Cafe Alsace

This was my first time eating at this restaurant. The occasion was: lunch with dad. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by a lady who told me to shut the door. I felt like she yelled at me, so I didn’t feel welcomed, but later I found out that’s just how she sounds and talks so I didn’t take too much offense by her. My dad also informed me that she was the co-​owner and server too (she ran the front) while her husband was the cook (he ran the back) so I could only imagine how much stress that puts on someone. The restaurant was set up very cute with pictures all over the walls. You kind of felt like you were in a whole other country. The lighting was a little too dim for me personally, so it was a little tough to read the menu. The menu had a good sized selection of foods to eat and were all very French-​like which is a plus. You definitely can’t order their food from another restaurant from Decatur which made it very authentic. I choose the «Sandwich aux crevettes» which had shrimp, tomatoes, roasted garlic, herbs and mozzarella in baguette” with a side of soup for a total of $ 12. My dad chose «Mauricette Du Jardin» which had
tomatoes, green olives, herbes de Provence and mozzarella in a Alsace home-​baked bread with a side of soup as well all for a total of $ 9.50. With either of my dad’s or my food choices, we could choose a side of soup or salad. I loved that! My order was very tasty, but I did feel slightly rushed to eat it because the server/​co-​owner kept checking on us. This explains why the four stars. I can’t say I won’t ever go back their again, but I can’t say it also won’t be my first choice in downtown Decatur too.

The place is tiny but the food is really good here and the portion sizes are huge.
Interior has a french feel with all of the french posters and newspapers. Parking is difficult.

Love everything about Alsace. Food, especially, cassoulet is amazing. You really feel like eating in suburbs of any city in France. We are lUcky to have this place in the neighborhood.

This is now, without a single doubt, my favorite restaurant in Decatur!
I must’ve walked by this place a dozen times during my jaunts to the small downtown area but for some reason I missed seeing it. I’m now kicking myself over wasted time eating at other nearby places that are ho-​hum when I could’ve been eating at this place. Hindsight is 20/​20, eh?
Now, this isn’t just French food as some folks in the US understand it. Having traveled extensively in Europe, I found that there the food reflects not only it’s traditional beginnings but also the specific influences of the region of the area which in turn can make for variations that some people don’t expect. From reading other reviews (which, of course, reflect the individuals opinion they are entitled to) I feel that some folks made statements that reflect those variations without understanding the nuances of this type of cuisine. Let’s look at how the Café Alcase website describes it:
«Alsace is the eastern region of France on the border of Germany and Switzerland. You find a strong Germanic influence in Alsacian food (Sauerkraut and pork dishes, spaetzle, onion pie).
Café Alsace tries to present a few of these typical dishes as well as seasonal, classic French fare including Cassoulet, Bouillabaise, Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin and other dishes.
Café Alsace was opened in 1997 by owner/​chef Benedicte Cooper, a native of Alsace.»
Authentic food and atmosphere, y’all!
Here’s what we had:
Mauricette Au poulet:
Baked with chicken and homemade Pesto and your choice of cheese (mozzarella,
goat cheese, blue cheese or Brie) and black truffle oil
10.00
Mauricette Du Jardin:
Baked with tomatoes, green olives, herbes de Provence and mozzarella.
9.50
Croissant aux epinards:
Spinach, mushroom, sun-​dried tomatoes, goat cheese in croissant and baked
10.00
Escargots:
12.00
6 escargots baked in a garlic and parsley butter. Baguette.
Everything was divine although my partner said that his blue cheese overwhelmed the chicken just a bit. The pretzel bread is a similar beast to the bread found in New Orleans for their Po Boy’s. It unusual, hearty and a little dab will do you. Escargot was done just right. Best I’ve ever eaten. Portions are not American sized generous but they are filling and won’t leave you hating yourself for eating too much stuff.
We all chose varying sides including soup (FO), a regular green salad and a quinoa salad. GO FOR THE QUINOA! It was amazing! The other items were fresh and good and tasty and all those descriptions but that quinoa shines bright like a diamond.
For dessert we had chocolate mousse, crème brûlée and a peach tart with vanilla ice cream. Mouse was decadent, dark and bitter. Crème brûlée was crispy, smooth and creamy. The tart? THE BEST. Flaky pastry, firm and sweet peaches, slightly sweet and served piping hot with creamy-​ice-​cream goodness melting all over. My lips are smacking just thinking about it!
Service was polite, friendly, efficient and direct. No language barrier issues on our end. They even let us try a few bites of the dinner special they were working on. Can’t remember the name but it was dark, wild and decadent tasting.
The interior could use a bit of dusting (that bike on the wall was a tad grimy) but the place is very clean for the most part. Lots of draping fabrics in the back and tons of little things to buy around about such as jams, totes, coasters, etc. They can look a little cluttered but still cute.
Small selection of goods available for immediate take out — ie desserts, pâté, etc.
Seating for maybe 40 – 50? Interior feels intimate.
I cannot wait to go back and try the dinner menu further!
Gluten-​Free options available.

