Bacchanalia

I was left a bit disappointed by my experience here. I took my husband for his birthday, in a last minute decision after googling «best restaurant in Atlanta.»
I still can’t put my finger on it — but something felt off about the experience — starting with a very lack of warm welcome from the hostess (?) — an older woman at the front of house. Although we aligned to the dress code of business casual — i was in a dress and my husband was in a button down and slacks — but i noticed that the majority of the dining room were in jackets. We were dressed appropriately for this caliber of restaurant in New York — I’m still learning the unwritten southern rules — maybe ATL means jackets when they say business casual???
Anyway, we started the meal with the caviar course which was lovely. The remainder was hit and miss — the crab fritter was great. The short rib was fatty and in desperate need of a sauce. The cheese course was fine, nothing to write home about. Desserts were good.
Mixed drinks were, for lack of a better word, stingy. Wine list solid.
The service was fine — if somehow awkward.
For a $ 600+ ticket, i was left a touch cold. And disappointed if this is truly the best restaurant in town.

Like so many other reviews, Bacchanalia was high on my list of must dines. And based solely on our meal it was everything I could have hoped it to to be. Interesting and creative with tastes and textures thoughtfully combined. Every superlative that has come before echoed our meal. The wine pairings were brilliant and they really helped me understand flavor pairing. If the pumpkin fried ice-​cream is in the menu for dessert, just order it. You’ll understand why at first bite. Unreal good.
I also want to make mention how lovely the host/​manager was and the mention that beverage manager was equally wonderful.
So why 3 stars? Our table captain. His name was Jonathan and he was not having a good night. We felt rushed from the get-​go. He appeared to be the captain of most of the tables and this was clearly overwhelming. He mentioned that white and black truffle shavings were available for any warm dish and when I asked him when he came back around which I could add to my meal choices — he told me none of mine would work and I would be wasting my money. Wine was late coming for my second course and I decided instead of full glasses that I would change to half glass parings. Since the wine was late arriving, I felt this should not have been an awkward change. It was awkward. Very awkward. Please know we were over the moon grateful to be dining with a reservation at Bacchanalia and were looking for a brilliant evening; and we were ripe for pleasant and engaging conversation with those serving us and go it from all except our table captain. My husband had just buttered his bread and Jonathan took it away without asking. When I commented how delicious my husband’s fried ice cream was, he told me that he had mentioned it was the best thing on the dessert menu. Maybe he said that to someone else, but it wasn’t to me. He then went on to tell us how it tasted exactly like cinnamon toast crunch cereal. Look, I’m no food snob, but when I’m dining at Bacchanalia I’m not looking for a general mills cereal comparison to my meal. Lastly, when complimenting the lovely after dessert amuse-​bouche, Jonathan began to tell us how he just didn’t like marshmallows and always ate his s’mores with just chocolate and graham crackers. Ugh. Really? I loved the homemade marshmallows and would have appreciated him sharing in my joy. The whole dinner seemed boring and run of the mill to him when I wanted to be delighted by a new experience.
We were in the last seating group on our evening dining and I get it that he wanted to hurry everyone along and get home. We however were there in Atlanta specifically to dine at Bacchanalia. So it was a bit of a cross purpose.
The food and perfect presentation of each course by the kitchen was extraordinary. For me it came preciously close to my meal at the French Laundry. Our service however was not brilliant and I’m sad to say it took away from the experience. The 5 + star rating went to 3.
Every single other person that crossed our path that night lent to a great evening, and we look forward to our next visit at this perfectly curated eatery.

What an amazing evening! Been looking forward to eating here ever since I’ve moved to Atlanta (which was about 3 years ago).
I wanted to spoil my husband with a fancy date, so I surprised him with a visit to this restaurant. We had a relatively early dinner reservation right when they opened at 5:30pm on a Saturday. For the first hour or so, it felt like we were dining privately since there weren’t many seated tables yet — super romantic, so I’d highly suggest getting an earlier reservation time.
They have an extensive wine list that offer wines by the glass, half bottle, or full bottle. On our visit, we both went with the prix-​fixe menu. 5 courses of beautifully plated and wonderfully flavored food. Don’t be fooled, each course may seem small, but by the end, you’ll be full! For skeptics, they currently offer a steak prix-​fixe. We didn’t order it, but that 3^rd course is no joke — very big portions.
Our bill came out to be a little over $ 300, since we ordered a bottle of wine. Obviously, this isn’t a place to visit regularly (unless your budget allows it!) but it’s great for a special occasion. We had great service, amazing food and satisfied bellies. Can’t wait to find an excuse to come back for another wonderful meal.

