Excellent meal after a long weekend camping and rafting. We had a gluten free pizza which was excellent along with wings and sausage and chicken soup. Service was very good also. Highly recommend! read more

Best foodie expérience in North Ga. What a great dinner surprise in this quaint little town!

When we got there is was simple and unpretentious. They gave us the table at the very end close to the bathroom door. Not a good start. However, our server was excellent with a very good vibe. Funny and helpful. Knew the menu well. Better start. The drinks came promptly. Good. The food then started arriving and everything was excellent. The server was 70 % of the experience. Thats why service is so important. We had a great and memorable evening. Well worth every penny! Was our table next to the bathroom door?? Really? I had forgotten! read more

This restaurant was a great find. We recently bought a home in the area and started our exploration of good restaurants. This one is definitely a keeper. Starting with the grilled romaine Caesar salad which was tasty and delicious. Too much for one person it's good to share. Done to perfection was the fresh trout lightly seasoned and crisp on the outside. Many items on the menu are from local purveyors such as chicken from a local farm. One last comment; homemade bread and homemade butter. Can't ask for more!! Great service and quality food. We plan on making this our to-go eatery. read more

If you're looking for a nice dinner in Clayton this is your spot. Awesome service and top notch food and cocktails! Make a reservation and ask for Joey. read more

Beyond impressed. Honestly did not expect this. This restaurant deserves every award it has won - it's better than many established and esteemed restaurants I've eaten at in New York. The flavor is out of control - I was blown away by even the bread and butter. I mean butter infused with duck fat, mustard seed, and chive. Are you kidding me? This makes my running list of best restaurants in the country. read more

Traveled by motorcycle to this wonderful restaurant in Clayton, Ga. We all had something different and each of us left very happy. It was well worth the journey! read more

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Oh man - this place was absolutely delicious! I was able to make last minute reservations for my parents and I for Sunday evening. Of course, I was expecting decent food but was honestly blown away my just how delicious everything was! Upon entering the restaurant, we were seated in less than 10 minutes. We decided to order an appetizer - the Gouda Fritters are amazing! Whatever you do, make sure to dip the in the strawberry-five pepper jelly mustard sauce. It's delicious!!! Along with our appetizer came the most delicious bread with the best local butters available - for the life of me I can't recall what they were but one was sweet and the other savory. My favorite was the sweet - it was full of flavor! For our meals, I ordered the sea scallops, my dad ordered the pork loin chop, and my mom ordered the special: red fish. We all enjoyed our food so much! I can only speak to my sea scallop dish - it was to die for!!! I swear if I could have that dish everyday, I'd be happy! Fresh, full of flavor, and just the right amount. On top of all the great food, our service was impeccable! I would definitely (and can't wait) to come back!! read more

I found this restaurant on Yelp! And what a find it was!!! We came here for my mother's birthday because it was a good halfway point between Atlanta, GA and Cashiers, NC. From my first call with Carlton who is just amazing, to dessert everything was perfect. Fresh ingredients expertly prepared that made everyone very happy. They have a well curated wine menu and fantastic cocktails. Our waiter Joey, knew the menu so well and was great with recommendations. The side dishes were so good, I could have made a meal out of them alone. We all had different entrees which were each perfect. Dessert was fabulous. Loved the lemon cake with blueberries and the chocolate covered, bacon wrapped, cherry was def worth trying. One of the best meals we have had in a long time and well worth the drive from Atlanta!!! Put this on your "not to be missed restaurant" list. read more

Oh Yelp how you led me astray on this one. Pass through this town on my road trip to North Carolina. Decided to come here due to Yelp reviews. I went with butternut squash soup and grilled scallops dinner entry. Soup was delightfullll.. Possibly accounting for 1.5 stars here. But then it was just downhill from there. Wait staff didn't seem that friendly. No one was really cheerful. My soup came out right away. I finished it in like 2 seconds. Andddd no one came to check on me for the next 15 minutes. Wait some more. Finally someone came by to pick up the empty soup dish. Wait some more. Scallops finally came out. It's was cooked well in terms of not being rubbery but there is a bitter taste to them as if they were burnt. I flagged down my waitress.. Told her scallops taste bitter. I've had good scallops (try Season 52.. Or anywhere else). It should not taste bitter. My waitress didn't apologize or anything. Mumbled something. Walked away. Then came back took the plate and said they'll make another. Okayyyyy. Wait some more. At this point... I just want to pay the bill and leave. Finally it comes out ! Tasted the same! Wth. I feel like I'm going crazy here. The manager or owner and my waitress did check up on me, but at this point.. I just wanted leave. Considering it's one of their most expensive dish.. They should know how to make a decent scallop dish. If the place was mind-blowing.. I would have made a point to come back some day. But needless to say. I won't be returning. 1.5 stars for soup .5 star for attempting to remake the scallops. Minus 3 for mediocre food and service. The end. read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - Heavenly butternut squash soup - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

