service has started slipping at dinner time- lunch is still good but I generally go around 2pm so they aren't that busy. One time a few years ago I went and we sat for 35 minutes before a server came over. Don't ask me why we waited that long, we should've just left. Thankfully they have not been that bad again, and we can get decent service with the great food. I would like to see some menu changes, I think they've had the same menu for 15 years & it would be fun for them to have some more options.
Review Source:Been wanting to try the food here for quite sometime so I finally went & ordered The Godfather pizza w/ a small house salad & Iced Tea. Â Good sized pie for the price but i wasn't blown away by it. Tasty fresh toppings & a nice thin crust but it was lacking a flavor that i cant seem to put my finger on.... Â I'll be back to explore the menu even more, cant judge the whole menu off of just one pizza....!
Review Source:This was a hard one to give a star rating to. On one hand, the pizza I had was amazing, but the beer they brew there could use a lot of work. I brew myself, so I may be a bit too critical sometimes.
Food: 4. The pizza was well-cooked and had plenty of toppings. It was fantastic. They  also offer the ability to have two different halves on the same pie.
Brew: 2. The beer lacked depth. They were technically correct based on BCJP classifications, but that is all. It seemed like they just brewed something in that style and left it at that. It tasted like the stuff the big breweries; Budweiser, Miller, Coors, etc; would produce.
Service: 4. The bartender I had was fantastic. She was attentive and held a decent conversation with another patron at the bar and myself.
I will be back when I'm in town next time, and I hope the beer tasting notes I gave to them will help yield better results next time.
Richland is a little odd, in case you hadn't noticed. Â This fun brewpub was obviously a drive in or something once upon a time. Â It's located in "old town" (if you could call it that) and has some of the charm of the nearby 50-60s era stripmall combined with good microbrews.
Read the posters and menus for a little bit of local history.
I found the ambiance cozy and was pleased with the service and the food. Â I would return here.
We went there to have some beer and pizza. Â The pizza looked OK. Â But we decided to leave because the beer was barely drinkable. Â I had their IPA which was barely hoppy, a little flat and bitter. Â My wife tried their special and returned that and then their Amber. Â I can't really describe the flavor. Â To put things in perspective we decided to go to Appleby's instead so that we could have better beer! Â They been open since 1997 and it was a quaint little brew pub with cool memorabilia but unfortunately the beer was terrible.
Review Source:3-1/2 Stars. Quirky little spot in Richland. Â Very unique and the beers were good. Â I love the names of all the different beers: Half-life Heff, Plutonium Porter, Radioactive Rye and Proton Pale Ale. Â What's not too like? Good sandwiches, pizza and more. Â Plus the staff was very friendly.
Review Source:Had Ethos pizza on the brain last night. It turned out that they were closed, so we came here. Easy parking and we found a seat right away. Cool and friendly vibe. Liked the historic photos. Server was pleasant and patient with our indecision. Started with the giant pretzel which was neither giant nor shaped or colored like a pretzel. Tasted OK and the sauces were fine.
Had the "famous" red potato soup which I thought was too salty and gratuitously rich. It would have made a good pasta sauce. Pale ale was OK, I wasn't really into it. Pizza was OK but the crust was almost perfectly round, which gave it a pre-made feel. Hope I'm wrong on that. No real kIds menu, unless you agree that a $12 cheese pizza qualifies. Didn't try any of the salads, but a few looked promising.
If I lived close by, I could find a way to make this place work. Otherwise, I don't think I would  make a special trip.
First of all, let me mention that the "eating out" selections in Richland are quite limited, especially when you are trying to avoid the death than chain restaurants bring to good food. So it was mighty refreshing when I was able to find a local joint that wasn't being surrounded by the neon nightmare of Denny's and Applebee's.
It's a small place, but it wasn't overly busy on the night we went. Don't let that be a sign that the pizza and beer is somehow subpar, because it's not. The Hawaiian is my standard choice and was delicious, with a crispy crust, cheesy cheese and fresh toppings. They brew their own beer too (obviously), so make sure to take a flight or at least try a pint or two. It's good and light years ahead anything those chains will be offering.
Be like me, become a food snob and explore a local business. Pick this one, won't you?