I think this is the best restaurant I’ve been to in Atlanta/​Decatur. The Beef Wellington, Flatbread, salads, and lavender honey ice cream are just … delicious. It feels like you’re in a family’s comfortable home, not some trendy trying-​to-​outdo-​everyone hot spot. The food seems to have been coming out of that kitchen tasting amazing for a long, long, long time; it’s in the blood and the walls and the air at Café Alsace. Classic, amazing, top notch place.

A true French gem tucked away next to some of the more bombastic Decatur restaurants. You could nearly miss, or even just assume it’s not worth your time while you’re on your way elsewhere. STOP. Go in.
Unlike so many French restaurant, this one is actually French-​owned. A small language barrier may not be your thing… but you sacrifice some things for authenticity. My boyfriend and I stopped in after a Cirque du Soleil show to keep the French vibe going and we were far from disappointed.
They were on the verge of closing and it was a slow night, so I genuinely wasn’t expecting miracles. But the host was so gracious in the face of us potentially ruining her night. She joked with us, gave us her suggestions on wine (we went with a red, but I forget anymore than that). I do remember what I ordered in full detail. Boeuf Wellington. I had only had it from my mother before and it only fell slightly short of that. So with that in mind, it’s safe for you to assume it is true French home cooking.
I definitely intend to go back.

This has been on our list of places to try for a few months. Finally, we got to go when my parents came to visit. The service was impeccable. The servers were attentive, but not overbearing. The wine was fantastic. And the food was some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Overall, you won’t go wrong and you will leave happy and full.
But, the restaurant is small. There are only a few tables because of the size and they only take reservations for parties of 4 or more. (3 or less can walk in). If you’re going with 4+, I recommend getting a reservation. You can walk in but the limited space may make it harder to get a table. We had 5 people with a reservation. We were there for three hours and never felt like we were being rushed to leave, despite their limited seating.
We got the appetizer special, which was beautifully prepared with shaved cheese to look like flowers. My only complaint with that was that we go three slices of bread for 5 people. Two more would have been nice. The bread is Lion Tamer bread, a local bakery a few blocks from the restaurant and very good, coarse bread.
All of the entrees were great. The have traditional french meals and a number of German meals. The portions were properly sized– filling but not overly huge.
Dessert, on the other hand, should be split. We each got a dessert and could have split two of them among five of us. The ice cream had three «spoons» that were each a scoop. The profiterolles had three pastries, each about two and a half inches high. That said, all of them were delicious and i would have eaten them all if I could have.
Long and short of it, Café Alsace is excellent food, excellent service, and you will be very glad you came.

Life is too short not to order dessert first. and at Café Alsace, it would be a shame not to.
At some point in your life, please order their house made ice cream. It is… and I never say this, the BEST ice cream I have ever tasted in my life. Particularly, the Lavender Honey ice cream. Sweet and herbal, creamy and buttery, not too rich, but decadent enough, this ice cream is hands down the best dessert I have eaten in Atlanta. They also had Biscoff ice cream which was equally as delicious, but the Lavender was my favorite.
Now that we got that out of the way, the rest of the meal…
I ordered Beef Bourguignon: Satisfying, nice warm flavors, pairs well with red or white wine. The Schnitzel was light and buttery and a lovely accompaniment. A bit too much tomato for my taste. I prefer brothy/​beefy/​gravy vs. red tomato based. But still tasty.
My partner ordered: Beef Wellington. She said it was the best thing she ever ate. No kidding. Two «bests» in one visit! I had a bite of hers, it practically melted in my mouth. I’ve never had Wellington before. I only heard of it from Hell’s Kitchen and I always thought it seemed too stuffy of an item to serve at a cozy restaurant. Boy, was I wrong. This item is the epitome of cozy. A tender piece of seasoned beef wrapped in a chewy and airy blanket of dough.
Other notable things: the peppercorn salad dressing, bright, peppery and creamy on fresh greens.
Ambience: eclectic, homey, rustic. Kitschy mismatched photos, chairs, salt shakers, jars of jam for sale, local paintings and photographs hung for sale. etc.
Service: friendly.
I highly recommend. Bön Appetit!
Wear: Lace, Suede, or Cashmere.
Spritz: Coco Mademoiselle
Listen to: La vie en rose by Louis Armstrong

