With our deep love of wings, barbecue, and all-day breakfast, Atlanta is, at heart, a fairly casual city. But when it comes to turning food into art, we go big. Dinner becomes full-blown theater at some of the city’s top tables, where chefs concoct tasting menus with the whimsy of Willy Wonka (the Gene Wilder version, of course) and the finesse of a French fashion house. These works of art can come with a price tag to match, but a few rise to the occasion.
These are the Atlanta tasting menus worth every penny.
Bacchanalia
This industrial-chic dining room just off Ellis Industrial has been setting Atlanta’s fine dining standard since 1993, and it hasn’t lost a step. Chef-owners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison anchor the four-course prix fixe in organic ingredients, many sourced from their own Summerland Farm. Dishes arrive with a bit of ceremony—some on carts, some tucked under glass cloches—and the menu gives enough choices per course that the meal feels personalized. The crab fritter is a must; it’s been on the menu since day one. $140 per person; 1460 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NW, Ste. 1, Atlanta, starprovisions.com/bacchanalia
Lazy Betty
At this Midtown dining room, chefs Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips play the long game with two tasting menus, including a Chef’s Menu built around hard-to-source ingredients like langoustines, morel mushrooms, and wagyu. Dishes like crown-roasted duck, finished tableside with a blackberry banyuls reduction, grab your attention with dramatic flair and hold it with bold and balanced flavors. It’s casual enough to feel fun, precise enough to earn a Michelin star. $285 per person; 999 Peachtree St. NE, Ste. #140, Atlanta, lazybettyatl.com
Atlas
Tucked inside the St. Regis Buckhead, Atlas is unabashedly grand: walls lined with 20th-century fine art, a seasonal American menu with European influences, and a tasting menu that leans into the opulence. Eight to 10 courses of chef Freddy Money’s choosing might take you from white asparagus in smoked butter and funky cured egg yolk to roasted lamb dressed in fresh spring greens. A vegetarian tasting menu offers just as much creativity without the meat. Starting at $195 per person; 88 W. Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, atlasrestaurant.com
BoccaLupo
Don’t let the casual Inman Park vibe fool you. Chef-owner Bruce Logue’s smart cooking and modern takes on Italian-American classics run deeper than the room lets on. You can order à la carte or commit to the four-course tasting menu, where pasta anchors every savory course. Expect plates like garganelli with seared scallops and sugar snap peas in a tomato water sauce, or the cult-favorite Southern fried chicken parm with creamy collards. And yes, you can order the tasting menu at the bar. $155 per person; 753 Edgewood Ave. NE, Atlanta, boccalupoatl.com
Georgia Boy
Nothing is what it seems at this chef’s table experience, starting with its location. Chef Joey Ward’s playground is tucked in the back of Southern Belle—so much so that you have to be led to the secret library lounge to find it. But don’t worry, there’s more than gimmicks on offer at this Michelin-recommended spot. Playful courses range from a grandma strawberry candy (you know the one) to cannelloni made from thinly sliced asparagus and the signature finale: milk and cereal in flavors that change with the seasons. $275 on Wednesday and Thursday, $295 on Friday and Saturday; 1043 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, georgiaboyatl.com
Little Bear
Little Bear is chef Jarrett Stieber’s argument that a tasting menu doesn’t have to cost a fortune or take itself too seriously. The Summerhill spot blends global flavors with hyper-local Georgia ingredients to much acclaim, including three consecutive Bib Gourmand nods. The four-course Dealer’s Choice hands the wheel to the kitchen, which every two months draws a new global cuisine from a deli container at random. Currently spinning: Ethiopia. $75 per person; 71-A Georgia Ave. SE, Atlanta, littlebearatl.com
The Chastain
With its parkside location, the Chastain is a modern oasis—butterscotch leather booths, exposed brick, gas lamps—with the culinary credentials to match. French Laundry alum chef Christopher Grossman lets the land drive the menu, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the six-course Garden Tasting Menu. Every course features at least one ingredient harvested from the onsite garden, often that same day, and a crop map lets you track exactly where each dish was grown. $175 per person, $95 supplemental wine pairings; 4320 Powers Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta, thechastainatl.com/
No. 246
No. 246 is Downtown Decatur’s love letter to red sauce Italian: daily house-made pasta, wood-fired pizzas, and crowd-pleasing secondi anchored by cheesy garlic bread that makes you forget about everything else on the table. For something a bit more dramatic, book the four seats at the edge of the kitchen, where a custom five-course menu puts you front and center for the whole show. Chef Chase Green’s tableside fettuccine Alfredo alone is worth the price of admission. Chef’s counter $100 per person; 129 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur, no246.com
St. Cecilia
Ford Fry’s upscale Italian seafood concept has long been a date night staple. The recently launched five-course Chef’s Counter tasting menu kicks things up a notch by placing you steps from the kitchen as the team executes its daily-changing dishes with tableside preparations. Expect seared scallops (a near-permanent fixture) along with chard-stuffed branzino large enough for two, and be sure to save room for the pasta. Paper-thin agnolotti filled with red wine-braised beef short-rib, and squid ink spaghetti studded with grilled calamari and Calabrian chilis are both standouts. $150 per person; 3455 Peachtree Rd. NE, Atlanta, stceciliaatl.com
Truth Be Told
This Roswell fine-dining room is out to prove that tasting menus are anything but stuffy. Chef Matt Marcus’s cooking is a study in whimsy, with Hot Cheeto-dusted gougères presented in a birdcage and wagyu beef served in a waffle cone. The seasonal four-course menu is elevated without feeling intimidating; case in point, one signature dish is a hot dog topped with caviar. Cocktails are equally inventive: the Dragon Fang features strawberries fermented for four days, then frozen into ice that transforms the drink as it melts. $115 per person; 1104 Canton St., Roswell, tbtlounge.com
