The Luminary

Oysters were great, service was ok… décor is amazing… but our entire time at the oyster bar having drinks and tasting sub par fried cauliflower, pork rinds and chicken wings which were horrible we got to watch all the cooks and chefs play on their phones and eat french fries and chicken wings on the line. Absolutely disgusting. This place is set up to be amazing but I will never return nor will I recommend because my wife and mother were disgusted with the fact they have an open kitchen and we’re watching the kitchen staff lounge like they’re at home

I was taken here by a dear friend on a whirlwind, last-​minute trip to town. I left our brunch location up to him since he lives in ATL and I wanted to treat him to something new/​fun. Krog Street itself came highly recommended and didn’t disappoint. The Luminary is tucked in a corner of the larger market and, first impression, looked divine. We came as a trio and had 1:30 reservations. When we approached the hostess stand at 1:05 and explained we were a little early she assured us it’d be just a second while she prepped our table and we «should» be able to sit down. We laughed a little amoungst ourselves (it was empty) that, hopefully, it wouldn’t be that hard to seat us. Lo and behold, she came back and told us we’d have to wait as she didn’t want to overwhelm the kitchen. No problem. I asked if we could sit at the bar and get a drink while we waited. It was as though this was a hardship for her. Again, the bar was empty. The bartender was super kind and whipped up two French 75s and an Old Fashioned. All drinks were tasty, albeit a bit overpriced (I’m a B’ham girl not used to ATL pricing so I’ll give them a pass). We perused the super short menu and figured it would just be a couple minutes. The hostess was back again after 10 mins to let us know there would still be a wait. We sipped and visited. She was back again soon after that to tell us we’d still be waiting a few minutes. We sipped more and continued to visit. We were sat at table at our original reservation time and after having to close out our tabat the bar since our drinks couldn’t be carried over to the table’s tab. I’d have understood both of these circumstances if it were even remotely busy… but it wasn’t. There were maybe 3 other tables seated in the whole restaurant and no one at the bar. So strange. We got the impression that we would have been seated more quickly had we walked up without a reservation. A server, or someone who was dressed identically to all the other servers, came to our table and filled water glasses. When I asked to order the Poutine fries he scoffed at me and said he’d let our server know. Sorry, dude, we’re hungry. A few minutes later our server sauntered over and introduced himself by saying he’d ‘heard something about Poutine. You still want that?’. We affirmed. His whole demeanor was as though we were a burden, he’d been tipped off that we were difficult or he didn’t want to be there (or a combo of all three). The operative word for it is weird. Just very weird. We went on to order 3 plates: Mussels, Shrimp + Grits, and the Belgian Waffle. The food was super yum but the odd service never waned. While I can’t say that this was a horrible experience, I will say I’ll probably never be back. Too many other options in town to roll the dice on the service here or to be treated like an inconvenience.

I have zero complaints about this place. We were half an hour late to our reservation and they were very accommodating. I had oysters and they were fresh and plump. Probably some of the best I’ve had in Georgia. Our server Madeline was super attentive and prompt. She was also very sweet! I tasted the croque madame — holy worth the calories. Awesome atmosphere (I especially like that the music isn’t too loud), overall good experience. I’d have to say I’ll probably be back!

Can only review on the one item we had. Boyfriend and I went in because I wanted to try the poutine. He’s Canadian and poutine is a speciality up there, but I rarely find it in Georgia. Sadly, the waiter informed us that the gravy was not made yet, so instead we got the Belgian waffle.
I must say that initially, when the waffle came out, it did not look that special, but one cannot judge a book by its cover. It had a heaping scoop of butter, which tasted really fresh and had a strawberry syrup on the side. It was absolutely heavenly.
We wanted to try the other foods in the Krog Street Market, so that was all we got, but we will definitely be trying this restaurant again.

Better options available at Krog St Market. Came for dinner with high hopes and was disappointed on most fronts. The food was average at best. The prices were high. The wine pour was very small. All in all, I felt like it was trying to be something it wasn’t– a fancy NYC bistro. Won’t be going back.

I’m not overly fond of this place. It’s a little too hipster into… Trying to hard. I went there for brunch and found that the portions were deceiving and misleading.
I don’t know what it is about the other patrons, or the overall atmosphere but it was hard to feel comfortable and it was hard to feel like I should be there.
Krog Street market within itself, is horrible for parking and horrible to spend a great deal of time… So it’s not going to be often that I ever venture back.
Food was good and the staff were very friendly and at least it has that going for it.
I guess it’s supposed to be the «classy restaurant» within Krog Street market… And that’s the target demographic that it’s trying to reach.

