Houlihan's
- Nearest Transit:
-
Georgia State (North-South, Northeast-South, East-West, Proctor Creek)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
2 reviews for Houlihan's
I had to work at the airport a couple days last week during the NHL Allstar festivities and had lunch at Houlihan's twice. Right off the bat, you'll notice how busy the place is, in the center of the atrium at the world's busiest airport.
I've always been a fan of Houlihan's since the time I started working near their midtown location in the early 90s. I havn't been there for some time, but I don't remember the food being so average, which was my experience at the Hartsfield Atrium location. Maybe it's just that my tastebuds have grown up over the last 15 years.
Two of us sat downstairs the first day and our server was moderately pleasant, but way too quick to move on to her next task. We had a third person join us shortly after ordering and our server didn't bother to acknowledge this fact. We eventually had to stop her and ask her to bring a menu for him. My Chicken Asian Chop Chop was a decent salad with romaine and various veggies, not enough grilled chicken and way too much of the sweet soy-based dressing. My friends ordered a cheeseburger and a club sandwich, respectively, and both appeared to be acceptable. Hurried Hattie left our check mid-meal without bothering to ask if we wanted anything else. This is a sure way to get a negative Yelp from me.
My co-worker and I sat upstairs the second day, and encountered a little better service. Again, the place was packed, but we were promptly seated by our hostess and greeted by our server shortly after. Based on the description of "chicken breast rolled in bread crumbs and flash-sauted in extra virgin olive oil. Served on focaccia bread spread with basil pesto, aged provolone & parmesan cheeses and ladled with our house marinara", I ordered the Chicken Parmesan on Foccacia. Sounds good, right? It was such a dissapointment. What I got was a tiny, breaded, tough piece of chicken overwhelmed by mediocre foccacia, with a light spreading of marinara on the bottom bun, covered in rubbery provolone. There might have been some pesto hidden under the smear of marinara, but I can't say for sure. It's a good thing I wasn't really interested in the side because it came with a really pathetic serving of thin cut fries. At least our server was way more friendly and engaging, actually refilling our drinks and asking if we wanted dessert or coffee at the end of our meal.
It was difficult for me to decide on my rating for this Houlihan's. I've given lower ratings to other restaurants whose food and/or service was better in my opinion. But Houlihan's is part of a chain, so I automatically lower my standards when I dine at such an establishment, and that's sad. Overall the menu concept is more than acceptable, but the execution is poor. Service can go either way.
I'm not sure what happened to the hospitable south reputation, but I think in general, Atlanta is in need of a serious service overhaul. I find great service in our city's better restaurants and local watering holes. But in the corporate-owned restaurant conglomerates, I've come to expect slow disdained service from waiters with attitudes and a sense of entitlement, as if they're doing us a favor. It's one reason why I generally avoid these places.
This time I went to order something from the to-go menu. They ran out of that particular item. The to -go items in their display case by the register looks not so fresh. I opted for something safe like a bagel and cream cheese. It wasn't toasted but it was better than nothing.
Its a bar so not much can be expected from a joint like this.