I'll admit, ahead of time, that we didn't try any food at Founders. Â We simply stopped in for a drink after hitting the antique shops in town.
The barkeep was friendly, and the atmosphere was fantastic! Â Apart from that, though, she didn't know how to pour a mixed drink... and the beer selection was pretty sub-par (the one exception being if you like stuff by Founders Brewing Co. - no relation to the bar here, but clever to carry a good selection of it).
We might swing in, some other time, to try the food - hoping that's where the place shines... but, as a bar, it's just alright...
The best thing we had was our server Kevin. He had to go and look for a salt shaker because there are none on the table. Another server had to come an "borrow" it am never retuned it. And unfortunately all 4 of our entrees needed salt(which is rare for me) also no hot sauce in the whole restaurant , not even the bar. Â Kevin went and asked the chef and was told they were out; really? How strange!.All of our entrees were just warm and took 45 minutes. And when we got them we were really hungry. Grouper was over cooked and topped with a overbearing marinara sauce (overcooked and really rich). The shrimp and grits were bland but shrimp was large and cooked well. The scallop dish was good but barely warm and the pork dish was ok but not fabulous again just warm.
I guess I should speak of the appetizers; the calamari might as well have been from a chain, the "carpet baggers" were awful and the sauce tastes like gravy mix, yuck.
Salads were all good but the Wedge is not really a wedge it's chopped iceberg lettece with blue cheese dressing, Spinach salad was good but small for $11, the Bibb salad was  really good and larger than the others, enough size difference that we all looked at each others Salad plate, as well as the server.
Drinks are poured a full shot and bloody Mary's are good and have a nice kick but again no hot sauce at the bar to kick it up. This is my 3rd visit here and it appears that the food is going down hill.
Really Good Wine List!
Decent atmosphere. Â There were no specials available because chef was in and out that week we went whatever that meant. Â French onion soup is yummy. Â Calamari in cornmeal breading was not good, we left it all there. Â Filet mignon was ok but tasted a bit cheap. Â Bread was not good. Â Very limited menu. Â I feel the meal was too expensive for the quality of food we were served. Â No plans to go back.
Review Source:Okay, i have to finally give a review on this place. Â we've been there several times since it opened. Â the first and second visit was great. Â great food, great service, etc. Â we kept going back and each time after that it seemed to just start going downhill. Â first, they are always out of something that is listed on the menu. Â it's okay as that happens, but every time it is one or two things. Â then the food started going downhill and the service has been horrible. Â last time we were there (and it WILL be the LAST)
the food was really bad, the service was worse. Â we asked the waitress what they had for dessert and she answered "peach cobbler" and took off. Â when she came back we asked if that was the only dessert, and she answered, i'm not sure, but i think we have some kind of pie and then took off again! Â so we just got our check and left. Â obviously she didn't have the time to check or she didn't get the hint that maybe we wanted dessert??? Â not to mention that we just happened to glance BEHIND the front desk and see the health rating! Â no wonder it was hidden away. Â It was an 80!!!!! Â We make it a rule to not eat anywhere under a 94. We're done for sure! Â too bad, because this place has a great location and it started out to be something really good and well needed in this town!
This was my second trip to Founders. The atmosphere is cool and it's tucked into the pretty little town of Senoia.
Good food but they were out of 3 or 4 items on the menu. That's a little frustrating as a vegetarian, since my options are already limited. Â my wife had the crab cakes which were outstanding. I had the vegetable plate which was strong, but not as good as the last time we were there.
Tables are a little to close together up against the wall. I was able to hear the conversation of someone 2 tables down from us.
The service is strong with friendly and knowledgable wait staff.
Overall, my wife and I will be back.
Every time that I have visited Founders in Senoia I have a wonderful experience. The staff from the serves to the bartenders are always great. Drink are very "friendly", and the food is wonderful. My last visit unfortunately they were out of several of the steaks (which is what I love to get when I visit) instead I was recommended to get the duck breast. As always it was perfectly prepared and delicious.
Unless i want a burger & fries while I'm in Senoia I'll always head to Founders for a great dinner.
Mac n cheese ftw. Â Dunno what anybody else had, judging from some other reviews, but our serving was off-the-chain wonderful. Â Crazy good. Â The drinks were top-rate. Â (I sampled some Bloody Mary--it was way great. Â The White Russians made with "Whipped Vodka," a whipped-cream flavor, was uh-may-zing. Â And my Old Fashioned? Â Mighty tasty.) Â The appetizers were pretty good: Â veal and tuna. Â The spicy sauce with the tuna was whoa-yeah good. Â Entrees: Â Ribeye was excellent. Â The scallops were good, but the meal itself that came with the scallops was pretty thin; they came on these little squares of polenta, and there were maybe 6 scallops, and no additional sides. Â This entree should come with a side salad included. Â Duck: Â good stuff. Â Crab cakes: Â great stuff. Â Sides: Â mac n cheese ftw, fried okra was best I've had in a restaurant, fingerling potatoes were meh. Â Dessert: Â sweet potato cheesecake was awesomesauce. Â Price: Â this is fancypants eatin, but the cost was moderate by comparison to some other fancypants eatin I've done.
