Vickery’s Midtown to close
Vic
kery’s Bar & Grill – a Midtown mainstay for more than 27 years — will close its doors after New Year’s Eve, according to a press release from its owners, the NightCap Food & Spirits restaurant group.
“Serving a simple menu and strong drinks, Vickery’s quickly became a favorite among Atlantans young and old, gay and straight, blue blooded and blue collared. Starving artists rubbed elbows with Atlanta’s powerful elite,” the release read in part.
Other restaurants in the group include Fontaine’s Oyster House, Steamhouse Lounge and the Vickery’s in Glenwood Park, which will remain open.
I used to enjoy Vickery’s for a burger and a beer once in a while but haven’t been in years. Still, it feels like another small chapter in Atlanta restaurant history closing — the last vestige of Midtown’s boho past.
accessAtlanta Partner Sites
Sections
Advertise on accessAtlanta.com »
Reach the audience you want by advertising on accessAtlanta.com
Join the Access Atlanta Network »
Advertisers and Publishers, expand your reach by joining the Access Atlanta Network.
Tell us what you think about the site
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement | About our ads
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
125 comments Add your comment
FEAR
November 29th, 2010
2:17 pm
Atlanta is such a dump.
Da Mick
November 29th, 2010
2:19 pm
The wonderful soul of the Atlanta I knew and loved has been all but snuffed out for some time now. Still, this is just one more stick in the eye. Sadly, like you John, I haven’t been to Vickery’s in some time.
It would have been nice to get the backstory on why it’s closing though, especially since the other restaurants in the group are to remain open.
Peter
November 29th, 2010
2:23 pm
I went there allot before Front Page News was a hit……. When I went back to Victery’s for the last time years ago, the food was awful. I am not surprised by the closing.
Vickery’s Midtown to close | CookingPlanet
November 29th, 2010
2:25 pm
[...] Restaurants : Vickery’s Midtown to close [...]
joe
November 29th, 2010
2:27 pm
John, its fair to say because you, Mick and many others have not been there “in years,” that’s a good indication of why they are closing. That, and suspect food. Steamhouse rocks, BTW!!
Glory Glory
November 29th, 2010
2:27 pm
I had my first legal drink at Vickery’s back in 2004.
But more importantly…..
(((((42-34))))) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
GaDawgman
November 29th, 2010
2:35 pm
To Glory Glory
That’s right !!!!! GO DAWGS WOOF,WOOF,WOOF , SIC’EM…….
Mikey
November 29th, 2010
2:36 pm
Vickery’s was a longtime favorite for me. It will be missed.
Ed
November 29th, 2010
2:36 pm
I’m really surprised it lasted so long because the food and service were both awful. I’m sure that Atlanta will come up with yet another mediocre restaurant to occupy the space. Even better, what about another douche bag hangout like Flip Flops?
Fred
November 29th, 2010
2:39 pm
“I used to enjoy Vickery’s for a burger and a beer once in a while but haven’t been in years.”
- Which is why they are going out of business………….
Always Hungry
November 29th, 2010
2:41 pm
I think the Dawg fans are commenting on the wrong story…or are they just ignorant??? Wow, a 6-6 season is really something to brag about.
Atlanta Derek
November 29th, 2010
2:43 pm
your the Douche Bag just for saying that; Atlanta’s bar scene was built on casual bars like Flip Flops, we have plenty of stuffy bars/restaurants…so that youthful, energetic loud place needs to expand….
tiffany
November 29th, 2010
2:43 pm
not surprised. the last time i visited vickery’s midtown, the food had gone downhill… or maybe it’s that so many other, better restaurants opened in that time that vickery’s doesn’t feel fresh any more. i will miss their cocktails though. best drink value in town.
Buffy
November 29th, 2010
2:45 pm
Yes, my first visit I took a date to Vickerys in 1983 at the recommendation of a friend. Always liked the way it transformed nightly from low key eatery to , lets say, very interesting crowd after hours. Last there in about 2004, got robbed behind the restaurant on the way to my car (valet no less), with a date………….there you have it. The mid town thugs have ruined any idea I have of dinner on or near Cresent Ave. Bunch of low life boons. They will rob or shoot you for 20 bucks. Its sad.
Sam
November 29th, 2010
2:58 pm
Such a great spot – wonderful memories of MANY after work drinks (and snacks) back in my restaurant days. I still make it occasionally, but what keeps me from the area in general is the horrible parking situation!
joe
November 29th, 2010
3:00 pm
Orchestra Pit, Acme, CJ’s Landing, Lu Lu’s Baitshack, $3 Cafe…those were the days!
Old Atlantan
November 29th, 2010
3:03 pm
It doesn’t sound like anyone has eaten there in a long time. I’ve never heard of it.
DKNATL
November 29th, 2010
3:06 pm
I think Buffy is showing her age but she left out the Beer Mug!!!
