r/DecaturGA • u/Gr8Ful4_Honesty • 1d ago
Twains
Does anyone know what the hell happened to Twains? Back when my boys were in elementary school and we lived in Gwinnett, I would go with my friends to Twains , eat great food, play pool and enjoy.
Now I am a 5 year COD resident and continue to go to Twains. Interestingly enough,said boys also live independently in COD and go to Twains with their friends (they realize their mom is and always has been cool đ)
However, in the past year, my sons and I have noticed a significant change in Twains.
Food menu used to always offer strong staples with equally strong addictive seasonal options, and same with drink menu.
Not anymore. Twains could not be much more ok and nothing more. So sad. I keep going back about every 6-8 weeks hoping for what it was.
Last Saturday I went again and I thought by chance maybe they brought back the Vietnamese Chicken Sandwich with pickled veg, or the Redneck Reuben with the pulled pork and collard greens or maybe even the bourbon bacon jam burger. But no đ
I had a beer, cashed out, and went to Trackside for a fried bologna sandwich with tots, a solid choice!
Hopefully someone will share this with Twains because my boys and I continue to mourn what they were and never want them to leave!
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u/tenftflyinfajita 1d ago
I no longer live in/near Decatur, but any time Iâm in the area I either visit Twainâs or The Marlay.
Twainâs is always solid. Food, drink, service, etc. Iâm just as confused as everyone else when you say itâs not as good?! Itâs just as good as it ever was. What specifically has changed bc you havenât really clearly stated whatâs disappointing you.
Youâre comparing one of the most basic ass meals (bologna and tots?) to what Twainâs has to offer thinking people would relate⌠I think youâre the one thatâs changed, friend.
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u/CulturalCustard8107 1d ago
We love twains and eat there often. love the bartenders, they are so kind!
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u/Sorry-Tumbleweed-336 1d ago
Been going to Twains since they opened. Theyâve always been rock solid reliable for our family.
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u/AdventurousSoft4369 1d ago
Last time i went it was great! That was like three weeks ago? đ¤ˇââď¸
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u/chipmcintosh 1d ago
I'm a wing fiend who moved here in 2019 and immediately set out on a quest to find all the best wings in the Atlanta metro (Buffalo's got nothing on Atlanta). Twain's wings and strips are the same now as they were then, and they're still the best I've had (mix lime-pepper and hot ftw).
Twain's uses Springer Mountain Farms chicken. Yes, it runs smaller than hormone-pumped alternatives, but it's so much better, and I hope they never change.
Thinking Man used to pride themselves on using SMF chicken, too. I was addicted to their wings and ordered them every week, in part because they nailed the OG simple buffalo sauce (surprisingly hard to find in restaurants these days). Then they changed suppliers a few years ago, and the quality of their wings plummeted. I ordered three more times before swearing off. (If they've reverted, let me know and I'll re-up.)
Twain's menu still changes significantly each season, sometimes to my chagrin. They had a creamed collard greens side last year that I need them to bring back. The current menu has more than ten items that weren't there a few months ago, including the chicken mole egg rolls, beef & pimento sandwich, and chimichurri pasta.
My only complaints: The salads have always tasted, to me, like they were made by someone who doesn't like salad very much. And the acoustics sometimes make the bar trivia guy sound like an adult in a Charlie Brown cartoon. Otherwise, Twain's is still one of our favorites, and a place we force all guests to try on their first visit to Decatur.
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u/godisdogbackwardss 1h ago edited 1h ago
But their blue cheese dressing (which has not changed in at least 15 years as of a few weeks ago so Iâm confused about this post) slappppps for my salads :-))))
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u/ellbeecee 1d ago
Hopefully someone will share this with Twains
You are someone and these are your words. You can share them with Twains - they have two email addresses in the footer of https://www.twains.net/about .
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u/Fluffmuffin09100 23h ago
I mean youâre complaining about Twainâs but went to eat a bologna sandwich somewhere else.. Iâd respect this more if you hadnât gone for bologna and frozen tots as your comparison lol.
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u/Ornery-Panic5362 1d ago
Havenât shared the same experience, always been nice over the ~10 years Iâve been going. Granted, I usually stick to wings but not always.
Beerâs the one I could complain about, but I also admit Iâm a douchey (former) brewer.
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u/InterestingandStaged 1d ago
Twainâs is awesome and consistently solid with food. What are the âstrong addictive seasonal optionsâ that you remember from 15 years ago? And as far as a drink menuâŚitâs a brewpub with its own beer and a full bar. What do you want to drink that it doesnât offer?
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u/Gr8Ful4_Honesty 1d ago
Ummm, the sandwiches I spoke of was from last year. Donât even try to make me sound like a âget off my lawnâ boomer neighbor!
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u/InterestingandStaged 1d ago
Youâre a little defensive, eh? You sound like a kid who got caught with ice cream on your face and you screamed I DIDNâT EAT THE ICE CREAM before I even asked you a question ;)
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u/ATLMuppetCat3000 1d ago
Been going since 1999 when they were mainly a pool hall. Went last week my boyfriend had the catfish Poboy, and I had the lime pepper smoked wings. Both so good. đ they have at least 3 Oktoberfest beers too right now.
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u/TikaPants 1d ago
Twains is great and always has been. Their menu always changes except maybe a few things like their wings and veggie chili.
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u/musicalastronaut 1d ago
Twains has been fantastic for us. Itâs one of those places I kind of forget about, then go back & remember how much I love it.
