The Union Restaurant

Quaint atmosphere. Great service. The hanger steak was very good. The chicken schnitzel with cheesy grits was AMAZING. Would definitely go back just for that.

Everything was good. The staff was friendly and attentive. The place was busy but they got us seated quickly. We had the calamari, I had the gnocchi, and we had the donut and coffee ice cream for dessert.

Meh… been here twice now and the food is just ok. Nothing spectacular. I don’t think I will go out of my way to return. The first time we went with a large group at night and I had shrimp n grits, which was ok, perhaps a bit too salty. The second time I went was for lunch and I had gnocchi. It’s supposed to be one of the favorites, the waitress said. But it was underwhelming. To me the only cool thing about this place is that its in the middle of nowhere suburbia and not in a commercial zone. So in a way it is tucked away. But other than this, no point in going.

One Unilocaler’s comments rang in my ears: «This is not the kind of place you’d travel to get to.» We came from Marietta — not far, but not around the corner — but I told my friends that dinner was their pick, and I was amenable to going wherever they chose.
To my delight, The Union Restaurant was pretty good. T and Peter awarded their shrimp and grits 4.4 stars. (They take the rating system seriously!) My hamburger was cooked practically right. An iota overdone, but not bad. Linda’s meatloaf was deemed ‘okay’ but looked like a dish your kid’s friend’s mother might make at a sleep-​over — nothing you’d get in a restaurant. In the restaurant’s quest to serve crisp vegetables, Linda complained that her accompanying green beans were practically raw.
We sat outside on the patio, which was really pleasant. Particuarly since ‘our kinda music’ — rock from the 70’s — was piped in. Oh yes — and wine! House choice, $ 5 a glass or $ 15 a bottle. Bring on the bottle! And it was good!

I love this place & haven’t had a bad meal here yet. Shared an iceburg wedge salad & salmon BLT sandwich the last time there and I craved having another round of this lunch for days afterward. It is pretty loud inside & I wish they had some way to absorb the sound in their ceiling tiles. love the patio

This place was amazing. I had a Bob’s pizza. I was expecting to take half home but it was so good. Steak salad that my wife had was also top notch. We will be back.

My half took me here for a spontaneous celebratory lunch date to break fast and to just spend some time talking and relaxing over lunch. He’d read the great reviews, so we decided to go there bc of the reviews and buzz.
We arrived and sat near the fireplace. Ambience was so nice and I love that the patio is enclosed with tent walls so that on cold days you can still sit outside if you’d like. We were excited. We ordered the ahí poke and 2 burgers (again based on the hype).
We waited over an hour for our food to arrive. When we arrived there was literally 0 folks in the entire establishment. 0 other than servers. We ordered two burgers medium rare… I don’t get it. We had to get up to ask several times when our food was coming out. The waitress said that she was plating the food now, and it’d be right out. … insert another 20 minutes. My husband normally eats anything. Anytime. He’s the type that will finish food just not to waste it even if he dislikes it. I’ve NEVER seen him turn away even bad food. He sent the burger back. First time since I’ve known him and we’ve been to sime terrible places. They OD on the dijon, so much that my bread tore to pieces and I had to ask for new bread pieces. the ahí was OK, nothing fantastic and the dressing and sesame was too overpowering of the flavor profile. The burgers were a dissapointment. I finished mine, but it lacked seasoning, flavor, and was dry, and Luke warm. I don’t get how you make us wait that long for food in an empty restaurant, and then just say «sorry» don’t ask to right the wrong or anything. I’d expect that to be a concern for this caliber restaurant, but perhaps not. We wouldn’t return here or recommend to neighbors.

/TL;DR It pains me to give this place less than four stars because it’s somewhere I really want to like. However, the price point just seems a bit too high and the food quality a bit too low. This could be everyone’s neighborhood restaurant… if only. I want to like it … a lot. I’ll come back and try again.
/​ATMOSPHERE A unique wall of wine when you walk in, a brick pizza oven, an open kitchen… quaint dining space. Nothing much not to like here.
/​FOOD I had a burger, medium. It showed up dry in the center and not really anything to rave about. The tomato soup was great, though.
/​SERVICE Quaint. Goes with the atmosphere.
HOW TO READ MY REVIEWS:
1 Star — Does not approach edible. Enter at your own risk.
2 Stars — If I’m in the area, I’d pick something else.
3 Stars — I would stop by if I happen to be in the area.
4 Stars — I would pick this place out of other places nearby.
5 Stars — I would go out of my way to dine here.