Tequila Mockingbird
November 29th, 2010
3:07 pm
So sad to lose an Atlanta staple from years back. Been there a couple of times during the past 6 months. Food was okay, and service was good. Black & Blue salad is a consistent favorite, but the fries with pepper gravy will be missed. Seems the street repairs in front of the restaurant have been an obstacle to get into the front door for too too long. Perhaps that helped add it its demise? Anyone know for sure?
TPM
November 29th, 2010
3:07 pm
It is a great neighborhood to get robbed at gun point.
BPJ
November 29th, 2010
3:07 pm
I see the Atlanta-bashers are out today. Atlanta must be so awful; restaurants never close in other cities (especially not longtime neighborhood favorites which have declined in recent years).
Seriously, there are a lot more good options in Midtown (where I live) nowadays. Tamarind, Tierra, Empire State South, TAP, Table 1280, and Flying Biscuit are all worth a visit.
M. Johnson
November 29th, 2010
3:09 pm
I am a fan of the Glenwood Park location. It’s a great spot for Sunday brunch or a quiet meal. Sorry that the Midtown spot didn’t make it, but I will admit that the scene was a bit too busy for me.
Also, Steamhouse Lounge is awesome. All the best to this company for their commitment to Atlanta.
crabapplejoe
November 29th, 2010
3:10 pm
Lots of fond memories of Vickery’s…..it opened in 1983, the same year I started a law firm in Colony Square…we could see the neon “Vickery’s” sign from our office. Had many a “partnership meeting” there and my first date with my wife. The Cuban Lawn Parties were great until the city shut it down!
Tweets that mention Vickery's Bar & Grill to close | Food and More with John Kessler -- Topsy.com
November 29th, 2010
3:12 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by L.A., Tyler Lynch, Fire PARKatlanta, Brian O'Shea, Matthew Ficken and others. Matthew Ficken said: Nothing Good Lasts… Vickery’s Midtown to close: http://t.co/c0emsly [...]
findawg
November 29th, 2010
3:13 pm
everybody’s pizza in the highlands is closing, sad day! Life goes on, but i’ll miss the taps and the peeps…
DT
November 29th, 2010
3:14 pm
Atlanta is going to follow Detroit soon and I am blaming all of these conservatives here for its downfall. Atlanta was a thriving and progressive city but they have manage to choke the life out of it. And now they are scrambling and can’t understand why our city is losing so much money.
Atlanta was a haven for young people that offered entertainment and nightlife, but then they shut down Buckhead and all of the nightclubs. Built Condos everywhere which no one buys. They missed the point that people can here for the entertainment it had to offer but once you killed it what made you think people would move here and buy all of these condos?????
Now with ParkAtlanta terrorizing everybody. I have absolutely NO reason to come to Midtown or Downtown Atlanta only for work other than that I won’t step foot into it. That’s why Atlanta is losing it footing. Atlanta overall just turned into a dump and I guess it will continue do so. I am glad I live in Sandy Springs, I have everything I need. Good Riddance Atlanta!
Mark
November 29th, 2010
3:14 pm
Vickery’s, the Gallus,Capo’s, Micks (the orginal one) all gone. The areas has lost what was so attractive..off-beat, fun, ecletic, neighborhood eateries. They have been replaced by commercial places trying too hard to create an atmoshpere that has long left midtown.
Did I mention we had very little serious crime back then?
BRAVERY
November 29th, 2010
3:15 pm
FEAR — I-95 runs north and south, but if you need further directions on how to leave Atlanta, let me know.
MiamiCane
November 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
@Always Hungry- I completely agree… Why do UGA fans always have to find a way to turn everything into a pep rally? No one cares about a team with a 6-6 record.
dean
November 29th, 2010
3:17 pm
Lewis died. Hudspeth left for an enchanted place. Bisher retired. Clayton County is now a dangerous dump. Dekalb County is now a dangerous dump. Rockdale County is now a dangerous dump. Carroll County is becoming a dangerous dump.
“Atlanta. The city too busy to hate.” Not so true anymore.
I’m glad I got out when the getting was good.
LOL
November 29th, 2010
3:19 pm
DT…
1. Atlanta is not following “Detroit”.
2. There are still lots of great places to go in the city and if someplace closes, it usually gets replaced with something else.
3. If you people loved Vickery’s so much, why haven’t you been in years?
4. The only thing I agree with you on DT is that the conservatives here are morons.
WTF
November 29th, 2010
3:20 pm
I could have sworn that Midtown was dangerous and full of prositutes and drug addicts? What was so great about it before? A couple of “cool” restaurants?
Frank
November 29th, 2010
3:20 pm
It shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s closing because no one has been back in years. Look on the bright side, another open space for another burger joint! YEAH better jump on it. Sooooo excited for more GF burger options.
Flying Biscuit worth a visit? Sure, pick any of the 250 (proposed) locations. There’s a lot of them in the burbs… And just as southern mom and pop as you can get. Love them rock hard biscuits.
Every Thursday Night is Ladie's Night!
November 29th, 2010
3:21 pm
CJ’s Landing, Lu Lu’s Baitshack, $3 Cafe, Charlie Magruders, Good ol Days — oh lord, y’all are making me ill with 80s-90s nostalgia overload. I certainly didn’t make any memories worth keeping at those places myself, but I respect that a lot of people had good times there.
