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| - I was getting ready to use my Google Offers coupon for South Aiken Bar & Grille and headed to Yelp for pointers/suggestions before my visit, only to be mildly horrified by some of the reviews here (those stories from February '12 about the owner/owner's wife yelling about salad are pretty wild). I always check Yelp before buying any Groupons/LivingSocial deals/Google Offers, and I guess the eight 1-2 star reviews that have appeared since I bought the coupon in early February 2012 really made the average rating plummet from whatever it was that lead me to believe it would be worth giving this place a chance. I was a little shaken, a little disgusted, and a little afraid, but I decided to suck it up and try it anyway.
So I went on a Saturday night (last night, to be exact) around 11 p.m., and was surprised that it was such a narrow space and much more bar-like than bar-and-grill like. The bar was mostly full (there was some sports game on, and it was pretty loud whenever something exciting happened), so my boyfriend and I headed to the back. A host intercepted and cheerfully seated us, and we occupied a table for four. Our server was prompt, despite tending bar, and was also friendly (she even gave us some Halloween candy!). First, we ordered Chinook IPAs, which was probably one of the more exotic beers of their limited tap selection. It looked like they had a fair amount of happy hour drink specials every day of the week, though. Then we placed our food order: a half dozen garlic Parmesan chicken wings ($5.99) and a 12-inch Hawaii Five-O Pie (bacon, pineapple, onion, spicy cappicola, red sauce; $12.45).
Both the wings and the pizza were delicious. Neither was especially greasy, and both were very fresh and flavorful. The pizza crust was exceptional, in my opinion--a little thin and crispy, yet doughy on the inside and golden all around. Their sauce was good, too. And by the time I got to the leftovers this afternoon, it all still tasted really good when I reheated it.
My best guess is that this place has had a dramatic overhaul in management and/or ownership since some of the terrible occurrences were documented here, although who knows if my one visit could have been a stroke of incredible luck. But from my point of view, South Aiken Bar & Grille is nothing to be feared. The atmosphere isn't anything special, and I probably won't go out of my way to head back here, but considering the food is good, the staff was friendly, and the kitchen's open late (which was one of the main points that piqued my interest), I don't have a reason not to go back when I'm in the area.
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