Hands down the BEST local spot in town. From their drinks to your entrée, everything is delicious.
Great spot for a date, family outing, or relaxing evening.
Menu selection is phenomenal. I have had several of the entrees and have yet to be disappointed. Lately we have been enjoying their salads with chicken or salmon. Food is priced just right.
I would recommend this little cozy spot to anyone.

This is one of those places that is tucked away. While it is not in the middle of everything, it has everything you would ever want! Great good, awesome service and something that you can enjoy as an adult or a family.
My favorite is Grandma’s Sedgwick Spaghetti. It is so tasty and warms you right up. If you get a chance, go. It is well worth it!

Best Shrimp & Grits in Atlanta! Tuna ahi with avocado Appetizer is PERFECTION. Nice bucolic setting.

My wife and I finally had a chance to stop here for lunch, but my wife didn’t really get to enjoy the end of the meal due to slow service. The menu and food were good enough, though, that the incredibly slow service didn’t take it down past four stars!
We had the crab dip, chicken schnitzel, roasted chicken, and the union cookie pie for dessert (well, I had it, my wife will have it when she gets back from work if I can leave it long enough). The crab dip was a huge portion, but was too dairy for me, although I will note that they were generous with the crab meat. The schnitzel was not all that great. The breading got a little burnt, which dried the chicken a little, and the grits that came with it were only okay. The arugula salad that came with both dishes was awesome, though; some of the biggest arugula I’ve ever seen, too! The roasted chicken was phenomenal. It was a leg, a wing, and a breast in one piece but with no breast bone, which made my wife very happy! It came with some herb butter on top, but I removed it since the chicken was already flavorful enough. The potatoes that came with the roasted chicken were also perfectly flavored and cooked. I couldn’t believe how good the dish was altogether, though, since everything paired well with everything else.
The dessert was really good too, although the spoon had some difficulty getting through the crust without making an incredibly loud clink on the plate under it.
If you’re in a rush to get lunch, this isn’t your scene. It seemed to be mostly middle aged women who didn’t appear to have desk jobs to which they had to return, but from the menu and extensive wine and cocktail lists I imagine it’s a different crowd for dinner.

We recently moved to Milton and a local recommended this place. It has been a consistent watering hole for us because of its great food and wonderful service. I think they have the best cheeseburger in Fulton County. They make homemade chips and french fries along with a tempting array of salads and appetizers.
we have never had a bad meal here… The Steak Frites is a must, juicy, tender, served with a fresh arugula salad… awesome!
I can’t recommend this place enough…

I came here while visiting friends in Alpharetta and was a little disappointed. The service was OK, not very attentive, and not very experienced. The house wine is only $ 5 and I had the Chardonnay which was pretty good. I ordered the chicken gnocchi and it started out fine. Then I started to notice a few dark gray/​purplish pieces of meat. It looked a bit like fish… some sort of mystery meat. I asked the server about it and he said it was probably just their dark chicken meat. That was not the best response and I could not eat anymore of the dish. Anyhow, the other dishes were ok. No one was blown away. Probably will not go back.

Three stars is about all I can give this place. We came here a year ago and had a much better experience then.
The first thing out of the waiter’s mouth was, «Oh, I guess I should tell you that we no longer allow customers to bring their own wine.» Bad move. If you took reservations, I would have asked the question and not been bothered with having to show up with a bottle, thinking we could have great wine with dinner. I guess I’ll order Riunite on ice, instead. Yeah; it’s on the menu…
Aside from my first impression being a poor one, the BBQ & Blues chips were very tasty… my favorite part of the meal, in fact. The wedge salad was just that, and edible. The gnocchi, however, was bland and a little dry. This dish begs for a garlicky alfredo sauce, or a tomato cream sauce… anything to spice it up a little. Her chicken parmesan was actually quite good. We took both of our remaining portions home.
The outside table was lovely, due to the weather. I can’t believe that we spent $ 91 + tip on dinner (including drinks) for two. Moscow Mules at $ 9/​each kept my girlfriend happy, while I had to settle for the local Hop Dang Diggity IPA. I would much rather have sipped my lovely Spring Mountain Cabernet and given a 4-​star review. Oh well; at least I know not to make the same mistake again.

