My Parents’ Basement

I visited My Parent’s Basement (MPB) for a friend’s birthday. We had a large group and sat on the patio. The patio is one of the things I loved most about MPB, and I plan to come back in the summer and chill on that patio with a daquiri.
I specifically mention the daquiri because they make a traditional version with rum, lime juice and simple syrup, i.e. my favorite version. It was very tasty and I had two. They also have a decent beer menu per my beer-​drinking friends.
All of the food that was ordered looked good and everyone said their food was okay. No one raved over anything but no one gave anything a thumbs down either. I ordered the pimento cheese bread which was tasty because when is melted cheese not, but it was not what I expected. I’d expected a toasted cheese spread but it looked more like shredded cheddar with pimentos tossed in; it tasted like that too. I also ordered the Tetris tots (tater tots shaped like Tetris pieces); they were good because they are fried potatoes but they weren’t very crunchy. I also ordered the ice cream sandwich for dessert thinking they would at least have a local brand since it cost $ 3, but it was Blue Bunny, and it was old; there was some weird carmelization around the bar and it was pretty gross looking, so I didn’t eat it. They could have at least gone local with some Atomic.
My biggest issue with the menu was how all-​over-​the-​place it is — breakfast sandwich, peanut butter and jelly, bahn mi, cheeseburger, etc. I think that’s why it’s all so average; they are trying to appeal to too many people. It was really hard to figure out what to eat; I wouldn’t come back here for the food alone.
The bar itself looks like a traditional pub-​style bar with the exception of the comic book area. If I were into comic books, I’d love it. As such, I love the idea and execution of it. There are also a few video games to entertain yourself if you’re looking to hang out a while.
Overall, I didn’t love MPB, but I liked it well enough to consider coming back, grabbing a cocktail and relaxing on the patio.
Unilocal 100 #10

Second visit here in this incarnation. After passing by several other beer joints on the way here that appeared to be quite crowded, I worried that early Friday evening just wasn’t going to work for me. But My Parent’s Basement was a bit dead, which is actually what I wanted at the time. Found a nice corner spot at the bar. I’m sure their business picked up later.
Banh mi sandwich — large, meaty. Not as good as what you’ll find with more traditional versions but not bad. I added a liberal about of sriracha, which apparently a lot of people do according to the bartender. The chef might take a hint from that.
Mac & cheese — interesting and very good take on the southern classic. Recommended.
Good service. Again.

Awesome spot for the geeky folks that want to drink and mingle. Trivia night is great and large selection of alcohol too! Food, however, could be a bit better but it’s decent.

Listen I came to the bar at a slow time, but I had the chance to get to know the staff, play a few games, drink a few beers, have something to eat, and shoot the sh*t. Great bar!!! The «Toasted CBJB»!!! Is a must get for a sweet tooth.

It’s kind of dark down here a little bit wet and cold as well but all in all I think it’s a good place and let you know when I can shine a light on things

What a cool concept. Loved the comic book section, vintage arcade games and friendly staff. You can also borrow board games to play at your table!
Our waitress couldn’t have been nicer. She really made our experience. I wish I got her name, she had long brown hair with a few purple strands in the back. Fantastic waitress!
I got the kimcheese and mustard greens. The greens were very good — well seasoned and just homey goodness. My husband loved the kimcheese but I felt it was missing an element.
Great experience overall, we will be back!

This is my second time here and both experiences have been very good. They have a small free arcade, friendly staff, and tasty food. Both times we have been here for brunch but the menu for lunch is also available. They have a very small menu but what we have eaten has been very good and there’s enough of a selection for everyone to find something they want. Their patio is huge and I love sitting outside. I definitely recommend it!

I am a newly minted MPB fan — I have eaten with friends and family on 2 occasions. I had read mixed reviews so honestly wasn’t expecting much from the food.
It is a great place outside — inside it’s James Joyce with brighter lighting & comic books. Very family friendly, kids wander in & out and all around and no sneers here from patrons or staff.
Very comfortable and casual place to hang out for a drink or 2.
The food — I like a well cooked burger, I asked for it and I got it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. But MPB’s piece de resistance is the cashew butter, jam and bacon grilled sandwich. It was so big I shared half with my girlfriends and all thought it divine and they are right. I adore bacon, PBJ not so much but put’em together and you’ve got a dessert/​snack that pleases mightily.
Now about that burger, hubs also ordered burger but asked for medium … And got well done. Me happy, him less so but he enjoyed his emergency beer enough to let it slide.
Fries are just ok and I would LOVE (even Lays) potato chips with that CBB&J!