We finally made our way to Bacchanalia for our anniversary and ordered the 5 course meal. For drinks, I went with an aviation (a favorite at classy places) and the fiancé ordered some sort of old fashioned. The aviation isn’t on the menu anymore but the bartender has definitely not forgotten how to make them, as the gin is lightly balanced with the lemon and crème de violette.
For the courses I ordered:
Foie Gras Terrine
Jamison Farm Lamb
Loup de Mer
Taleggio
Pear Custard Tart
Each course was divine and appropriately paced with lovely gifts from the chef in between (which is something to be expected from a fine dining establishment). The last dessert sampler was awesome but I think we were too stuffed to enjoy it properly.
And since it was our anniversary, the kitchen brought out this adorable cupcake tower with a candle on top!
There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t been written 15 times over in other reviews so I can leave you with this — if there’s any doubt in your mind, don’t delay. Just go. Now.

Just prior to writing this commentary I thought I had rated too many places with a five-​star rating. As the meal progressed I could not find a flaw that would warrant something less than five. Service was flawless, the food was perfect and the pairings were spot-​on. Bacchanalia earned each star.
A few meals ago I started to pay attention to how a chef combines flavors. More and more I try to scoop each of the flavor elements onto the fork to experience the totality of intent. Since doing so, I think I have enjoyed my meals more. I urge you to consider the same the next time you visit a place as competent as Bacchanalia.

I’m giving this place five stars because although the service sucked, the food was amazing and well worth a visit.
I’ve have been fortunate enough to dine at some of the best restaurants around the world and can happily say that Bacchanalia served food that is worthy of 3 Michelin stars. We had a range of dishes between us, the most notable of the night was the oysters, the foie gras terrine, the lamb and taleggio cheese course. There were some courses that were a bit miss though and the «gifts» from the kitchen were nothing special but a nice treat.
Onto the service — If it wasn’t for the incredible food then I would be giving his place 2 stars for the poor service alone. To sum it up, there were too many people running frantically around. From what appeared to be senior wait staff to brand new servers, no one really seemed to know what was going on. What should have been a relaxed evening spanning many hours was pushed into about 2 hours from start to finish.
Overall, yes I would come back but just be prepared to figure out the food for yourself ;)

Summary: Our seasonal menu was heavy on autumn, pumpkin flavors. The El Diablo and Apple Spritz drinks are a great start. The 28 day dry aged steak is a great choice. The steak supplemented with the seared foie gras is a must-​try experience and the chocolate soufflé has a nice salty complexity that is amazing. Also, please take a moment to appreciate their salted butter on their sourdough bread.
Some say that Bacchanalia is Atlanta’s best fine dining restaurant. Others disagree and name other big names. For me, I thought it was one of the best meals, but still wasn’t the best in Atlanta.
We started our meal on a week day afternoon. Justin brought me here and surprised me (which is really hard to do so that was awesome). Our reservations were for 5:30 so there were only a few people there at the time. As soon as I saw the menu I was pleasantly overwhelmed with choices.
Drinks wise, I usually get cocktails and luckily there weren’t too many to choose from. I had the El Diablo which had tequila, raspberry, and ginger beer. It has a nice kick to it that’s not too spicy. Justin got the Apple Spritz, which was equally as amazing! It has a nice apple flavor enhanced by the spritz.
I did the tasting menu and Justin did the fixed menu of Farmhouse Salad, Crab Fritter, 28 Day Dry Aged New York Strip Steak, and chocolate soufflé. Everything on Justin’s combo was amazing from start to finish. The Farmhouse salad was crisp and light. The crab fritter had a nice spice to it. The steak was amazing, melting in your mouth. The steak came with potato soufflé fries which were amazing and great to eat with the steak. The chocolate soufflé had an amazing saltiness and softness to it. Justin also supplemented his meal with the seared foie gras. I have had foie gras before, but never like this. On top of the steak, it was an amazing combination!
For my menu, I had the coppa for my first course. It was a nice light charcuterie, but very strong in taste. It had the consistency of prosciutto. The pear sauce and mustard seed that came with it was a nice compliment. For my second course, I got the sweetbreads. This was my first time having a sweetbread. I didn’t realize what I was eating until after, but it still tasted great. The sweetbreads here are pan and flash-​fried which was awesome. It comes on a piece of brioche which was sweet but salty. The cranberry sauce it came with was also sweet and I was able to use it on the amazing bread they make. For my third course, Justin chose the lamb for me. It was great! It wasn’t my favorite lamb of all time, but luckily Justin’s steak was amazing so it was okay. I came with turnips and mushrooms. I didn’t really like the turnips, but the mushrooms were amazing. For my fourth course, I had the spinning spider cheese from Bailey Mountain, Marshall, North Carolina. At this point I am super full so it was nice that it was a short little course, but I think at that point the fourth course seemed unnecessary. Justin explained to me that the cheese is suppose to be light, because the third course is suppose to be the heaviest part. For dessert I wanted to try the Warm Valhorna chocolate cake, which was amazing! It came with olive oil ice cream and sweet crispy rice. The three in combination were complex flavors. The olive oil ice cream only seemed to have a hint of olive oil. The cake itself tasted very similar to the chocolate soufflé, but the chocolate soufflé was better because it had the salty finish which the chocolate cake did not have.
They were also really nice to bring us Anniversary cupcakes which had marazpan on it! That was a sweet surprise. On our way out they left us with some coconut macaroons, Madeline cookies, and chocolate bonbons with a pumpkin filling. Yum!