One of our favorite local joints.
The bad: Alpharetta jerks who don’t need the handicap parking will use the spot anyway so I have nowhere to unload my wheelchair. The staff turns the tables sideways on the patio so I can’t get through without practically remodeling. This is not only inconvenient, but against the ADA. They need to fix this. Their threshold on their exterior doors (the front door and the side door at the bar) are both so high, I have to pop a wheelie to get through.
The good: The service has been excellent all but one time. We like to eat on the patio. It’s way too loud inside! The patio with the fireplace is peaceful and relaxing.
I always order the crab dip and the Coffee & Donuts. The beignets vary in quality, depending on who prepared them. Sometimes they are New Orleans worthy, and other times they are chewy and a little «meh» but the coffee ice cream is always a home run. I love the goat cheese ravioli.
The wedge salad leaves a lot to be desired. They skimp on the tomato, bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, and dressing. For $ 9, they need to compete with every other restaurant which serves a wedge salad. They serve easily ¹⁄₃ the toppings as other restaurants. The wedge salad cost is low. When we have a bill of $ 160, I would really just like my salad to be on par with the quality of the remainder of the menu.
Despite these few negative things (the biggest issue being the lack of accessibility, I hate feeling unwelcome) we do still like the ambiance and food.
One other issue is booking private parties. I tried to book a party and was told I would get a call back from the manager because they weren’t sure if they could accommodate a party of 25 based on existing reservations. I found another place but on the day of the event, they called and asked where we were. We never got a call from them at all. Needless to say, they just need to work out these kinks.
I gave a 4 for the food and ambiance, but otherwise I would have given a 2.5. There are just too many little issues which add up to a much bigger issue.

Great place. Fantastic outside.
Very nice atmosphere. Very busy in the weekends. Also good lunch place.

Great atmosphere and eclectic design and menu. The Butternut Squash soup is excellent. Burgers are solid and fish is always fresh. First time today, but will repeat.

We are thankful The Union is practically in our backyard. It’s the closest restaurant to the house, so while convenience is a real draw, simple casual food and drink keep us coming back.
Now for the small print. The Union is probably not the kind of place you’d drive way out of your way for. The food is only above average. The service is young and mostly attentive. The ambiance is country-​hippie-​industrial and clean. I’d bet you’d never regret coming to the Union for lunch or dinner, but you’ll never say that your experience there was memorable either.
Maybe I am being a little harsh for such a cute, out of the way place that does a decent job with food and service. And generally I am a supporter of the restaurant in an accepting, overlook-​this-​and-​that kind of way. I’ve held off for quite a while in writing a review for The Union because I wanted to be fair, but an experience we had last night kinda summed up the decidedly average experience you will have at the place.
Wednesday night. 8 PM. 3 diners at our table. The place is 80% full. Food is good. Service is typical, but I knocked over a nearly full glass of wine at the cramped table. Hey, it was a $ 15 glass of Krug. No big deal. The server comes over and offers some napkins and club soda for cleanup. Cool. We got this. She comes back after about 3 minutes, and I ask to get another glass of wine. (She hadn’t offered immediately after the mishap.) She politely but directly says, «You know, we don’t comp for spilled glasses of wine.» Hmmm. I get it. My bad. I’ll pay $ 30 for one glass of wine in exchange for my clumsy hands on your cramped table. It’s just a little telling of the less than exceed-​your-​expectations kind of hospitality. I won’t cry over it, and it’s not going to break the bank. It was just the point of the matter and the bluntness of the server.
So, keeping it real here folks, a disappointing 3 stars for The Union though I have really wanted to rate this nearby wanna-​be much higher.

I came here with some friends on a weekday evening. The small restaurant was packed even on Thursday night. It was still completely full even when we left at close to 10pm. The restaurant must be doing something right to have those types of crowds.
Our server was friendly and efficient, and he did a great job handling our very large group.
I ordered the goat cheese ravioli which was very good. Then again, I’m obsessed with goat cheese and will like almost any dish that has it. I just wish there was more food in the dish as I was still hungry when I finished.
The only negative is the parking situation. It’s a small lot that fills quickly. I parked in some dirt lot area up a hill. It rained while I was at the restaurant which turned the dirt into thick mud. Thankfully my SUV has AWD otherwise I probably would’ve needed a tow truck.