The Standard

I’m going to explain something to people — I’m the kind of girl who lives for condiments. I can’t have a burger unless I have mayo and/​or mustard. I could never have a salad without dressing. I dip carrots into blue cheese. I only eat chicken tenders if I have bbq sauce, blue cheese, and/​or wing sauce.
So when I get 10 wings and 1 blue cheese? I get kinda cranky. And when I ask for extra blue cheese? I don’t want just one more half full ramekin. And please just listen to your customers when they tell you exactly what they want because I’m done. I’m getting wings somewhere else where I don’t feel like I have to fight with someone to get what I want.
Where’s Kyle when you need him? He listens…

Aaaahh… the good ol’ days of living on Memorial Blvd. 5 – 7 random restaurants to choose from, each displaying their own lil flavor.
My first time hitting the Standard, I didnt make the connection that this was the spot where the waiter/​bartender was murdered in the middle of the night.
I think I finally made the connection after the next couple of times visiting the place and always seeing a cop car sitting outside. Tremendously sad story, but its good to see that the neighborhood still supports this bar.
The drinks here are extremely cheap. I can get my staple cocktail (makers & diet) for like 6 or 7 bucks. This is pretty enticing considering anywhere else in Atlanta I am looking at a $ 9-​$ 10 cocktail (if not more depending on where you go).
This place gets smoky as hell. So for non smokers, it’s important to be prepared. I didnt realize this place used to be a gas station, but this fact definitely adds a bit more charm to the place.
I have only tried the wings here, and they sucked. Undercooked, fatty… gross. However this shouldnt be a barometer for the rest of the food.
Cheap drinks, lots of regulars, decent bartenders… I’d probably go back.

Great place to eat, drink and be merry! The fried okra rocks and the portions are huge! Great beer specials and I’ve always had good service. I highly recommend!

Om nom nom. This place is great. Great space, great food. $ 4 pitchers of High Life on the weekends. A BOCCE BALL court (rawk)! And a great staff.
The brunch is fantastic, the french toast is absolutely decadent. And the Peri Peri chicken sandwich is a great lunch or dinner entrée.

I started thinking about places to eat with my dog and though… why haven’t I tried the Standard yet?
I love anywhere with outdoor seating and a dog friendly atmosphere and this place has both. The guest, employees and managers all gave my dog some love as he hung out on the patio.
Both my husband’s steak sandwich and my pimento BLT were quite good. Not spectacular, but filling and tasty. This place has some interesting goodies on the menu so I will return to try them.
I will also return to test out the newly erected ‘back yard’. The back of the building has been fenced off and equipped with areas for outdoor games (think horseshoes or bocce ball) and lots of rocking chairs, picnic tables, etc. It isn’t open yet but it looks like fun!

Fell up in The Standard looking for somewhere in our hood to grab a bite and a drink. The wings here were pretty good and the service was cool. Really laid back vibe and if you are concerned, there is police presence I guess as a result of the incident. I will try the other menu offerings next time and let you know how they are.
Please note-​you will leave smelling smoky as hell

The peri-​peri chicken sandwich with herb mayo and a brioche bun is simply amazing. I ate every single crumb! Get the salad with it because it comes with field greens, balsmic, marinated carrots, tomatoes, veggies, and a huge piece of chevre. It’s prolly the best salad I’ve had in months. The fries are actually good to though.
They used to have a fantastic tuna salad sandwich, but it’s no longer on the menu.

This was my second trip to the Standard. The first time was a stop on a pub crawl, so I just had a quick drink. This time we ate and lingered after.
I’ll admit I was expecting nothing but greasy dive bar food, but I was glad to be wrong. My baby greens salad with goat cheese was awesome, as were the edamame and hummus. Kathleen’s steak salad smelled and looked awesome. (I haven’t known Kathleen long enough to pull the «Look over there!» trick as I steal food off her plate, but man was I tempted. And this is her only warning.)
Our server was fantastic — knowledgeable, quick, funny, and aces at separating the check even though there was a large group with people drifting in and out. I’ll definitely be back. Especially when it’s warm enough to sit on the patio.
(Anyone worried about the danger in light of the recent tragedy, don’t be. There was plenty of police presence, and Fox News across the street last night.)

