5 Seasons Brewing

This location is in the Prado shopping center in Sandy Springs, and I believe is the original location. This past weekend we held our wedding reception at 5 Seasons Brewing. It was fantastic!!!! We had approximately 104 guests and all had a wonderful time!

We had our reception on the large outside patio and had tables set-up inside so that people could cool off! They allowed us to arrive early to set up and had all the tables and linens ready for us! I worked primarily with Kate who is their event planner. She was absolutely amazing from start to finish. She is very personable and professional. In fact, all of the staff was great to work with!!!

We opted for a buffet style lunch and had the taco bar. The food was delicious and there was plenty of all of our guests. We had the beef and chicken tacos and it was $20 per person. We also had an open bar with house wine, local beer and non-alcoholic drinks for $20 per person. We held the reception for 3 hours, but for a little extra you could extend the time. We had our wedding cake delivered and the staff did a great job setting up the cake and cutting it for guests.

If you are looking for a space to hold an event or just want to grab some lunch, 5 Seasons is the place to go!

In some ways, 5 Seasons Brewing has become an Atlanta institution. It's a brewpub that has stood the test of time. Well, in restaurant years anyway. This location at the Prado shopping center in Sandy Springs is the original location. It opened in April 2001, survived the recession, and saw sister restaurants open in Alpharetta and Westside in 2007 and 2009, respectively. 5 Seasons was one of the first restaurants in Atlanta to serve farm-to-table food before "farm-to-table" even became a thing.

Our company held a summer party here not long after the place opened. That was about 15+ years ago. I went to the Westside location shortly after it opened. I've been to this location in recent years and prefer it to the Westside location. Then again, I've eaten food here that chef/owner Dave Larkworthy directly oversaw and that probably makes a big difference. I don't really drink, so I can't comment on any of the beers even though I've sampled several of the brews. They're good.

True to their name, most of the dishes I've had have been seasonal. Like other restaurants serving farmstead fare, 5 Seasons sources its organic produce locally/regionally and uses all-natural meats. Unlike other restaurants serving farm-fresh cuisine, 5 Seasons doesn't come with a pretentious atmosphere. Instead, the environment is comfortable and laid back, just the way a brewpub should be. That's one thing I really like about this place. That and the staff and service are great.

Expect to spend roughly $10-15 each for most small plates and sandwiches, $15 each for grilled pizzas, $15-20 each for most large plates, and $8 or less each for most soups, salads, and snacks/sides. It's hard to find an item more than $25 on the menu, which is surprising given the quality of the food.

Items I've had include:

* Thai Fried Brussels Sprouts - arugula, pickled red onions, toasted pine nuts, crispy wonton strips, Thai vinaigrette
* Curried Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque - toasted pumpkin seeds, cranberry chutney
* Beer Cheese Soup
* Duck Confit - tostone-tostada, persimmon salsa, black beans, fried leeks, fall spiced creme fraiche
* Chorizo and Sweet Cornbread-Stuffed Bandera Quail - pink eyed lady peas, beet greens, Festbier mustard demi
* Coco Chili-Rubbed Venison - vanilla parsnip puree, ginger citrus organic carrots, fall spiced chanterelle mushrooms, wheatgrass truffle
* Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake - apple compote, Scotch ale maple reduction, dark chocolate dusk

I've been told by staff that most, if not everything, at 5 Seasons is made from scratch. That includes the wonton strips in the Thai Fried Brussels Sprouts salad I tried. It was a delicious light salad. The sliced Brussels sprouts were crispy and savory. I could've done without the wonton strips, but I understand why they were added to add more "Asian" flair to the dish and act as a crunchy crouton substitute.

The Curried Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque was excellent. The soup was creamy, rich, and comforting. The same can be said about the Beer Cheese Soup, which is a regular menu item. Both soups were full of flavor.

