The Crafty Hog

I came for a private event held in the back room, which is huge I might add. Fully stocked bar with bartenders working your event. The food was fantastic, I had bbq with Mac & Cheese.
During another experience, I came with a friend and we sat at the regular bar. Service was unusually slow and wine was more expensive than other bars in the area.
All and all, will return.

Great food BUT, the service will keep you away. Slow, slow, slow and the staff has little clue of what they are doing. We were there tonight and there were 4 tables in the dining room being waited in. We had to go to the bar to order drinks and had to ask repeatedly for our check which the waitress had to come back and ask what we had ordered to do that. Could be a locals favorite but, service has to change! We were in between 6:45 — 8:30 and had roughly 12 – 16 people in the area right near the door.

We’ve been back more times than I can count. Huge fan of the smoked pastrami. Gouda mac n cheese. Brussel sprouts are incredible.
Always get great service.

I hate giving this place 2 stars because I’ve been going since it opened and the food is amazing — still is… but the service is less than mediocre. The outside sand area is fantastic for kids when it’s warm outside but I can’t deal with the terrible service anymore.
I went last night with my 4 yr old and my dad. We were seated inside. The outside was packed for a school event. There were 4 other tables that were occupied… so it was virtually empty. It took over 10 minutes to get someone to take our drink order. At that point we ordered our food as well. 50 minutes later we still had no food and my kid was STARVING.
We asked our waitress where our food was and she was super flustered. Said the place was packed outside (not my problem) and she would go ask the kitchen. Here’s the thing. This is BBQ and sides. I think it’s safe to assume that all of (or almost all of) the food is made ahead of time. So why is the kitchen SO SLOW? We’ve had this problem many times. We order and wait 30+ minutes for our food to arrive. When our waitress came back she was in tears because I’m sure all her tables were complaining. We got our food 10 minutes later. The food was all good but from the time we sat down to the time our food arrived was 60+ minutes.
The most disappointing part was that there was NO manager to be seen in the place. He/​she could have been doing some serious damage control to support the (understaffed) waitresses. Management/​the owner needs to seriously evaluate the issues this place has with slow service, slow kitchen and being WAY understaffed in both areas.
So the moral of the story is the food is great, if you want to check this place out expect to wait a while and don’t go starving. By the time your food arrives you’ll be starving enough! Or just do what we will do moving forward… call ahead and pick up your order to go!

Enjoyed dinner at the Crafty Hog! It is a family friendly laid back restaurant. Plenty of outdoor space with games like horse shoe. Tons of tables in side and out. Inside the front door there are a few arcade games. There’s a large bar as well.
They have a daily feature menu in addition to their regular menu. The appetizer feature was some type of jalapeño cheese balls. We ordered it. The waitress offered to take our entrée orders while she was taking the app order. To our surprise our entrees arrived before our app.
We tried a variety of things since it was our first time. Ribs, wings, brisket, mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts, and corn on the cob. Everything was delicious. Overall service was good. Food comes out fast.

Went there on a Friday evening. Ordered turkey, brisket, Mac & cheese with Gouda, baked beans and Brunswick stew. Turkey was thick cut and beans were a little too sweet for my taste. Mac & cheese is delicious. Excellent customer service. Looks like a fun place for spring & summer with an outdoor patio, horseshoe court and children play area.

Food is still good. The menu has changed since it first opened and now there are no plates… it’s a la carter which is disappointing considering Jim n Nicks is down the road and has better options.
The service used to be awesome but my most recent experience… sat at a table in the bar for over 10 min with no acknowledgement from anyone. Finally some folks got up from the bar and we sat down… bartender was nice enough until a solo man came in and she was extremely rude when he was asking if they had certain beers «we have what you see». I’m a bartender… and the tap handles were turned so you couldn’t even tell the brewery of most of the beers. I helped him pick a beer based on what he was asking for. She spent more time flirting than telling us thank you for coming. Just flopped my card and receipt down.
We asked about the speak easy, which wasn’t open the first few months (used to come here a bunch when they first opened the full restaurant) and got attitude about it.
We actually left Varners across the street from having beers for the food at Crafty Hog… won’t be doing that again as the service at Varners is always awesome. It’s worth smelling like a cigarette. We now know the reason Varners parking lot was packed at 10 on a Friday and Crafty Hog had like3 cars left. No wonder they can’t open their doors 7 days a week. This place won’t last. The idea is awesome but the poor service will drive customers away.