Do NOT come for the food. Come from the games and comics. And perhaps the beer — I don’t drink beer so I can’t say. My friend recently held a board game event here. I was very excited to hang out and play and was curious about how the food would hold up. They didn’t want our group indoors so were sent off to the patio. Since it was a cool and rainy day, I wasn’t so happy about that. And it wasn’t like they were super busy so we didn’t really understand. We were able to move some tables together so that was good. I ordered a burger and boy was that disappointing. It was like they took a frozen burger patty, didn’t season it at all, and slapped the sandwich together. It looked much better than it tasted. My friend had some fancy PB&J sandwich that she let me taste. Didn’t like that either. C’est la vie. If I come back, I will be loading up on food beforehand.

Great concept of comic book store with great burgers and craft beers.
They have a fun staff led by manager Kelly.
The crowd was pretty festive that day as well.
Definitely worth a visit.
Check it out!

My friends and I were eagerly awaiting the opening of this place. Comics. Beer. Food. In a great location. We went in the first week it was open. We had the Philly cheesesteak and the breakfast sandwich and a few beers. This place is a good option for Avondale Estates. You can stop in for a quick bite, a drink (great selection), and peruse the comics. There is more than enough to recommend it though we have to admit we were hoping for more. Seems like the interior could do more with the comics theme, it feels like they put a couple of clever posters up in a sports bar. But this is a complaint reflecting our hopes rather than the solid option they offered.
In sum: a great place to walk to and get a frosty beverage and a comic or two.

Oh yes! We finally went in after driving past several times and boy! were we in geek heaven!
The comic book section is in the locale of the tables and booths on the right-​hand side of the door as you walk in, and they look really cool. I’ve never been a comic book fan since the art kind of freaks me out (so do weeping angels), but they have a great selection of Animé/​Janga, Star Wars in plastic sleeves, Wolverine, Thor, and Captain America. Great huge big stacks. Me thinks that I should bring a book in here, a good sci-​fi book (Neil Gaiman, anyone?) on a lazy afternoon and just enjoy a book and a snack.
So what about the food and beverage, you ask? They were tasty! The server brought me a taste of a *local* cider (the beer page has «made here» and «not made here») and she said she likes it as a Black Velvet Band. And with the Guinness, it was delicious. The Guinness cuts the sweetness of the cider and both are eminently drinkable. Then she was kind enough at the end of the meal to bring me a taste of another local brew, and I had a half-​pint to wrap up the evening.
The black-​eyed pea hummus was fantastic — served with bright, fresh vegetables and some lightly toasted French bread slices. It was my first time sampling black-​eyed pea hummus, and I gotta say: it’s a lot less intense than its sesame/​tahini cousin.
DH had the Cheez-​Wiz Philly sandwich (I kid you not — apparently folks in Philly have either real cheese or Cheez-​Wiz) with some good fries, and I had the CBJB: cashew butter and strawberry jam sandwich with local Pine Street bacon. She was right — it was crack. The side, Farro grain, had bell peppers in it, and in any quantity they are too much. But the grain was cooked well and I wanted to taste it so I finished most of it.
Definitely they are making their way with keeping costs low with a limited (though good) sandwich and small plate menu, and keeping their beers up to snuff.
One suggestion — mac and cheese? It’s definitely a geek comfort food.

You can find My Parents’ Basement at 22 N. Avondale Road, Avondale Estates, GA 30 002 across from the Agnes Scott campus but further East — the business occupies the same building that formerly housed the very good James Joyce pub (and wasn’t it the original location of Avondale Pizza before the moved across the street and West?).
I don’t quite remember who first told me about the restaurant, it was either a neighbor or Clay Croker, in any case I hit the restaurant around One-​ish — the restaurant was busy but not full. I parked to the left of the building and took a couple of snaps before entering. The exterior has a large patio where you can sit and be loud if that’s your style.
The interior is finished in dark woods (left-​over from James Joyce) with a large bar to the left, filled with tap handles. To the right is the attended comic-​book section, with a counter on the entry-​wall. Tables are scattered about — I headed to the bar since I was my myself after taking a quick walk through the comic book area. The comics are in long boxes on the right while an expansive selection of trades are in upright shelves. Behind the comics are a small assortment of stand-​up video games — I spotted Centipede and three others (one prominently labeled «Nintendo»).
Seated at the bar, I took-​a-​look at a single page food menu and several pages of craft draft and bottled beer — the back page held a short wine and spirits list — this is a full bar though it may have a limited selection of hard-​spirits (at least a large selection wasn’t evident). There are comic book and related geeky items on the walls, including what appeared to be an 18″ Kenner Alien behind the bar. I was already enjoying myself and hadn’t ordered a thing! Looking over the menu I went with the most excellent Cherry Street Chief Sawnee’s Stash Coconut Porter — if you haven’t tried this delicious brew yet from this brewery in Cumming Georgia, you’re really missing out. Simply delicious.
Continuing with the menu, which thematically seems to hold those concoctions you might envision while living in your parents’ basement (get it?), I spied the Grilled Kimcheese (Kimchee Grilled Cheese) — well there’s something you don’t see every day? I asked about the seasonal veggies — roasted okra for the win! I decided to go with the single draft and a snack before hitting Palookaville and a boozy shake — great plan, right?
The Grilled Kimcheese was excellent — the perfect combination of fermented spicy cabbage and yellow cheese on buttery pan-​seared sourdough with the side of okra. Between the porter, the sandwich and the okra, I’m not too sure what was best but the combination really rocked.
I started up a conversation with an elderly couple next to me and found that they were really enjoying themselves also, having drafts, the Kimcheese and a few sides. I hope to be as spry and willing to try something different when I approach that age. Nothing like great conversation and good food to make a sleepy weekend into something special.
(longer version with inline photos on my food blog)