Decent little brew pub in Richland with a nuclear-themed menu, I love a place with a sense of humor. Â Our server was really friendly and the beer they brew was good. Â Lots of different choices for pizza, we had Thai Peanut Sauce chicken with peppers, it was pretty good. Their potato soup is really addictive, order a big bowl. Â Salad was good but the dressing was a little sweet for me. Â Nice atmosphere inside or you can sit outdoors. Â We'll be back for sure, I want to try some more of their unorthodox pizzas and enjoy their beer again.
Review Source:Wow! Not bad at all. The staff was super friendly, especially given my status as an outsider to the Tri-Cities area.
I started off with the Oppenheimer Oatmeal Stout and was pretty happy with the choice. It's not the best I've had but then I am partial to my hometown craft brews as a budding Midwest beer snob. To be honest I was hoping for a wider selection and was unhappy to see only about seven beers listed on the menu. Tsk  tsk tsk...
On to dinner! They have a colossal menu of pizzas with some very innovative ingredients. Some of the choices were a little creepy so I went with the shrimp pesto. Basically, you can't go wrong. It was very good.
All in all it was a very nice experience.
I hate for my first review to be a negative one. I'm insanely easy going when it comes to restaurants and service, but we walked into this place and stood by the "Please Wait to be Seated" sign in clear view of every server. The place was bustling and I expected a bit of a wait to get seated even though there were clearly tables clean and available. I was fine with that; I understand busy staff! But after about fifteen minutes of not one person acknowledging our presence, we left. All it would have taken was a nice "Be with you in a moment!" and I would have waited patiently.
I'm disappointed that I didn't get to try their food or anything past the front door.
And the award for the most improved restaurant in Richland goes to.....
No joke. Â It had been some time since my last visit to Atomic Ale, but I was very pleasantly surprised with the changes. Â You will not notice the change in de core or parking, but in service and quality of beer and food.
To start with, I was greeted at the door by a friendly person (this is a BIG change). Â I believe his name was Aaron. Â Did not roll his eyes and look annoyed by the three kiddos we brought. Â Then offered to bring us tasters of their newest ale, Reactor Core Red. Â Now in the past Atomic has not been known for their beer, but this was an excellent craft beer. Â Great flavor, caramel hints, and a nice sweet hop finish.
So for dinner, by recommendation of our wait staff (Aaron), we ordered the pizza by a similar name Reactor Core.  Jalapeños, meat, and other veggies.  So good, took two beers to wash down the heat!
Keep up the good work and maintain that excellent level of service I now expect from Atomic Ale Brewpub.
I had high expectations for this place as a result of all the good ratings. Perhaps that's why I'm a little disappointed. The restaurant was packed and the parking lot was awkward (I think we accidentally parked at Mandarin House). Service was slow, but it certainly isn't easy for a server to navigate through the crowded dining area. Drinks sat empty and there wasn't much anticipation from our server to make sure they were refilled.
We had to try the pizza. Had the Atomic Red and the Positron Pineapple. I'm usually a fan of Hawaiian style pizzas, but I hated the Positron. It was completely lacking in flavor. The sauce tasted like condensed tomato soup. I've had better frozen pizzas. However, the Atomic Red pizza was very good, probably because the toppings had enough flavor to compensate for the gross sauce. I never would have guessed Jalapenos could be so good on a pizza. The ingredients were obviously fresh. The crust is thin, but not crunchy like Brick House's.
A 12" pizza will cost around $15, but at least the beer is cheap-- about half of the usual cost for a pint.
Overall, I could recommend the Atomic Red pizza. I would not try the Positron Pineapple pizza again, but I would be interested in trying some of the other ones on the menu.
I like this place. Â It's not a place where I usually go "Honey, can we go eat there." Â It's off my beaten path, I don't think they advertise much -- but every so often, I'll go "Oh yeah, let's give 'er a try."
We went today, a Saturday mid afternoon. Â Place was busy, only a couple available tables. Â Server was prompt, beer (we both had the Plutonium Porter) served quickly. Â Not a bad brew, not bad at all. Â We shared a wood-fired pizza called Atomic Red, and it was pretty tasty (and spicy -- I love jalapenos on pizza!) Â They have a wide selection of pizzas, sandwiches, and pasta - and I hear the potato soup is the best although I've not tried it.