The best fine dining in Atlanta with some the best servers in the Southeast. For years, Bacchanalia has been my favorite Atlanta fine dining restaurant and Raphael one of my most requested servers. The food and service never disappoints here and has been consistent every visit over the years.
Quality: A+
Service: A+
Ambiance: A

Came here to celebrate our anniversary with MY 3 MONTH OLD SON. We did call ahead to make sure they allow infants in the restaurant (I know some places do not allow). They said they don’t have many kids around, but it’s allowed. So we brought him with us.
The experience was great!!! Like everyone said. Food, service, atmosphere… everything is great. Well worth it for $ 85.
For the service… instead of one server focusing on their own table and having to do everything, they pretty much taking care all tables but only focusing on one thing each. One doing all the drink order, one focusing on dinner order. One prepare all the cheese stuff etc. that’s where the good service is from.
Food wise, you get to pick 5 courses and each has about 6 options, or the steak dinner which you don’t get to pick what comes with it. And they give little gift before or after your course, which they are all very little… But they actually pretty good!!!
And I realized that the menu varies… Not sure for how long… so I guess u can just read up to this point… It’s a great place!!!
My wife ordered the steak dinner which came with a salad as cold appetizer, crab fritter as hot appetizer, the big dry age ny strip, and the chocolate soufflé as the dessert.
Salad is normal… I mean. It’s salad…
Crab fritter is great, might be the best I ever had so far… the sauce is kinda like Vietnamese style sauce. Lol
The steak is not the best I had but still an awesome one.
The soufflé has some salt in it, which I am not a big fan of salty dessert.
As for my order… I ordered the beef taretar as cold appetizer, grilled trout as hot appetizer, venison as my main course. I forgot what I ordered for cheese (anyway I don’t care), warm valrhona chocolate as my dessert.
Beef taretar is straight up raw beef, which I would like it more if the portion is larger…
Grilled trout is awesome… I wonder how they could make it so juicy and little grill mark on the trout skin.
Venison is alright… the meat itself is just not as tender as I expect.
Cheese plate… I don’t know… I don’t care Hahahaha
My dessert also had some salt in it as well…
Other than our dessert order… We also have our anniversary cupcake.
Last thing I want to say is… many ppl in the restaurant give us the face like…“why u guys bring kid with U?” «he is going to mess up my dinner» I am so proud of my son… Very well behaved in the restaurant… Didn’t cry at all, didn’t yell at all, just either smiling or sleeping the entire time. I am sure everyone in the restaurant didn’t expect that lol.
One more thing I want to mention is… They don’t have diaper changing table in male restroom.