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Had an awesome dinner with friends .. steak, trout and pork chop were hits! Tiffani provided awesome service and was a great sport with our crazy group. read more

Everything from our Old Fashion drinks at the bar, to the Gouda Fritters, to our entrees, desert and coffee were stupendous! Jeremy our waiter was not only very knowledgeable but made us feel as if we already knew him, his personality and professionalism surpassed our expectations! We consider ourselves "Foodies" and when I tell you this place knows what they are doing, I mean it...!! I had the Filet with a bacon-onion marmalade that was to die for, possibly one of the best steaks I've ever had! My husband had the grilled Venison which was also cooked to perfection! The industrial-romance ambiance gives you a cozy feel but private at the same time! Next time we visit, we will definitely be back! Thank you for the excellent service! read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

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A great place to celebrate with friends! Tonight was a birthday! As awesome as always! Great service, great food, great atmosphere. We love making a trip to Clayton to go to one of our favorite restaurants! read more

I'm very impressed with this place, it was delicious and I can't say enough about the quality of the food and service. I will definitely tell my friends! read more

I enjoyed this restaurant; however, there are a couple of things that could be improved. We came here with a party of 4 and had a reservation and were seated immediately. The waitress was nice and knew the menu and the specials well. I ordered the duck duet and it was delicious. The housemade butter and cheese that comes with the bread is also excellent. My reason for the 3 stars is due to two things: -The wait for the food was definitely longer than most restaurants. The food and the dessert both took much longer than needed -My boyfriend ordered the Lamb T-Bone. A strange cut to serve at a restaurant but he wanted to try it. There were very small pieces of lamb on his plate. There was barely any meat and the meat that was on the t-bone had a lot of cartilage. I would recommend that they change their cut from a t-bone to maybe lamb chops or shank. I would love to come back to this restaurant again because I think they have a lot of potential and would love to try more dishes and change my review as needed. read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - The bar - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

The environment is very rustic-trendy and warm and inviting. We were greeted immediately and decided to sit at the bar for a drink before being seated. They had a "special" that was delicious and made perfectly. My husband had an old fashioned that was delicious. We tried a few different liquor drinks through the night and they were all fantastic and about $10 a piece. The waiter was very knowledgeable and shared his personal favorites from the menu. A variety of bread came out first with a side of butter and a spreadable cheese, both of which were amazing! For appetizers we got the buffalo pork belly, a charcuterie plate and fried green tomatoes. The pork belly was definitely the best of the options, but everything was good. The pork belly was phenomenal. In our party of 10, everyone seemed to think that they had the best entree! I had the pork chop with potatoes gratin and collard greens. It was gigantic, I ate 1/3 and my husband ate the rest. It was a tomahawk pork chop with 2 bones and the meat between the bones was like candy. It was very tender and moist and paired perfectly with the house made bbq sauce. My husband had the rack of venison, which was 2 medium rare tomahawks. They were very tender and lean and came with a chocolate wine sauce. Other entrees at our table included the special, which was red grouper, the scallops, the filet, the grits- which came with friend chicken on top, shrimp, and sausage, it was very very unique. We were all tempted by their dessert menu, but were too full to partake! Overall, it was the perfect combo of a unique environment, specialty drinks and phenomenal, unique food. This is definitely a place we will continue to visit! read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

Great restaurant! We were in Clayton and came across this unexpected gem!! I highly recommend it. I was presently surprised and thoroughly impressed. Nice decor and amazing/high end food for reasonable price. Try the fried green tomatoes you won't regret it! Pretty much anything will be delicious! read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - Scallops - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

Best meal I've had in a long time. Wonderful food, attentive staff, nice restaurant. We went in the middle of the week, after making a reservation. I definitely recommend it. It was crowded. I had the duck, and my wife had the trout. Of course we had the Gouda fritters. Very delicious. I really like that everything is farm to table. read more

Only 1 word to use for all aspects of this restaurant: AMAZING!! Food was spectacular, service was impeccable. I will be back! read more

My sister hosted her wedding reception dinner here and it was great! The food was amazing and the service was wonderful.

