I'm conflicted. I love a good, well run, hospitable, affordable mainstay that is beloved by the…read morecommunity. Brandi's checks that box squarely, and without exception. However, I also love great food prepared well, this is where Brandi and I diverge a bit.
Located just north of Marietta square, it can be easy to miss, just watch for the railroad tracks that cross Church St. Parking as mentioned by others can be very tight, and you enter the lot from the right of the restaurant and circle around. My visit was at the beginning of the lunch rush, so parking was tight, but I could still find a space. Inside, Brandi's drips with history - the real kind that tells you that not much has changed in 20, 30, maybe 40 years. But it's not in that clapped out way, well worn like that favorite pair of shoes you've resoled three times and refuse to get rid of because they fit right and are so comfortable. Seat yourself at one of the handful of 4 top tables, or, at the 15 or so lunch counter stools. No menu is provided other than the one over the register - and remember, it's cash only.
The menu is simple - hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, onion rings, soda, and sweet or unsweet tea. Grabbed my seat at the bar, and Brandi herself helped me. She, along with every single person working there were as kind and helpful as could be - a lost art for what Brandi's is, a quick serve place to grab an unpretentious and inexpensive lunch. Everything comes with white onions, mustard, and their chili - you can add cheese, or, ask for any of those items to be left off if you prefer. My move is to always try things the way the chef intended first, then modify next time around, so I went for the dressed up dog, and also a cheeseburger with the onions, mustard, and chili.
Food was served quickly, maybe within five minutes of ordering with the four folks behind the counter working in that way where you know they've been doing this for a hot minute - everything and everyone in their place. Lots of regulars known by the staff - it's say the average age during this weekday lunch was pushing 60. This is where things start to slip a little at least for me. Brandi has kept things the same, including what ingredients they use. As such the hot dog is a red variety (hello red dye #3), and is a standard size dog (not a jumbo or foot long). White onions were crisp, the cole slaw a bit creamier that I'd personally prefer (but I found it worked really well like that on the dog), and then the chili. I was warned, as everyone is, that it is "very spicy". For my palette, I didn't find it to be particularly spicy although it had some zip that snuck up on you. I'm sure the cole slaw kept a little of that heat at bay. The hot dog itself, to me, just didn't have a lot of flavor which I guess is ok if the point is the toppings. It also was essentially room temperature which I found quite surprising given it was lunch rush, not sure if that was an anomaly or normal. But hey, for a couple of bucks, literally, I wasn't expecting a gourmet Snake River Farms Wagyu monster hot dog. This is where the price vs. quality index comes in to play.
Now, the burger on the other hand, honestly, it was a mistake. I'd somehow expected them to have been griddle cooked and therefore have that well seasoned griddle char that so many old school flat tops in the hands of pros can deliver. This was a grey, not crusty, small patty that almost seemed steamed to me - if that's your jam, awesome, just isn't mine. As with the dog, almost none of the flavor of the ground beef came through - it was really overwhelmed by the chili. The hamburger bun was also kinda hard which I don't know if that's by design, or an indicator of buns that have been sitting around a while.
Last up - fries. Reviews I'd read talked about them being crispy and well seasoned. Mine came out lukewarm and kinda flabby, and no hint of crispness anywhere. I might have ordered wrong as the onion rings others had looked good. Not much on the seasoning side either.
So - all in, it had that very old school locals place with a lot of history to it vibe, and was nearly packed during lunch which is great to see these days with food and labor costs what they are for restaurants. On the food side, I'd say for the (very low) price, I'd go back and I know now what I'm in for. My tip off should have been the regulars sitting around me downing 2, 3, and even 4 dogs - no burgers I could see. And the staff - just honest, really friendly folks, working their tail off to serve up a piece of Marietta history. Had the dog come out hot, the fries been crispy vs. soggy, that would definitely bump them up a star. The burger, I'll chalk that up to my not reading the room....
