Parker's on Ponce

Everytime I get the chance to goto Parker's on Ponce I ALWAYS have a great time! I always feel welcomed the moment I walk into the door. Everything from their fried Calamari to the Shrimp & Scallops Linguini is exquisite! And as for the deserts...WOW! My boyfriend & I ate the pecan pie sundae... It was amazing! Everytime I come to the Decatur area I look forward to coming here! And when I know someones coming into town I make sure to tell them where Parkers is at.

Pros: Everything

Posted 10/21/09

I have eaten here a few times now and have to say it has become my favorite place in Decatur! The food is always great, especially the Porterhouse for two. If you went to any other steakhouse in town it would be at least $20.00 more for the same or lesser quality steak. I can't believe they sell anything else to couples. The staff is pretty much the same people that opened it a year ago...which speaks highly of Chris Scott and his brother. The service that the staff provides can't be matched in Decatur! Like I said...my favorite place!

Pros: The staff, food, and service

Posted 10/12/09

I had a wonderful Retirement Party at Parker's. Plenty of room to visit and party. Great food! Wonderful staff and owners. I highly recommend from a casual lunch to a large party.

Pros: Love the atmosphere and food

Posted 10/09/09

We are residents of Decatur and eat out very often. We were very frequent Mick's customers and were sad to see them close. But Parkers has definitely "one upped them" in food and with a beautiful atmosphere and style.This location--particularly the patio-- is best in Decatur for people watching, atmosphere, shade-- as we LOVE to eat outdoors anytime we can. Their patio is suberb. We have eaten there dozens and dozens of times and have never been disappointed with food or service even one time. The servers are all very good and we have some that have been absolutlety delightful, attentive, fun, and very friendly.The BEST! Everyone makes you feel very welcome from Host to Managers to Owners-- as well as servers. Truly our Number 1 Decatur favorite! All they need is those WHEAT rolls as an option they'll be PERFECT!

Pros: Location, View, Food, Service, Owners and Managers!

Cons: Can be pricey and need bread variety (ie wheat option)

Posted 10/02/09

Anyone who complained about this place is nuts. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! I will be going back ASAP.

Pros: Food, People

Cons: None

Posted 10/02/09

I have enjoyed several tasty meals at Parker's on Ponce and highly recommend you experience this wonderful new restaurant yourself. The owners are very attentive and hands-on and the attention to detail shows. The fontina and roasted vegetable dip is a great starter. The steaks are always a winning choice, especially with one of the special toppings. The truffle mac & cheese makes for a decadent side dish. But my personal favorite is the white chocolate bread pudding with the Maker?s Mark caramel sauce. I can not say enough about that caramel sauce it's so so so good!!! I could grab a spoon and eat a great big bowl of just that sauce alone. Yum!

Pros: Great steaks, imaginative cocktails and apps, simply delish!

Cons: I have not experienced any cons.

Posted 10/02/09

never in my life have I been treated with such disrespect. I can promise you, they will be out of business soon enough.

Pros: mediocre food,ambiance.

Cons: service

Posted 09/28/09

Parker's on Ponce is my new favorite restaurant in Decatur. I have been hearing about it from many people that it was so good. I finally tried it and now Im hooked. They have a great outdoor patio and a excellent atmosphere inside with a large bar area and fireplace in the dining area. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Pros: Great Food, Patio, Atmosphere

Cons: nothing

Posted 06/05/09

We had wanted to try the restaurant for some time and decided to go last night since we received a coupon in the mail for one free entree. When we arrived, the waiter told us they had half priced appetizers, so we ordered several. In spite of this, our bill was still close to $200, and we presented our coupon. They then said the coupon would not apply because we already accepted the 'offer' of the 1/2 priced apps. After some discussion, the manager went ahead and took off one entree, but the waiter proceeded to become belligerent and rude, telling us how he 'had a degree in marketing' and they were not doing anything illegal and only he only had 3 shifts left there and he couldn't believe we were complaining because no one else had ever complained and that it was just 'hysterical'...blah blah blah. I have never in my life been treated so rudely by a waiter and will never return. It was never about the money, we routinely dine out in expensive restaurants and while the food was 'ok', the service was unacceptable.