Oh my god. Oh my GOD!
This has been on my bookmarks for ages, but I finally got to go. The price is 100% worth it. The fixed menu was amazing and it was so much food… it just kept coming! I can’t even put it into words. Foodgasms non-​stop!

Bacchanalia has been at the top of my list for over ten years, so needless to say, my expectations were high. I was completely surprised by my visit here, which made it even more fun! It’s hard to meet my expectations when they are this high, but Bacchanalia didn’t disappoint!
It’s located behind Star Provisions, so you have to walk through the store to get to the hostess. Plenty of surface lot parking and there is also a valet in the evenings, I believe. Definitely on weekends.
I love the interior, everything is quietly elegant and subdued. They have a small space, so it’s intimate and dimly lit. To me, definitely a date location, but I saw a table out for a business dinner.
It’s a five-​course menu, of which you get to choose from about five options for each course (fun!) and then suggested wine pairings for each dish. Luckily I got to do the wine pairing — which they offer you a half or full glass for each course and I definitely went with half. Not sure how that would have turned out otherwise! I felt each wine was exquisitely paired with each dish and really enhanced the flavors for me. You also get some fun palate cleansers in between a few of the courses, as well as bread service.
Since all in all we had over ten dishes that we shared, as well as all the courses in between, and I imagine the menu changes, I’ll just give my highlights. My absolute favorite was a lamb dish which was part of the third course entrée. It came perfectly cooked three different ways and was incredibly flavorful. My next favorite was the famous fritter in the second course and it had an amazing layer of flavors. There was not a single dish we tried that I didn’t like.
Outing myself a little, they brought out a special dessert with a candle for my birthday (I forgot how fun it is to have a candle to blow out!) and the dish had «happy birthday» written out in chocolate! Very awesome presentation with a mini birthday «cake» of cupcakes from tiny to regular.
I would highly recommend this restaurant, but it’s obviously a special occasion location.

Expectations were high for what many claim is the number one restaurant in Atlanta. For the most part, I have to say we left happy. It’s a very good restaurant, but not on the level of Restaurant Eugene.
We ordered the 5-​course meal. For me, only the lamb plate stood out. The rest of the items were just good. In terms of service, again not on the level of restaurant Eugene, where the servers appear to be more knowledgable and attentive.

We went to Bacchanalia on a Wednesday night. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk through Star Provisions which is the cute little shop in front of the restaurant (or you can accidentally walk through the back of the restaurant like we did — I recommend the former).
We were seated immediately at our reservation time. What makes Bacchanalia so special is the details. We were brought these little «purse stools» right away.
The tasting menu is divided into five parts with several options for each course. In between courses, you are sometimes brought samples. Our server was very knowledgeable of the menu and was able to answer our questions. The thing I liked about that was that the menu caters to more advanced taste, and our server didn’t judge me when I didn’t know what a squab was or could only clearly identify two types of cheese on the menu.
The service was consistent throughout the meal — there is always someone refilling your water or making sure you don’t need anything else. Really great.
You are asked to order your entire meal at the beginning. After we ordered, we were brought little tomato and thyme muffins. Super cute and a great start to the meal. Then we were brought a little cup of soup with a mushroom pastry. Also excellent. I could’ve eaten fifty of those pastries. We were also brought awesome sourdough bread.
For the first course, two members of our party (including me) ordered the oysters and our third member ordered the prosciutto dish. Both choices were good — the oysters had a grapefruit foam topping and the prosciutto came with fig and a mustard sauce.
For the second course, all three of us ordered the recommended crab fritter. It came in a spicy Thai sauce and had some cut up citrus and an avocado purée. Excellent.
For the third course, I had the previously-​mentioned palmetto squab, which was good. It reminded me a lot of duck. The leg was done like a «lollipop», as described by our server. It was good. Another entrée we ordered was the NY strip, which was fairly standard as far as steak goes. The last entrée we tried was the sweet potato tortellini, which was our only disappointing dish of the night. The tortellini was just ok, and there were only four tiny pieces. I’m okay with small portions, but this entrée was significantly smaller than the other two.
Next came the cheese. We split all three types. We ordered the burrata, the robiola, and the one hard cheese selection (the name eludes me). The burrata was served with oats and thinly sliced fruit, and it was a crowd-​pleaser. The robiola was served with spaghetti squash and it was quite good as well. The hard cheese was good but was served with a lot of other ingredients on top, so the cheese didn’t really shine through.
Lastly (but certainly not least) the desserts! We split a Georgia apple tart, the warm Valrhona chocolate, and a coffee semifreddo. ALL were awesome, as pictured. Yes, they taste exactly like they look. Before dessert, we were also brought little apple tart samples with cream on top.
When you pay for the meal, they also bring out a dessert sampler with Madeleines, bon bons, and macaroons.
We noticed when we were paying that there was a cupcake stack in the window. Apparently it’s for special occasions — when we inquired about it, we were brought one of our own! The cupcakes were fantastic — they had a cream cheese frosting.
I know the portions are small, but I was stuffed when I left. I loved Bacchanalia and don’t see how I could give this less than five stars.