My wife and I have been going here for years and it has always been a special treat since we have to drive 45 minutes to get there. We were there a few months ago and the food was not at its best but we thought we would give it another try. What a mistake. On a Wednesday they appeared to be very short staffed with only 2 young girls on the floor. One that seated us seemed to struggle communicating and the other was left to serve the whole restaurant and she seemed extremely young, inexperienced and over whelmed.
It took over an hour to get our food. After checking twice and watching other people receive their food it appeared they made a mistake. No problem. It does happen but the poor service begins when your told they are just busy and it will be out soon. No apologies EVER or even a hint of a mistake. When we finally received our food it was less than appetizing. My veal was tough, dry and the sauce tasted like something at Golden Corral. My wife is from France and the sauce on her chicken was loaded with sugar to the point it was disgusting. The server said there is a new chef and maybe he put the wrong sauce. This was not a French sauce and I highly doubt we had a French Chef or even a trained Chef in the kitchen.
To add insult to injury we asked for the check so we could go to another restaurant before it was too late because after one bite we sent it back. So it gets worse. The server brings our check and said she waived the charge for the appetizer and soup. So… we were thinking that was fine. So she hands me the check for 50.00 for the two entrees that we barely touched. So we asked here wouldn’t it make more sense to charge us for what we ate? She agreed and we were eager to pay and move on to try to salvage a disaster of an evening.
Owning several business’s my advice would be as follows. Pay more money and get good staff and especially a quality chef. If you choose not to be there as an Owner then you especially need quality staff along with having enough staff. You can either spend time or money in business but you cannot do either and expect to stay in business. Many cooks open a business but being a good cook does not translate to running a good business. While anyone can have a off night this is obvious that the owner does not understand business. Should we ever try again we will see if the owner is present and did she actually cook the meal or at least a qualified french chef.
This feedback is not meant to be hurtful but we would hope that you might consider a different business philosophy.

Outstanding!
Our party of four started with the Brie Fondu a la Figue, pâté du chef, soup du jour and onion soup. All of these were outstanding and prepared as should be, I say this because some people expect onion soup to be heavily covered with cheese, this is not typical of European version.
The main dishes… Spaetzle du jour (artichokes, sausage and cheese) so yummy and rich you will not be able to eat it all! That is ok, I love taking home leftovers to remind me of the great dinner I had the night before.
Poulet Farci, the chicken with spinach and Brie combined inside oozing out onto the fig reduction was a party in your mouth! The gratin potatoes were the perfect compliment. Nage de Saint-​Jacques, a wonderful combination of scallops and shrimps in a seafood broth reminded me of a lighter version of choppino. Fantastic!
Not to miss the dessert… profiterolles…as all the comments suggest have to be ordered. What a delightful dish!
Gâteau au chocolate au piment d’Espelette…a very rich chocolate dessert that after you have swallowed the first bite, there is a small reminder of French cayenne pepper that excites your senses.
Peche rhubarb tarte a buttery blend that melts in your mouth.
Our meal was delightful! We will be back again and again!

I have been to Café Alsace several times for dinner and brunch. I truly recommend this restaurant — small and cozy. Most importantly, the food and wine are great! I remember the first time my friend and I coming to this restaurant and were mesmerized by their severing of Pinot Noir and Pâté du Chef (appetizer). I am not a desert person, yet their Profiterolles are fantastic! Not too sweet; the texture of the puffs and the mix taste of vanilla ice-​cream and chocolate melted in your month! I love them.
Their food is not the typical «delicate» and «elegant» French style, which means you can enjoy the dishes and feeling very relax (as opposed to the «sitting up-​tight»).

Wifey and I enjoyed a getaway evening and romantic dinner at Café Alsace. She had the Beef Wellington (review to be posted soon) and I had the Beef Bourguignon with spaetzle. Both were excellent. We also had the selection of cheeses as a app and a salad came with dinner.
The selection of cheeses came with grapes, walnuts and bread. I love their French baguettes — the crust was perfectly crunchy and the bread was perfectly soft. The cheeses varied from a robust blue to creamy white. Two goat cheeses as well — one newer and the other aged and more spicy.
Wifey had an awesome robust red wine while I enjoyed a 1664 Kronenburg ale which paired perfectly with our cheeses.
You don’t hear this often regarding French restaurants, but we really had too much food. Prices were a little on the high side but compare that to what you’d normally get (portion-​wise) in a French restaurant and I thought it was quite acceptable. I guarantee we will be back.

