Atlas Restaurant, located on the ground floor of St. Regis Atlanta in Atlanta, GA, is one of the most exceptional culinary experiences in the city. Led by world-renown culinary artisan Chef Freddy Money and a team of some of the food world’s top talent, dining at Atlas means indulging in some of the world’s finest food, wine, and pastries. There’s a reason people travel from all over Georgia and the American South to dine at Atlas – the food is positively sensational. Our meal here was elegant, inventive, thoughtful, and downright fun, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to encourage you to visit next time you find yourself in beautiful Atlanta. Here’s everything you need to know to have a splendid meal at Atlas Restaurant.
Atlas
Location: Atlanta, GA
Address: 88 W Paces Ferry Rd NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
Inside St. Regis Atlanta
Food Type: New American
Dining Experience: Indoor
Price: $300+ per Person
Dress Code: Smart Casual +
Reservations: Recommended
Special Diets: Pescatarian, Gluten-Free
(not GF dedicated)
The Ambience of Atlas Restaurant
Atlas is inside a beautiful, romantic space within St. Regis Atlanta. Filled with a collection of 20th-century impressionist works of art that rivals some of the world’s finest art museums, the space feels further elevated. Additionally, fresh flowers, candlelight, and frosted windows make the space feel even more intimate and dream-like as if everything outside the restaurant and this elegant space ceases to exist – it’s a true escape in every sense of the word.
With spaces for private dining like the lovely Papillion Room (Papillion means butterfly in French), with dozens of beautiful, handmade blue morpho butterflies on the walls and a collection of introspective tomes covering everything from art and politics to sports and pop culture, there are plenty of different ways to dine at Atlas.
Atlas Restaurant Pescatarian Tasting Menu & Our Meals
The standard tasting menu is $250 per person (everyone at the table must participate) and is a collection of 8-10 courses of the chef’s choosing. Atlas uses hyper-seasonal ingredients, and the menu changes regularly, so be sure to inquire about the day’s tasting menu. Ours was made pescatarian with a heavy emphasis on vegetarian fare so we could enjoy the tasting menu too. Each course was better than the last, and they could even accommodate my gluten allergy with prior notice. I was thankful to indulge in the chef’s crown jewel courses while not worrying about my dietary restrictions.
Our first course was a selection of appetizers. My favorite was the Asian pear dish, followed closely by the melt-in-the-mouth mini-sandwiches. The cigar-shaped appetizer, bread basket, and garden vegetable with hummus were not gluten-free, meant for my husband, so I didn’t try that personally, but he said it was exceptional!
We had some mocktails paired with our meal, like the one made with pear and hibiscus, which was so lovely, light, and refreshing. They also created an orange mocktail and a virgin espresso martini for us! Atlas Restaurant’s bartenders were excellent at creating fun, alcohol-free drinks for us. We’ve been avoiding alcohol for health reasons, and this reaffirmed that we don’t need to drink alcohol (most of which isn’t gluten-free) to enjoy excellent drinks. This is also a great place to grab mocktails for anyone pregnant, who avoids alcohol for religious reasons, or who wants to try something different. The sober-curious movement is growing worldwide, so add Atlas to your list of places to get a drink without alcohol. If you do drink alcohol, they have a tremendous selection of that as well, along with an award-winning sommelier and wine program!
Next, we had a delightful Avocado Salad. Don’t the simplicity of this dish fool you – it was spectacular! The flavorful wasabi dressing was crisp, cool, and refined, and the creaminess of the avocado was enhanced by the sesame seeds, seaweed, and puffed rice in which it had been rolled. This was one of the best salad courses I’ve ever enjoyed!
Next was Mushrooms Cooked Over Fire. This was a delightful flame-roasted mushroom dish with grilled locally sourced mushrooms and a hazelnut crumble. It was served with a mushroom au jus in a tall stemmed glass meant to be sipped with the mushroom dish. The flavors of this were so rich and luscious that it was unbelievable. This is a phenomenal dish, even if you’re not vegetarian or pescatarian!
Next, I had Maine Lobster with a grapefruit reduction that was a little sweet, tangy, and downright delicious. I’d never had grapefruit with lobster, but it was fantastic! Robin’s course was a Potato Gnocchi served with onion brodo, which was not gluten-free, but it smelled amazing, and the sight of it was enough to make the table next to us also decide to do the tasting menu. Look at the elegant garnishes!
White Asparagus with citrus beurre blanc (read all about common culinary terms here), caviar, and chives was our next course. This fragrant sapid dish was unique because white asparagus is grown in complete darkness, never having seen the sun. This imbues the white asparagus with a unique flavor that gets more robust and more complex as the diner works from one end to the other. This course was another of my favorite dishes for its unexpectedly dynamic flavor profile.
Morel Cavatelli & Morel Risotto graced our table next. The cavatelli was the standard version, whereas the risotto was made to be suitable for my gluten allergy. This dish, complete with a cheeky smiley face, was a lovely addition to our meal. I do believe the portion size of this – a deep dinner plate! – was far too much food for a tasting menu, but this shows what an excellent experience and value this tasting menu is. It’s impossible to leave hungry as each course is much more robust than other tasting menus I’ve savored. We didn’t finish every bite of every course, and we still left absolutely satiated in the most decadent way.
Towards the end of our meal, Robin was served a Carrot dish, “Graffiti” style, with a beautiful orange sauce, whereas I had the Halibut served with sqiuid (without the chorizo) and a mosaic of sauces like squid ink. These dishes were also quite large, and the flavor of my halibut was so buttery and charming that it was a joy to eat. The little squid garnish reminded me of the appetizers we ate in Kyoto, Japan!
Near the finish line now, we were brought out an assortment of desserts. Just when we thought we’d reached the end of the dessert course, another even more intriguing dessert arrived at our table, begging to be explored. My favorite was the dessert on the left, Pineapple, served with lemongrass, coriander, and coconut-lime sorbet. It was the perfect blend of sweet and tart without being too sugary. The rest were exquisite as well, and the one in the middle was a dish that utilized liquid nitrogen for a cold, airy dish that was as light as it was cool!
Thought that was the end of the meal? Wrong! Anytime we were like, “Okay, that must be the end of things – wonderful!” they brought out more food. The final dessert course was called the Jewel Box, a playful nod to the restaurant’s artistic side. With a nod to the butterfly motif, this trio of desserts was little more than a single bite each, but each contained a world of robust flavors that complimented one another and the meal exquisitely. It was the perfect end to an excellent meal.
Final Thoughts
This meal at Atlas Restaurant was simply outstanding. I wouldn’t have changed a single thing. Our server was kind, friendly, and informative throughout our three-hour meal. We never once felt rushed, and we were delighted by every bite. The next time you find yourself in Atlanta, be sure to book a table at Atlas Restaurant and settle in for some of the best food in Georgia.
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