All in all a very pleasant experience in a cute, cozy building. Â One drawback is the parking; there isn't too much of it. Â Parking on the strip outside the restaurant to the east will get you into an altercation with a crusty old man who owns the building behind (but it is now WELL marked -- this happened a couple years ago).
I liked the pizza a lot: ours was pesto with shrimp, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. Yummy! The crust wasn't bad, but I've had better. The soft pretzel was GREAT! Doesn't hurt that it's shaped like an atom. Nicely chewy, flavored with herbs and served with unique dipping sauces, and you can also get it extra spicy with chipotle butter.
Beers weren't bad at all. Perhaps not the best you'll ever have, but more flavorful than what's typically found on draft (at least in parts of the south and midwest, where I live). I liked the Plutonium Porter the best, nice depth of flavor...chocolate and coffee...the Amber was good too. If you're in town visiting, I'd definitely recommend it. The flight of 5 is a good bet so you can try several of their offerings. You'll have a chance to mingle with the locals and try something unique to Richland.
I dig the nuclear decor and themes too. Makes me giggle. I love me some kitsch.
For just $1 more, your side salad can become one of there very nice "special" salads, so I went after the Spinach Salad. Very, very nice bacon vinaigrette, and they use roma tomatoes rather than normal bland ones. Great salad! Â My sis had the caesar salad, and said the croutons tasted just awesome.
Another cool thing. This place used to be an A&W and they use that root beer. Just a cool nod to history I thought.
I have had several different sandwiches here and have really enjoyed them all. Â Good eats at a good price.
I can't speak about their beer selection because I have just never tried any the times I have been here.
The service here is pretty friendly, and everytime I have come in it is fairly clean.
Overall, this is a great lunching stop for me.
Friendly service, great food, excellent beers- this is definitely my favorite Tri-Cities eatery! Try the thai pizza or the plutonium porter. The only drawbacks are that it's always crowded, and the teeny parking lot houses about 8 cars max, but otherwise it's great!
Oh! Best part? The creamy, bacon-y potato soup.
We has planned on going to Mckays Taps on Lee rd. Its new and I wanted to try it. The place was packed and so loud...no place to sit, so we headed further down Lee rd and found this place.
We started with the bratwurst bites as an appetizer
These were very yummy, beer brats with apples and sauerkraut, they cook it in the oven with one of their beers...super yummy !I had a small caesar salad and hubby had a small Mediterranean salad. We ordered the Reactor core pizza. Oh boy, the name fits it! Its hot, but quite possibly the best pizza I have ever had! I don't remember everything on it. I know it had sausage pepperoni, jalapeno , blue cheese and red chili flakes. Service was great. We will defiantly return!
I have been to Atomic twice now, and I can definitely say I'll go back. As other posters have mentioned, the potato soup is a must! Bacon, beer, nicely sized chunks of red tater, and creamy, creamy, creamy!! And they actually use salt! It's a meal by itself if you buy a bowl rather than a cup.
My husband and I are actually debating if this is the best potato soup we've ever had. We both agree, it's a resounding YES!
I also had their Black and Blue thin crust pizza (without onions), and it rocked! Once I got past the fact that nothing out here is NY pizza (snob that I am!), this is a treat for your taste buds if you like bleu cheese, because they put crumbles on top.
Since it's a 12-inch pie, the slices are small, but they certainly don't skimp on ingredients like olives, chicken, and pepperoni. Unfortunately, after the soup and the porter, I only had room for two slices.
Hubby got the rest. :(
reminds me of an equally great Brewerypub & Eatery named "Moose's Tooth" in Anchorage, AK --- a place that is ALWAYS packed no matter what time of day.^^
Time Spent
1 Dinner experience.
LAYOUT
limited parking, small interior and kinda dark... Â this did not detract from an exciting and enjoyable experience.^^
SERVICE/FOOD
despite being crowded, service was prompt, attentive, and everyone on the staf was full of cheer.^^
 PRO
 1. pizza was AMAZING.  the selection of pizzas made it fun to choose.
 2. 2/5 ales were great.  Plutonium & House Daily Special
 CON
 1. brat appetizer was nothing special
 2. 3/5 ales were meh Â
what impressed me the most is the extra step they took to carefully wrap my left-overs despite being very busy.