Review Source:My family and I visited here thanks to Groupon for lunch about 3 weeks ago. We ordered the fried green tomatoes and hot pimento cheese dip. We really enjoyed the cheese dip. The fried green tomatoes were the worst I've ever had. My daughter ordered the vegetable plate, my son the turkey burger, and I shared a chicken salad sandwhich with my youngest daughter. The portion sizes were very liberal. The chicken salad was a little more sweet than I expected. The vegetables were a hit or miss. Turkey burger was quite tasty. The service was great. I bought a dinner groupon and I'm looking forward to that next month. I loved the decor.
Review Source:Heard about this place thanks to Groupon and took the hour drive over there this evening. Â The downtown of Senoia where the restaurant is located is very quaint. Â When you walk in to the restaurant you can't help but notice the warm feel with all the dark wood, velvet curtains, exposed brick walls, and beautiful wooden bar.
We had a couple of drinks at the bar first. Â The bar tender was very friendly even though busy. Â The drinks were well made. Â I especially enjoyed my spicy bloody Mary. Â They make their own mix and they infuse vodka with spicy peppers that they grow at the restaurant.
The appetizers were great, the tuna in particular was perfectly cooked. Â The sweet red cabbage that came with it was like nothing I have ever had before. Â I got the crab cakes and the plate came with 2 generous sized cakes full of sweet meaty crab with a perfect rich lemony mustard sauce. Â The sweet potato cheesecake was light a fluffy and spiced perfectly and out of this world.
Lovely meal and more than pleasant evening out!
Average at best....
We had reservations for 7:30 Saturday evening, were seated at 8:15.
Fried green tomatoes were like hockey pucks. One of the four was literally the heel of the tomato, tough with a tough dry crust. I literally spit it out.
Steak was just OK, reminded me of the old Western Sizzler. Mac n cheese was average.
Won't be back, who waits 45 mins. for this experience?
C-
Founders is a very nice find on the south side of Atlanta. Â When you first walk in you know you are not in your average restaurant. Â The attention to detail is amazing, from the beautiful bar to the church pew seating along the wall. Â The brick walls and wood ceiling are a great, authentic touch. Â This is the perfect place for a romantic evening or a dinner to impress a client.
The wine list is one of the best I have seen so even the pickiest oenophile will find something to enjoy. Â The food mostly lives up to the atmosphere but as they have gone through a few head chefs I have not seen the menu rotation I had hoped for. Â One consistent is the quality of the ingredients. Â They skimp on nothing and it shows in everything from the steaks to the shrimp & grits (a personal favorite). Â Sunday brunch is excellent as well.
Ultimately, this is a restaurant that deserves continued patronage if for nothing else than to keep this type of dining in the area. Â Founder's shows that you do not need to drive into Atlanta to have a proper dining experience - I wish them well and look forward to watching them grow.
One a cold rainy Wednesday my wife and I decided to head into Senoia for lunch. We looked online and found Founders restaurant. As we made our way into the restaurant we were reminded by a restaurant we visited in the historical district in Milwaukee, WI. The bare polished concert floors, the old brick walls, dark aged wood accents and bar. It had a very nice old world feel to it. I'll have to admit that we did notice the large stuffed reindeer on precariously perched above the bar...we assumed this was part of the Christmas decorations. But later we found out that the reindeer will become a permanent fixture. But onto the food...
We started with Blue Crab Hush-puppies as our appetizer and a cup of the Brunswick stew. The Blue Crab Hush-puppies were very good; there was a lot of crab meat in them and you could really taste it; it wasn't overwhelmed with onion or other flavors. The hush-puppies came with a sweet chili dipping sauce; nothing too special, probably from the same bottle of Thai sweet chili dipping sauce I use when I make egg rolls. I would like to see the chef add a touch of creativity and blend his or hers own sauce [based on the quality of the food I know they have the talent to do so]. The Brunswick stew was fantastic! I perfect blend of sweet, tangy, with a nice spicy kick to finish it off! Next time I will order a bowl of that!