Those were part of a different breed of nightlife places for a different kind of scene that doesn’t exist here anymore. The Atlanta of that era had it’s charms, but new generations and different trends demand new hangouts. Incidentally, if you feel like stepping into a time warp back to the circa-1990 Atlanta bar scene just for fun, make a road trip to downtown Augusta, GA on a Friday night.
Tim F
November 29th, 2010
3:21 pm
I did a lot of business with Vickery’s in the late 80’s and always found the owners to be sound, professional business people. Sorry to see it go. NNNW Corp!
Cleo
November 29th, 2010
3:21 pm
There’s a couple of things converging here:
1) the economy
2) the tendency for a lot of older restaurants to get set in their ways, never rework the menu, never remodel, never shake up the staff, never do promotions, events or much advertising.
3) restaurant goers (esp in Atlanta) always moving on to the newest grazing grounds.
Restaurants, especially older established ones, occasionally just need to shake off the dust and close for a couple of weeks, remodel, rework the menu, retrain staff and stage a reopening.
Midtowner
November 29th, 2010
3:23 pm
Oh well, looking forward to something new and better! If it was so great all of you whiners should have frequented it more often!
Tweets that mention Vickery's Bar & Grill to close | Food and More with John Kessler -- Topsy.com
November 29th, 2010
3:25 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by jbrotherlove, AtlantaDining, webinista, Melinda, alli royce soble and others. alli royce soble said: RT @AJCFoodandMore: Vickery’s Midtown to close http://bit.ly/fTZq01 [...]
Paul From Milton
November 29th, 2010
3:25 pm
A lot of angry, anonymous people on here today. I would hate to live a life full of hate. It seems so limiting. RIP Vickery’s.
Bob from Accounttemps
November 29th, 2010
3:26 pm
Lots of new eateries in the vicinity have clearly taken their bite (including Noon, Ra and yet another new Mexican/Taco place). Personally, I always get it confused with Front Page News since they both seem pretty similar. Sorry to see them go.
FEAR
November 29th, 2010
3:26 pm
@BRAVERY – I wasn’t aware that I-95 came anywhere near Atlanta. Perhaps your Ag school education failed to cover basic map reading skills?
In the Know
November 29th, 2010
3:29 pm
DT, you must have the dt’s if you think conservatives “shut down Buckhead”. The thugs who moved in from southside and downtown and turned it into “hip hop murder and mugging central”, scaring away the people who made it into a great entertainment area are the ones who “shut down Buckhead”. Don’t think there were too many conservatives in that group.
surfrider
November 29th, 2010
3:29 pm
The best black bean soup in town plus great burgers and good service at a reasonable price. Hard to find anywhere nowadays.
rufus
November 29th, 2010
3:31 pm
Lets see who really goes back…Clarence Fosters. Claibornes? Awesome.
And of course someone has to blame George Bush for Vickerys closing. How is life on that planet I wonder.
longtime here
November 29th, 2010
3:34 pm
Remember the Crossroads Restaurant? Long ago, it was one of the few places you could get a beer or a drink on Sunday in Atlanta, let alone outside the city (the perimeter highway was just being built).
Atlanta’s long time growth is really about the lifestyle and the plentiful jobs for the under thirty set. Its true, the city leaders wanted to take the party lifestyle out of Buckhead. Which they have accomplished. Its also now true that bars and entertainment are available every where in the metro area. So, there isn’t really going to be any one place, anymore.
joe
November 29th, 2010
3:35 pm
@ DT…to further what In The Know said (spot on BTW), The city of Atlanta is run by some of the most liberal people on earth, so blame them for all the corruption, crime, etc. Conservatives haven’t had the run of Atlanta in some 40-50 years, so get your facts straight.
FEAR MONGER
November 29th, 2010
3:37 pm
My family and I ate a Vickery’s two weeks ago. Food was OK, service was very good. Street and sidewalk construction were a major hassle. And for people scared of Midtown because of crime, I’ve worked and lived downtown and in Midtown for 30 years and never had a problem. I guess the bad guys can smell FEAR coming.
ATL
November 29th, 2010
3:38 pm
Vickery’s was another old line restaurant long past its prime–
though it lives on at other locations…
As for Atlanta… the city proper that is– it seems to be thriving, over 120,000 new residents in the last 9 years or so… facts are facts…
and as for those ‘moronic conservatives’— well that I couldn’t agree more–
and many of them are Atlanta ‘haters’… Well at least that keeps the small minded away from the city proper…
ATLL
November 29th, 2010
3:39 pm
What about Bell Bottoms – that was the best place in Buckhead. Seriously, Atlanta really is a horrible city. Mayor Reed is focused on prescription drug discounts instead of managing our issues. Atlanta is a sad, sad excuse for a ‘big city’.
DaTruth
November 29th, 2010
3:44 pm
Didn’t that Vickery’s location pretty much start that entire crescent ave. restaurant / bar scene?