PRICING
fair priced. Â the pleasant atmosphere gave me an enriching experience.^^
CLOSING
why 5-star for a place with CONs.? Â service, upbeat atmosphere, and the great pizza really outshines any of the blemishes.
i observed how well their whole team worked seamlessly together, multitasking wonderful service.^^ Â i wish there were more places like these.!
I think the Atomic brews need work, I can't even call them mediocre. I had the Amber, a Hippie Red and a Scottish ale - all were not well made. I'm not sure why someone would go through all the trouble to brew these so-sbeers and serve them to paying customers.
I ordered a pizza to go, a merriweather or something similiar. I guess it was better than frozen pizza but not by far. I make decent pizza so I know how much effort they put into their pie - not much.
Next time I stay in town I'm going to eat and drink elsewhere, most likely The Apollo or Zips.
This place hasn't let me down yet. I have come here to get pizza ever since my first doctor appointment over here through out all 3 of my pregnancies. I was always in the mood for a yummy atomic pizza after having each one of my kids, and mu hubby always delivered :).
The only other place I would say that comes close is Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe in Hermiston. Otherwise, this is my unique pizza stop when I am around the Richland area.
My husband and I went here for lunch today. Â It was pretty busy. Â I looked over the menu and didn't see anything that really sounded good. Â I wish I would have seen the suggestions here for the soup. Â After I had already ordered, I noticed just about every table had huge bowls of soup. Â
Anyway, I ordered a side salad, a pretzel, and water. Â I'm not sure what dressing I got, but it wasn't blue cheese. Â It was super bland. Â The whole salad was bland and boring with only one type of flavorless dark green lettuce. Â The pretzel was pretty good, but the mustard did nothing for me. Â Now the reason for the two star rating...my water glass was never re-filled. Â This bugs me to no end. Â I love to wash my meal down with a glass of water and she never came back. Â
My husband ordered chips and salsa (which were really good, the salsa had a lot of garlic and was really fresh), a grinder, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Â He said everything was good, not great. Â The soup was not served with my salad. Â Then, it was still not brought out with the sandwich. Â My husband had to ask for it. Â
I wish they offered mini pizza's. Â I would have liked to try it, but I didn't want a whole pizza for myself. Â I would give them another try for the pizza. Â I don't drink beer, so I can't comment on that. Â The decor was cool.
This is gonna be a short one.
GREAT PIZZA, laid back & friendly service, good parking, good beer.
So why 3 stars you ask?
The atmosphere. Or rather, Bar atmosphere in a place you wouldn't ordinarily drink martinis. Hard chairs and tables. If I came back, it would be for some take-out, so that I could hang out with their extraordinary food somewhere softer.
Really like this place, and recommend anyone who comes to town, or lives here for that matter, at least hits this place up for a weekend lunch (not to say it's not a good dinner joint too).
The pizzas are great, and more importantly, creative. Â The peanut thai (or something like that) is off the chain! Â The rest of the food is very good too. Â Have sampled 5 or 6 entrees here, and not a complaint to be said.
There are two half-star deductions though that keep this out of perfection territory: 1.) the menu is a little little. Â Needs 4 or 5 more entrees to make a menu you can hit up more than once in a while. Â 2.) Â The beers are not to style. Â They are good, but I got a stout once, and called the waiter over and said "this must be the brown." Â If you are a beer snob like me, that would bother you when he told me nope, that's the stout. Â (he then brought me the brown, which was reminiscent of an amber) Â NOTE: Â the beers are not bad, just not being called what they are.
Go here!
This was a great place to go for pizza and beer after putting stuff away at my new apartment. Â In grungy clothes and messy hair, off we went to get some grub. Â After several pints and splitting a pizza... we couldn't say no to the dessert... It was some chocolate cake that was to die for...
After dinner, we were pretty much comatose! Â The atmosphere was pretty good and I like their microbrews!
Today was my first time in the Tri-Cities, and this is the first place I went. Â Service was OK, once the waitress stopped talking to her friends and realized I was there. Â The beer is OK. Â I live in a State where premium breweries are omnipresent (Bell's, Founders, Arcadia, Shorts, Arbor Brewing, Original Gravity, etc.), so I'm definitely a beer snob.
The pizza was pretty good. Â This seems like the kind of place that is really special if you live here and don't travel much.
