Briza Restaurant

I’ve been to Briza for both dinner and their rooftop, and I have to say, I love this place. Its a little pricey, but their dinner selection is perfect for an intimate date night. For the summer this place trully has an excellent rooftop. Cute cabanas with lots of space, and you can get a jazz band playing on a good night.

I’m not sure if they are used to large parties; it look 20 minutes to get water on the table. I ordered wine moments into dinner and it took longer to arrive than the water. It was not a packed house. Now, they weren’t rude. They tried. But gosh they failed. Miserably.
Taste: I ordered the scallops and the King salmon. About 15 minutes after ordering my food had still not arrived but when it did, it was hot. Thank goodness. And not terrible. A bit weighty and one dimensional. The scallops came served with a squash tempura that probably would have tasted better as a purée. The tempura squash translated as a greasy blob in my mouth. The scallops were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. My salmon was slightly overlooked but still moist. But once again, the issue of acidity remained. The lemons that should have been squeezed over my salmon to bring out the flavors were deep fried. No! No and no. When I asked for fresh ones, as you can guess, that forgot. It’s sad. Even coupled with a free app and 50% off the next meal, I’ve had my feel. Many other dining options in Atlanta. Should have gone back to The Optimist.

I attended a gathering at Briza Restaurant for my friend’s birthday. I was 1 of 6 people that attended dinner. My friend had expressed frustration with the management at the restaurant. She struggled with getting their commitment on our reservation since we had originally been scheduled to be at a table outdoors. We were unable to keep the original outside reservation because of rain. When we were moved indoors, restaurant management advised us they could not guarantee us a table.
We arrived on time for our reservation at 8:30 PM. We were seated immediately. The dining room did not seem to be busy. The hostess did not advise us who our server was going to be. We waited for approximately 15 minutes without a server greeting. We stopped a member of the wait staff named Roy. He apologized and took our drink order. We received our drinks and sat for another 15 – 20 minutes waiting on a server. Finally, I stopped Roy again and advised him we were ready to make our order and had not yet been greeted. Roy apologized and said he would be happy to take our table over.
We ordered several appetizers for the table and an entrée each. Overall, the food was not good. The beef tartare came to the table warm. The lobster home fries were greasy. The noodles with the beef short rib as well as the rice with the chicken dish were undercooked and hard. The filet steak was ordered medium rare and it was overcooked to a tough gray center. For the price of dinner, the overall experience was one I would not want to repeat.

This place is so bad it hurts. The food was awful, the service was worse. Never again.

This rating is on the food only. The service was fine, if a bit overbearing at times. The restaurant was completely empty, so I understand why the servers may have spent a bit more time than average at our table.
Appetizer: Burrata Cheese
This was the highlight of the meal which is shocking as neither of us like beets, but the arugula was fine. The burrata cheese was served chilled, which is odd as burrata is generally made the same day and served at room temperature. It was not particularly good, but it was hands down the best part of the meal.
Entrée (me): Sea Bass
Sea bass was overcooked, dry, and flavorless. The outside was a very, very dark brown and extremely tough. It was served with «lobster homefries», which were very rubbery lobster bits, and undercooked potato cubes. Both tasted microwaved. There was truffled hollandaise, but it was stuck to the plate like the plate had been sitting under a heating lamp for a very long time or had been microwaved. In short, every single thing on my plate was bland and cooked improperly.
Entrée (my partner): Steak (Filet)
Ordered medium. The entire steak was black and crispy. It was very difficult to saw into. It was so charred that the outside of the steak was all you could taste. The side was supposedly green beans, but it was actually a horrifying concoction of indiscernible vegetables. The lowlight was, as far as I could tell, jarred roasted red peppers. Slimy, watery, disgusting, inedible, horrifying. I have never tasted anything like that side.
We chose to skip the dessert and explained to our server that his service was very good, but that the food was not.
To our great surprise, about 10 minutes later, a woman (not the head chef, I looked at her picture on the restaurant website later) who did not introduce herself came to the table and asked how our food was. She appeared to be a line cook. She did not apologize and was, frankly, intimidating. She made us both nervous, but we explained that our food subpar. She asked if there was anything that could be done. We said no. She stated that they would make it up to us next time. The entire encounter with this woman was very strange.
No one else apologized for our food (there was a man in a suit who clearly worked there wandering around the empty restaurant, but he never came by our table).
Do not eat here. The bar seems fine, but the food is absolutely atrocious.

