I always heard this place being compared to Canoe. I love love Canoe so I decided to check this place out. The difference is uncanny. The portions were tiny and the food was barely okay. For the price I paid, I could've had my fill and then some at other places for similar quality. Food: The lobster entree/ tiny half of a tail on top of cold mash potatoes and sauce. The duck entree/ two pieces of salty meat with beans. A salad to share/ only good thing we had. House-made croutons and crisp veggies. The radish slices added a nice burst of flavor. Dessert: a variety of house-made sorbets -that was highly recommended by my server cuz my friend doesn't like overly sweet desserts. But these were all so sour! They all tasted similar and just overbearingly sour! No unique pops of flavors. Sorbets should be a nice balance of sweet and sour but these were just awfully sour with barely enough fruit sauce to sweeten it. They had a merengue chip on the bottom but that didn't compliment the flavors at all and was just too sweet. I was so upset! Dessert is always the last thing you remember from a meal and I'm left with a sour memory! read more

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This restaurant was very good! The food was excellent, and the portion sizes were perfect (not your average huge portions you feel obligated to finish). I had the filet, done perfectly medium. My husband had the short rib which he thoroughly enjoyed. And a friend of ours had the venison he said was 4/5 (not pictured). We enjoyed Aria and will definitely go back! Reasons why I gave it a 4 and not 5: Extremely loud atmosphere, small area with tables too close together, we were charged for champagne and received sparkling rose, our waiter could have been more attentive. read more

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I feel like this restaurant was extremely over priced for the service we got. The people who were assisting us at our table were not very friendly. Some of the food was bland, and we waited such a long time for the food to come to our table. Was even considering leaving. Definitely not worth the price my table spent which was $1,000+. I've gotten better service at fast food places. Also felt like the tables were very close to other people. read more

The food can be fantastic and 5 stars, but also fair and 3 Stars. Service is the same, up and down. Hit or miss so be prepared.. We do love the Foie Gras most times... read more

We found this place when looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion and even when we live here, we decided to go for a recommendation from trip advisor for one of the most romantic places in Atlanta. The place is a small modern and cozy restaurant. The environment is dimmed light and tonight's crowd was either larger groups, over 10 people, or several tables with couples. They change their menu, according to our server every day, so if I get the names wrong, I'm sorry :). We started with drinks, I cannot drink so I had a virgin mojito and the hubby had an apple martini that looked very tasty and according to him it was as good as it looked. Tonight we had as an appetizer the crispy pork belly and the braised beef, both of them were very good, however, against what I usually like, the pork belly was superior. As entrees we chose the short ribs of beef and the scallops. This place specialty is the braised meats, so as you can imagine the short ribs were DELICIOUS! Finally, we were celebrating so why not go also for dessert right? We had the brown butter and caramel cake, and to not lose track of the experience, it matched the amazing flavor. read more

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Superb place, very intimate and romantic, it's a small restaurant with very modern and chic Decour, the food is absolutely delicious and the ambience it's very high-end, I was researching romantic places in Atlanta and this was one of the top suggestions, they didn't miss the mark, this place is both elegant and the food is delicious, I definitely enjoyed and will be coming back again soon, will also recommend to any friends that want to go out on a date night. read more

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This is a hidden gem and one of the absolute best. Service was spectacular, food was incredible; it is the perfect ambiance to celebrate a special occasion. Tucked away from the Buckhead scene, Aria offers a sultry vibe paired with an equivalent seductive food presentation. Literally every dish was presented beautifully. I'm in love at first bite. read more

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My lovely bride and I have been taking advantage of Aria's curbside service during the Covid-19 era, and the food is remarkably good and reasonably priced. Every morning Aria has been posting their takeout menu (they are closed on Sunday and Monday) on their Instagram page, with two entree choices, accompanied with a salad or other side of vegetables or soup, bread from Alon's, and a killer pastry for dessert. Two interesting bottles of wine are offered as well, usually less than $30 per bottle. The curbside service is prompt and friendly. Highly recommended. read more

Had a lovely Friday date night at Aria! My boyfriend and I dined here for the first time, and I'm already thinking about Aria for our next date night. The service was great, the dining room is classic yet very romantic with dimmed lighting, seating was thoughtful due to Covid, and the food was phenomenal. We had the lobster with puréed potatoe for our starter. I had the scallops as my entree and my boyfriend enjoyed the sole. Lemon pound cake for dessert, perfect sweet tangy balance. With great food & a wine selection that's top notch, I will be returning very soon! read more

Fine dining at its finest! Absolute and sincere compliments to the chef. The appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts - all delicious, fresh, and beautifully plated. And everything that passed by us on the way to other tables also looked excellent. The atmosphere and ambiance were elegant. Everyone here was having a great time! The menu changes daily, so there is always something new and fresh to try. Again, compliments to the chef for the creativity required to invent a new menu every day. The staff here obviously have some kind of formal training in fine dining. They were all knowledgeable, friendly, polite, and knew exactly what they were doing. If you are thinking about going here, make your reservation now! I called about a week in advance to make a reservation. They had no availability from 5pm to 9pm on a Saturday. Fortunately, the host was able to re-arrange some things and squeeze us in. Excellent service if you ask me! This is undoubtedly an upscale place. I felt under-dressed wearing a button-down shirt, a nice wool zip-up, and a pair of dark jeans. Next time, I will change to slacks and maybe a sport coat (and there certainly will be a next time). You must use their complimentary valet parking; there is no self park option. The entire parking lot is maybe 30 cars, so the valet doesn't move your car more than a couple of feet. It seems to me like an unnecessary formality. All in all, I was incredibly pleased with our experience and I will absolutely be back. read more