I think most of the negative experiences folks have had here have been caused by the growing pains of a brand-​new place. I’ve been to MPB a number of times, and they are constantly their recipes and making improvements. I was there during their first week, and the place was insanely packed. There were hiccups then, but they’ve gotten much better.
Things to love:
1. Of course, the concept. Combination comic shop and bar. There’s comic art on the walls. They sell board games. They have a free arcade cabinet with an emulator for a ton of game systems like Playstation, Sega, NES, etc. There is cornhole on the patio.
2. The beer. These guys are also involved with Wild Heaven brewery down the street. They feature local beers and tons of others on draft, and the taps wrap all the way around the bar.
3. Vegetarian food offerings.
4. Creative menu. A lot of the reviews complain about the food, but for one: this is mostly a comic shop and a beer bar that also has bar food. Don’t expect gourmet. Two: The food they do have really is creative. Waffles with chicken in the batter. Wild mushroom grinder with crème fraîche. Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich for dinner.
So that’s it. Geeky stuff and beer and nerds. Pretty much all I want in a neighborhood bar.

With a great name, comes great responsibility.
We went back at lunch today to give this place a second chance it it was a total let down. The kimchi grilled cheese had so little cheese and kimchi on it that I actually had to open the sandwich and check it (and $ 10??).
My friend had the burger and it looked like it was straight out of a college cafeteria. Hockey puck sized burger, precut slice of square cheese, sliver of tomato and iceberg ($ 11??).
This was one of the worst lunches I’ve had in a long time. I really hate to say how bad this place it because it’s a great idea and they have some nice décor, but the food is terrible and us nerds are old enough to not have to put up with crap food any more. Try Illegal Food, Elder Tree, or even U-​Joint for better food and just bring your own comic books.

My amazing husband, always one for mixing things up decided to swing into My Parent’s Basement. Like many, I was intrigued by the concept. Kinda. Well, okay not really.
Any-​who, we sat ourselves (in keeping with the lack of service to follow). And waited. Then we waited some more. Still waiting. Aaaaand waiting. I snickered as I looked around and noticed… NO ONE ELSE IN THE PLACE HAD ANY FOOD IN FRONT OF THEM. I think it was at that point that we decided we were in it for the amusement factor. That was my survival tactic at any rate. It was on.
What appeared to be the LONE wait-​staffer, wandered in aimless flight– silent, thoughtful, moving on the fringes of reality.
Finally, the bartender came out and started bussing tables, and, lucky for us taking orders!
For the small investment of $ 12, I would soon be the proud owner of a cheese-​steak sandwich.
Well, not SOON, exactly… but ultimately.
I held out hope. I was hungry, and am an optimist in general. I was also super excited, because the sandwich touts Cheez Whiz! Buddy, I love cheese whiz. Always have.
What arrived was some sincerely nice fries. I can make ‘em just like that.
But the sandwich…
Friends, I don’t know where to begin so I will start with the cold bun.
Yeah, cold.
Also soaked with steak grease. And really nothing else. Not bad steak, I guess. I could fry up some steak ‘ums myself and pair it with a warm bun and already be well ahead of the game.
What had kept me going this whole time was the promise of Cheez Whiz.
Check it… I KNOW the taste of that liquid gold chemical-​laden invention and THIS was not THAT.
At first, I thought it was just that there wasn’t enough on there. So I ordered more. And yeah… you know that cheese that they serve over circular nachos at the Brave’s game? Pretty sure this was some iteration of that.
Now, I did have fun mind you; just not for the reasons a restaurant owner HOPES that you will have fun.
My husband is great company and the fries kept me from the hangries. We’re not poor, so the $ 12 is totes NBD. I am just sad because no one deserves a fail this epic unless they are REALLY bad people.
And they probably aren’t.

