Grain by Fermentation

Fantastic food in a great environment. The staff are courteous and helpful. Look forward to my next visit.

I guess fermentation lounge bought out the grain and changed up the menu a bit. food here is always good no matter what you order (I’ve ordered almost everything on the menu) only thing I don’t really lovebird the cheese dip appetizer, it wasn’t what I expected it to be. definitely get an ice cream sandwich and split it with someone since it’s the size of your face!

Went in for taco tuesdays (not sure if I should be posting this review under the Fermentation Lounge, but they are apparently affiliated). You get a beer and two delicious tacos for just $ 7. They were outstanding. I also got the garlic knots, which were gooey and doughy and amazing. They are very accommodating, allowed me to order it without the dairy ingredients, and they double-​checked to ensure the dough in the garlic knots was vegan (it was). That is good service. I always feel bad asking because I know it can be annoying, so I often do not ask those kinds of questions, so it was nice that they volunteered on their own to check.

Bottom line: What a gem of a place! (Thanks, Unilocal (Matt C.) for guiding us here!
Wife and I came for lunch today. This place is unlike any other in town (specifically, this stretch including The Grain, Fermentation and Catalina Café) and the outside seating is perfect. Elm trees. In Tallahassee! — That alone makes for a cool experience.
The menu reveals a pride in cooking and presents innovative combinations that made it a bit tough to choose, but we settled on two cups o’ soup (Spicy Black Bean & Summer Squash Bisque) and two sandwiches (Italian Sub & Basil Press). Both sandwiches were great. tasty bread, clearly fresh and abundant ingredients. The soups had great flavor however they were unwittingly served to us tepid and not hot. Not a huge deal.
One thing definitely stood out — the cheese & meat board. My wife is constantly calling out my peeves, and one of my particular peeves is the U.S. gastronomic scene’s practice of using French terms when English terms will do just perfectly.
Honing in on this particular peeve, and matching it up with the aforementioned cheese & meat board cited above, I’ll say that when I see «Charcuterie board» on the menu I just have to slow-​blink and look away briefly. The Grain has rightfully chosen the language of Shakespeare to express its offerings, and not the language of Molière.
Do I have something against France, or the French? — On the contrary, I love them both — and I speak French natively and fluently. (Perhaps it’s a fitting place to share with you that I have a U.S. passport as well as a French passport, given my mother’s origin).
OK. I’m cooling off now. Thank you, The Grain, for opting for expected language on your menus. (other places in town that offer the «Charcuterie Board» — I see through your ruse. It’s hardly fair to use a foreign language to overprice a menu item, but I recognize the virtues of a free market and appreciate the quote most often attributed to P.T. Barnum: «There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute»).
The Grain — forgive me for using review real estate for venting about this pesky peeve of mine. I do feel better now though, so thanks for that.
Back to the review. We generally don’t indulge in the decadence that is dessert, especially during a Hump-​Day lunch as it was. Nonetheless, we did today and ‘lo, a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream presented itself.
Wrap-​up:
Prideful menu
Great outdoor seating
Top-​notch service
Notable use of English language on menu. (sorry, that’s the last of it…).
p. s., Keenan, our server today, was very professional, courteous, knowledgeable of the menu, and just an all-​around good guy!

The Grain may often go overlooked due to its tucked away abode. I encourage all of you to do yourselves a favor by checking out this wonderful establishment.
I admit, (as I stated to the chef), «I nearly forgot about you guys!» The Grain uses fresh ingredients and Chef Tim has created a unique, local menu, which of course pairs well with beer, wine, cider, meads, etc.
Brought to you by the same team from next door’s Fermentation Lounge, the Grain doesn’t try too hard by shoving their philosophies down your throat, but rather by crafting outstanding cuisine.
The Smokey served w/​Carolina slaw — smoked gouda, pulled chicken, chipotle cream cheese, caramelized onions and bacon on toasted ciabatta. You can taste the TLC that goes into this marvel. The slaw is simple, yet crisp and fresh and paired as a great balance for the sandwich.
I can’t imagine anyone having anything negative to say about The Grain. This is more than a gem in the All Saints District, but also a humbling experience for all of Tallahassee’s foodies.

This was my second time at The Grain and was very underwhelmed both visits. I love the location and it’s great that you can order any drink from Fermentation but both times the waitress (same one) was not knowledgeable about the food menu (it isn’t even that big) and we had to ask for everything including utensils after she brought our food out and walked away. We ordered the cheeseboard and then food but asked to hold the food order so we could enjoy the cheese board and she couldn’t even get that right so we had a two top table and had to try and make room for everything since she didn’t honor our request. Again she brought the salad out and forgot the dressing even after she asked me three different times what dressing I wanted. My husband had the Cuban tacos which were pretty good but luke warm and I had the butternut bisque which had good flavor but the texture was less desirable and it was also luke warm. I was really looking forward to a cool new place to frequent but I don’t think we’ll give it another try.

Located on a quaint street in Tallahassee is this wonderful restaurant called The Grain. As you enter the restaurant you feel as though you’re no longer in Tallahassee, but in an urban area like Virginia Highlands in Atlanta, Georgia. The food was fantastic the atmosphere was great, and I especially loved what I ordered. I had sliders with potato salad and topped it off with a wonderful ice cream sandwich. I would highly recommend and will return again soon to this fun eatery.