We picked this restaurant because it was a half way point for my friend and I to meet for lunch, I didn’t realize it was in a hotel until we got there. Normally, I try to say away from hotel restaurants. It has been my experience that stand alone restaurants are much better.
Anyways, it was easier to get to, however, I took Marta, so I can speak for parking. It is in Midtown and normally to park it is a nightmare, but I did see street parking available.
We sat at the bar and order some other bourbon cocktails which were tasty. Took a little longer than expect, I think the bartender was new, but very polite and attentive.
We order the muscles, chicken and waffles, and a salad. The muscles I wasn’t crazy about, I thought they lacked in flavor and I found it odd for the flavor profile to have chopped green peppers in it.
The chicken and waffles and the salad were my favorite out of the bunch.
Glad we stopped for lunch.

My boyfriend and I ate here before a show at the Fox. The décor and atmosphere was great! I loved our little table that felt secluded.
We ordered the steak tartare, mussels, fried chicken and waffle bites, and the steak.
Steak tartare was so delicious and fresh. It didn’t even taste raw or mushy like some places. Delicious!
Mussels were perfectly cooked.
The fried chicken and waffle bites were very tasty.
We ordered the steak medium rare but it definitely came out more medium to medium well. I like that they sliced it but it was very charred. The burnt char took away from the taste.
I made a reservation using Groupon reserve so we got 25% off our meal plus checking in gave us a free appetizer (chef’s choice… it’s the fried chicken and waffle bites). We already ordered it before we checked in but the waiter was nice enough to just take it off our bill. What a pleasant surprise!
Overall, I’d eat here again but I’ll probably pass on ordering the steak again.

1. Ambience: 5 stars. Briza Restaurant is located right at the heart of Midtown and sits on a beautiful location on a well known street. If you’re someone who craves city lights and skyscrapers you’re going to find yourself quite at home. The valet parking was quick and staffed by a number of people, which is very nice considering how cold it was outside. Upon entering, the host was extremely pleasant and quickly seated us. The interior of the restaurant was spacious and beautifully designed. The bar area especially gave off a 1920’s vibe, complete with suavest looking bartender I’ve ever seen. The light fixtures were definitely special. This location was Date certified.
2. Service: 5 stars. My girlfriend and I had a waiter who was about our age (23), and I was skeptical because when I’m about to drop some big money on a meal I want the most experienced waiter; but boy I was wrong. He was fantastic. Not only did he know the menu, ingredients, and chef’s biography by heart but when tasked for a red wine that would impress my girlfriend (who hates red wine) he succeeded with flying colors by creating his own mix. Nice. He and the host continually checked on us all night.
3. Food: 4 stars. The food was certainly an experience and in season. The food was wildly creative.
Appetizers: one with toast, salmon, fried cream cheese, and caviar and the other had pork belly, an egg over easy, and corn salsa. Both were creative plays on common breakfasts (which impressed us). A little too much arugula on both though.
Entrees: I got a flank steak Rockefeller (with pesto and mushrooms) and my gf got prawns with their heads (which we were told to suck) and black-​eyed peas. The prawns were the best seafood I’ve maybe ever had. They were cooked to perfection, juicy, and had major flavor. The balance between the ocean taste and savoriness was perfect.
Dessert: salted popcorn in crème brûlée, and a chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. The first dessert was unique and delicious, the cake was pretty ordinary.
4. Conclusion: The atmosphere and service were both easy 5 stars. Some of the best and most personalized service I’ve had in Atlanta. The food was inspired and extremely well cooked. The creativity alone made the meal memorable. Food gets 4 stars.
Overall: 4.6 Stars

The weather is stunning, the patio is fabulous and our waiter, Rick, is amazing! BTW, the meal was delicious also :-)!