I immediately fell in love with this place. Yeah, I miss the old James Joyce, but this is a nice successor. I arrived early, and found Tim (one of the owners) behind the bar. He was handily taking care of business. As of this writing, they’ve only been in business one week. I think they’re already knocking it out of the park.
First of all, the people. They’re great. Smiles all around, even if you can tell everyone wants to be doing well as the place debuts. Tim was being pulled in one-​hundred different directions, but that didn’t stop him from taking really good care of us, offering samples of things on tap, and making sure everything was right with our meal.
Speaking of food, I really like this menu. Small and accessible. Some good ol’ favorites combined with some innovations that are sure to please. Our meal started with some crunchy black-​eyed peas. BBQ (next time we’ll try the curry). They had a slight afterburn. Tasty and crunchy. Then I had the Mushroom Grinder with a side of the Fennel & Carrot slaw. The slaw was just as good as the sandwich, and the sandwich was really freakin’ good. My friend had the Grilled Kimcheese sandwich and made the whole thing disappear. She raved about it briefly, indicating the kimchee wasn’t that pungent and that it balanced off the cheese. But she didn’t seem to appreciate the Farro bowl as much as I liked my slaw.
As all this food stuff was happening, Tim gave us samples of some of the stuff on tap. They have something like 30-​ish taps. Get this: they have cold-​pressed coffee on tap. Yeah. AND they have Red Hare Root Beer and Monday Night Ginger Soda. And then there are all the actual adult beverages… I sampled something called a Necromangocon. It’s a mead made with mango. Delicious. Tasted a bit like muscadine.
Lastly, the cashew butter cookie was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Maybe I’m just overreacting to the brief splurge on a sugary treat, but I feel that if I were to put this cookie on my head, my tongue would beat my brains out to get to it.
You know what’s missing from this review? The idea that My Parent’s Basement is also a comic shop. Now that my meal is finished, I’m going to go talk to Dani in the comics area and maybe do some shopping. Holler if you’re coming with.

I’m fighting with this rating.
On the one hand, we really didn’t enjoy our first visit. On the other, they did just open and have plenty of time to improve. We do plan on returning in a few weeks/​months (if they make it) and seeing what sort of changes they implement, so I really hope to change my review. I’d love for this place to succeed.
Pros: Awesome tap list. Great décor. Fun game selection.
Cons: Terrible employee attitude. I said this on reddit, but it was like walking in to a party you weren’t invited to. Employees and servers seemed annoyed when you spoke to them. Service was slow. Retail counter was actively rude and told us to «just hurry up». There was no one else in line. Most employees were more about talking and laughing with themselves (and seemingly a few select patrons that they knew personally) then handling the majority of tables. Also were never actually greeted on entering. Hopefully a change of employees happens soon.
Food was mediocre. My cheese steak was soggy and bland, my fiances kimcheese looked nice but had an extremely bland taste. Both were on the cool side when they finally got to us.
All in all, a HUGE misfire. The owners on reddit seem determined to make it work, though, so hopefully changes will be made. Right now, with The Porter and Brick Store so close, with better food and similar (and sometimes better) beer, along with Battle and Brew with decent stuff plus the gaming theme, there just isn’t a real reason to pick MPB. I hope things change though, and will eventually give them another fair shake.

Pros: Comics and Beer
Cons:
So we arrived and first had to seat ourselves AND get our own menus. (strike 1)
Next, our server although bubbly and helpful, took our order, she was NOT our actual server, he came later and they said «oh we never know anything about whos gets what table» then he became our server (strike ²⁄₃) in the same fiasco he was getting us a couple of menus and going to take our order (didnt we just do that?) he said «cool» and ran inside 5 – 10 min later he came running out and BLAMED the first server for not putting in our food and they were putting a rush on it. (suggesting he just put it in)…FOOD finally! We get our food and my burger was TOTALLY over cooked (i asked for med rare) i had 3 bites and lost interest. My friend asked for Medium and his was WELL.
I sent mine back and didnt ask for another thing but management came out and tried 2 appeasement tactics. (a cookie/​some blackeye peas that were the only decent thing) we got 9 bucks off our tab but frankly im giving this 2 stars because the 2 servers were friendly. This seems like a lack of management especially at the pass making sure food goes out properly.

Can’t WAIT for this place to really open! I went to a soft-​opening and OH MY GAWD! Pimento cheese! Cashew butter, Strawberry Jelly and Bacon sandwich? Yes, please!
Comic books and nerd culture is everywhere, but please don’t let that hold you back if you’re not into that sort of thing. The ambiance and friendly staff is worth the visit alone!
Great beer selection… I’ve heard that the same guy who did all the beer for Brick Store and Leon’s is one of the owners so be prepared for amazing, rare brews to grace their presence in this place.
All in all, super friendly folks, great food and good atmosphere. LOVE THIS CONCEPT!