DiningOut Atlanta Spotlight: Hudson FC International Sports Bar

Feel like your local sports bar just doesn’t cut it when it comes to international sporting events?

Luckily, there’s a new spot in town that will fulfill your global game gusto.

From the group that brought you Hudson Grill, Einstein’s, and Joe’s on Juniper comes a new, international pub concept that offers a range of world cuisines to complement the international games they screen on their tvs, according to Managing Partner Adam Reynolds.

Enter Hudson FC (football club), where you’ll want to catch soccer, rugby, cricket and other international matches. According to Reynolds, the cuisine here is a departure from the traditional nachos and tacos offered at most sports bars.

For vegetarians, this is one sports bar that has made sure to create an inclusive menu.

All are welcome

Executive Chef Fran Rotella said he wanted to create a place that not only catered to the sports fans who want to sit back and have a beer while watching the game, but also to their girlfriends and wives, who may want to watch with them, but don’t care for traditional pub grub. He also realized that by not providing vegetarian or vegan options, he would be excluding a large group of people. Instead, he decided to design a more comprehensive menu.

That’s why on Mondays, Hudson FC offers meatless, vegetarian specials such as black bean burgers.

Though I went on a Wednesday, I was impressed with Rotella’s use of black-eyed peas in a “hummus” dip topped with tapenade — this too, not made with anchovies, as is typical of this accoutrement. And this item , not a special, is available daily.

This is also the first place where I have tried a vegetarian Miso soup!

According to Rotella, for items like the Miso soup and tapenade, there was just no reason to make them with animal product, he said.

“They can just as easily be made without it,” he said.

For something more substantial, vegetarians, be sure to order the arancini, or risotto cheese balls in tomato cream sauce, or the margherita flatbread, and don’t be afraid to get a side of Rotella’s special Spanish fries, which are seasoned generously and topped with onions and jalapenos– what Rotella calls, his version of the Dorito. These fries are exactly what you want every fry to be — crisp, and packed with zesty flavor.

Something sweet

Since games can go for hours, you’ll probably want to finish with a craft cocktail or dessert. By way of libations, I’d recommend The Pitch, a refreshing blend muddled strawberries, St. Germain, gin and soda.

For something stronger, go with the Banana Kick (and arrange for an Uber). This treacherously sweet cocktail warns of danger with just a whiff, but the banana rum and orange juice work well to hide its potency.

You could also get your buzz going with the seasonal pumpkin slice a la mode, as its soaked in rum. Or, ask about the dessert specials, and keep your fingers crossed for the turtle cheesecake to be available. It’s divine.

BOGO DEAL AVAILABLE

Make the most of your visit to Brookhaven Hudson locations by taking advantage of the Buy One Get One Deal available to Hudson Grill (Hudson FC’s sister restaurant) in the 2017-2018 DiningOut Atlanta Passbook, now available. 

With BOGO deals to more than 90 Atlanta restaurants, this $99 passbook pays for itself when you use my PROMO CODE JMIT18 for a final, discounted price of $39.

Order yours here, and use the promo code for $60 off this coupon book that is filled with deals, valid until November 2018.