Having never been in August Henry's, we were excited to see what
it had to offer. The first thing we noticed was that it was bright, the
second thing we noticed was that the floor was a bit dingy, and the third thing
we noticed was that the bartender was an old acquaintance of A's. What a small
town. Not only did she remember and recognize A when he asked how much a double
Jack and Coke in a pint glass was, she said, “Oh, you mean The Riley.” Busted.
Normally when we get busted we abort. However, we had a very
interesting conversation with the not-no-be-named bartender, which deserves to
be shared with the wider world.
They are looking to undergo some significant changes at August
Henry's and we are excited to see how they turn out. Apparently the bar
competition along the Penn Avenue corridor is really heating up, with two new
entries on the way. August Henry's has smartly decided to go niche. From
what we understand, they are going to morph into a more bourbon-centric,
smaller menu kind of place that is missing in the cultural district. They’re
trying to bring some of that hipster fanciness downtown with whiskey and
smoke-infused drinks. It’s not a bad idea because that niche is not being
filled yet downtown, that we know of.
As of now, August Henry’s is just a typical bar, with some tasty
punches that the not-to-be-named bartender mixed up. They currently have a
dated bar menu and the place has a bit of a dusty feel to it, but we have a lot
of optimism that they can turn it into something more interesting.
The space itself is really great, with big windows to the street
and a lot of open area with high-tops and nice woodwork. There is also a
little dining area, which is split off from the bar by a partition. I am
sure some people enjoy this, but to us it seems like wasted bar space. (Note from
the Editor: This is a hot spot during lunch hour downtown).
We learned that they do turn the lights down later on in the
night. Apparently they want people to be able to see the food they are eating.
We also learned a lot about the bar scene on Penn Avenue, which was pretty
interesting.
So, we can’t really recommend it too highly right now, but go
check it out in a month. Tell us what changes they have made! We are
excited to see what they can do with the old girl.
Address:
|
|
Games:
|
None
|
Façade:
|
Not Scary
|
Scene:
| None |
Parking:
|
Wear Walking Shoes
|
Patio/Outdoor:
|
No
|
Kitchen:
|
Bar Food
|
Cleanliness:
|
Normal
|
Smoking:
|
None
|
Jukebox:
|
Internet Crap
|
Hours:
| 11am-2am |
Cig Machine:
| No |
Drink Prices:
|
Average
|
# taps:
|
8
|
Bathrooms:
|
Sit
|
Specials:
|
Daily
|
Live music:
|
Never
|
|
$9.10
|
ATM:
| No |
Cash Only
|
No
|
TVs:
|
2
|
Size:
|
|