Like many, I usually check the Yelp reviews of a place I'm about to visit. Mostly to scope out the parking situation, and also to see if there are any must-try dishes. I have to say I was shocked at seeing a 2.5 star average for Communion. Kevin Gillespie's other ventures have been very well-received so why is the rating so low here? As you can see from the reviews, the complaint is pretty universal: The prices suck. Do you ever go somewhere kinda pricey and wonder, at what point would people just refuse to pay what the place is charging? I definitely wondered that here. For beer, there are three options: 1 token ($5) will get you the smallest glass, which looks like it's maybe 10 oz. 2 tokens ($10) will get you a half liter glass, which is 16.9 oz. (a regular pint glass is 16 oz.) 3 tokens ($15) will get you a one liter glass, which is 33.8 oz (so about two regular pints) There are a couple of German beers on tap and when I was there, a craft beer from a NC brewery, and a local craft (Wild Heaven White Blackbird) as well. There is also a small selection of cans/bottles. Token prices vary but I do know the Founders All Day IPA was 1 token. The half liter is an absolute ripoff. They let you know that the tokens include tax and tip but the typical bar bill for one pint with tax and tip doesn't come anywhere near $10. The full liter is better. You're coming in at about the equivalent of $7.50 per pint. With tax and tip, this is much more reasonable. I've seen the comparisons to Der Biergarten downtown and they have their beer prices and selections right on the online menu, if you want to compare yourself. If you can't be bothered to open a new tab, their half liters are $6 (with a couple coming in at $7) and the full liters are $11-12 (again, with a couple priced at $14). Quite the price difference, especially at the half liter level. So my SO and I purchased $50 worth of tokens and this is what it got us: 2 full liter beers (roughly four regular pints) 1 bratwurst plate with a side of beef fat fries (two sausages and a decent portion of fries) 1 Founders All Day IPA can Moving on to the food, still pricey but I'm much more willing to pay more for food. I just tell myself that the ingredients are high quality, locally sourced, prepared by professionals. And the food was pretty good. My friends ordered the currywurst plate, which was the clearly the standout dish. The sauce with the beef fat fries was fantastic. The pretzel was kind of whatever. So overall, I'd come back here. I would definitely not suggest it myself, as there are way too many Decatur spots with good, properly-priced beer and outdoor space. Not to mention the two Decatur breweries (three if you count WH in neighboring Avondale Estates) that also have lawn games like cornhole. But if a friend had their heart set on it, I wouldn't say no. I would just stick to the one liter glasses. read more

Communion - Comparison of beer glasses with a standard 12 oz can for scale. - Food Trucks Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

I visited Communion as a part of Michelle T. and Kwame O.'s beer series UYE. I'm not a beer drinker, but I wanted to experience the German beer garden concept and the UYE was a great way to do it. The garden is a great space. It's not very large but the space is more than adequate for medium sized groups - 6-8 people. There are a few lawn games placed surrounding the picnic table areas, but most people seemed content to drink, eat and communion. (Corny but fitting.) As a non-beer drinker, I was prepared to drink one beer but lucky me, Communion serves both cocktails and punches. The punch I had was a basil lemonade vodka concoction that was a bit sweet for me but better than beer, so I'm not complaining. It was also only 1 ticket for a full glass compared to 2 tickets for a regular sized beer so liquor drinkers are winning in this instance. As my food snack, I had the pretzel. The pretzel itself was delicious and perfect, crisp and thin outside and fluffy inside. The cheese that accompanied the pretzel was bland but did have a wonderful creamy, almost whipped consistency that I liked. The dish that blew my mind were the beer fries with wieners/sausages that were covered with dark sauce. I have no idea what I was eating because someone else ordered it but it tasted so, so good and the wieners/sausages had a firm texture that I was oh-so-very-happy with. If you get nothing else, get this, and I'm sorry that I can't be more clear about what it was. A lot of other reviewers complained about the prices, but I can tell that the food is quality and it also makes sure that your wait staff is well-compensated. That being said, it's a pricey place to have a beer and a snack, so I can see the customer turnover being high after a few people drop $20 and only get 1 beer and a basket of fries. This could lead to Communion not having regular customers, and I don't know how long a business can stay open without people supporting it after the new-ness of it wears off. Yelp 100 #33 read more

