Like many, I usually check the Yelp reviews of a place I'm about to visit. Mostly to scope out the…read moreparking 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.