Some of the most tender ribs I’ve ever had. Their Carolina sauce is great! Cool place with lots of outdoor activities.

Revamping my prior review of this place.
They changed their menu completely. Took off all of their platters. Now you have to order each item «a la carte». You pay for your sides also. And you don’t get any bread with it. They also did away with their bourbon pecan pie, which was our favorite.
I’m told they did it because people complained about not being able to choose their meats, and because they offered the platters too cheaply.
I was also told that many other customers were just as unhappy as we were about the changes.
My advice? Bring the platters back, bump the prices up on them. We would have gladly paid more for the pitmaster platter we always got.
This is how we had to order tonight to try to get the platter: ten wings, $ 11. Chopped brisket was 6 – 7. Can’t remember. Full rack of ribs, $ 11 I *think*, may have been more. Large order of crispy brussels sprouts (supposed to feed more than two, didn’t) $ 12. Our total bill with a water and an unsweet tea (nothing else was ordered) was $ 57 with tax.
Sure the manager tried to make it up to us. I didn’t want anything. I didn’t ask for anything off, anything free. I was just really, really upset that the new changes made things so much harder to get what we always got before. Before we got this with the pitmaster platter: chopped brisket, pulled pork, quarter or half rack of ribs, Texas toast, and two sides. We would also order two bourbon pecan pies. Our bill then averaged around 60 – 70. So it’s not like we don’t want to pay to get what we want. But with the new menu like it is, it sucks. It really sucks.
Crafty Hog, we will not return to your establishment after tonight. You could have just raised the prices, maybe made some small changes to make others happy. But you ruined the entire menu. And there are other barbecue places around for us to go to.

Visited The Crafty Hog for the second time on Sunday, and I was as pleased as I was with my first visit. Service can be a bit slow, but is very friendly. Great place to watch games with their many screens. Barbecue is delicious. .. great smoky flavor, lean meat, pulled pork with generous portion of outside cut. Plenty of sauces to please any barbecue fan. And the sides. .. delectable! The smoked gouda mac and cheese is worth the trip alone and the bacony Brussels sprouts are fantastic! Wings are also delicious. .. great smokey flavor, unlike any elsewhere! The beer selection is very good, and the outdoor facilities are great, with a bocce ball court, etc. This would be a great place in the spring and summer so you can enjoy the outdoor play areas, but is also nice in fall and summer when you want hearty fare with a good brew.

5 reviews if they allowed dogs on their patio! ;) That’s a hint you Crafty peeps!
Food is better than expected. I think one reviewer complained that the food was cold. The first time I came, granted the food wasn’t hot but it was still delish. The mac n’ cheese as well was lacking some flavor.
The second time around everything was much better. Food came out hot, mac n’cheese was more flavorful and creamy. I like how the pulled pork comes out sauceless so you can add as little or as much sauce as you want. My husband is not a fan of BBQ so its nice that he can actually eat bbq in a way that wasn’t smothered and covered in it. He had the wings and thought they were good. I however, LOVE bbq and saucey things so I got their Alabama white sauce and HOLY YUMO! Super good!
Their onion rings are delish. Not too greasy, and they come with a horseradish sauce. Yum!
They need to modify there beer menu. I asked for things that they only had seasonally but yet they were on the menu as if they had it. That would be easier for the waitresses as well so they don’t have to go back and forth to check.
We will be back. Price is a little high for quality but they have lots of choices which I like. A beautiful outside patio, children’s play area as well as an adult play area. Plenty of room for people with dogs to sit! ;)

Wow! Finally tried CH! I’m always looking for good vegetables and their veggies are delicious!
The green beans are lightly seasoned to perfection. The corn on the cob is so tasty with butter and paprika and the gouda mac n cheese — just wow! The meats are lean and delectable! BBQ sauces are over the top (especially the Alabama white!)
Our servers have all been top notch. Not too hovering but watching our table and anticipating our needs.
We liked Crafty Hog so much we chose to have our granddaughter’s Baptism ‘after celebration’ here! They could not have been more accommodating! They served our group of 30+, buffet style with an upscaling of the tables with crisp black tablecloths. We brought our own floral center pieces that popped against the table settings.
We were originally scheduled to have our celebration in the back private dining room but a scheduling problem arose. They offered us the elevated area in the main dining room and it worked out perfectly! The kids arcade games were right there and the kids could play games and we were right there! They even opened 30 minutes early for us!
A HUGE shout out to Megan, who made it all come together and our super server Kennedy. Thank you all for your supreme treatment! It was a beautiful day and our experience with Crafty Hog was ever so appreciated.
The only final thing I could mention is the fun environment of Craft Hog. Along with the fun (and new) arcade games, tvs covering all ball games, they have an impressive menu of craft beers and outdoor seating that includes a children’s play area and for the adults, horseshoes and bocce ball & lots of sand!
I cannot say enough good things about Crafty Hog!