Kevin Gillespie's new beer garden in the backyard of Revival in downtown Decatur. Great vibe with open community tables and games, such as darts, horseshoes, or giant jenga. You pay with tokens here, which cost $5 a token. There are no servers and you get your drinks at the bar and food at the trailer. Started the night with spiked lemonade and sangria - both of which were yummy but not worth $10 imo. The food was also decent but a bit pricy since you're being increments of $5. My favorite were the beef fat fries. An added touch was that Kevin Gillespie was the one taking our orders! To end, this spot adds fun and flair to the vibing downtown Decatur area. Just be warned that you'll be dishing out $$$ since you're mindset shifts to token currency. read more

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The crew I run with consider Communion to be one of Decatur's hidden gems since you have to know how to get there to get there. I noticed that several previous reviewers mention Communion's Biergarten pay-with-tokens experiment, so before I begin you should know that they haven't used the token system for two years - you pay with coin and plastic like any other restaurant. It's a low-key, out of the way casual spot so don't go in looking for Gun Show. This place is all about that backyard feel, all about the hang - it's total Decatur, and worth checking out. Thankfully, all it takes to get to Communion is to head down to the restaurant Revival then follow the driveway around to the back where you will see a gate beneath a rusty iron sign that reads "COMMUNION". Inside you will find oversized wooden benches beneath a fabric sun screen. This fall they added some televisions and are doing featured game days - really nice in this cooler weather. Like the space, the food at Communion is casual, comfortable, and familiar - it ain't fried octopus eyeballs in an eggplant reduction, it's simple, like me! The last time I was there Chef Kevin Gillespie himself was in the red food truck overseeing the prep of some fried chicken for a group of us who had come by to watch some football, drink rum, and sing some shanties. This wasn't no concession stand chicken - it was high quality and fresh and perfectly cooked. It was difficult going back to the crunchy chicken strips at other bars after that. I'll certainly go back. read more

Love this place, it's my favorite new spot in downtown Decatur. Good drinks, epic tacos! I never visited when it was the German beer garden and now it is a Mexican cantina. These are by far the best tacos I've had since I loved here from CA. The salsas are great and the guac is awesome!! The potato taco is unlike anything I've ever had. I get that and the carnitas every single time I'm there! Plus $5 margaritas, love it!! The staff is awesome Drew on the food side and everyone behind the bar have been really great to us every time we've been there. The plan from what I've been told is it reinvent this place every year but I will be so sad to see this cantina change next year. Who knows I'm sure it'll be something great but I will sure miss these tacos when they're gone! read more

I guess they had to balance Revival's greatness with Communion's not-so-greatness. Communion is the back yard beer garden style hangout behind revival in Decatur. The location is great! The atmosphere is great great!! But the execution makes it one of the worst hangouts in Atlanta. Communion operates on a token system. As soon as you get in, you're swiping your credit card to buy tokens. That's already pretty annoying if you're like me and you hate food festivals and such where you have to buy tickets. To add another level of annoying, it takes two 5 dollar tickets to get a normal sized beer. 10 DOLLARS FOR A BEER. That's waaaaaay too much. Also, relatively normal wine is also $10 for a regular sized pour. We aren't talking super fancy stuff either. The prices aren't right for the setting. It looks and feels like a casual place to pre or post game in conjunction with an outing at Revival, but it's too expensive to justify going. I would recommend that they drop the tokens concept altogether, adjust the prices to normal standards, and then let the world know that it's time to come back. Until then, I'll continue to visit Revival, but I won't go to Communion. read more

This is a terrible terrible idea. First the food is horrible, think people just walking away with uneaten plate. You pay for everything with tickets, yes tickets???? Really? Why? Why God why? Then you can't get your favorite cocktail, just beer, Pinot, and sugary lemonade. Good luck if you come here. The wine is terrible, sugary lemonade is terrible. What the fuck. Seriously. Why does this place even exist. Its like your hemp neighbor that is trying to be hipster but is just annoying. read more

