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Tavern time Tuesday
Pub serves up fresh fare with friendly feel
Marlows 1 WEB
Chris Hammers, service and beverage manager at Marlow’s Tavern, looks over training materials for new bartenders at the restaurant. The new eatery, at The Avenue Forsyth, is open for business. - photo by Autumn McBride

Marlow’s Tavern, a metro Atlanta restaurant chain, opened its eighth location Tuesday at The Avenue Forsyth.

The general manager of the new eatery hopes to “blow customers away with hospitality.”

“When people walk in the door, we want them to be like ‘wow’ from the hospitality of our servers and bar staff,” Brian Longacre said.

Longacre said the owners of the restaurant, which has a contemporary pub feel, have eyed the Forsyth County market for some time.

“We’ve been wanting to come to this area for about two years now, but we really wanted the right location,” he said.

The 3,200-square-foot restaurant fills a corner site at the outdoor shopping mall off Peachtree Parkway, next door to AMC Avenue Forsyth 12 movie theater.

Being on a corner, there was plenty of room for the restaurant’s covered patio area, which Longacre said will feature “misters” that will cool the air up to 15 degrees in summer and heaters to warm it in winter.

The inside seating area, which can accommodate up to about 170, features comfortable and modern décor such as dark wood accents, large leather booths and communal tables.

“We wanted it to have very clean lines and a black and white motif,” Longacre said.

There’s also a large bar area and “show kitchen,” where patrons can have full view of their food being prepared.

Chris Hammers, service and beverage manager, said the bar will provide a wide range of drink choices.

“We like to try new things,” he said. “Our food is a big deal, but we believe the bar is too. It’s fully stocked and we fresh squeeze all the juices we use.”

Longacre said the tavern’s cuisine is prepared from scratch with no pre-made items, as often are found in many big-box restaurants.

“You’ll notice our refrigerator and freezers are very small,” he said. “That’s because everything is so fresh.”

Marlow’s features “fine dining, but in a relaxed atmosphere at affordable prices,” Longacre said.

Prices range from $5 to about $20, with the menu offering appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts.

Some specialties, he said, include fish tacos, flatbreads with seasonal toppings, shrimp and crab nachos, and the Tavern burger with hand-cut French fries and tomato bacon jam.

There’s also higher-end fare like the grilled center cut filet mignon and grilled crispy chicken, a bone-in breast with summer squash, crispy goat cheese and toasted curry tomato sauce.

“It’s all about providing affordable luxury with great service,” Longacre said. “We want our customers to feel comfortable coming in for a burger or filet.”