In Atlanta, Anne Quatrano’s Bacchanalia is the high water mark. It is the restaurant that all other Atlanta restaurants are measured against and for good reason.
Service, food, wine and atmosphere are excellent. Our dinner was 5 courses paired with wine. A nice feature of the menu is the ability to choose different items for each course so my dinner date and I were able to pick a variety of items and sample each other’s course selection making for an enjoyable evening. Don’t miss the warm valrhona chocolate.
I would say to put Bacchanalia on your list of must visit restaurants but I am sure it already is.

In a word, absolutely delicious and deserving of its strong showing on Unilocal.
When I came, was seated at the 8 stool bar and taken care of by the very gracious bartender for the evening. I haven’t had a chance to try the table service but the bar service was lovely.
The menu is 5 course style (available a la carte), new American with all the farm-​to-​table local Georgia goodness that you would expect associated with that.
Each plate was prepared masterfully and plated excellently. I went without looking to stuff myself but I think you could pull off both the clean delicious meal and the excessive and opulent meal depending on your mood.
Attire is smarter end of casual (most men had a dress shirt), room is quite dimly lit.

(SO sure I wrote a review of this place already but can’t find it… so this is an abridged version…)
Came here with the boyfriend for our anniversary and had an expectedly excellent meal. Bacchanalia’s reputation is completely founded.
We had the fois gras, beef tartare, crab fritter, veal sweetbreads, duck, lamb, 8 cheeses (upgraded, worth it, would recommend), peach dessert and chocolate cake. Also they gave us a delicious corn soup before our meal and a plate of macarons, honey brittle and bonbons after our desserts.
Everything was excellent. Things that stood out were the fois gras, corn soup, sweetbreads, CHEESE and honey brittle. Beef tartare was a little regular, but I’m sure it was made with fancy beef. I really can’t imagine anything on the menu doesn’t taste good though, unless you’re a picky eater.
The servers work as a team and were of course perfect. Very nice, helpful and not awkward at all. My tiny water glass was never empty.
Perfect meal. The finest of dining experiences.

I don’t even know where to begin since this meal was so wonderful. I guess I’ll start from the beginning…
We were kind of confused as to where the actual door to the restaurant was. Didn’t realize that it was actually in the back of Star Provisions (should have taken the hint since it shares the same sign). We ended up walking around the side of the restaurant and going in a side door where we saw a Bacchanalia door mat. Well, that’s definitely the side door beside the kitchen, so that was awkward. Luckily the girl standing there was super nice and took us to the host stand. We were seated immediately and brought the «beverage journal».
The real journey started when our meal began. I started with the green pea panna cotta. The «snacks» we’re delicious throughout the meal and our first two were cheese cookies (basically) and raw squash with carrot purée accompanied by chilled corn soup. AMAZING! Next up was the gulf crab fritter, which was perfectly cooked. I then had the ricotta tortellini with crimini mushrooms… again wonderful. The only dish I didn’t get a picture of (I completely forgot and it looked so good I chowed down) was my cheese with oats and peaches. We also got a snack of a strawberry/​lime slushie. Finally for dessert I had the peach beignets. By far the best beignets EVER. Since we were celebrating our anniversary, they also brought us a special anniversary dessert. The cream cheese icing was delicious, but the cake part was just okay.
Overall, it was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Can’t wait to return… even though my husband’s wallet might beg to differ!