Signed up for Yelp because of this place. Don't bother. Communion is in the running for most overpriced place in Atlanta. Small, but cozy area with picnic tables. Have to buy tokens going in, $5 each. One token for a 1/4 liter of beer (9 oz or so), 2 tokens ($10) for a proper half liter (18 oz or so). 2 tokens ($10) for a pretzel. I think drinking and eating is more affordable at Turner Field and the Georgia Dome. Just go to the Brick Store or Mac McGhee's if you're in Decatur and want to drink good beer and hang out. Two stars because the beer is at least good. read more

Love this spot! A perfect setting for outside fiestas. The food is great! Locally sourced and above expectation. The salsa trio and cheese dip were accompanied by thick house made chips. Staff is a fun bunch, eager to roll with you. Yeah, this is a cool addition to Decatur. read more

As the inverse relationship between Kevin Gillespie's ego/fame and his creativity continues to strengthen, we here in Decatur are graced with another insult to our intelligence and wallets. If you thought shelling out $14 for fried chicken with no sides was a little strange considering we live in the deep south where meat and three plate joints are plentiful, good, and cheap (e.g. Our Way Cafe), wait 'til you see Barbarossa's take on a German Biergarten. Winning a cooking reality show sure seems to have a way of inflating prices well beyond those of your immediate market, which in most economic models is a recipe for disaster. Communion, the little microcosm that it is, seems to revel in it's detachment from reality, and even institutes its own currency: the Communion Token. With a currency rate ($1 CT=$5 USD) that should be pretty lousy for exports, the charismatic leader of this land rules with an iron fist and a red beard, and thus will not budge on his monetary policy. Communion's most insulting assumption is that it can freely charge $10/pint (to be fair, it includes gratuity. . .about 80% gratuity) for low gravity lagers you can find just about everywhere that sells craft beer. Had Mr. Gillespie chosen to open shop in the middle of the Sahara Desert, this pricing scheme may have been considered fair, maybe even charitable. Instead, Communion is situated in an area that sports numerous pubs including the nationally recognized Brickstore Pub, multiple award winning craft cocktail bars, three breweries, and a brewpub (soon to be two). Unfortunately for all these places, they didn't win a reality show, and must price their libations on an earthling scale in attempt to actually win customers from their competitors. I'm sure the food is fine albeit grossly overpriced, but in my opinion, a biergarten should strive to make its namesake the focal point of its business without insulting our understanding of liquid measurements and profit margins. With all of this said, a liter (~33oz) is $15, which although not terrible, is still $7.50/pint for lager. If you're looking for a great Biergarten, try the one downtown on Marietta St. Liters for $9-11 and pretty good German food with none of the pretentiousness. Auf Wiedersehen! read more

Awesome tacos, margaritas, cheese dip, and salsas. Super friendly bartenders and a nice sort of your best friend's backyard feel. No tokens. They take credit cards and you are welcome to use the inside restaurant bathroom. Pretty cool. I'll be back. Good job Kevin! :) read more

Dig this place for embracing its simplicity. Food and drinks are great and the staff is friendly and out going. Prices are super reasonable and the atmosphere is chill and laid back. Trivia Night on Thursday was a blast and the place was packed but food and drinks came out quickly. They added a sunshade that covers most of the backyard and there is plenty of seating. Family friendly place that allows dogs which is a plus! Will definitely be back and will tell some friends to join me for trivia next week! Great addition to the Decatur scene and I hear they throw a huge 4th of July bash every year with Kevin Gillespie's Terminus City BBQ - we used to go every year when they used to do this at Woodfire Grill. I hope they do the fried pies again this year! read more

Communion - a black and white photo of a group of people sitting at tables - Food Trucks Near Me - Decatur, Georgia

Having visit Berlin and Munich and visited many beer "gartens", the Germans would scoff at the price of of the beer and make fun of the owner for not getting the point. Essentially 10 dollars a pint (2 tokens for a .5L pour) is robbery. read more

Not the greatest representation of Germany... Food was not bad, but not great and I would say more the latter based on how expensive it was (had the sausage and the currywurst, definitely have had better). Beer selection was ok but unless you get the biggest size it is again way too pricey. Finally, they operate on a token system where you buy tokens and then order at the bar or food truck. Not sure I get that and also allows you to forget that each token is $5... On the positive side the outdoor seating is great and games are a fun idea. Overall, experience should have cost at least half what it did and please get rid of the token system! read more

Great atmosphere - wildly over priced beer. 16oz pint for $10 is unacceptable. $10 glass of wine in a backyard setting ? Cmon.

