Purple Corkscrew

Cool, intimate space with friendly staff. Not a place to have a crazy party. Best for a laid back girls night or a wine tasting event! They have wine that you will not find anywhere else. Only for true wine lovers!

After dining out in the area, my friends and I decided to check out the Purple Corkscrew. I’ll admit I felt a slight hesitation because of the below 4 star rating, but with limited options within walking distance I led my group to the wine bar.
When we walked in, I was instantly confused. When I see the words ‘wine bar’ I immediately conjure up images of hundreds of wine bottles lining the shelves, and expert staff members ready to rattle off all sorts of interesting facts about the various smells within each wine that you really can never truly distinguish yourself.
What I found was an empty, silent, run down looking basement, with a small gas station like fridge in the corner with a few beers in it. We were greeted by the only person that appeared to be working there, and led to a room in the back of the place. This room was also empty, and silent, and lacked anything resembling a wine bar.
The menu here has some small bites, as well as maybe 10 or so different wines. The server was friendly, but definitely not warm and welcoming. We selected a cabernet to share, and when the waiter brought it out he had already opened it in the back which seemed odd. He then set the wine down, and informed us that «he would let us pour it ourselves» and he was gone. Before he left he said he would be back to check on us; however the only time he returned was to inform us he would be closing in 10 minutes.
There is absolutely nothing here that I can recommend, besides experiencing the strangeness for yourself.

A hidden gem under Saba… My Favorite wine bar and lounge… The wine selection is always wonderful with new exciting new flavors and tastes .
I love the little room in the back it’s so cozy and great for meetings as well as great for getting together with friends when you want a private intimate conversation or just some time to yourself!
The owners and the staff are very nice and friendly and always are there to answer questions and help you when you need it!

After reading about the Purple Corkscrew in the Thrillist I decided to give it a try. Upon entering I was surprised and confused by the décor: Definitely not what I expected for a wine room and lounge. The place is simply shabby. Great service and knowledgeable staff but I couldn’t get over the folding chairs and space heater. This place has the feel of an unfinished basement with consignment furniture haphazardly thrown together. When I entered I got the feel of a Chinese take away restaurant. As I walked towards the lounge area I definitely thought I was in pub minus the pool tables. There is nothing cozy or ecletic about this joint. Definitely not suitable for a date night. A makeover from an interior decorator would greatly enhance business in my opinion.

Great place. The wine was delicious. My favorite item however was the espresso Cheddar cheese. Hubby surprised me with a birthday party here & the staff was great. They offered me this really awesome Port wine. Which is now one of my favorite wines. All in all the atmosphere was very cozy. The staff friendly and very attentive. The crepes and cheese platters were super tasty. Of course the wine was delicious. If you are looking for a nice wine bar in the east Atlanta/​Decatur area I would suggest you check them out.

Cute spot! Incredibly friendly service, knowledgeable staff, delicious wines, and awesome crepes! Also, the music they play in the background is awesome sauce.
I don’t usually review a place until I have been more than once, but I wanted to write a note about Purple Corkscrew because I think the place may be starting to come into its own.
I had the melted cheese crêpe (gouda and asiago) and it was truly outstanding, as was the bananas foster crêpe I had later on. The ingredients in both crepes were great — obviously good quality cheese, and you could tell the whipped cream was freshly whipped, not from a can. The bananas were sliced super-​thin, which was perfect.
The wine menu is not super extensive, but it is varied. My friend and I tried 4 different wines — all of excellent quality.
The interior is not very polished, but it’s cozy and there are two very separate rooms, so even if there is an event that you aren’t involved in, you don’t need to avoid the place. Give it a try!

I was excited about them starting to serve food, but I would never really want only crepes for brunch… The dessert crepes are a satisfying sweet fix but not remarkable. Also I really wish they had some cheaper by-​the-​glass wines for all the students around!
I think most of the filtered reviews were written by the owner’s friends… awkward.

