Call it a crowd-pleaser. Six Feet Under is one of those places that seems to defy nit-picking by virtue of a playful personality and populist food and drink. Billed as a "Pub & Fish House," the concept is a clever mash-up of a contemporary beer bar and a beachside seafood shack, with Southern and Tex-Mex twists.
The original Memorial Drive location, which opened in 2002, was a tad scruffy. But it took full advantage of a setting with striking views of Oakland Cemetery and the backdrop of the downtown skyline by assuming a quirky name and installing a sky-high roof deck to accommodate the party hearty. A second Six Feet Under opened in west Midtown in 2007, a surprisingly similar, if spiffed-up, version of the first, reveling in a soaring panorama from a different side of Atlanta.
Not so plain
Late in 2008, the original relocated a block east on Memorial to the Jane, a mixed-use loft development. Its not exactly a shock that the latest Six Feet has a little more polish but doesn't depart much from the winning formula. One of the most helpful changes is the sprawling parking lot in back. Inside, the spacious bar area and dining room is yet another take on the current rustic-industrial look, with distressed wood, exposed brick, concrete floors and high ceilings. A steep, meandering staircase leads to the roof, where there is an auxiliary bar and another perfectly framed city vista.
Gone fishin'
Over time, the menu has become more ambitious, including a $23 filet mignon and skewered shrimp surf-and-turf combo. But during a recent, packed lunch visit, most of the crowd of office workers and Grant Park neighborhood regulars were opting for more modest seafood fare.
Grilled catfish or blackened shrimp tacos remain a favorite, served three to an order, folded in flour tortillas, with cheese, pickled jalapeño, tomato, shredded cabbage and a side of salsa verde.
Freshly fried, crunchy potato chips are the most popular side. But the shoestring fries are equally good. For a reliably decadent indulgence, get them with the cornmeal-dusted fried shrimp, served with sweet and spicy hush puppies and jalapeño tartar sauce.
Nonfried items range from raw or baked oysters and peel-and-eat shrimp to snow crab legs, steamed mussels and clams. Southern flavors come through in shrimp and grits and blackened or fried catfish.
At the bar
The horseshoe-shaped bar makes a lively place to grab a drink or a bite. The cocktail list features an array of martinis, margaritas and specialty concoctions.
But beer is the real speciality of the house. The draft selection includes solid American craft brews from Atlanta Brewing, Dogfish Head, Oskar Blues and Brooklyn, as well as imports such as Chimay Cinq Cents, which makes a fine match for fried oysters and shrimp.
AT A GLANCE
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Where:
437 Memorial Drive (the Jane building)
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Signature dish:
Seafood baskets
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Entree prices:
$8-$20
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Hours:
11 a.m.-1 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-midnight Sundays. Kitchen open until midnight.
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Reservations:
Yes
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Credit cards:
Yes
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Online
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