Can’t quite wrap my head around what I think about The Crafty Hog after 5 or so visits. The model has potential, the food is great and the beer selection is slightly better than average but it still seems lacking. It’s rarely bustling with a fun atmosphere and several of the Howard’s (what it used to be) carry over staff still bring that ho hum service.
The Howard’s model was very traditional, extremely laid back with servers that were very nice but would «get to you when they could». I’d like to see a younger, hipper crowd that better aligns with craft beer, outdoor horse shoes and bocce.
You won’t go wrong by going here. You’re sure to enjoy your meal and your service will be satisfactory but I think it will be different from what you were expecting.

My boyfriend and I have been wanting to try this place out for a while and finally got around to it last night.
The parking lot is giant and it was PACKED, on a Saturday night we were not surprised, and thought there would be a huge wait, but we were seated immediately and there were a lot more empty tables.
The space is huge with lots of games and TVs, it was great for watching the game and chilling.
There is a huge space out front with a sand pit for games that looks super fun, it was really rainy, but I’m sure it awesome on a sunny day.
We sat in a booth, and the table next to us was empty, but there was still a lot of food on the floor from the previous guests.
Our server seemed new, she wasn’t too personable, but still friendly, just not the personality I would expect for a fun themed place.
The menu looks great, good variety for a BBQ place. We started with the Buffalo Chicken dip with tortilla chips. It was really bland and too rich. It could have used some chives or lime juice, or something tangy to make it more interesting. We didn’t finish it.
My boyfriend ordered the new Brunswick stew, and it came in a tiny cup and it was luke-​warm, it tasted ok, but I was thrown off but the temp.
For entrees we split the rib plate and chopped salad. The Chopped salad was not chopped, the dressing was awesome though, honey bourbon, it was a great flavor.
The sides for the Rib plate were TINY, less than a few bites. We got the greens and mac and cheese. Both were OK, and again served luke-​warm.
I was not impressed by the ribs at all. They were pretty dry and lots of fat, which didn’t make sense for it to be so dry. They tasted good, but nothing to write home about.
For everything it came out to $ 65 and we drank water and I had one Mich Ultra, I was pretty surprised it was so pricey. I did not feel like we got our money’s worth, but it wasn’t a terrible experience, just ok.
Next time we have a big group and are not too concerned about food, we’ll be back during a game time to hang out.

We finally made it around to the crafty pig. I’ll start by saying that I like the new Decour. The three of us ordered the piggy platter and there was enough to feed four people.
I have found a new spot for chicken wings. The smoky goodness, rich creamy ranch, and just right crispness of perfect wings is an absolute must have. I have found a new game day location for wings and beer.
The brisket was definitely worth a try. There are a few places in Atlanta that are better but not closer.
We had macaroni and cheese and colors as our sides. I have to say the mac & cheese is the best I’ve had since Carver’s country kitchen has closed. These are the creamy goodness of homemade mac & cheese.

This place needs a Unilocal boost! Had the brisket and ribs here while listening to some nice music and a craft beer.
I have no complaints about it at all, lots of great space and area for games. I came in with zero wait time and the servers were so polite. The food came in a normal amount of time for BBQ. Now to talk about the food, really nice BBQ the ribs had a beautiful smoke color and the brisket was nice and moist. Sides were fantastic especially the mac and cheese.
Only change I would make would be to put the sauces out on the table to people can taste them all and not charge for them.
Great place, go visit!