I pretty much visit this place everytime I'm in town for work. The theme is appropriate and the beer isn't too bad. How can you not try beer with creative names like plutonium porter, half-life hefewiezen, and Oppenheimer IPA??!!
The food is pretty standard pub grub at reasonable prices. I thought the homemade beer pretzel was pretty tasty and the pizzas aren't bad.
I was there back in 05' for some training. There's nothing to do in this city but the locals told us about this local brewery.
Not bad with the locally crafted beer and special meals the owners create here. I would go back if I EVER went back to Richland.
Check it out...good stuff for a local restaurant.
Chicken Thai Pizza.....THAT'S WHAT I'M TALK'N ABOUT WILLIS! Â
What do you need to know? Â Small restaurant, awesome beers, amazing pizzas and soups, awesome beers. Â Did I mention the tasty beer? Â If not...the have yummy beers.
So why doth I give them 4 out of 5 and not 5 pointy thinggys? Â I've had a heck of a time getting in some times because it's so small. Â Whoever said "size doesn't matter" obviously did not take restaurants into account. Â Especially when they have good food and tasty frothy drinks!
I've been here about 4 times during my year here in Tri Cities. It's a place I always feel comfortable heading in by myself.
The food is always good. I've had a couple of the pizzas. Nice thin crispy crust and quality toppings. I really like the cordon bleu pizza. They have a signature red potato soup. Excellent! There is some cream involved in making this soup for sure.
I am afraid I can't really rate the beers. I usually have a glass of wine. They are somehow affiliated with the itallian place across the street nearby and they serve the house wines from there. That's what I've chosen on several visits and have been happy with it.
The servers are all really nice. It's a pub, the atmosphere is relaxed (It's an old A&W I think).. No one skates out to your car to put a cold one on a tray at your window anymore but it's funky and cool.
A great after-work unwind place.
Nice little brewpub in downtown Richland. Wood-fired pizza, reasonable variety of pasta and other sandwiches and a good selection of their own beers. Â I actually had this bratwurst with sauerkraut that was cooked really well, and my "Amber" was exactly what I wanted in a beer. Â Place wasn't pretentious at all, and while our waiter seemed a little scattered, we got our food in a reasonable time and he didn't fail to bring the check or anything.
For decor it's a nice older (? or meant to look old) brick building off the main drag in Richland, it's got a bunch of memorabilia and pictures from Hanford and Richland's history (did you know it was still a goverment owned/run town until the mid 1950s?) Of course I'm not sure you can call mementos of a time when we thought radiation-sickness was just a healthy glow and an off-the-charts Geiger counter was hilarious "cute" - but I digress.
The only downside is this place felt a little cramped to me, even though it wasn't totally full. I'm sure they're just trying to get the maximum number of seats, but it was a little annoying to be crammed into the back corner so tightly with just a party of 5.
Definitely a place I'd go back to next time I visit my friends in town.
I'm a nuke, so I'm at least mildly biased. Â I think I'm more in love with their theme than I am with anything else...pretzel shaped like an atom? Â Hell, yes! Â Their pizzas are good and they'll accomodate changes (Barcelona without chicken? Â no problem). Â In fact, it's the best pizza that I've gotten since moving to the Tricities that I didn't make myself. Â It's entirely possible that I just don't get out enough, but my all-time favorite pizza is at Emma's in Cambridge, and no one here is even close. Â Oh #3 how I miss thee...
As far as beer, it's not the reason to go. Â I've had terrible beer here, but I've also had really good beer here. Â The last really good one was a seasonal, so I haven't seen it again. Â 'Course I just heard that *someone* forgot to turn on their cooler and they lost a lot of beer, so maybe it won't be an issue...
I've been here a couple of times in the last few months. Â Now, Atomic has some great and unique ambiance for the area, and is a nice place to visit or take visitors who what to feel like they're close to "hanford"---there's all kinds of Hanford Site memorabilia displayed throughout the dining area.
The food is decent, and above average for pub fare. Â There pizzas are a good choice, with many to choose from (Positron Pineapple is a personal favorite).
As for the beers, I feel like they are bit of a let down. Â I tried a sampler (a hefe, amber, porter, and a seasonl), and they were "eh". Â Definitely could be better. Â
All in all, Atomic is a place one should visit atleast once when in the area, but other than that, it's about average overall, but with above average food.
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