AMAZING - service, food & cocktails! My girlfriends and I spent the weekend in the mountains and started it with lunch at Fortify. We shared the fried Brussel sprouts and fried green tomatoes! They were delicious. We ordered the grilled romain caeser and the special of the day was a taco dish and it was put together well. I HIGHLY recommend the Concord Fizz cocktail. You will not be disappointed (assuming you like gin and grape juice). read more

Made the trek to Clayton Ga today to try the Sunday brunch at Fortify. A great decision. I had the chicken and waffles. It was served with 2 slices of smoked bacon, homemade hashbrown casserole and Logan turnpike grits. A feast for $ 13.00. My wife has the quiche with a salad and the grits. Another great dish. Fortify is a farm to table place that never disappoints. The food, service, atmosphere and cool in town location makes this a great day trip us far north metro dwellers. Be aware, it can be quite busy. If you choose to do dinner, make reservations. read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

Visiting a college friend and we found the cocktail bar at Fortify! Specialty cocktails made and served by Tyler and Chase, see pictures. Jazz playing in background, upbeat vibe. Then came the appetizer, pork cheeks and grit cakes. Plus bread with two types of infused butter read more

I really enjoyed this place very much. Everything looked so good and different I had a hard time deciding. I ended up with the Reuben and it was so amazing. The bed was perfectly crispy and thick enough to not dissolve in a puddle of sauce. I had a few bites of appetizers and the Brussels were fantastic. I'll be back! read more

Amazing. The food was creative fresh new amazing. It's a shame it's so far from Atlanta. One of the things I love the most was the wait staff did not try to become best friends with you they were efficient filled your water glass without making comments didn't interrupt before you even had a chance to taste your food grand experience read more

From the drinks and food to the service, this place is amazing! We expected this "downtown" area to have much more to offer as far as food, but we were not disappointed to eat here more than once while on vacation. We ate dinner at another place on our 2nd night and were highly disappointed. I wish they would sell the butters, cheese and brittle in cute little cases to take home! We had the fried green tomatoes, trout with rice and greens, filet with squash pudding and buttermilk potatoes. The second night we had the fritters, and filet with Brussels and buttermilk potatoes, ending with chocolate cake for dessert; All amazing! Hope to be back one day! read more

To start, server seating us was Johnny in the spot by bringing us water but it was warmer than room temperature and no ice. Table server was great though. Appetizers: Outstanding! 1. fried green tomatoes with corn meal crust, basil tomato sauce, white corn grit bed w/ shrimp and spinach - Yummy! 2. Gouda corn fritters with a spice jelly dip - Dreamy and mouth watering. Both were delish and had just the right texture and compliments that made the flavors pop, in your mouth. Entrées: overall good. Just remember that this is still Southern cooking and it appeared heavy on the salt throughout entire dish, for us non-salt eaters. 1. Pork loin with mash potatoes 2. Stuffed Chicken Breast with okra read more

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Great food, great atmosphere, great drinks, great service! Small little restaurant in downtown Clayton. We have a little one with us, but the staff was very accommodating and understanding. Would definitely come back! read more

Outstanding lunch as we explored the Fall colors in North Georgia. Service was great and the food as always was great.

THIS PLACE IS FIVE STAR. No doubt. Interested in dining here? Make a reservation, especially on the weekends. What should you get? Anything. Really. For-realsies. Specifically, I can sing the praises of the trout (it's a menu staple here), the vealchops (they come and go) and the clams. (an occasional special appetizer.) The veal chop was about a pound of amazing. My advice is go for medium-rare. I went for medium and loved it, but woulda loved medium rare even more. Drinks in this place are equally as spectacular as the dining options. If they're offering a "shrub," do it. Stop what you're doing right now and order one. Don't like gin? Me neither. Get it with gin anyway. It is mind-blowing. Thank me later by telling the folks you read about it on Yelp. This place could EASILY charge three times the prices if they were located in a major metro. This is true big-city fancy food in small town Clayton, but without ANY pretentiousness or snobbery. It's just honest farm-to-table deliciousness. If you're visiting Rabun County for a weekend, make a dinner reservation for this place one of the nights you're in town. It's worth it. read more