A nice surprise in the in All-​Saints neighborhood. This really is what I would call «artisan» food.
This very small restaurant would likely go undiscovered by all but the local hipsters/​college kids but for Unilocal.It really is worth the journey down past Gaines however.
I’ve been here twice, and both times I had great sandwiches: the Jamaican and the Smokey:
The Jamaican — Roasted chicken and ham with diced pineapples, fresh jalapenos, and a spicy jerk sauce on a pressed French roll.
The Smokey — Roasted chicken, bacon, smoked gouda, chipotle cream cheese, and caramelized onions on a ciabatta roll.
Each sandwich was good, with the Smokey being particularly excellent — the Grain also has tacos, quesadillas, and other fare I’m looking forward to trying in the future.
While there are other sides, I have only ever had the potato chips, which given they are just standard plain potato chips, are kind of boring.
The Grain has Coke products they serve in real glasses and a good selection of microbrew beers — pretty much an essential part of operating in this neighborhood.
As far as logistics, there is a small outside area shared with the surrounding businesses and a few tables along one side of the dining room, plus stools at the bar. You order at the register and sit down, where your food is brought to you.
Nothing particularly formal — prices are a bit high at $ 8 – 10 per person, but the food is good enough to bite the bullet and return when in the relative culinary wasteland of downtown Tallahassee.

Delicious! I convinced my co-​worker to try a «new place» for lunch and we landed on The Grain. The good was So good. We got the humus app, a small salad each, and sandwiches. It was way more food than we needed but so worth it — and leftovers are always welcome in my book. The guy working the counter was super nice, the food came out fast (and did I mention it was delicious?), and even after we were full neither of us wanted to stop eating. I will certainly be back!

Friendly staff and a cool little spot. The kitchen is very small, with a menu to match. I had the BBQ Chicken Pizza and the gouda was an interesting and welcome addition.
The lack of Florida beer choices was a little disappointing.

What a nice little place. This joint is a gem. We rolled in and had the 2 for $ 5 tacos (cuban and memphis bbq, both excellent), the 2 for $ 6 sliders (chicken and pork belly, both excellent as well), as well as the Jamaican sandwich (need I say it was excellent?). The food here is similar to what you would get from a kick ass food truck, and the beer selection is great as well. I can’t even remember the last time I went somewhere asking about beer and the people had any clue what they were talking about. Here was not the case as they were quite knowledgeable and were awesome all the way around. The only thing about this place is that parking can be a bit tricky to find, but it’s totally worth hunting for a space. We will definitely be back the next time we’re in Tally.

How in heck did this place get decent reviews? Did they pay people to setup Unilocal accounts and post? Or did they beg all their friends to post nice reviews?
It is an interesting location. The tables outside on a warm summer evening were a pleasant enough place to eat. I visited along with 3 of my friends. One of my friends will eat ANYTHING and he said the food is «ok». But the other three of us did not like the food AT ALL. It somehow got a writeup in Tallahassee magazine and I think it had been mentioned in Southern Living. The comments on Unilocal were glowing. So that is how we ended up at the place.
The Memphis taco was a 4 on a scale of 1 – 10. At best. The barbecue pork could have come out of prepackaged pork package they bought from Wal Mart and been better. The chicken in the chicken tacos tasted liked a 10 year old hen that had been boiled last week. My friends ordered pizza and said that it was a 5 or 6 at best.
There is a reason why there was nobody at this place except for 4 or 5 people at the adjoining picnic table. The whole time we were there that was it. How does this place stay in business???
YUCK!!!

Excellent. The pork and slaw taco is delicious. Flat bread are more like regular pizzas but we tried the Hawaiian and BBQ chicken and both were good. The chipotle quesadilla was good and had a bit of a kick to it. But order six of those tacos and don’t share

We were here on Valentine’s Day. The restaurant felt intimate and romantic. The service was excellent. The food was good. I wish the portions could be a little bigger. Parking can be a challenge. Beware of the smell of cigarettes from the balcony next door. If you are sensitive, request a table at the back of the restaurant. The desserts were beautiful and yummy.

A pleasant surprise.
I stumbled across this place on Unilocal and couldn’t have been more impressed with the food. I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu and it’s all delicious.
The only cons are that parking is a little bit difficult.

The food is delicious. The bruschetta is the best in town, and the butternut bisque is divine. Portion size is normal (meaning, not enormous) and the prices are reasonable. The people that work there are nice and the space is good.

This is a cute place on a side street. Went there on a sunny day and sat outside, which was nice. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. There was no one else the day we were there.
Pros — nice guys, outside seating, fairly yummy food. Pork tacos were quite good. Irish nachos also good though a bit heavy (it is cheese and potatoes after all).
Cons — somewhat limited menu, parking
NOTE _​2014 update — The menu has been expanded and no longer what I call limited. Upped my review from 3 to 4 stars.

Love this place!
My Fiancé’ and I have eaten The Grain numerous times since it opened! Our absolute favs are the prok tacos, hummus, and the white pizza! All the other menu items are delish as well, we have yet to try a dish that wasn’t very good!
The food is always fresh and served fast! I love the layed back atmosphere and with the way the menu is set up you can easily put together a lunch or dinner that will suite your taste buds that day!
Location is GREAT! We love the Fermentation lounge and they allow you to get drinks and drink them at The Grain and visa versa, which I think is very cool!
It is an experience you can’t miss! Try it today!

Very good food — especially for the price.
Been here a couple times now and no one is ever here, but it so worth it.
The butternut squash soup is amazeballs — definitely recommend that.
Also had the white pizza, and chipotle chicken sandwich also quite good.
grab a beer next door at fermentation and enjoy

Like Tapas in Tally. Great location, great food, great service. Don’t miss it. Butternut squash soup is top of the line. Can’t beat the prices!!!