The plan was to scope out Purple Corkscrew for an informal University function I’m hosting. I was excited that it was black-​owned, in Emory Village, and had a scoutmob. I invited my best wine friend to join me for a pre-​visit scouting trip (and also to celebrate the holiday known as «Friday»).
We arrived at 4:45. We were greeted warmly by woman behind the bar. It’s adorably shabby. We were asked if we were joining the 6:00 World AIDS day event. We knew about it from the website but weren’t there specifically to attend. My friend’s research is in HIV, though, so we said we might join it but we’d like to start eating and drinking now. We ordered two house reds (Cab) and the mega board.
The board was meh. I loves my charcuterie and I’m accustomed to something a bit more robust than what was served here. (More like what you see here:
) It’s very light on meat. The sum total of «with meats» addition to the cheese board was four pieces of salami. I usually expect a second, if not a third? Some prosciutto or sopressata or something? But we could deal. We were loving the music being played by now (I suspect the owners miss the 90s like I do; it was all Prince, D’Angelo, etc.) so no biggie. Plus, we kept commenting on just how cute the place was. For that and convenience I’ll sacrifice a lot.
There were some minor problems, though. No one ever came back to check on us. We would have liked some water. Also, the megaboard only had pita. We couldn’t figure out how we were supposed to enjoy the fig jam. I asked a random guy who’d joined the hostess midway through our sitting for crackers and he said they don’t have any. I’m not bourgie. A water cracker is ideal but I would’ve taken saltines at that point. Instead we just kinda scooped up the blue cheese and fig with our fingers. Fortunately we’re really good friends.
Then, at about a quarter to 6 a woman — someone other than the one who’d served us – comes to the table and announces that she’ll «have to move [us].» I don’t know who she is or why we are being moved but I don’t respond well to pronouncements about forcibly moving me. I’m odd that way. I offered to just finish eating and pay but she also didn’t like that plan. She just needed us MOVED not actually, you know, pleased? So bizarre.
Because my friend hadn’t finished her wine I let myself be led to the back room where we were seated at a coffee table. Mind you I carried my own wine, napkins and plate. If you’re moving me maybe you could pitch in? Then another visit from the hostess who’d initially served us to say «I thought you said you were here for the event!» It seemed to really matter but I’m a little put-​out at this point so I don’t respond. And honestly does it matter? The framing was a bit like a friendly accusation that we’d mislead them somehow. My friend, who is a lot more difficult to push than I am, is also very displeased at this point.
We had plans to follow the megaboard with crepes but ordering from the coffee table in the back hovel where, I’ll add, there’s no cell service did not appeal to us. So we asked for our check from a new, third, waitress who was very nice. She did miscalculate our bill and overcharged us by $ 10 but fixed it (with a great attitude) after we pointed it out.
Final analysis: it’s cute, it’s new, shyt happens. I suspect they just needed to be closed to general public to serve their event but they never said that. There was no sign posted, no announcement made, nothing. But they obviously couldn’t handle serving them sangria and two regular customers. Where I’ll be more exacting is with how it was handled. I think we can confuse being pleasant with customer service. I love getting both but if I must choose I’ll always choose actual SERVICE. So, when you announced you were moving me? You could have told me who you are and what the issue was. For all I knew, the janitor was moving me to wax the floors. Second, you could have apologized for the confusion, offered a glass of water or some extra pita bread, something to compensate for the odd confusion. The charcuterie is light on char and cuterie. You gotta do something for $ 20 in a college-​ish area. Water and crackers would also be nice. I consider them standard for such things.
Will I be taking my group there as planned next week? Maybe not. I take my role as hostess pretty seriously and I’m not sure they could handle a party and I’d rather not find out when the party is mine. I may — may — try it again in a casual group.

I found this place via Scoutmob. A quick Unilocal search showed the joint as 4.5 stars (but with only 3 reviews). So the hubs and I decided to come here for a light dinner. And I’m glad we weren’t very hungry, because it was certainly a LIGHT dinner.
Purple Corkscrew serves only crepes (savory & sweet) and alcohol. We ordered a shrimp and spinach crêpe, wild mushrooms crêpe with chicken, a nutella crêpe (with bananas) for dessert, and a Duvel beer.
The crepes were nothing to write home about. My shrimp & spinach crêpe was overly salted. And the crêpe consistency was tough (I don’t know how else to describe it), so it was hard to cut. Personal preference, but I like my crêpe a little bit doughy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. But this crêpe was neither. it was just tough and slightly crispy at the edges.
The quantity was also really small. $ 8 for a savory crêpe almost like an appetizer size. It would’ve been nice if the crêpe came with a small side of vegetables or something. Something, anything.
The nutella crêpe is the only thing I might possibly come back for. But I just love nutella… you can’t go wrong with it.
Glad we had a Scoutmob. But at regular prices, I won’t be back again. Sorry.

The hubby and I went last night and we had a great time. The owners were extremely knowledgeable about their wines and were able to recommend an amazing Chardonnay to nicely complement my heavenly mushroom crêpe. The location is a little off the beaten path but definitely worth it. It reminds me of a few of the underground lounges I used to visit when I lived in NYC – cozy and inviting!

All I can say is OMG! This is the best Wine bar that I’ve visited in Atlanta. The assortment of wines, the hip atmosphere, the amazing staff, and the delicious crepes were all to die for. It’s a 2 min walk from Emory’s campus and it’s easily accessible from anywhere in the city. I STRONGLY recommend that you pay this place a visit!