For our entrées, I ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich which had a large cut of marinated grilled chicken, crisp bacon, sautéed portabella mushrooms, Gorgonzola cheese, rosemary aioli, on a Kaiser Roll, and French fries. The sandwich was huge, and difficult to handle but well worth the effort. The flavors were a wonderful blend together; I do have to admit that the Gorgonzola was a bit strong at times. I understand this is a cheese that produces a strong flavor, but none-the-less it was still a very tasty sandwich.
My wife ordered the Bianca's handmade lobster ravioli, sherry lobster cream, with basil. One word to describe this "WOW"! It was wonderful, the pasta was firm but not too firm and the lobster filling was simply wonderful. The sherry cream sauce was very good as well...the only flavor that was a bit off was that the sauce was a bit on the salty side. Other that that...Wow!
All-in-all we were very pleased with Founders...we will certainly return. Oh, one more thing to the management...please take the stuffed reindeer down, for Christmas I get it....but not for all year around; it just doesn't fit in with the décor, it's like a big white elephant [in this case a white reindeer] up there.
My husband and I decided to eat here on our wedding anniversary because we had heard it was nicer than most restaurants in the area and had very good food. Upon arriving there was some nice jazz being played but the noise level was so intense that my husband and I had a hard time talking to each other without yelling. One would think you would account for acoustics when opening up a small restaurant especially when you put the tables so close to one another. So if you are looking for romance go somewhere else.
We ordered the calamari it was decent, but rubbery I have had better at Red Lobster. The chipotle aioli sauce served with it was fantastic. So I had high hopes for our dinner. Wrong. Ordered the crab cake it was very fishy tasting, mushrooms were rubbery and lacked flavor. My husband ordered the lobster ravioli and did not care for the taste. I liked it better than my fishy crab cakes so we switched plates. I just couldn't believe that a restaurant that charges these prices would lack so much in taste that literally makes a chain like Red Lobster seem ok. Even our server that night was not very attentive it took forever to get something from the bar and we had to ask even when our empty glass was not a clear sign that she might at least want to anticipate that we wanted another drink.
I wouldn't completely rule this restaurant out maybe just not order the seafood, but I don't think we will ever go back because I would rather drive to Atlanta and have something really good at those prices than something mediocre at those prices.
I tried Founder's for the first time at lunch. Â The menu was varied and seemed to really incorporate Southern cooking and contemporary American cuisine. Â Salads are nicely offered in half or huge sizes. Â I had the arugula & spinach salad which was great, but I think it could be even better with a different dressing (pumpkin seed vinaigrette was a bit heavy). Â My lunch mates raved about the salmon and the homemade pimento cheese looked scrumptious. Â I also had a side of the cheese grits and they were fantastic. Â I'm dying to go back and give the fried green tomato BLT a try. Â
Service was prompt and our server was attentive and polite. Â We did, however, have to request salt & pepper. Â Really? Â Just have it on the table. Â The building itself is beautifully decorated - the owners (who were present during our lunch) have done a fantastic job with the restaurant. Â It's difficult to have such a large space and keep the noise level from getting too loud, but even with a sizeable lunch crowd, we were able to easily have a conversation between the four of us. Â Without a doubt, Founder's is a must-try when you're in the area.
We found Founder's to be refreshingly different from typical Southern or Americana style food. This place is without a doubt THE BEST PLACE on the south side of Atlanta. Walking into the place you pick up on character of an old, renovated building in this cool little town. The appetizers are great and interesting-not just some fried onion blossom. The entrees are simple enough for the "meat & potato" people but interesting enough for someone wanting to try something different. I liked the wine selection (great bar) but was pleasantly surprised to see Aqua Panna in the water selection (huge bottle--$4).
Founder's my new go-to place. Fun drive, cool town and really great food. Not the standard fried southern "charm" but honest to goodness fun food that satisfies and is worthy of the prices. Definitely worth the trip.
The Southern Living Idea House is located in Senoia and I had a really lovely day out planned. Â We visited the Idea House followed by lunch at Founders Restaurant. Â We ordered the Linguini with clams and were very disappointed. Â The plain white linguini was served in a white bowl, topped with white clams. Â No garnish or herbs or color of any kind. Â It was very unappetizing. Â There was no cooking liquid or sauce, and no flavor. Â Some of the clams did not open and all the cook had to offer was "you mean you couldn't get them open." Â Â We were disappointed and hungry, so we ordered side salads and asked for bread. Â The salads looked like they had been refrigerated for too long and the bread was stale and served plain. Â Lunch for two came to approximately $50 for the linguini, salad and beverage, before tip. Â I was given an e-mail address to write to but never received a reply. Â Â
Try the Senoia Coffee House across the street. Â The fare is casual but consistently good, and they offer fresh squeezed lemonade. Â They go out of their way to please their customers, and the prices are a lot better too.
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