I still shake my head at our brunch experience at The Luminary weeks ago. We landed there when we realized our first choice didn’t open until later in the day.
The décor made a really good first impression and since it was a sunshiny day we asked the host to seat us outside on the patio. It was great for people watching as they paraded by with dogs and rode bicycles along the street. There was only one other table occupied so we almost had the entire space to ourselves. And that’s pretty much the best part of the meal.
The first issue was that the menu was really short. I’m used to eating at breakfast/​brunch spots with fold out, multi-​page menus but here there were only a few options in each category. There were maybe three or four appetizers and less than ten main dishes. (In fact, I just went to the website and here are the choices: omelette, french toast, belgian waffle, frittata, eggs benedict, steak frites, shrimp and grits and croque monsieur.)
Secondly, the portions were insultingly small for the price. My guy ordered the Steak Frites and ³⁄₅ of the plate was covered in French fries with a slim strip of meat tucked on the side… for $ 22. My Walnut-​Lentil Pâté with Candied Garlic was adorned with herb sprigs and served with a trio of toast crisps. I ate almost all of it but afterwards felt like I hadn’t eaten anything at all. The French Toast was ok but its center was overly soggy which I didn’t appreciate.
I should also note that the Krog Street Market parking lot was completely full so we had to park in the Inman Park neighborhood and walk back. No biggie because it was such a nice day but I wonder what diners do in that situation when the weather isn’t as cooperative.
I have to say that our server, Timothy, was great but even he couldn’t compensate for the experience. Brunch just wasn’t a good value for the money. You might be able to talk me into trying The Luminary again for dinner but never again for brunch.

I’ve been to the Luminary twice — once with a work group, once with my husband and baby. It’s the white tablecloth, sit-​down restaurant option in Krog Street Market. Unlike Superica, on the other side of the market, Luminary never seems to have a wait (probably not great for them, but nice for diners like me that don’t plan ahead!). And they really deserve to be busier — the food was solid both times I went. I really liked the octopus starter — and the parisienne gnocchi (with cheese curds, oyster mushrooms, foie gras sauce) was really rich, but very tasty. For main dishes, I thought the coq au vin was quite good, but was a bit disappointed with the croque monsieur — maybe it was just the presentation, but it ended up looking like a grilled cheese sandwich I could have made at home. I think the thing that keeps it from being busy is the price — entrees are in the $ 20-​$ 30 range and oysters, for example, are $ 3-​$ 4 each — probably not what most people are looking for when they come to KSG, with its many take-​out window options.
The service was great — they were attentive and willing to accommodate special requests (I was pregnant the first time I went, and they helped me figure out which dishes might have raw elements or other prohibited foods). When I went with my husband and baby, they went out of their way to give us a booth where we could have some space for him and also easily get up to walk him around if he was fussy (greatly appreciated, especially when a less friendly restaurant staff might have instead been annoyed at our bringing an infant).
Plus, we went there on Halloween and they’d dressed up the restaurant (including staff) as the restaurant in the cartoon ‘Bob’s Burgers.’ They definitely get some points for sense of humor.

You are paying for ambiance and service, not the food. Our server was quick and attentive and the restaurant was beautiful.
I came in for Sunday brunch and ordered the omelette. It’s was very plain and greasy. I have had better at Waffle House for ¹⁄₃ of the price.

The mussels, beef tartare, and bread were delicious and were presented attractively. The bread comes warm out of the oven which makes it more than just the filler before the meal – it’s an experience. Nice little by-​the-​glass wine list, and comfy patio. The value of what you get for what you spend is good, which always helps me enjoy myself more when I’m dining out.
Our server was rather overbearing (that’s why no five stars) but my friend and I had a great time overall and I’d go back.
A charming, reasonably priced French bistro with perfectly on-​point food – welcome to the neighborhood, Luminary! Hope you stick around for a long time.

Getting here close to end of brunch and the crew couldn’t have been more hospitable. They were transitioning menus, but offered a variety of things to make me. Well — I don’t usually eat bread or fries, but I broke my vows today. I had a moment and enjoyed their versions of a french ham and cheese– Croque Monsieur and fries. Merci!

