This market of sorts is located off of Highway 92 in Woodstock, very close to the Cobb / Cherokee line. I’d always pass by it on my way home from a hike on a nearby trail. The smell of BBQ wafted into my car on warm spring days when I have my windows down. So, I definitely needed to check The Butcher’s Market out for the guide book I’m writing for Atlanta.

I entered and saw some small aisles with fruits and spices, marinades and other grocery-esque items. There is also a large seating area in the middle of the market and I suspect it gets rather full on weekends. They have a deli and prepare New York sandwiches. They use Boar’s Head meat and also offer homemade sides of chicken, tuna and egg salad. But the most popular item is their BBQ. I sampled the Smoked Beef Brisket and it was divine. It is slow smoked for 12 hours. Owner Tom tells me they are the only place in Atlanta to offer pulled beef brisket. Sandwiches are a deal at only $4.99 each.

The real highlight of the Butcher’s Market is the meat of course. In talking with owner, Tom, he tells me that they cut the meat right there which is not a luxury available at most grocery stores nowadays. At grocers, all meat is pre-cut and pre-packaged. I wish I had visited the Butcher’s Market last month when decided to cook Short Ribs. They have a much better selection than the two sad packages I found at Kroger.

In addition to a great selection of steaks, The Butcher’s Market makes their sausages in house. The selection was plentiful. There was even a ton of bacon to choose from. Pork lovers rejoice.

The prices seem pretty reasonable from what I can tell. I don’t buy steaks a lot but, I’m willing to pay a bit more for a fresher and better cut of meat. Sausages and bacon were about 5 -6 dollars a pound which is just a bit more than what I’ve seen at the grocer. But I can only imagine how much better the taste is when something is made fresh in-house. And bacon without all the nitrates that are found in the packaged variety? Yes, please.

If you have reason to be up in the Marietta/Woodstock area, I highly suggest a trip over to the Butcher’s Market. Stock up on their unique sausages or get a great Ribeye to throw on the grill. After you’ve picked up your meat of choice, stay for a Beef Brisket Sandwich.

14205 Ga. 92
Woodstock, GA 30188
770 288 2437
Website

Pure Taqueria Rooftop Bar

I actually wouldn’t have even known about this location, had I not visited Canyons Burger Company which happens to be Pure’s neighbor. It was earlier this fall that I sat outside and enjoyed the warm air. I absolutely relish those days of warm weather with low humidity – rare in Atlanta. On a recent Sunday where the high was 75 (in November!), I knew I had to sit outside and Pure Taqueria was just the place I wanted to visit.

If you live remotely close to Woodstock, it is worth a visit to Pure, if not for the food, at least the atmosphere. The Sunday afternoon I visited, the upstairs bar / lounge was completely full and I snagged the last available table. It all seems to be first come, first serve with no wait list. No one was inside, but I can’t blame on the such a beautiful day.

Pure Taqueria House Margarita

I started off with the Pure Margarita. At $5.75, it was decent and definitely got the job done. However, one more would have put me over the edge, and I’m not a lightweight. I fully intended to order the smoked salmon chips as an appetizer, but somehow it slipped my mind and we ended up ordering just entrees, which turned out to be fine as they were very filling.

Pure Taqueria Chicken Burrito

We had a mix of chicken taquitos, a chicken burrito and the beef brisket tacos. I sampled the chicken and not only was it a generous portion, but pretty tasty. Definitely recommend either one as an entree.

My beef brisket tacos are another story. I really dislike the taste of the corn tacos, maybe they are healthier for me but I just don’t care. The strong taste seems to overpower any other flavor and renders the dish unsatisfying. Pure should give you a choice of flour or corn tortillas. If you visit, and prefer flour tortillas remember to ask for them when placing your order.

Pure Taqueria Beef Brisket Tacos

Besides the corn tacos being offensive, they can’t even support the filling inside the taco. And this wasn’t the end of the meal, this wasn’t even the middle of the meal, this was about 2 minutes after the plate was set in front of me. I picked up my taco and it completely fell apart. Of course, the other argument is if they put less meat inside it wouldn’t fall apart but then I’d complain they were skimping on the meat. Which, btw, the meat was very fatty and clumpy – not the best for taco filling.

Here’s my $.02: put less meat in the taco and charge less for the 3. I really didn’t feel the 3 tacos were worth $12. Better yet, offer 2 tacos (with rice and beans of course) for $6.99. That’s a much fairer price point.

Another point is that you must order tacos in quantities of 3 and they don’t offer a mix and match. I would have loved to have tried 1 fish, 1 beef and 1 chicken but that’s not an option at Pure.

Pure Taqueria is a pretty place and some folks who live in Woodstock are happy it’s there, but the feedback seems to be that it is good, considering there isn’t much else around, but expensive for what you get. Chicken seems to be a safe choice here.

405 Chambers St
Woodstock, GA 30188
770 952 7873
Website

As if there aren’t enough of the fast casual burger joints in town (Five Guys, Cheeseburger Bobby’s), there’s a new player, Canyons Burger. This review is a short one as there isn’t much to say. Canyons only has 2 Atlanta locations – Buckhead and Woodstock. I visited the Canyons Woodstock location on a recent Sunday.

Canyons had a special promotion going on this Sunday. If you ordered a drink and fries you were entitled to a free burger. The free burger was your choice of a regular hamburger or cheeseburger, of which one each was sampled. Not unlike Five Guy’s or Cheeseburger Bobby’s you get to choose from a multitude of toppings – although toppings were a little more limited than Five Guys. Five Guys offers sauteed mushrooms and green peppers whereas Canyon’s does not.

Canyons was extremely busy on the Sunday when I visited. I can’t be sure if this was due to the promotion or if they were just that busy, but the line was very long. The crowd at the Woodstock location was mostly families. Now, here’s where the bottleneck happens; instead of calling out orders and handing them to customers, Canyon’s has the staff walk around looking for the matching table sign you are given when you place your order. The staff must have been a bit green as it took them quite a while to match the food with their tables. I watched as food was stacked up waiting to be delivered.

Canyons Cheeseburger with Sweet Potato Fries

The burgers were cooked well and were juicy. I especially enjoyed the shoestring sweet potato fries that came with the burger. Five Guys offers great fries (fried in peanut oil) but not sweet potato fries. The regular fries, crinkle cut variety, were not bad either.

Canyons Crinkle Cut Fries

The pre-discounted total would have been around $17 or $18 for the two meals. Although I enjoyed my meal and the outdoor seating, I doubt I would return to pay that much for a burger and fries. You can get just as good a burger with a better selection of toppings for less money at Five Guys.

Woodstock Downtown
Canton Rd and Townlake Parkway/Arnold Mill
678-494-8868

Buckhead/Brookhaven
3877 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30319
View Map
404-841-9933

Website

We shared the Pear and Walnut salad which is plenty for two, at least the dinner portion is. The menu isn’t huge but has some good choices. If you are a fan of veal, you will appreciate all of the offerings. I opted for the Chicken Marsala, it was a big portion but I’ve had better.

For lunch, their menu is sandwiches and salads. I’ve never been for lunch, but would like to go back and try their Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich. Sounds yummy.

Service was great. Our server was there when we needed him but not in the way. But as far as the prices, I did feel it was a bit overpriced for what you get. Entrees ranged from $16 – $18. They did come with a side of pasta, however, I still didn’t think it justified the prices. I realize it isn’t Olive Garden, but I think for the prices you should get a salad with your entrée.

Extras: They have a covered patio so diners can sit outside year round.

10800 Alpharetta Hwy
Roswell, GA 30076
(770) 641-1763
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