Visited this highly recommended establishment while on vacation March 31st. Friendly staff, excellent server. We had trout, chicken, and wagyu bone-in ribeye. Trout was good, chicken fair, and the steak was tough. We are generally easy to please and not overly demanding. When the steak is tough, the meal is lost. We may give them another chance, but likely will look around for something different. read more

Best meal I had on my whole southern trip the salad was inzane! House made cheeses and butters are elevated as heck. Trout dish next level! read more

Kudos, Debbie! It was your year to pick out where we would go and where we would eat for our anniversary and you came through! Tonight we dined at "Fortify" in downtown Clayton and it wss superb! We could not have asked for a better waitress than Denise, who not only explained the fare and kept close tabs on us, but was very engaging and friendly. Although the place was packed, it being a Friday night, the manager came over and checked on us twice. I had the Grits Platter, which had several large shrimp, andouille sausage, chicken strips, sauteed spinach, aas a heavenly sauce over a bed of grits ... Outstanding! Debbie tried the special ... Redfish, and was equally pleased. Expect to pay about $50-60 per person, but it's worth it! read more

Fortify Kitchen and Bar - The front door has a great charm about it. - Southern Near Me - Clayton, Georgia

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The hype about this restaurant had us so excited to eat there. We were shown to a table that was not great, a walkway for the service staff and the patrons going to and coming from the restroom was right by this table. We found the hostess and said we would like another table please, and we walked up front to wait. There were 3 empty 4 tops in the main dinig area, but we were told they were "requested". We waited @ 8 minutes as the manager and hostess discussed where to seat us. It was seeming to be a problem, so I approached and asked if it was, and the reply was that I not talk to the waitstaff like trash!!!!! There was ZERO disrespect from me when I asked for a different table, and his reply was that 3 wait staff said so. I didn't even come in contact with more than 1 person. They were rude, dismissive, arrogant, and maybe the food is good, but we left before finding out. Any place that treats their guests like that tells you everything. read more

Been coming here since they opened. Fantastic place, great food and service with a pleasant atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Another great meal at Fortify tonight. My brothers had steak. One had the filet and the other had the NY Strip steak. They both agreed it was the best steak they have had! The entire meal was delicious! Treat yourself and go enjoy this local treasure! read more

We had reservations at 630 PM on Friday, October 13th. Although the restaurant was beginning to get busy, we were seated immediately in the back room with a nice roomy table and lots of space between the other tables in the room. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. Drinks were promptly served and she was well-versed in the various wines and beers to provide recommendations upon learning what we liked. The five of us ordered different appetizers and entrees. Highly recommend the grilled caesar salad with pumpkin seeds and the squash gazpacho to start. It's not easy getting five different entrees prepared just right and delivered hot at the same time. We had two filets (one med-rare, the other medium), chicken piccata, a pork chop and a large salad. The steaks were cooked perfectly and the chicken piccata was tender and perfectly seasoned. Several of us have traveled extensively internationally and one of our guests is an adventurous foodie. Our experience at Fortify ranks up there with some of the finer restaurants in New York and Europe. Reasonably priced, good portions, excellent service. Bravo Fortify! read more

This is one of those life-changing restaurant experiences. The food is so incredible that even my non-foodie husband said "wow, that is amazing flavor" and he's never said that about any restaurant! We dined in the day before Thanksgiving and feasted on their delicious bread basket with assorted butters/spreads, fried green tomatoes, gouda fritters (made of gouda and pimento with a strawberry-five pepper jelly dip - HOLY COW), scallops, and filet mignon. Everything was truly phenomenal, and we're counting down the days until the next time we can go back for a meal here. read more

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This restaurant came recommended by several local residents. We were well pleased with their suggestion. The restaurant has a great ambiance with very attentive wait staff. The menu changes due to local/seasonal food availability. The fried green tomatoes are a must have! Our dinners were absolutely prepared well and tasted incredible. read more

Cannot wait to go back. Best meal I've had in as long as I can remember. My wife and I are two years sober. Had "mocktail" versions of every cocktail on the menu. Every one was better than any other mocktail we have ever had. The service was also fantastic. read more