Came here over the weekend for a friend’s birthday dinner. Saturday at 7pm, not crowded at all. It is bigger than it seems from the entrance.
We got a bunch of the appetizers to share — tomato salad, fried shishito peppers, beef tartare, and something else… That clearly wasn’t memorable. The peppers were great! The tartare could use a bit more seasoning but was still pretty good.
For my entrée I got the hanger steak, medium rare, cooked perfectly! It was a little salty but probably could’ve been from the heaping amount of butter on top — which I wasn’t expecting but from the description I probably should’ve know… It was really tasty, seasoned well and just the right amount of food. It came with a side of frites! Also amazing! I love fries and could eat it with every meal but these ones were cooked well also!
The staff is super awesome and attentive and they have a good cocktail menu and also offer mocktails for those who don’t drink (me!)
I would come back to try out their oyster happy hour!

Just came for drinks and dessert after going to Craft Izakaya for dinner but I enjoyed what I had.

What a neat find! On my first visit to Krog Street Market with some friends, we were verging on the point of hangry when we stopped in to The Luminary. To be fair we wanted to try Superica first but since they had an hour and a half wait, we decided to go French instead. I’m split on my opinion of this place since they exceeded my expectations in some respects and left me completely wanting in others.
The Good Stuff:
– Everyone here was incredibly friendly! The waiter was genuinely kind and made great recommendations for our dinner. He mentioned that they had a sommelier on staff and he was happy to send him to our table to give us advice on pairing wine with our meal. The sommelier was fantastic and happily answered our questions (both wine related and non) and took our drink orders.
– My order was incredible! For my entrée I had the duck leg confit which had a perfectly tender duck leg atop a black oat mixture with caramelized vidalia onions and a cherry reduction sauce. I am obsessed with this dish and is probably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The reduction was tart which cut through the fattier elements of the duck, and the duck was cooked so well it fell right off the bone. The oats were light and complimentary and rounded out the dish well.
– The environment of the restaurant is clean and modern with a nice Cabbagetown touch. The patio outside was spacious and had plenty of fans for guests to relax. There were even twinkling light strands which softened the atmosphere.
The Bad Stuff:
– While our waiter was friendly and kind, it took awhile before he made it to our table to take our orders even though the restaurant wasn’t super busy. Every now and then he would pop by to check in, but our waters needed refilling and we would have liked to place a few more drink orders. His lack of attention made it difficult to do both. Finally, when he brought the check he didn’t ask how we would like it divided so we had to wait even longer for him to come back before asking him to redo the listing.
– We never got 2 out of the 3 appetizers we ordered! We placed an order for the cheese plate (to go with the wine recommended to us by the sommelier), the octopus, and a dozen oysters. The waiter said he would put in our apps first thing but he completely forgot. When our entrees came out, we mentioned the issue (since we received the cheese plate, we assumed the others were on the way) and let him know he could just take them off since we didn’t want them now that the main course had arrived.
– While the patio was quaint and enjoyable, it would have been nice to have a little more lighting. As the night wore on, the strand lights couldn’t quite cover the job and needed a few reinforcements.
I’m happy to give The Luminary another shot and see if they were just having an off night when I visited last. As amazing as their duck dish was, I want to try more and see if it’s consistent across the menu. That is, as long as the waiter remembers to put in my order.

This was our second drink stop of the evening, and we definitely sat down intending on drinking only. With that in mind, we checked out the beer list. I chose the Solstice since it was the summer solstice, and they were featuring it as a special for $ 2 or $ 3 (I can’t remember). Our out of town friends were eager to try the local beers.
We decided that we couldn’t handle more drinks without some food, so we split the poutine between the five of us. It was good, not great, lots of gravy and sauce on slightly overcooked fries.
What was really awesome about the Luminary was the amazing service. Our server was excellent — personable, knowledgeable, patient, helpful.
I liked the space as well — bright and airy from the skylights. Interesting how dark the bathrooms were in contrast. If I were the kind of girl who cared about checking her makeup in the mirror before returning to the table, I would’ve been very disappointed. Thank goodness I’m more concerned with the food.