If I were to rank this based just on the food and the atmosphere, I would easily give it 5 stars. The food was delicious--my group got the pretzel, the currywurst, and the regular bratwurst. I personally preferred the bratwurst, but the currywurst could definitely feed two people. The beer was great and the tokens make for a fun experience. However, I cannot justify coming back here regularly. It was outrageously overpriced, especially considering that Decatur has so many other comparable places within walking distance from Communion. It's nice not having to worry about gratuity, but you're not really getting much by way of service besides the bar and food-truck. read more

Very entertaining place and great for kids. It is pricy but you don't have to spend money or you can find things that would fit in your budget. We spent $75 tax and gratuity included as family for 4 including good and 5 alcoholic drinks which is acceptable to me. Food is as good as you would expect. I think some people don't release the tokens include tax and gratuity. People who work there are very nice too. read more

My wife and I came for the 4th of July BBQ celebration. Live music, BBQ, fried pies, and liters of beer! #murica! The Food was amazing! BEST BBQ IVE HAD! I will go ahead and say that I'm certain some people will say that 4 tokens ($20) seems a bit expensive for BBQ... But they are idiots! I've (very recently) had BBQ from a very popular spot that was priced at $22 for a very similar plate (in size only, not flavor) and that did NOT include tax AND tip!! $20 all-in got me busting at the pant seams at Communion! I also treated myself to a liter of beer as well!!! And.. An extra fried pie! Seriously... Go there. Do a little math on the whole token thing and realize that worry free dinning and drinking is wonderful. read more

I want to like this place. I really do. But the pricing is so dead WRONG. 10 bucks for a beer? 10 bucks for a pretzel? Come on Kevin. You should know better. It's great atmosphere. But I ain't going back. I sat there and had 2 beers with my son and dropped 40 bucks. It's not that nice. read more

$10 for a pint, $15 for a liter. Absolutely ridiculous. There are probably 10 places within a mile that you can drink outside for half the price. read more

It's very disappointing that management has completely changed Communion. It previously was a unique-to-Atlanta and good quality German-style beer garden. They've now turned it into yet another Mexican place but with picnic tables. It's seems there's already a Mexican restaurant on every block in Atlanta, and now there's another one. I don't see any particular reason to go there now. The Atlanta and specifically Decatur food scenes are now less diverse. read more

Kevin Gillespie's new Biergarten is a big winner! About 10 of us went on Saturday about the time they opened. It was only the second day the Biergarten was open so it was new for all of us. The seating area is large communal picnic tables which were great since we all got to sit together, and then as some of us left earlier than others, we had new people join us which made for an entertaining and friendly day of beer, bratwurst, and meeting new people. The Biergarten has horseshoes, corn hole boards, and some dart boards. Everything is paid for with $5 tokens you purchase when you walk in or as needed so there is never a wait for a waiter/waitress. Just use your tokens at the food truck or the bar. At first things seemed pretty expensive until you really think about the fact that the price you pay with the tokens includes both tip and tax. Once factoring in built in tax and tip in the price, it really isn't much more expensive than other German places in the city. Maybe a little bit, but not much. I hope people think about that when they look at the price of beers and food. The food was excellent. Among our group, we probably got pretty much one of everything on the menu, and everyone commented on how great it was. I personally had the curry wurst which was delicious. I can't comment on the beer selection since apparently Friday night, opening night, they were cleaned out of most of their beers and had to scramble Saturday morning for more. I ended up drinking several litres of non-German beer, but it was a great micro-brew not water like Bud/Miller. I was told they would have more German beers on draft again quickly. Seems they didn't anticipate the support and success they'd have opening night which says a lot about Kevin Gillespie's great reputation. It's definitely a winner and worth checking out. We will definitely be back! read more