Pros: Can't think of any

Cons: Poor service

Posted 05/20/09

My fiance and I went out to eat with his parents last night to Parkers on Ponce, and I honestly will make the 45 minute drive to visit Parkers as often as possible in the future! Our server was an absolute delight all evening; she was very helpful and had cute little stories about some of the wines and dishes on the menu. Dinner began with coctails (the confession martini is delicous, like a pumped up cosmo) and appetizers, which just so happened to be half price last night. Apparently Parkers has nightly specials - I'm interested in seeing what the special will be next time we come in. Anyway, we ordered the fried green tomatoes and mussels as starters. The FGT came out with goat cheese, pesto, and crushed walnuts - I am a huge fan of FGT and was a little sceptical, but they blew my mind! They were crispy, and the goat cheese and pesto added this creamy and tangy flavor that ought to be a required experience for everyone out there. The mussels were cooked perfectly and presented beautifully with a tomato sauce and some sort of broiled cheese bread. It took quite some time for us to decide what to order for dinner because everything on the menu sounded like something we would love. After some careful consideration and the reccomendation of the owners themselves (Chris & JT, it was wonderful to meet you), we decided to split the Porterhouse for two 3 ways, easily done with salads and 2 sides. My future father-in-law ordered the sesame seared tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes. I feel the need to add that this is the same meal he ordered the first time they went there, 2 weeks ago, because "it is just so good". Ok. Before the meal, we also ordered salads. I ate a baby spinach salad topped with almonds, bacon, goat cheese, and strawberries - I am already craving this salad again. We had the 32 oz porterhouse, medium rare, cooked PERFECTLY! I honestly did not know that someone could make a steak taste as good as the steak I ate last night. Fork tender with a little bit of crunch, which I can only imagine comes from some delicous rub they put on them. Accompanying the steak were merlot sauteed mushrooms and black truffle macaroni and cheese (you get to choose 1 side with a steak for 1, 2 with the porterhouse for 2). The mushrooms were firm and juicy, reminiscint of a red wine flavor. The black truffle macaroni and cheese is slightly understated, not traditional macaroni and cheese in any way. The pasta looked (maybe) hand made, and the cheeses were artisian maybe? They don't skimp on the truffles, either. I drank a glass of Chilean pinot noir with dinner; delicious, middle of the road pinot, but it did not dissapoint. Dessert was another difficult decision. Everything sounded delicous...banana fosters cheesecake, cranberry white chocolate pread pudding, warm chocolate chip cookies (which they'll serve with frothy cold milk on request), pecan pie, and the chef's special for the night, chocolate raspberry mousse cake. We settled in with decaf coffee and chose the white chocolate cranberry bread pudding with Maker's Mark caramel sauce. Oh......my......word. This dessert came out warm, topped with whipped cream, and dripping in caramel sauce. A trip to Parkers is worth it just for a glass of wine and a taste of this dessert! We had a wonderful time, the location is GREAT (made for a convenient walk around the square in Decatur after dinner), and I cannot wait to go back!

Pros: Great food, great service

Cons: so far from home...

Posted 04/15/09

One of the best dining experiences in Decatur. Enjoyed the total experience. From the great atmosphere, excellent service and the delicious food cooked to perfection. If in the Decatur area do not miss out on this fine eatery you won't regret it.

Pros: atmosphere, service,food

Cons: none

Posted 03/04/09

My husband and I have been to Parkers twice--both times were fantastic! The drinks are good, steaks are delicious, service was outstanding. The owner comes around and asks how your meal was--nice touch. I highly recommend this great new addition to Decatur.

Pros: food, drinks, service

Cons: no parking

Posted 02/02/09

I ate at Parker's this past weekend.

What I liked: The food was very good. I ordered the Filet and it was delicious. Inside the space is beautiful.