Had my birthday dinner here last night with DH and 2 other couples.
After putting our names in at Superica and being told it was going to be a 2.5 hour wait, we decided to hedge out bets and also put our names in at The Luminery also while we had a drink at Hop City.
We were called to our table within 30 minutes, which is great for a 6-​top without a reservation at KSM on a Saturday night at 8ish.
My friend and I loved the Good Gourd Almighty cocktail (a delightfully refreshing cucumber, vodka and St. Germain sitch) and the guys enjoyed the nice beer selection.
We started with the $ 50 Krog Street Platter which was an awesome assortment of mussles, oysters, shrimp, clams and some other goodies (sashimi and salmon) from the raw bar. I thoroughly enjoyed everything except the clams, although I think that’s just a matter of preference.
In addition to the raw bar appy, we also had the poutine fries and chicken liver mousse, both of which were divine.
For dinner, 5 of the 6 of us had the steak frites (unbeknownst to each other) and the 6^th had the pan-​fried rabbit leg. The steak frites were ok, but nothing to write home about. The rabbit guy enjoyed it.
DH had brought my gluten free cupcakes from Gigi’s and they were kind enough to serve them with a candle.
I feel kind of badly giving this place ³⁄₅ stars, because the apps were SO GOOD, but I’m doing it for 2 reasons:
1. The steak frites were good not great.
2. The service wasn’t great. Our main server was super in the weeds and the supporting staff definitely helped, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the issues. It took (no exaggeration) 30 – 35 minutes from the time we sat at the table until we had a drink (other than water) in our hand.
I may go back for a quiet dinner with just DH to see if the service is better for a 2-​top than a larger party. The space is chic (think brasserie style mixed with the white subway tiles and gray grout that are EVERYWHERE right now) and the apps were awesome.

I wanted to like The Luminary so much. When I walked in, I loved the place. I liked the trendy atmosphere. It’s in the hip Krog Street Market. The service was very good. I liked how the restaurant looked, its atmosphere, and their concept. Unfortunately, the food was so-​so.
Some of the food tasted good, but a lot missed the mark as well. Then again, we tried a lot from the «Starters» section. We didn’t get to try too much from the «Entrees» section of the menu. Maybe their Entrees taste better.
One thing about their Starters is that the size varies. Some are «proper» starter size. Some are big enough to be its own meal. They are all sharable though. So if you have 2 – 4 people, you should be able to share all the Starters.
They also have a good seafood bar with fresh oysters and other seafood goodies. I tried their Eastern Oysters. I liked them. They were fresh and plump.
I also liked their pig ears. I think it was cooked well and was a great starter to snack on. I liked the crispiness and the fattiness. It was tasty.
I did not like their Beef Tartare. The other people at my table did, however. I didn’t like the garnishes. It’s supposed to be properly garnished, but I guess I’m too used to the non-​properly garnished tartares. However, the other people at my table loved it. So maybe it is just me.
Their Chicken Liver Mousse was good. It comes with a few slices of Baguettes. It is quite heavy though, and they give you a huge chunk. I liked the pickled mushrooms it came with.
Their Foie Gras tasted too burnt. Sure, they should sear it. But I think they might have over did it .
Their octopus was too mushy. The flavor was okay.
Their gnocchi was also too mushy. It had good flavor, but I didn’t like the mushy texture. I was hoping for some more chew on it.
Their Croque Monsiuer tasted very good. It was one of my favorites. It had a nice, thick piece of ham and some good cheese.
Their Asparagus Soup was great too. It came with some snails, which I liked. It was nice and creamy.
Overall, the food was hit and a miss. I was pretty stoked trying the octopus, foie gras, and their gnocchi; but I left disappointed.
Once again, their service was great. They have very friendly servers. The place is very trendy and hip. I would try to avoid the valet during busy hours though. That thing gets backed up. I would just park at the parking deck.

We had Sunday brunch at the Luminary as an excuse to check out Krog Street Market. We were seated promptly and started looking over the menu.
I chose the french toast which came with some sort of marmalade on top. I really enjoyed the dish but it didn’t really blow my mind. I thought it was a well-​executed rendition of french toast but nothing unique.
The boyfriend had the croque madame (a croque monsieur with an egg on top!) which came with fries. According to him, the fries were perfectly crispy and the locally sourced ham inside the sandwich was divine.
The service was fine and I had no complaints.
Verdict — The brunch menu is a little too limited for my taste and the food isn’t anything I would rave about so I think a solid 3 stars sums it up pretty well.

