The Vortex - Little 5 Points

No nonsense bar just a minute or so walk north of the road junctions at Little 5 Points. It has a very eclectic decor, varied and unplanned, with a split level plan inside with most of the seats away from the bar suitable for burger bar dining or the like. The bar is to the right after you walk in, with several taps and perhaps a slightly better bottle selection. Be sure to read the house rules on the menu, they should bring a smile to your face!

Interesting place to try, since I have usually gone to the Porter when I’m in this neighborhood. Decor and vibe weren’t exactly my cup of tea (Bettie Page girls, skulls, all trying a bit too hard but what are you gonna do). But the heart-attack burgers were pretty scrumptious and there was a better than average beer list with plenty of fresh locals and seasonals to choose from.

Kind of a cool place in that it’s got some interesting decorations (skulls and such everywhere), kind of dark, and some obesity enhancing sandwiches/burgers.

The beer selection is alright, not anywhere near as good as some of the other places around town as the bulk of the list is typical, year round stuff you can get everywhere. But, they do have a handful of seasonals/limited releases on tap. Decent selection of bottled/canned beers available, too. Hey, they have $2 "mystery shots" served in paper cups, too.

The food was really pretty solid, actually. Got some sort of fatfuck sandwich that was basically fried chicken, gravy, and bacon on Texas Toast. Ate pretty good. Tater tots offered as a side is cool in my book, too.

The obvious downside here, and seems be be mentioned by everyone, is the constant haze of smoke that fills the restaurant. Kind of unappealing to me. And the "fuck you, people smoke here" spiel on the menu was sort of unnecessary. Came here once to experience it and appease the friends, but don’t think I’d willfully come back.

A bright and cheerful burger bar with a skull theme - there’s a laughing skull, a bucket full of skulls and a skeleton riding a BMW motorbike! There are 14 regular taps and three rotating guests plus a fairly long bottle list. (Visited 20 February 2014).

Nice adult friendly burger joint, where you can even still smoke inside, a little cramped but I liked the vibe. Service was very friendly and prompt with a good knowledge of what was on tap. Selection was better than I expected, a solid bottle list and rotating taps of local stuff. Food was great, very good burgers with every option ever. Beers were a little pricey, $7 for a imperial pint. Definitely a cool place to stop after a show at the Masquerade or a nice late night burger joint.

Sort of a chill place but smoking sucks. this problem was exacerbated by the pompous writing on the menu about smoking. Fuck your smoking: I have the right to not deal with it. Will not be going back.

OK on beer, but main draw is the burgers.

What a cool place. The smoking inside sucks but it’s still a cool place. Crowded with good beer.

Didn’t eat there. Good beer selection. Eclectic crowd. They allow smoking at the bar, so I left after 1 beer. The Porter Beer Bar is just around the corner.

Surprised to see this listed as a beer place, but they do have a great beer. Be prepared to wait, often packed. Service isn’t great and servers are not knowledgeable. Quite smokey inside, which for me is a turn off. Ok tap selection with a pretty good bottle selection. I come for the burgers not the beer.