Best Restaurant in Decatur!
The brunch is divine, the sandwiches are superb, & the desserts are to die for!

Food = 5
Price = 5
Experience = 5
Cannot say enough great things about this small French spot. Very authentic and comfortable.

I have been to café Alsace multiple times for brunch and dinner. I love this place. It has a Parisian vibe. You almost feel like you are in Paris!
Food is awesome. Their mini croissant platter is delicious and get this only for $ 3.50. I mean wow!
I think their home Made ice cream is something I never had. Perfection!
The food is Alsatian. That means it has more German influence.

It’s a rarity to be transported to another country just by stepping through a door. Café Alsace does this! In my few travels throughout Europe, there was always something so charming about dining with the locals.
Last night we had dinner here for a party of 6. We were not rushed at all. We were encouraged to speak en Français as best as we could, but not at all demeaned by our stumbling pronunciations. The atmosphere is casually chic, has perfect ambient lighting, and is crowded enough to feel like you’re dining with 30 – 40 friends, but not close enough that it feels uncomfortable. Or perhaps with enough wine, personal space becomes a moot point. Either way, it was as others have stated, charming!
As for the food, do not expect American versions of anything. While it is French in nature, note that it is from the region of Alsace, which also has a heavy influence from the neighboring Swiss and Germans. The food is bursting with flavor, on the heavier side, with a lot of creaminess and rich sauces. The food: creamy spaetzle aux champignons (baked Alsace noodles with mushrooms and spinach), a hearty ratatouille en croute (mixed vegetables in a tomato base sauce with goat cheese and a pot pie topping), choucroute garnie (sauerkraut and sausages), fall off the bone cassoulet, delicious crepes… even the pâté and brie appetizers were a burst of flavor and quite generous in portion. The desserts– especially the homeade ice creams– were divine. Lavender honey, rose, and grand marnier were big hits at our table.
They have a respectable wine list that is very true to French style wines, many of which are difficult to find stateside.
Our waitress I believe may also be one of the owners, and she was quite hospitable and engaging. For anyone who fancies to be a bon vivant (even for a night!), Café Alsace is a true gem to experience.

It is REALLY important that you come here and eat tarte flambee.
I studied abroad in 2011 and one thing I have missed is tarte flambee. Trader Joe’s tried but it’s not the same. I had been dreaming of coming here but I knew I couldn’t really make it happen and it just sort of was forgotten.
That is, until a friend and I got started talking about how many restaurants there are that we want to go to, and I remembered wanting to come here, so we had decided at the time that it would be our next stop.
But months went by, and finally it was time. I was ready.
We came right as they opened for dinner and it stayed pretty quiet the whole time, I think when we left there were just four other tables occupied. The restaurant is small and SO cute. I loved looking around at all the décor.
I thought about getting just the tarte flambee but my friend and I ended up splitting it. It is HUGE which I should have known, it’s a pricier appetizer on the menu but that’s because it’s easily enough for 4 – 5 people. Or you could split it between two people with salad, though I don’t recall seeing the side salads that come with entrees available on their own on the menu.
Tarte Flambee is basically pizza but way better. It was created as a way to make sure ovens were hot enough for baking bread, and I want to thank those farmers for this invention. It’s topped with crème fraîche, onion, bacon, and emmenthal cheese. SO. GOOD. We were good and only ate two pieces each and took the rest home.
They have a lot of specials: there was a soup, a crêpe, a spaetzle, and another dish or two. The entrees ranged from $ 17 – 24, mostly on the higher end of things on the menu.
I was having a tough time deciding what to have but settled on bœuf bourguignon because I have never had it before. Despite it totally not being an Alsatian dish at all, I liked that it came with spaetzle, which was another thing I was considering, so I got to try both.
First though, the salad, you may think it’s a salad who cares. But their dressings are pretty damn good. I had the herbes de provence peppercorn dressing, which is the only creamy option. It was amazing. There were even red peppercorns in the salad from it. A couple of the dressings are available to buy in a jar.
OKAY. Now bœuf bourguignon. This is one delicious, comforting dish. Beef, carrots, mushrooms, and onion in a delicious red wine sauce. Here they serve it up with spaetzle, which was actually a delicious mix.
This dish is $ 20, and if you have an appetizer it is easily two meals. I felt weird getting leftovers because it really took me back to France but it was not a problem.
They also have a bunch of desserts, including 3 – 4 ice creams.
I will definitely be back for more tarte flambee.

