Red's Timbers

My wife and I picked up some antique furniture, in the area, at an advertized estate sale.  In the couple trips it took picking everything up, we passed by Red's Timbers and were drawn to bookmark it by its sign that claims it as "Smyrna's Oldest Tavern."

Before I give any detail about the visit we subsequently made, I'll admit that I'm rating the place for what it is: a quiet, dimly lit, smokey, little, neighborhood dive bar...  As those go, this one was a winner!

Right as we walked in, we were confronted with a little bit of smokey haze and about 8 other patrons, all sitting at the bar rails, turning to see who just walked in.  It wasn't a creepy thing - just a hey-look-at-the-new-people thing and we got several smiles and one "Happy New Year," since it was the night of the 1st.

Based on the musty smoke, we took the leap and assumed smoking was allowed indoors.  So, I stepped back out to my truck and grabbed a travel humidor...... it just became a cigar night!  Every other customer was sitting at the bar, but we were more in a mood for a quiet corner and private chatting... so we headed back against the wall into a half-moon-booth where we could face out and see the whole place.

We were immediately greeted by the barkeep (Casey), who walked out to serve us with a friendly smile and a run down of the beer menu.  Unfortunately, the beer selection is pretty lousy... but I'm sure geared toward the older regular crowd they had around the bar (pretty much all downing Bud Light in a bottle - yak).  If there ever comes a time when they want to shoot for a younger demographic, they're going to have to dedicate some handles and fridge space to some micro/craft/local brews... but, as the city's oldest tavern, they must not need my help to survive...

I went with a Fat Tire (one of the few ales I could stomach on their list) and the missus ordered a Sex on the Beach while confirming we would indeed like to see the food menu when asked.  Drinks came with the menu and my wife claims hers was one of the best she's had in Atlanta - a decent strength pour and some nice tasting juices, even shaken before serving!  Mine was, well, a Fat Tire... what can I say?

One of the daily specials was a 5-dollar-half-pound hamburger... so we ordered that - cooked medium - and added some cheddar.  They had the option to add tots for I think a buck, but we wanted to try their fries... and also added 10 hot wings to the mix (based mostly on Yelp's claim that the place is a wings joint... which it's not really - a note I'll try to fix  by editing the business information).

The food arrived pretty quickly (I'm fairly certain we were the only ones eating) and we were impressed by most of it!  The burger was cooked properly and very tasty... MUCH better than we expected for 5 bucks.  The wings were meaty and the sauce had good flavor, too.  Note: the hot is more like mild-to-medium... but we're just still getting used to that norm here in Atlanta (moved here, from Arizona, where "hot" usually meant runny noses and tears).  The only downfall was the fries... that were plain, warm, unseasoned, and cooked from pre-made and frozen.  As good as the rest was, that was definitely a dissapointment - I'd love to see a small place, like this, just do their own fries in house.  Shrug.

As we hit the bottom of our drinks and the back ends of our cigars (yes, my wife joins me in burning one on occassion - God bless that magnifiscent woman), Casey's shift ended and was replaced by Jeff, who came over to shake hands, introduce himself, and let us know he was still there if we needed anything.  Nice!  When was the last time you had a server come over, introduce him/herself with a handshake?  Don't you miss that?!  Well, they BOTH did it -- their combined service and friendliness definitely keeps the place feeling homey.

All in all...... the service was phenomenal... the cocktail was fantastic... the beer was cool and served well (despite my sadness at the selection)... the burger was great (despite the mediocre fries accompanying it)... wings were tasty and meaty... the atmosphere was about as relaxing and casual as you'll find...... and all at a low price!

We'll be back in for a cigar, I'm sure.  Next time, we'll just go for the tots and I'll stick with a Guinness...

Cheers!

I love this place makes me feel like home!

Can you say "Old School?"  I really hope bars like this never go away! Very friendly bartenders!! Oldest bar in Smyrna... Eclectic patrons.. Loved the guy in sunglasses, headphones & bandana!  We ordered 6 chicken wings just to try & they were pretty good.  Will I go back? Maybe to see my friends band play!