Save your money! We went to dinner here for a birthday which was a painful $ 100 and 3 hours that will never get back. I do not mind spending money on good food but it was awful! I ordered their specialty dish which was the halibut, and it was soooo terrible. The fish was basically burnt and tasted like rubber. The potatoes were frozen and heated up. Save your money and go somewhere else if you are looking for an amazing dinner.

It all started with a statement — not a question — that I couldn’t turn down.
«Let me take you to dinner.»
And with that my romance with Edward L. officially started. Our first date? Briza. I immediately thought of coming here because of the great time we had at the Gold Elite Dinner that Kathleen M. hosted. Their menu is updated seasonally and Chef Falvo is still in the kitchen. Yaaay!
I made reservations online through their Unilocal profile using Open Table. We arrived on time and they immediately seated us at a great, private booth. The chef sent out a specialty appetizer for free since we checked in (double yaaay!).
Drinks were delicious. Dinner was amazing. The night was lovely. Two months later we still enjoy dinners together. Maybe Briza is a good luck charm? Who knows. I do know they Tweeted me the next day to ask about the evening. Very sweet follow-​up!

Went here for the first time on a first date not knowing what to expect. I was very impressed by their warm atmosphere and the friendly staff. The building is beautiful and if you ever have the chance, you should sit on the second floor. The waiters are friendly and very knowledgable about their menu. What really makes this place stand out from the rest is that the cook will personally come out to deliver the food. It’s just a friendly touch that anyone should appreciate.
The drink menu is very diverse, fruity and delicious. The food here can be pricey, but it’s worth the price.

I was so excited to try this place. I only had time to squeeze one full meal in here and several trips to the bar for drinks and appetizers. I loved the farm to fresh concept and everything appeared to be very freah and the best ingredients.
All of our trips to the bar were a delight with the bartenders being friendly and a pleasure to sit with. The cocktail list is pretty awesome with my favorite being the pear bellini. The wine list was somewhat impressive as well. If you are enjoying the cocktails and need a little snack I highly reccommend the cheese plate. It’s one of the best I’ve ever had and a steal at only $ 12.
Our dinner was part of a group that had pre-​arranged a limited menu. The choices were very smart. I’m not sure if this was our host or the restaurant staff. I went with the «fried» chicken with roasted potato and veggies. The BF ordered the pork tenderloin with grits. The grits was unbelievable. We both started with a goat cheese salad that was nice and healthy. I would of killed for the mushroom soup once I saw it though.
I tried so hard to resist the temptation of the dessert. I can’t remember what this pie was called. I’m not even sure what it was. It had expresso beans on the plate and the pie was very sweet. It was the best dessert I’ve ever had in my life! If you do nothing else at this restaurant go and get this pie!!!

A fancy and quaint restaurant located in the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The menu is filled with American cuisine with a southern twist. I tried their Brisket Sandwich, which came on marbled rye bread. The brisket was very tender and well-​seasoned, and you could taste the cheese and caramelized onions interwoven into each bite. I would have preferred the bread to be toasted or grilled like a Panini — it soaked up the juices and became soggy quite easily /​quickly, and allowed the meat to fall out and not hold together as well. The fries on the side were great — thin-​cut and crispy with some seasoning.
Overall, the food was good, and a good place to try Chef Falvo’s creations. Not sure if I’d be back though since it’s a little pricey.

