The Mac Daddy of Original Great Beer Menus

Growing up in the Chattanooga area I have seen it go from one of the most depressing, dirty downtowns anywhere into one of the most vibrant revitalized urban centers around (and I travel a lot and have had a lot to compare it to). The craft beer culture has also been a big part of Chattanooga's rebirth and from previous blogs you can see that I list it as one of my favorite places to drink a beer (Market Street Grille, Deluxe Grill) , discover new beer from around the country and the world (Southern Brewers Fest, Riverside Beverages, Green Life Grocery) and now that even produces great beer (Terminal Brewhouse, Moccasin Bend Brewing). But I would be remiss not to give a shout out to one of the most original and best places in downtown Chattanooga to lead the way if providing great beer selections at reasonable prices with good food to go along with it. The place is called Taco Mac, and it's a regional chain started in Atlanta over 30 years ago. The one in Chattanooga has been open at least 20 years and it's definitely the first place I remember seeing a "real" separate beer menu and where draught beer was taken seriously by the establishment.

My wife and I stopped by for dinner there this past weekend while in town visiting family and we quickly remembered what a great place it is, and that it had been way too long since our last visit. We ordered fajitas and they were excellent. We sat and watched on a huge clear TV screen our favorite college basketball team, Duke, dismantle West Virginia on the their way to the national championship game, and I had two delicious beers. The first was a bottle of Shipyard IPA from Maine. Great hoppy taste and finish. The second was a draught of 400 Lb. Monkey IPA from Left Hand Brewing out in Colorado. A supremely good single-batch seasonal brew that I hope these guys put in their regular rotation because it's a damn good beer.

Thanks again Taco Mac for basically busting my "real beer" cherry so long ago and for continuing to pride yourselves in good beer and good food while copycats spring up all around you.