Bites Nearby: Manuel's Tavern

has been a Virginia-Highland staple for over 50 years.

Started by Manuel Maloof on Aug. 6, 1956, the original bar was a delicatessen with fluorescent lights and linoleum tops.

With a vision of recreating an English pub after serving in World War II, Maloof started to refurbish the building which eventually took over an entire city block. It was an instant hit.

Throughout the years, Manuel’s Tavern has been a meeting place to talk about politics and policy. Manuel himself started his political career after an Atlanta columnist kept writing about a political barkeep who knew more about policy than most of the local politicians. To this day the employees at Manuel’s keep the tradition alive with being well versed in today’s local politics.

Steven Pitts is the general manager of the tavern. Pitts has been in the restaurant business since 1983. Starting out as a dishwasher he has held almost every job possible relating to food. Pitts has worked at Manuel’s since 1995

Patch: What are some of your specialties and more popular dishes?

Steven: Our most popular dishes are our burgers and our wings easily. The Manuel’s burger is especially popular and we easily sell hundreds of wings a day. We have kind of jiggered our menu a bit and now that we have added the cob salad and the salmon blt they do extremely well also.

Patch: What is something people might not know about Manuel’s Tavern the first time they visit?

Steven: I do think that a lot of the history, while it’s apparent on the walls, until you get to know a lot of the staff, that it’s not something that you would notice. Almost everything on the wall here is not put up for decoration. It’s usually got a history to it. There’s some story that’s associated with it. There’s some connection to the Tavern and often times to the city.

Patch: What makes Manuel’s Tavern unique?

Steven: I feel like maybe I’m beating the same drum but it’s often said that you should not discuss politics or religion in a bar. Manuel ended up cultivating a bar where people can talk about religion and politics all day without getting into fist fights. It doesn’t matter what your affiliation is, contrary opinions are always welcome and often times encouraged.

Manuel’s Tavern is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. and Sunday and Monday from 11 a.m. until midnight. Brunch hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.Every month the tavern holds Science Tavern, a discussion on different subjects relating to science with a cutting edge researcher or writer. Also the tavern hosts Moth Up, a story telling group that spins true yarns relating to a different topic each month. In-house catering and private and semi-private rooms are available.