I came out to the Standard with a few Unilocalers to show my support for the bar and it’s employees after the tragedy that happened here a couple nights prior. With all of the crime this place has experienced, I was expecting a shoddy dive bar or some place down a shady back alley. Instead I was greeted by a beautiful, warm, and inviting space with wall to wall windows and a great patio out front.
Our server was friendly, quick, and knowledgeable. The beer list certainly had all of my favorites: Hoegaarden, Delirium, even PBR on tap. The menu was a hell of a lot classier than typical bar fare and I had a difficult time deciding on just one thing. I ended up with a flank steak salad with was perfect: well prepared and juicy steak, fresh mixed greens, goat cheese, pecans… yum.
The Standard was a phenomenal place to start out the night, and I most definitely look forward to returning. This is certainly a bar in a neighborhood that’s worth supporting.

Not sure how great it is for me, but they have a nice selection of sandwiches and drafts, salads aren’t bad, but not too many choices. They do have a darn good Pimento Cheese/​Bacon sandwich and I love that they throw a hearty slice of goat cheese on their salads, even the small side salad you get when picking the healthier option over fries :)! Great little stop for mid-​week lunch on Memorial. Check it out!

Not too shabby! Seems like a real relaxed place to come drink with friendly servers with nice indoor and outdoor seating. I came here for dinner, which wasn’t bad but wasn’t anything special.
Might roll up here one weekend for drink.
Also they played great music here.

This is in my neighborhood so I’ve been there a couple of times. Both times the place was packed. I gave it a 2 because the smoke inside the place made the food not so enjoyable. We had the sliders which would have been excellent.
Good if your a smoker, or just want to meet for drinks. I’ll pass and move onto better neighborhood places.

I went to The Standard on a Tuesday night and really liked the chill atmosphere. The music wasn’t playing too loudly, allowing my group to make conversation, although I was pleased to faintly hear Metallica’s «One» at some point.
I’m not a big drinker and rarely can finish a beer but decided to rise to the challenge of sipping an entire brew. At first, I ordered a Red Stripe, but the waitress eventually informed me that they were out of that beverage. So, I opted for a Sweetwater Blue instead. Maybe it was the mellow company, or my relaxed surroundings, or a combination of the two – but I ended up having two Blues: quite a milestone for my little tummy!
I also ate a grouper sandwich, topped with an aioli sauce, lettuce and tomato – quite scrumptious, especially for bar food.
I never like reeking of smoke after I leave bars, but that comes with the territory. I had a pleasant experience at The Standard.

It loses a star for the smokiness, but it’s a nice place. On my visit the bartender was friendly and decided to grab some food at the bar. They had Strongbow on tap. SCORE! :) They had tons of beers on tap which will keep a beerhound pleased. I had a patty melt and enjoyed every bit of it. If I lived nearby I’d no doubt be a regular.

Ok — so its my inaugural review. The Standard recently surprised me with its tasty lunch options. In fact, i found it to be far more enjoyable at the bar when not packed with chain-​smoking drinkers.
I had the Cuban sandwich from the lunch menu on Sunday and was pleasantly surprised. I was also pleased to find that i could substitute fried okra for fries — which in my opinion any good southern boy should do when possible. My friend had the Chicken Gyro which i also understood to be quite tasty (he finished his plate before i got through with my sammy).
My late-​night drinking experiences are pretty varied. Inside the bar/​dining area can be really loud and incredibly smoky despite the two (allegedly functional) air filters. Assuming its warm outside, the side patio, front patio, or little entry nook are better, less poisonous options. Still, I’ll battle the smoke for a tasty late-​night snack like their yummy edamame and boiled peanuts. They serve drinks pretty late, too, and have a great beer selection.
All in all, I’d say tasty food, great (and pretty cheap) beer options, but pretty damn smoky and loud at night. Hit it up if it’s nice out for sure, especially after the other local bars in GP have closed.

The only reason this place doesn’t get 5 full stars, is because of the unavoidable smokiness that comes from allowing smoking. However, that doesn’t totally take away from the greatness this place has going for it.
The place itself is a cute modern little joint, with great art and décor. The parking is a bit shady, but if you can get into the tiny lot, then you won’t have to worry about that.
The food is very good. I have had the chicken gyro several times now, and I will admit that I think about it from time to time… craving the hell out of one! The drinks are good, and reasonably priced. This is a great place to meet friends for dinner.
I will definitely be going to the Standard, and will definitely add it to my «standard» suggestions for eating establishments.