The Duck Confit was terrific. The kitchen makes the "tostone-tostada" which is basically a thick, flattened, fried plantain used as a base for other ingredients. The shredded duck was flavorful and succulent. I loved the persimmon salsa. It was creative, neat, and tasty.

The Chorizo and Sweet Cornbread-Stuffed Bandera Quail was great. As the name states, the quail comes from a farm in Bandera, Texas. I've had plenty of quail before, but I think this was my first stuffed one. It was really good. Not only was the quail itself cooked to perfection (meaty, tender, juicy), the chorizo and cornbread stuffing inside was delectable. The mixture was flavored and seasoned well. I couldn't get enough of it. Don't be afraid to use your hands when picking apart the small bones.

The Coco Chili-Rubbed Venison was fantastic. Like the quail, the venison (deer) was appropriately cooked. The slightly pink meat was smooth and tender. The vanilla parsnip puree was fabulous and unexpectedly addicting. I wish vanilla was used more in entrees. The carrots were firm and crunchy and the chanterelle mushrooms were soft, delicate, and scrumptious.

The Pumpkin Goat Cheese Cake was superb. I'm not the biggest fan of goat cheese, but I do love cheesecake. A couple small apple slices were served on top with the compote. The ale-maple reduction and the chocolate "dusk" paired perfectly to create a dessert that was sweet, rich, chocolaty, tart, and not overly decadent. It was good stuff.

The restaurant-bar is spacious. There's a big room which is great for private events. Brewery tours happen the first Thursday of every month. Call or check 5 Seasons' web site (www.5seasonsbrewing.com) for details.

Book reservations for free on OpenTable and earn dining points.

Plenty of free parking is available on-site. If the surface lot in front is full, there are lots of spaces in the garage.

It's been a while since I dined at 5 Seasons. I came here for a late dinner expecting a crowd on a Friday night and the place was totally empty. It was a little weird to be the only seated table in the restaurant.

It was two of us and our server was attentive and offered us drinks and apps when we sat down.

We ordered a beet salad and the pretzel with beer cheese. The pretzel came shaped as a number 5. It was crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle- YUM! The cheese was mixed seedy mustard and cheese. It was spicy and made my nose sweat, LOL!

I give this rating a 2 only for the empty restaurant. I was hoping for a Friday night ambiance and didn't get it.

This place has slid so far downhill over the years. Yes. The beer is still good. The food less so. (is Dennis ever coming back?!?!?)

My main beef is the service however. If you come in an hour before closing, then they are ready for you to get out before you even sit down. Sometimes they close off everything in the main dining room and expect you to go over to the smoky pool hall next-door to have your beers. Why? Why can't they just let you have your beers in the main dining room?

I'm between 3 and 4 on this one because the service was great and the menu is quite extensive.

I'm not huge on beer but I've heard that menu at 5 seasons is decent so I
decided to give it a try.
Came here on a Monday evening around 7 and it was pretty deserted, as is
expected. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a pub but a bit more elevated. They
have a nice bar and daily specials.

The service was great; Jeremy made sure our glasses stayed full and was very
helpful throughout the evening.

They also had dinner specials that evening which included a few for each menu
section - app, soup, salad, and entrees.

For my app I went with the chili scallops and these were delectable! Cooked
perfectly, large, fresh, and juicy with sos as per request.

For the entree I was really torn between the lobster over grits evening special
vs coca cola cured duck. Duck won and came out cooked a perfect medium rare. The
sides however disappointed quite a bit. The entree came with a side of sticky
rice and bok choi/mushroom sautee. The rice was terrible and although sticky,
had some hard rice particles in it. My guess they just tried to cook it quickly.
The veggies lacked punch/flavour. I ended up switching the rice for a side of
butternut hash which was much better.

Overall: great service, patio, nice pub atmosphere, full bar, daily specials,
50% off an app if you check in with yelp, plenty of parking.
Definitely worth a visit, especially if you like beer.