I’m typically not a giant French cuisine kinda guy, so cut me some slack here if I offend any connoisseurs. We came to use a $ 20 Open Table check here, and try the Sunday brunch. We definitely left satisfied, pleasantly filled up without being over-​stuffed.
Don’t come here expecting a typical brunch menu; the cuisine is intentionally French, and you will not find chicken and waffles, pancakes, eggs three ways, or an assortment of omelettes. You will find hanger steak, quiche, french toast, a simple omelette, duck leg, and croque monsieur. For starters, we both had coffee. Fascinating, no? Well, I’m a decaffer — yes, I said it. I don’t touch the leaded stuff because I was blessed with a natural energy supply and some anxiety to boot. Don’t judge. Our server, Velaquez, explained they had decaf espresso, or Americana decaf. I chose the Americana, and it was so great, especially with one packet sugar in the raw and a little whole milk. The temperature was on par and the coffee and the taste — two cups worthy today. For someone who only drinks decaf coffee, a great coffee experience leaves an impression.
The husband and I shared the chicken liver mousse. It comes with a few dainty slices of toasted French bread and some pickled mushrooms. The spread is covered in chopped pistachio. After using up two slices of the bread, Velaquez returned to offer more. He promptly provided and additional three slices — perfect. Be sure to slice the mushrooms and place them on top of your mousse covered bread — the flavors marry nicely. This was a great starter.
I had the Quiche Lorraine with the simple salad. It’s a mild, simple dish, but good flavors. The quiche crust was light and flaky, the eggs airy and fluffy, and the ham was nicely cooked with plenty of flavor. The simple salad with a good contrast to the quiche, tossed with a nice vinaigrette.
Hubby had the French toast. I had a quick bite, and it was sweet, super sweet. I’m not sure that I could have eaten that entire dish, but don’t get me wrong, I like my sugar and carbs as much as the next guy. He had no problem finishing it off. He also ordered a side of grits, which we shared. They were perfect, creamy, and just what grits should be, coming from a guy who grew up not eating them in the Midwest. But, trust me, they’re good.
We passed on a dessert that sounded delightful; I went to The Little Tart Bakeshop to get some oatmeal cookies (they’re the best FYI).
I loved the Luminary atmosphere, sophisticated Frenchy mixed with a little urban grit nearby. There’s lots of white subway tile, great lighting and white tablecloths, a very photogenic setting, indeed. And you can’t beat the bustling vibe happening at Krog Street Market; it’s quickly risen to a top fave of ours for hanging out in the ATL.
Ciao!

We visited with a party of four on a Friday night for dinner before the rest of the stands in the Krog Market had opened. Our first impression was not good, as the despite most of the market still being under construction and not crowded, the valet was clearly overwhelmed and asked us to leave our keys in the Lexus and they’d «get to it soon.» Uhhhh no thanks. Then, upon proceeding to the hostess stand, we were asked to wait in the slammed bar area that had no open seats while they prepared our table in the only half-​full giant dining area. Poor first impressions all around.
So finally we’re seated! Yay! The restaurant is beautiful — romantic, hip, cool, French feeling, etc. And who do we see but our celebrity chef peeking through the bar, examining the dining room. Always nice to know that the «famous» name behind a concept is actually overseeing the kitchen. However, he did this throughout the night, like every ten minutes. I wondered why he didn’t actually come talk to diners to ask how the food was, instead of just pop out to stare every few minutes. It was a little odd.
Service seemed very green. We had at least three people serving our table, but they lacked the polish and coordination I expected for the price point, and quite frankly, for the number of servers.
So after reading all of the above, you may be wondering what saved this spot from a three star review. And that answer would be the food. Overall, it was very, very good. Due to the numerous Unilocal accolades, we started with the catfish brandade. Don’t let the catfish in the title scare you away– the Luminary has elevated catfish to something heavenly in this dish. It is a must order. For my entrée, I went with the amberjack topped with crispy kale, which was delicious and the fish was perfectly cooked. And finally, the dessert, which was a unique pumpkin napoleon (pumpkin and layers of pastry?! Be still my heart) and coffee profiteroles that were a gift from the kitchen. Both were delicious and inventive.
So, hopefully by now, Krog Market has hopefully hit its groove and the back of house issues have worked themselves out, and you can enjoy the truly lovely food at the Luminary.