This review is based on a group breakfast experience. I hope to have dinner there at some point and update the review.
I made a reservation for a small group breakfast — my colleagues were staying at the Renaissance, so I thought it would be a convenient place for us to have a morning meeting. When I arrived, no one greeted me (empty hostess station). I had to wander a bit before I got someone’s attention. After inquiring about my reservation, they had me wait a few minutes while they got our room ready (I had reserved their semi-​private dining room). I was a little surprised that I had to wait to be seated. There were not a lot of people there and I had made the reservation well in advance.
After a few minutes, the room was ready. I had emailed them prior and indicated that this would be a working meeting. But no one forewarned me that there would be no outlets in the room (or at least we were not able to find them). I had specifically said we would have laptops, so it would have been a nice touch to at least have a power strip or extension cord available (or they could have just let me know during our email exchange). Thankfully, none of us needed to charge.
The breakfast itself was pretty standard. But I will say that I really enjoyed the potatoes and grits that I had (and everyone can’t make grits or breakfast potatoes well). The coffee was very good.
The dining room itself is beautiful and I would return here again to try dinner.

I picked Briza for date night and ehh… our experience was unremarkable.
They offer complimentary valet parking (for three hours), so that’s good. The service was friendly, but extremely slow considering the restaurant wasn’t even close to being full.
We started with the fried chicken and waffles, which were okay. I usually love braised short ribs, but I couldn’t get past how fatty it was to really enjoy the dish. My date ordered the pork chop, and the only positive feedback I heard from him was that the portion size was generous.
When entrees are hovering around the $ 30 mark, I don’t think mediocrity is acceptable. I thought about ordering their guilty pleasure pie (compared to crack pie), but I wasn’t in the mood for any more letdowns. And let’s be honest: everything about our dining experience was putting me to sleep. I don’t think we’ll be back.

For breakfast, Briza is merely a-​ok. The biggest problem is the cost and thus the value. Just starting off with drinks, coffee is $ 4/​person and orange juice is $ 4/​glass, so on beverages alone, you’ve already spent what would get you an entrée at most other places in town. Now, the coffee is Illy and the OJ is fresh, but the prices here quickly added up to a bill of well over $ 100 for four people, and I don’t think we quite got the enjoyment out of a c-​note meal you might get elsewhere.
The food we sampled was merely adequate. My eggs were perfectly poached, and I appreciated the fact that turkey sausage was one the menu, but it was dry and unremarkable. I also liked that the server let me substitute fruit for the potato homefries, but likewise, nothing about that item was particularly dynamic. Omelets were gigantic and there were no complaints from all who ate them. My mom’s «Indigenous Benedict» looked like a yummy take on Eggs Benedict that incorporated fried green tomatoes, ham, and jalapenos, but the portion was quite small for the cost. On the positive side. service was fantastic, and the ambiance is very swanky for a hotel restaurant.
There’s lots about Briza that makes me want to come back (especially that smoked butternut squash soup on the dinner menu), but I’ll skip Briza for future breakfasts. The bang for the buck just isn’t there for the most important meal of the day.

We had a wonderful experience here last Saturday night. I will admit it was a little disconcerting walking in at 7:30 pm to a nearly empty restaurant… this seems to be an issue for them. We had a very friendly server who made great wine recommendations and lots of light conversation. We ordered heavily from the fall themed menu. The highlights were definitely the pumpkin soup and an arugula and fig salad. All four entrees while delicious were definitely on the salty side. We had three desserts, a pound cake with peaches that was really nothing special although beautifully presented, a sampling of homemade gelatos, and the standout a homemade almond joy with coconut ice cream. Overall we had a really fun and lovely evening and everyone left having enjoyed our culinary journey.
I think most people wont frequent this place because it is in a hotel but it’s worth it for a celebration or night out.

