Over Easter weekend we took a trip to Atlanta for the second consecutive year. The reason? Opening Weekend for the Atlanta Braves. We didn’t actually make it down for Opening Day, but did drive down on Friday evening. We met up with some friends at Holiday Inn Extended Stay that’s 0.9 miles from SunTrust Park. Having a hotel so close to the ballpark and the Battery Atlanta is really convenient.
Although the hotel offers a shuttle service several times a day on Game Days, we ended up walking to and from the Battery. If you’re unfamiliar, the Battery Atlanta is an area around SunTrust Park that includes stores, restaurants, music venues, hotels, and apartments. One of those restaurants is Wahlburgers. The restaurant chain is owned by Paul Wahlberg and his partners/brothers Mark and Donnie. There are 13 locations throughout the US and one in Toronto. Even though a location will be open here in Charlotte next year, we didn’t want to wait to try it.
[bctt tweet=”Wahlburgers has the right stuff, even if you have dietary restrictions” username=”gfspirit”]
We arrived at Wahlburgers several hours before the game started. It was pretty busy, but we only had to wait about five minutes for a table. We were seated on the patio. Once they pulled the shades down, it was quite comfortable. Though there isn’t a separate gluten-free menu, several gluten-free items are offered, including a gluten-free bun. Their burgers, fries, and tater tots are not cooked in soy. Nikki ordered a burger with lettuce and a side of tater tots. Although it was crumbly, Nikki enjoyed the gluten-free bun. Even though the burgers looked really delicious, I spotted something on the menu that I couldn’t pass up. I ordered Mac and Cheese with bacon and a side of tater tots. I made the right decision.
While we enjoyed the food at Wahlburgers, the service wasn’t that great. We had to wait a long time for a food and our waiter seemed to be just trying to keep up. If I remember correctly, this location didn’t open until later in the season, so I think it was their first Opening Weekend and I’m sure it was overwhelming. The experience wasn’t enough to deter me from returning. It is something to keep in mind when visiting the Atlanta location on Game Day.
After leaving the restaurant, we headed to STP. Our seats were in the Coca-Cola Corner and they have a really good view for $10. We stayed in our seats for the first few innings and then went to meet up with friends. It was fun catching up with so many people. Even better, the Braves won 15-2!
***NSFDRF***
I bet you’re still thinking about that macaroni and cheese with bacon that I mentioned. Are you ready for some #foodporn? I gotchu.
If you’re looking for more information about SunTrust Park (including what to eat if you have dietary restrictions), check out Road Trip Rewind: Part 1, Road Trip Rewind-Part Three, Adventures in Atlanta, and This Week in Atlanta Adventures. Looking into taking a trip to Zoo Atlanta? I got you covered.
As always, sharing is caring. Stay in the know and follow GFS on social media.
[bctt tweet=”Why don’t you shirt it up and go to @Wahlburgers? ” username=”gfspirit”]
Sorry to hear that the service wasn’t that great … sometimes it makes all the difference to how you enjoy the meal.
❥ tanvii.com
It definitely can, Tanvi. Luckily, we had good company to help the time pass. 🙂
It sounds like you had a lovely weekend Sam. I’m going to sound like a complete dork right now, but I’ve never been to a baseball game before. It’s not a big thing here in South Africa, but my son says it’s an absolute ball (excuse the pun) and the atmosphere in the stands is just amazing. Anyways, Nikki’s hamburger does look yummy, all freshly ground and a nice size too and anything served with tater tots is good for me 😉
We did have a great weekend and it went by way too fast! Haha well that’s understandable since baseball isn’t that popular in South Africa. I watch my team on TV often, but it’s always fun going in person because of the atmosphere. 🙂 The food was really good!
Oh the food there looks really good! I need to go to America! I had never even heard of this chain. Its a shame the service wasn’t on par but working in the food industry is hard at the best of time (do.not.miss.waitressing!) so I guess maybe they are just finding their rythem 🙂
The food was really good, Ithfifi! The chain started a few years ago. It’s a family restaurant (two of the owners are famous, Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block & the TV show “Blue Bloods”; Mark Wahlberg has been in a ton of movies & had a brief rap career in the early 90s). I’m hoping now that they’ve had more baseball game crowds that the service has gotten better.
I’m glad to hear that although the service wasn’t too great that you enjoyed your time here and they catered well to the dietary requirement
I’m hoping the service was just to the bigger baseball crowd. Hopefully now that they’ve several weeks with baseball games, their service is better. It’s nice that they cater to dietary restrictions.
What a great day! all you ordered looks delicious and I am so glad your team won!
It was a great day, Nati! Our team winning made it even better!
The colours of the photos were on the orange side, was it because of the lighting within the cafe? I was eyeing on the macaroni and cheese as I have a soft spot for those!
The macaroni and cheese was SO good! I planned on getting a burger until I saw it on the menu.
This looks great! My brother was gluten sensitive for awhile so I heard how hard it was to eat out with dietary restrictions. It’s nice that restaurants are providing more options.
Katie, it definitely can be difficult to find places that have options for people with dietary restrictions. I love to share when we find places that not only have options, but options that taste good!
These all look heavenly, a shame the service was poor. I am always on some kind of food restriction so this post is very useful to me.
Great photography skills by the way.
I’m hoping the service has improved now that there have been more baseball games and they can handle bigger crowds better. Thank you for the compliment on the photos! It’s something I’m trying to get better at. 🙂