The Tavern On 74

As a straight edge guy, I eschew restaurants with the words "bar," "tavern," and/or "cantina" in their name.  If the business's emphasis is on alcohol rather than food, then it's not catering to my sensibility.  Likewise, a smoke-filled atmosphere is contrary to my precepts.

But I elected to be a team player and join some estranged friends for a couple of trivia night outings at Tavern on 74.  Tavern on 74 has most of the trappings that you'd expect from a bar:  a couple of billiards tables, plenty of TVs fixed on sports channels, trivia and karaoke nights, ATM, and nightly food/drink specials.  Both of my visits were on Mondays, which are trivia nights featuring 35 cent wing specials and a beer special that doesn't concern me.  I've eaten the steak taco, mahi mahi taco, chips & salsa, hamburger, fries, and tater tots.  Most of those are unremarkable, the tater tots being the shining exception.  Many yelpers will try to convince you that The Vortex serves the best tater tots in the Atlanta area, but the tater tots at The Vortex are mediocre.  However, the tater tots at Tavern on 74 are FREAKIN' DELICIOUS!  I can envision myself eating 2 plates of their tater tots and nothing else.  They're that good.

The service at Tavern on 74 is either extremely inconsistent or I was overlooked because I'm not a regular patron.  I expect waitresses to be nice to me, the customer, but I never got the impression that my server was being kind to me; e.g., I had to say "thank you" twice before she acknowledged me, as she ignored me after my initial utterance.  Furthermore, my server would have received a better tip from me if she wore a Braves shirt rather than a Phillies shirt.  Just sayin.'  To be fair, I'd be remiss if I did not mention that the rest of my dinner party were all regulars, they knew the trivia emcee and waitress by name, and they seemingly received better service than I did.  And though our table didn't win the trivia contest, we were all treated to a free round of shots because of how frequently and consistently my estranged friends convene at Tavern on 74.  Again, I don't drink, so mine went to someone else.

Finally, be mindful that parking is surprisingly limited considering how far "outside the perimeter" this place is.  Also, know that the clientele fall somewhere between redneck and suburbia, and though there is nothing wrong with that, I would rather have seen more barflies in my own age range.

So Peachtree City is about a 45-55 minute drive from where I live, and yet I've ventured out that way numerous times for the tacos at Tavern 74.

They are outstanding. 2$ tacos every Tuesday (though I remember when they used to be 1.75$ not too long ago), that come with chips and a nice, spicy salsa. These aren't the classic Spanish tacos, but some kind of American conglomeration of cheese and meat and pico that is surprisingly delicious. I'm pretty sure it's the awesome cheese sauce they use that makes them so good. Why else would I drive almost an hour just for tacos? I would do it every Tuesday if I could, but working and going to school doesn't always permit that. I think they have chicken, steak, shrimp, and a mahi mahi tacos. I've eaten all of them but the shrimp, and find the steak to be the best one.

This is a great little place to hang out with friends, though from what I've seen, a lot of older people are here a lot. This doesn't bother us, as we come to hang out with each other, and not to party with a bunch of college kids. We sit, eat our tacos, drink some 3$ Margaritas, sing some karaoke, play some pool, watch some TV. We get here around 7 or 8, and stay until close, and I always have a great time.

It's a very clean location, and the waiters are pretty attentive to everyone there. The Margaritas generally pack a pretty good punch, and we've never had any issues with wrong food orders, or running out of water for too long.

Where everybody knows your name... Great place to chill, play some pool and have a snack and a drink (or three). It's also probably the only place left on the planet where you can actually smoke a cigarette. Parking can be a pain in the neck, but the fact that they have cabs waiting outside for those who cannot (and should not drive) is pretty awesome.