*Disclaimer: after my first review, which was a 2-​star rating, I was contacted by someone from the restaurant offering a return visit so they could show me how great their brunch service was. Our meal was comped on this visit, but it in no way affects my review of the service, the food, the (menu) value, or my overall experience. Throwin’ it out there!*
I have to say, I was way more impressed with the quality of the food on this visit. I’m so glad to see the kitchen really working on finessing their dishes. I feel like Briza is finally finding their brunch groove, and I love to see it!
We started with the Bag of Doughnuts… what the actual eff. How yummy could this be? They were not yeast-​based doughnut holes… tasted like a cross between cake donuts and funnel cake. Yussss. They were served with a thick caramel, a strawberry reduction, and a honey-​based dipping concoction. I will say that while the strawberry option was great to have, considering the thick sweetness of the caramel and the honey, it somehow didn’t seem to necessarily mesh with the texture of the doughnut holes. Still, so stinkin’ delicious. These are 6 very filling, very fresh doughnut holes. Definitely get these.
I ordered the Wagyu Flank with chimichurri sauce, potatoes, and scrambled eggs (on the side). The potatoes were yum, the steak was pretty good. To my total shock and awe, the scrambled eggs here were the #1 win of my life. NOW. The way people like their scrambled eggs differs between, like, literally EVERY single person I have ever met. I, personally, like them buttery and creamy and slightly soft… and these were it! Oh gosh. They were mouth-​melty and a little thick, but still maintained shape and texture… I found myself wishing for my small plate of scrambled eggs to never end. Goodness heavens.
Boything got the Smoked Salmon Sandwich and really enjoyed it. He’s not typically a tomato kind of guy, but he even liked the roasted tomatoes that came on the sandwich. It was a surprisingly large amount of salmon on the sandwich, too. He actually finished the whole thing before I even had a chance to try it… that’s what I get for only ever dating fast eaters. Harumph.
We had coffee and orange juice, and it was good. Um. Standard amount of delicious, with the coffee being slightly above-​average.
Service was very very great, just like last time. As this visit was in response to a less than positive first impression, several different people came over to check on us, including the executive sous chef, who I was glad to see. Everyone was attentive and gracious.
I will maintain that when I arrived at the restaurant, with the intent of trying the Elvis Pancakes again, I was warned that they were still being served with pork belly. They are still listed on the menu as being served with bacon. She explained to me that pork belly and bacon are really the same thing… I would beg to differ, from the perspective of an average diner, but hey, I’m no restaurant professional, just some chick on the internet with a big mouth. :-P l do feel like the waitstaff should be prepared to offer a disclaimer so people know what to expect when they order those particular pancakes, though. As I said in my last review, I’m sure if I knew what I was ordering, I wouldn’t have been so taken aback and would have enjoyed my meal a little more.
Overall, I had a markedly better experience this time around. If you are ever offered any sort of eggs as part of your meal, OMG SCRAMBLED FTW. You won’t regret it a single bit.
Thanks to the restaurant for being so kind to invite me back. It was definitely very appreciated!

Was so empty it was scary, but it was a Sunday night. My whole table was not spending out of our own pockets, so we were a bit more adventurous than usual.
We opened with a mix of appetizers, the best of which was the hush puppies but nothing spectacular there. I’d skip an appetizer as they are quite tiny for $ 8-​$ 10.
Next I had the Arugula Salad, which as non-​entrée salads go was great. It definitely was fresh lettuce and was dressed well.
Entrée was the pork chop. And it was excellent. Tender, juicy, large, and flavorful. The beans that came with it were incredibly unique and paired very well with the other items on the plate. It was a decent sized cut too, so I was happy.
But the best part of the meal was definitely the chocolate chili soufflé. Warm, rich, and choclately with excellent peanut butter ice cream on it. It’s one of the best desserts I’ve had at a restaurant not centered around them. I also sampled some of the rum cake, which was rather ordinary, and the gelato was way too much to handle on its own but I think would pair well with coffee.
Overall, it was quite a great meal, but I will probably never return while a college student as it is completely out of my price range and out of palate to most other students. If you’re doing business at Tech though, it is conveniently close.