Thank you Bacchanalia for possibly one of the best meals of my life and certainly a wonderful way to spend my 30^th birthday. We literally could not find the entrance (restaurant sits in the back of the store with the same namesake). There are certainly some other cute places to eat in the complex that looked fun as we walked around. I’m sure some people find that endearing, but it was just kinda confusing for us. I guess I’m just not used to a fine dining place to be tucked behind a selection of house goods.
The prix fixe meal is $ 85/​person. While there are 5x courses (including a cheese course) to pick from, they also have 3 other small offerings that come with. The selection of wines/​liquors is longer than I am tall. We went with a half bottle in the $ 30s range, this made our meal on par cost-​wise with other fancy restaurants we’ve been to ($ 204 pre-​tax/​tip). I’m sure they could charge more and that people would still come. In addition to the wonderful food, the service was top notch. Just a wonderful evening overall. I certainly would come back here again! Thank you to friends living in the area for their recommendation!
On the way out, the woman working at the storefront handed us a loaf of bread. She said keep it despite some protests. We ended up giving it to someone else since we were just visiting and beyond stuffed, but seriously? What a wonderful cap to a fantastic meal.
Ps: they had some of the best sourdough bread I have ever eaten! Don’t skip on this to save room for other food offerings!

First timer– after going to star provisions a million times, I made it my business to try this place. From numerous people, I’ve heard that if any Atlanta restaurant were to receive a Michelin star, it’d be either this place or restaurant Eugene. So I had to see if the rumors measured up.
The inside is nice enough. Walked over to my table. Service was a bit slow. And not on par with what I consider white-​linen-​fine-​dining. Plate/​silverware changes weren’t as frequent as necessary. Coursing time was off. Our server was friendly enough and water glasses stayed full, but this place was missing that extra level of service you usually see with these types of establishments.
As for food, all the ingredients were noticeably fresh and presentation was beautiful. I could see creativity with some of the dishes, though not as much as I had hoped for. The small surprise courses served in between were also somewhat awkwardly placed. They were neither palate cleansers, nor transitional dishes to complement the course that was to follow. Nothing was terrible but nothing was spectacular either.
Pretty pricey for the value but not horribly so. For a glass of wine, a drink, and two people, the tab came to be around $ 260.
Maybe I hyped the place up too much in my head but I probably wouldn’t come back at that price point, unless someone specifically was dying to eat here or I had some extra money to blow

Wow, what a fantastic experience! My friends and I, a total party of 4, dined here for my birthday. We made reservations nearly a month in advance and even then, dining times were pretty limited. When we arrived, we were asked to wait a few minutes for them to prepare our table. Sleek and modern with a romantic wooden, dreamy feel, I felt somewhat enchanted as we sat in their waiting area, staring at the beautiful and well-​dressed staff walk around with smiles. We were seated not long thereafter at what I would consider the best seat in the house: a circular table facing the kitchen and bar with in a semi-​private area enclosed with curtains.
Before ordering, we were greeted by several service staff and also a gentleman who explained the entire menu to us and answered all of our questions. Because you order the entire meal at the beginning, the decision process between the four of us took a while, but the staff was very friendly and patient, never rushing us through the entire experience.
I decided on the following for my meal:
–First Course: Chilled Maine Lobster, White Gazpacho, Almonds
–Second Course: Atlantic Diver Scallops, Asparagus, Country Ham
–Third Course: Japanese A5 Kobe Ribeye, Summerland Farm Onions ($ 40 Supplement)
–Fourth Course: Kenny’s Farmhouse Nena, Apples, Spiced Walnuts, Endive
–Fifth Course: Angel Food Cake, Florida Strawberries, Honey
We were also served two additional tastings: asparagus soup with roasted carrot to start and an intermezzo chocolate milkshake before our dessert course.
What can I say except everything was incredibly delicious?! The Japanese A5 Kobe Ribeye is one of most extraordinary things I’ve ever tasted in my life, and was definitely worth the $ 40 supplement. I’ve never had a piece of steak that melted in my mouth quite like the Kobe Ribeye. My next favorite was the chilled Maine lobster gazpacho, which was fresh with complementary flavors and ingredients that popped. However, everything we were served was fantastic and crafted with fine detail and care. My meal, with 1.5 shared bottles of wine my supplement, and tip, I spent over $ 200, but if you order straight from the menu with no alcohol, I truly believe $ 85 for this experience is a bargain. A definite, definite must try in Atlanta!