We put our name in and had a bit of a wait, but since it was a nice night, we decided that we would sit outside. We played bocce ball while we waited. One thing to note is that they have both bocce ball and horseshoes outside. Nice idea, but the sand for the horseshoes is everywhere… not unintentionally either. The bocce ball has to have gravel, so they made a huge wooden box for the gravel to stay in… the entire area however is covered in sand. I didn’t understand why just the hoseshoe area would have sand and not have it just all over the place. No one liked the sand in their shoes, in the car, etc. It was just super unexpected. Another potential problem with the outdoor games was the horseshoes. Alcohol + throwing 2lbs of metal = danger. After a few drinks, my aim was off and I almost nailed someone at the other end. Super dangerous. Maybe ladder golf or cornhole would be better options…
A lot of people had made reviews about the beer ‘glasses.’ What they may not have realized is that if you are inside, you get a real beer glass. If you tell them you plan to go outside, that is the only time that they will give you the plastic party cup. I don’t think that this is such a bad thing, because it would prevent breakage in the sand.
The service was good. The food was fine. I didn’t think it was spectacular or particularly bad, just mediocre.
There were a lot of children running around at 10pm… which threw me off, but I guess it is a good place for families (besides the horseshoes, ha!)
Overall, not bad, but not great.

This was our second time back to Crafty Hog, and it was much better than the first. The service was fast, and our waitress (Shannon) was as sweet as can be. Hubby had the wings and said they were smoked and flavorful. I had the pulled pork with apple coleslaw and Gouda mac and cheese. My sides were awesome. My pork was a bit lacking, but the hog wash sauce is great.
For everyone talking about the beer cups, they actually have glasses now for the beer. Most of the beer is from a can that is then poured in the glass, and we were told that’s so people can take them outside when it gets warmer to play bocce ball, corn hole, etc.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the opening of this restaurant which replaces longstanding Howard’s, because simply I love barbecue, and I love craft beer. So, it was set up to me that it would be good barbecue with a great craft beer list. I see they also have bocce courts, which is cool, although obviously no one is playing it when it’s 40 degrees outside. They’ve done a great job at renovating the place, I’ll be honest. You can barely tell what it used to be. There’s lots of seating, and our wait was minimal.
Now, to the food and beer. The «craft beer» list? Mostly commercial stuff, not too crafty, unless Sam Adams is craft beer to you. Server didn’t know what the seasonal beers were, and told me wrong on another one. I’d say I’d give this place a C on craft beer selection. Also, I bought a Terrapin Liquid Bliss, which they brought out in a plastic cup. A plastic cup, like the kind you get at a party. Except I paid $ 8 for this beer, and I’m not at a party. I was told it was so people could take the beer outside. I don’t want to go outside, I want to enjoy a good craft beer inside. This is lame.
We ordered the pitmaster sampler, which included most all of the meats. I’ll review each of the meats. The wings? Weird flavor, like charcoal lighter fluid or gas. Also, the server couldn’t describe the sauce options, and we couldn’t sample them before ordering them. I asked for someone who could describe them, and he sent over the owner’s wife. I told him I can’t expect to know the flavors, they’re not described in the menu, and I’ve never been there.
Pulled pork was heated up and lukewarm. Neither of us ate more than a taste. Ribs were pretty good, although not done, and hard to pull off the bone. Brisket was most definitely not sliced as described, but chopped and more like shredded. Flavor was ok, but I was really looking forward to sliced brisket. Sides were ok, fries and corn, although the corn had the same charcoal fluid or gas taste my wife couldn’t stand. The standard sauce is actually tasty, and I didn’t try the other flavors.
Overall, I wish for more for this place, because I want it to succeed. I love barbecue. I love craft beer. And I’d love to spend more time here. But it’s just not ready. I’ll try again in a month, but they need to work on a lot of things including service. Until then, I’ll continue to hit Atlanta’s best barbecue, which happens to be not far from here, Heirloom BBQ.

Visited the restaurant during opening week. Had the hog wings, smoked chicken wings, half rack of ribs, hock collard & kale greens and pork & baked beans. Both the hog wings and smoked wings were too salty and I doubt I would ever oder again. The ribs were ok, hock collard & kale greens were awful. Never had greens cooked with an over abundance of sugar. It really took away from the dish. The pork & beans was decent, but it had too much pork fat and should be removed from the beans considering the limited amount of beans received in the side dish.
I figured the wait would be long considering it was opening week, but I arrived at 5:30PM and finally left the restaurant at 10PM. Entirely too long for only drinks and appetizers served. I requested the waitress pack up the entrée to go and had to wait nearly 40 minutes for the entrée to be packed and pay for the meal after requesting assistance from the manager.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever go to the restaurant again. The atmosphere was nice, however my service and food experience was terrible. I had better experiences at Jim-​n-​Nicks located about 10 minutes away and prices may be cheaper. Fox Brothers BBQ (Atlanta) still my favorite.
On another note, there were problems with the bathrooms and the manager ended up turning away several customers as a result. I also noticed staff not washing their hands after leaving the rest room.