The name may be The Standard, but it’s definitely an above average bar for those SoPo (south of Ponce.) It’s in an old filling station (back when they called them «filling stations»), decked out in dark, hangover friendly colors and low lights. A few flatpanel TVs look down from above. Despite being a corporate sibling to The Universal Joint in Kirkwood, the presence of Cajun-​flavored boiled peanuts on the menu, a clientele with a propensity for ironic facial hair, and the omnipresent haze of cigarette smoke makes The Standard more of The Local II: Electric Bugaloo – the preferred destination for hipsters growing too old to hang at Lenny’s and too lazy to drive to East Atlanta. In other words, it’s perfect for Grant Park.
Attend a show at The Eyedrum, hang out for some beer at The Standard. Down a slider or three (the BBQ ones are better than the burgers.) You can definitely do worse.

Food Network style bar food — impressive.
It was one of those ‘must dine outside’ days. .. so we went to the patio at The Standard.
We had the cornmeal crusted calamari, which comes with a sweet Asian chili sauce — and with a few cornmeal crusted jalapenos thrown in there too. It didn’t stand a chance. Devoured shortly after being delivered to our table. Also speed-​ate the peri peri chicken sandwich.
Other selections were sandwiches, salads and appetizers, and goods on the menu in the ‘I almost ordered’ category included: cheeseburger sliders (mini burgers — anything mini rocks!), edamame (props to the Standard for randomly throwing this on there), and the steak flank sandwich (this cut of meat turns me into a carnivore).
Did I mention that this is in Grant Park? And our waitress was appropriately pierced out? Which leads me to the confusion of the blaring country music that was playing. I absolutely would expect to hear «Don’t Rock the Jukebox» in a suuuthurn meat and three place, but definitely not in this ‘hood. Maybe country is hip now, and I missed the memo.
As for the bar area, on the patio there are great tables that surround the perimeter of the patio, and I can absolutely envision myself cuddling with a pitcher of beer there.
I’m curious as to what the music and vibe is like during the evenings and busier times — and I’ll definitely be recruiting people to come with me to the $ 5 pitchers they have on Tuesdays!

A newer bar opened by the crew who established 97 Estoria, located cattycorner to Oakland Cemetary, in an area where not too many bars have popped up yet. The Standard is clean and nice, and you can tell it just by driving by. They have huge windows that bring a nice atmosphere to both the inner and outer feel of the space. Because their kind of outside the realm of other bars location-​wise, you can usually count on their being plenty of room for a large group to fit in without too much trouble, though that’s not to say you won’t have company. The bar is large and comfortable and has plenty of seating that you can move around to accomodate your group.
The drink/​food prices are reasonable, and the wait staff is more attentive than many other bars of the same ilk that I’ve been in. I go to the Standard when I feel like relaxing and not having too many people in my face. There’s plenty of room to move around, and the patio is always free. Definitely one of the better places in Atlanta for a low-​key, chilled out evening, though if you’re looking to super social you probably won’t find much of the normal hipster crowd in here.
The food here is definitely better than most other bars, and a much wider selection. They have choices to accomodate the vegetarian or the picky eater. Hopefully this place will be the standard (cringe, and excuse the pun) for the rest of the Memorial Ave. area as it continues to expand and upgrade from the ex-​ghetto it used to be.

Located next to the old location of Lenny’s, The Standard is a new bar in a converted grocery store space. The look is modern, which seems almost like an oasis in the midst of convenience stores and industrial buildings on Memorial Drive.
Even though The Standard looks modern with lots of glass, tall ceilings, and local art on the walls, it feels much more relaxed than I expected. It’s extremely loud if you’re there in the evening, they absolutely blast the music. I had to yell to be heard across our table. The crowd didn’t seem any different than what you would find in Cabbagetown or EAV. The menu is still in the opening stage with appetizers and sandwiches as the only major offerings. I tried the peri peri chicken sandwich, which was nice and peppery without being overwhelmingly hot. The service was slow, but I think that will improve as time goes by. All in all, I think The Standard is a nice addition to the area and provides a nice option for people heading to Cabbagetown or Downtown.