5 Season's Brewing is located at 5600 Roswell Rd, Sandy Springs GA 30342 at the Prado (this is right off I285 at Roswell Rd, inside the perimeter). This is an active brewery with a good handful of lagers, Belgian ales and seasonal brews, along with above-average food.

I don't remember much about Phoenix back when it was in business - I ate there twice from what I recall, both times meeting people for lunch and apparently it wasn't very memorable. 5 Season's basically took things to the next level and included a much better menu. I've since eaten there about a dozen times, most often for various Technology Association of Georgia events (they have a great private room that they section off - it has it's own bar and a pool table) and other technology group meet-ups. The location is fantastic, even with the horrendous Roswell Rd traffic (mostly since it's only 2 blocks from I285). The service here is very good and while I've had much better beer, they have some selections that are more than palatable - my favorite is their hoppy IPA - "Hopgasm" which even the most discriminating beer snob will find above average.

Of course with all things, since Dennis left it's gone down hill a bit. Parking has been fixed with the addition of a new parking deck so now there's parking everywhere. It still doesn't appear to get as crowded as it did in the past - also, I think the food is of less or cheaper quality than before. I think it's still good and above average - it's certainly better than Gorden Biersch (for some reason all the lagers GB is famous for taste flat and lifeless to me). I've had a bevy of snacky foods at various events - here's a mess of photos from several.

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Buffalo Wings

House Made Pretzels

Fried Wontons

Cocktail Shrimp

Individually, I've had the following...

Spanish Grass Fed Meatballs - very meaty and if you're into ground meat (which I am) very good!

Beer cheese soup - good but not the best I've had. That being said, it's not drowned by something stronger as many places tend to do. I'd call it above average and a good way to start dinner.

Lamb Curry Tacos - good but not great - I think they need to be spiced up a bit or served with something more acidic to offset the some of the other flavors.

Organic Brisket Reuben - This is a good Reuben - order a side of spicy mustard instead of the Russian dressing and you can thank me later.

Georgia Organic Grass Fed Beef Burger with fries - a good standby if you can't find anything else on the menu enticing.

Ropa vieja - A bit disappointing - maybe because I've had this dish in some great Miami restaurants. But don't take my word for this one - as the tomato isn't my favorite (I tend to go with the Vaca Frita if it's available).

In general, the is a fun place to meet with friends or for events as it can accommodate very large groups. The beer is good and they have ales on the menu which fit into what beer drinkers seem to want these days.

(much longer review on my food blog)

Five Seasons is a place you can count on for great food. We loved the vegetable plate that the chef tailored to our needs. We were leaning towards vegan, and the chef made accommodations by substituting a couple of items on the plate to meet our needs. I can't ask for more than that. And the service was friendly and attentive. I also love the patio for a quiet, breezy option.

Came for lunch with a friend on a Friday and while service was okay, the food wasn't that great. I ordered a bunless burger with fries but needed my burger to be well-done. It came out pink so I sent it back and they literally took forever to bring the food back out. Fries were alright, nothing special. I could've made a better bunless burger at home :)

Don't see myself coming back.

Disappointing

Four of us ordered fish and chips. In all cases the chips were limp and the batter surrounding the fish was doughy and undercooked.

We arrived for our patio reservation at 12:45 and tried to get service. Finally at 1:30 we found someone to send a waitress over - who arrived 53 minutes after we were seated. She told us they were busy because people were just walking in and sitting down (?) we ordered everything at once knowing we might never see her again. She told us the bar was backed up and it could be 15 minutes for our drinks. 2 drinks came in about 20 more minutes and the 3rd showed up about 15 minutes after that. One meal was completely inedible - hard as a rock and sporting a few hairs. The stuff I ordered for my dog off the pup menu never came at all. The waitress said she had been hearing that several other dog items did not arrive. The 3 meals that did arrive were fine, not memorable.

They were clearly overwhelmed and understaffed but knew they had an event with lots of reservations so could have planned better.

I wouldn't go back here if it was free.