What I did not like: I was disappointed in the service which was not up to par for an upscale restaurant. The waitperson was unable to answer questions about the wine selection and appeared a bit flustered. Another pet peeve, is that the waitperson was not attentive and did not refill the wine glasses. Additionally, the wine bottle was precariously placed on the corner of a table. The restaurant also was out of goat cheese for the salads. Finally - because we were a large group, a gratuity of 20% was added. However, given the service level provided, I would have given a 15% gratuity. Hopefully this restaurant will work out the kinks.

Posted 02/02/09

We had been to Parker's for lunch during the holidays and had planned an evening to bring some friends to try, what we thought was, a new great place.The evening started by the maitre'd not being able to find our reservation. This later became almost comical as the guests we were with had already been seated, under my reservation, as they has arrived no more than 5 minutes before my wife and I. After showing them my confirmation email, and then being asked four times if my name was something else.we were seated at another table. After making a phone call to our friends we finally found them in the back of the restaurant.

As far as the meal, they had a very hard time correctly cooking the $32.00 Kansas City Strip which was grossly under cooked, ordered medium rare, served very rare. We also ordered the $24.00 6oz Fillet, ordered at medium rare,but served medium well.
Even after sending the KC strip back it was basically unchanged and I was informed from management that it looked to be at a medium temp. When challenged as to what he would call the Fillet, he was unable to answer and basically just walked away.

The server was great up until we had the issue with the steaks, and then we became invisible.

We were hopeful that Parker's would be a new great place to dine in Decatur, but sadly it is not.

Posted 01/19/09

My boyfriend and I treated ourselves to Parker's on Ponce just before Christmas. What a nice treat! We tried the Calamari appetizer and split a 12oz (I'm pretty sure) Filet. The app was terrific and the Filet melted in my mouth. It was outstanding. We chose the Macaroni and Cheese with truffles for a side and got mushrooms as well - and while those were great, I would probably get something else next time. But there absolutely WILL be a next time! I'm a college student so the menu is a little out of my price range but for me for a special treat I will definitely be back. There are tons of things on the menu I want to try, and the service was exceptional. It looks beautiful in there, the atmosphere was warm and pleasant - not stuffy or overbearing at all. For a special meal, check out Parker's on Ponce!

Pros: Terrific atmosphere, great steak, very nice service!

Cons: pricey but worth it - not outrageous by any stretch of the imagination

Posted 01/19/09

Just took my son there for his 15th birthday. We ordered a Porterhouse for two. The Strip was like shoe leather. The Filet by comparison was acceptable, but would not stand on its own. The owner stopped at our table and I told him. He nodded his head, left and did nothing. I usually give a restaurant a second chance, but the indifference of the owner turned me off. I at least expected him to comp a glass of wine or something.

Pros: Nice Room

Cons: The steak was very tough

Posted 01/17/09

Decatur needed another white table cloth fine dining restaurant and Parker's on Ponce meets the need. It is a classic steak house with tons of meat entree's and seafood also. The lamb chops, filet, pork chop and strip were all favorites at our table. The salads were large enough for two people to share, especially the bibb wedge. The bread rolls were nice also.
The dining room has several fireplaces that adds to the restful atmosphere and classic feel.
Since going with a group I went by myself last week and sat at the incredible bar... like 30 yards long...had two appetizers and talked to the two bartenders Summer and Rene...and I felt very welcomed.
Parkers is my new fav place in Decatur for dinner or drinks.
It is located in Downtown Decatur where Mick's used to be.

Pros: Great bar also... and takes and holds reservations.

Posted 01/01/09

On 12/14/08 my husband and I went to Parker on Ponce. I had the Linguini with Shrimp and Scallops and he had the Salmon. Both dishes were very good. Also, excellent customer service. Very nice restaurant. Menu is not extensive probably because it is new. It is located in the building where Micks use to be. Opened December 2008.

Cons: Parking can be difficult on the weekends

Posted 12/23/08