Café Alsace occupies a small storefront just off the courthouse square. Its awning advertises that it’s been there since 1997, no easy feat in the restaurant business. When you walk in, you immediately feel like you’ve been transported to France. The owner greets you in French ever poised to continue the conversation in that language if you are so inclined or capable. Unfortunately my French ends shortly after «Bonjour», «Merci», «Au Revoir» and the song, Frère Jacques.
The space is filled with white table-​clothed tables, lots of bric-​a-​bra, artwork and things posing as artwork. You get the sense that a lot of the diners here are regulars; and if you’re not, the owner makes you feel just as welcome.
The food is distinctly French with German influences. The Alsace region of France lies on the west bank of the Rhine River and is within yodeling distance of both Germany and Switzerland.
We began our Alsatian adventure with wine and appetizers. There were several good Gewürztraminer’s and Riesling’s for which the Alsace region is known. There were also a few nice reds including a Château Bouscasse, a Bordeaux-​style blend. The wine list gives a brief flavor profile of most wines making it easier to choose a glass that will suit one’s taste.
We chose the Brie a la Rhubarbe et Mirabelle, the Tarte Flambé and the French onion soup to start. The baked Brie served with pretzel bread, Rhubarb jam and a Mirabelle plum jam provided the perfect savory, sweet, salty bite. The Tarte Flambé was a large flatbread smothered in Crème Fraiche, bacon, onions and Emmentaler cheese. It was one of the favorite dishes of the evening and if paired with a green salad, could have easily been a meal for two on its own. The onion soup was flavorful and full of caramelized onions but needed a cheesier topping.
Our entrées were the Bouef Wellington, the Filet de truite, the Poulet farci and the Crêpe du jour. I’m betting that more than one «Hell’s Kitchen» fan has visited to sample the Wellington. This version was quite good with the pastry light and crispy and the beef medium rare… not an easy feat according to Chef Ramsay. The trout dish was classically French with smoked salmon, fennel and apples. It tasted good but was texturally one-​note. The chicken stuffed with pecans, Brie and spinach in a fig «au jus» had a way of growing on you with each bite even though the chicken was overdone. The Crêpe of the day, a combination of chicken, goat cheese, quinoa and green beans was visually appealing but also overdone. The goat cheese overpowered the dish. The doneness of the birds aside, both dish’s flavors were «acquired tastes».
Each entrée came with excellent potatoes gratin and a large side salad. The fig and honey dressing was so good that we bought some to take home.
While the service was excellent, the pace of service was more suited for an evening when one didn’t have to go to work the next day.

I love the CHARM that this place has. With Decatur being so packed full of great restaurants, its hard to make a choice. Im so happy that some of our regular go to places had a wait or we wouldn’t have stumbled into Café Alsace!
I’ll be updating this review with more on our great service and food (we had a special that was killer) but I wanted to get a rating out there.

While on my search for beef Wellington on the menus of Atlanta restaurants, I stumbled upon this quaint little café in Decatur. It was a little difficult to find after parking in a random spot along the street. The interior is small and maybe can seat 10 – 15 small tables of people. We were seated in the back of the restaurant since we were a bigger group, and ended up at one of few large tables. The server (and owner!) was very nice and had a charming French accent. Most of the group ordered the Boeuf Wellington, since that’s what we came here for, and salads with fig and honey vinaigrette dressing.
The Wellington came out drenched in a gravy sauce, that I thought would drown the puff pastry but still complemented the dish well. The meat was already medium rare (only cooked that way, otherwise it will be a dry well done mess inside the puff pastry). I enjoyed the dish although it wasn’t like the hyped up Gordon Ramsay dish we hoped for. Definitely give it a try, though!
Afterward we all splurged and split three desserts among the seven of us: crème brûlée, bread pudding, and the profiteroles. You can never go wrong with an order of crème brûlée. The bread pudding was a little tart for me but texture was perfect. Profiteroles were light and sweet, although the ice cream melted real quick.
Other dishes also look like they’re worth a try, so I will definitely try to pass by here again for some more nom’s!