Mill Tavern the

great  little spot, great owner...super food...cheap drinks...stop in, you'll make a friend or two

First off, I've nestled in the Mill Tavern about a half dozen times and each time has been safe fun.  About half the time the bar area was full where the other half fell a little short of 10 people.  I didn't notice any musty smell or dim lighting.  Its always been very comforting.

Food:  The food is surprisingly good.  I mean recommendation good based on straight up dive bar food.  Its pretty cheap but full of flavor.  I've eaten there twice, left full and satisfied.  We met the owner once and he was a really nice guy.  They have a really cool area where you can all meet and greet around a TV, kind of weird at first but I was cool with it after a while.  This may have changed since being there last or maybe it was set up for once occasion, but regardless.

The biggest problem with people and places like this (as described by Matthew's review) is that they get put off or 'scared' to give it a try.  Nobody ever wants to walk into a place and get the 'look' from the locals.  Here fortunately, you don't get that.  So I recommend going in there around 6 or 7 and grabbing a sandwich and hang for a couple beers.  You'll agree that this place is a solid 3.  Maybe we all can meet there for a drink, I think Matt's in!

I've driven past the Mill Tavern plenty of times during my stay in the area. Located just one street north of me on Wilson Mills & Bishop, I was never too keen on finding too much about this place either. That was until recently....

From my many drive-by's, all I knew was that it resided in an ugly brick building in a strip mall and had this ancient, medieval font signage illuminated by partially burnt-out neon lights announcing not only the name of the bar, but also proudly advertising "liquor" and "food".  I envisioned a filthy saloon clogged with blind drunks, toothless prostitutes and stray dogs. Once inside, all of my preconceived notions were put to rest. Kind of....

On my latest endeavor to familiarize myself with all the little hole-in-the-wall dives in my neighborhood, a project long overdue, the Mill Tavern was one of my first stops. It was 3:30pm by the time I started my quest. At this time of the day, the only patrons are that of the unemployed, broken spirits or lost souls. By association, I suppose I was one of them.

Upon my entrance into the dimly lit, musty smelling tavern, I was greeted by a friendly middle-aged bartender and a sloppy drunk Russian at the bar. I could tell the bartender was happy to have another customer. Playing from each of the TV's were Family Feud reruns hosted by Ray Combs, then at 4pm, Cleveland's own sensationalized and over-the-top news program, 19 Action News. On entertainment value alone, I was highly satisfied.

The night shift bartender entered around 4pm and tugged the lights off from the swirling ceiling fans above. The only illumination left being that of the glowing TV sets & keno machines along with strings of old Christmas lights illuminating the liquor bottles behind the bar. Then, perhaps by coincidence, one of the TV's lost it's signal. The drunken Russian blamed the loss of reception on the ceiling lights being turned off. Eventually the bartender gave in and entertained his theory which turned out to be wrong. While on the topic of ceiling fans, he babbled on frivolously about the merits of ceiling fans and the advantage of having them run clockwise vs. counter-clockwise during the summer.

To the bartenders disappointment, she was on her own with this one. It was time to say my goodbyes and move on. Based on the hospitality, good nature and entertainment I was treated to though, I will be back to support this long standing, community watering hole. Old Mill Tavern, it's been a long time coming. I'll see you soon.