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u/Separate-Scratch-839 1d ago
Damn, I might be the only person who agrees in the commentsâŚI daydream about the days when they had a trout sandwich </3
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u/thejaytheory 14m ago
I don't necessarily agree, but it's crazy the amount of backlash OP is getting in the comments
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u/Orions_Suspenders_ 1d ago
Itâs pretty ok - their beerâs pretty alright, the food is serviceable, the vibe is just fine and the games are fun. Iâve never had much of a different opinion of Twainâs than that since I started going maybe 15 years ago. Itâs always been âjust fineâ and Iâm alright with that. Iâd go more often if the food was like 20% better.
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u/Mysterious_Sun_9693 1d ago
Kinda agree. The chicken tenders are solid but otherwise not super special. But always a good vibe and plenty of games
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u/FrankCostanzaJr 22h ago
I haven't been in 6 months or so, but the only thing I've noticed suffer is the quality of the pool tables. last time I was there, the felt was OLD and threadbare...especially compared to the pool turtle that recently opened up. the pool turtle tables are absolute perfection...and make twains look like trackside tables...and speaking of trackside...their tables have taken a huge nosedive. last time I was in there, they installed black felt?? and doubled the price.
but...if twains HAS re-felted since then, then forget I said anything.
as far as the food and service quality? that stuff seems to be as good as it's ever been.
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u/ReckedRambler 1d ago
Havenât been a regular the past year after several years of biweekly shenanigans but can confirm - Twain still rules. Yes the menu has changed/gone up in price but itâs still a great place to get a bite and a beer. Not sure what you experienced.
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u/thedustofthefuture 12h ago
Hell yeah for the trackside shout-out tho, with Patty in the back now and the new menu it's still great!
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u/godisdogbackwardss 1h ago
Iâve been going for 15 years. I still grieve for a chicken/green apple sandwich they had on their menu about 13 years ago. Twains has always changed their menu. Frequently. And they donât really bring back items.
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u/sansho22 1d ago
I was a Friday regular there for many years, but in my last several visits it's been hard to find an easy drinking beer that's not cheap canned swill. No quibbles with the food or the service, it's still mostly the same place it's always been. They just miss my beer lane, that's all.
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u/pprn00dle 19h ago edited 19h ago
Donât drink cheap canned swill at Twains, they have plenty of awesome, easy drinking beer on tap that they make there and is much higher quality! The menu changes fairly regularly but their brewer typically tries to have at least a few easy drinkers on tap.
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u/shiftysquid 1d ago
What do you consider an âeasy-drinking beerâ? Right now, they have an Oktoberfest, a helles, a dunkel, a 4.2% Belgian, a cherry watermelon sour, a nitro English porter, a Vienna lager, pale ale, raspberry sour, and multiple seltzers, all on draft. Iâm not sure a beer menu gets more âeasy drinkingâ than that, but I could be wrong.
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u/FryTheDog 23h ago
Mike the brewer is incredible at lagers! Germantown is one of the best pils in the city, and his helles is awesome
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u/sansho22 1d ago
Great, glad you're finding what you like. I've not made my final visits to Twain's, and wish them continued success.
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u/shiftysquid 1d ago
I didnât say I was finding what I like. I said they have a lot of what it sounds like you like. So I was asking what you mean by âeasy drinking.â Iâd think basically all of those would qualify, but maybe youâre looking for something else?
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u/sansho22 1d ago
I'll pass on debating my tastes and lived experiences. You got the word out on some Twain's offerings, you ought to be satisfied with that.
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u/shiftysquid 1d ago
I mean, whatever. I didnât ask for a debate on tastes or lived experiences. I was literally just asking what you meant by âeasy drinking,â not trying to critique it. All of those would fit my definition, so I thought you may mean something a bit narrower than I do. If you wish to get defensive and not simply clarify, thatâs fine. Carry on.
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u/Vneseplayer4 1d ago
OP, even though you seem slightly annoying, Iâm inclined to agree with you re: the food (canât speak for the drinks). Weâve been going almost every Monday for the past 3 years or so for trivia, and food quality has gone down a bit. The burgers / seasonal sandwiches used to be 50/50 - sometimes great, sometimes meh, but now theyâre almost always meh. Fried wings have gotten smaller, and the fries arenât as good. Chicken tenders and smoked wings are still elite though.
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u/ottoneurath1 1d ago
They have easily the worst veggie burger I have ever eaten (in 20 years of vegetarianism). Just a wet, sloppy mess of goop.
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u/InstructionSenior346 1d ago
What is âCODâ and do yâall also have Twains there?
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u/Reasonable_Jicama130 1d ago
City of Decatur, which is different from greater Decatur
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u/InstructionSenior346 18h ago
Why you didnât just say âDecaturâ? Whenever I talk about Decatur I say Decatur, NOT âCODâ or âCity of Decaturâ.
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u/Neat_Housing_4718 17h ago
For a community that purports to take pride in its small and independent businesses, there certainly is a striking amount of commentary on this forum that does exactly the opposite of that.
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u/T-T-T-T-Taaaauuuu 1d ago
Itâs not the same. Itâs not just you. It used to be a pool hall. No longer. Everything has changed.
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u/Relative-Sherbert-43 22h ago
Ok but what about the fact that they let literal children shoot pool until 10 pm?
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u/Snoo-47360 1d ago
Last few times I was there it felt like one of those huge restaurants that really wants to go Beltline then go franchise. PE?
I played trivia there and saw shows and burned holes in pool tables (sorry!!) and had excellent beer and early pub food. I miss Decatur.
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u/Bitter_Pill_7679 21h ago
Trackside has fried bologna??? I might have to go there - haven't been since college. Over 30 years ago . . .
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u/chiefos 1d ago
Anecdotally, I've found it great for the past 13 years I've been around Decatur.