Cozy cottage with amazing wine selection..cocktails and diverse menu. I know Cali well but was thrown off by the French and Italian wine list no issues a great sommelier got us 2 great wines...menu too varied to describe but for me the duck was perfectly done and veg was super tasty. Service was on point and overall the restaurant was a great value for a business dinner. We were well fed and we'll taken care of. read more

I was not overly impressed, the service was superb, I just don't feel the restaurant deserves any big hype. Nothing was bad, but nothing was exceptional. Wine was really overpriced!! Maybe based on recommendations I was expecting over the top, my expectations were not met. Decor was romantic, I guess I'm becoming a restaurant snob. Left unimpressed, sorry read more

Delicious and scrumptiously mouthwatering food. I would enjoy coming back here, especially for the appetizers and entrees. We shared bleu cheese balls for appetizer and then I had lamb all to myself while my boyfriend had the angus filet mignon. Meat was fall-off-the-bone tender while creativity and presentation breathed meaning and pinnacle nostolgic flavors comparable to the superior meats I had at Dinner by Heston in London. Ambiance is serene and romantic, perfect for exchanging thoughts without noisy chatter in the background. We shared the ice cream sandwich and chocolate pie for dessert, which were quite lovely, but uncomplicated and underwhelming. Service was equally very underwhelming (which explains the knock off one star) as my boyfriend and I being very young and semi-casually dressed stuffed in a corner when there were plenty of empty tables downstairs in the main dining area. Sorry Aria, but we usually drop over 250 for a meal for two and your pretentiousness was not tolerated. The waiter was stern, cold, and at one point in the meal was about approach us and then bewilderedly headed in the other direction. Service most certainly laughable, but has no reflection on the overall dining experience in our bellies. read more

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Aria! Aria! Aria! You sure know how to make a guy feel gooooood! It was my birthday and the Wife planned a surprise dinner with some friends from out of town at Aria and let me say It delivered!! Parking! Free valet parking. Let's start with the drinks! Some of the best drinks I have ever had, the bartender is a magician, we had a few Campari's to start off the night, a few whiskies and wines later, the magic kicked in. Lol The Service! Wow, what service! The waiter was on point, funny, and was very familiar with the menu although it's printed new everyday(his words). He was able to suggest good dishes, and got every single order right. I thought that it couldn't get better, until......it was time to bring out the food, and we noticed a small team of waiters placing the dishes on the table so elegantly and quickly that it felt like it was a choreographed dance. The foooood! Amazing, the food was amazing!! So delicous, so well made so well presented simply immaculate. We couldn't stop talking about how good everything was days after dinner. Ambience Dimly lit intimate atmosphere. Aria is fine dinning and should be on everyones list of restaurants to try and/or favorites Go give these people your money! They will give you an unforgettable experience in return! read more

This was our second time to Aria. We went for our anniversary four years ago and sat in the cellar for a special evening that didn't disappoint - aside from the ambiance, which was obviously top-notch, the service and food presented Aria very well. For my 30th birthday, we decided to go back to Aria as a way of celebrating this important birthday through one of our old favorite restaurants. Unfortunately, we collectively regretted this decision for the following reasons: 1). Many of the items from the menu that we ordered came to the table with ingredients missing. For example, per the menu, the salad should have had roasted corn on it, or the sashimi should have had green apple in it. For them not to mention specific items missing before bringing dishes to the table is not good service. I would even hold Cheesecake Factory to this standard of service. Order: Starters: Chickpea Fritters Sashimi Avocado + Corn Salad Entree: Scallops Short Rib Side: Lobster Mashed Potatoes 2). The scallop dish left me confused. The scallops themselves were cooked well. Aside from that, the rest of the dish lacked purpose. The "sauce" was extremely bland (just tasted like a watered-down butter) and the squash was undercooked. In my opinion it was missing an acid (i.e. citrus, tomatoes, vinegar, etc.) and salt, but really any pop of flavor would do this dish well. Overall, I found myself underwhelmed and perplexed as to if this was how the dish was supposed to be prepared. Similarly, the Lobster Mashed Potatoes lacked a lot of flavor. I think it could've used more butter, salt, and pepper. We ended up asking for parmesan cheese to add some flavor to the potatoes and that improved it a bit. In any case, a restaurant of this caliber shouldn't be missing on the flavor element. 3). While the service was generally fine, the server did not address that it was my birthday till the end of dinner, almost as if he had forgot or wasn't told until the last minute. We've dined at all of the top restaurants in ATL for our birthdays and this was probably handled the worst. I'm not sure what's changed here between our visits but genuinely hope that this helps improve areas of weakness. read more

What a delicious meal in a luxurious style. Aria is an upscale restaurant in Buckhead that meets all the criteria for being a romantic place to eat out. Came here for our 11 year anniversary and the restaurant really delivered a delicious meal with romantic ambiance. We opted for the prix fixe option and the meal was splendid overall. The meal started with bread that required no butter or oil as the herbs and spices were already baked into the bread. The courses that followed were small but tasty which is typical in a prix fixe meal. Each course was delicious and we enjoyed every bite of our meal and dessert. We paired our meal with a glass of wine which was delicious also. I highly recommend you make a reservation a few days if not week in advance if you are looking to dine during peak hours (7-8 pm). Parking is complimentary valet but it's always nice to tip the attendants. TL:Dr 5 Yelp stars and 2 thumbs up for Aria and a highly recommended for special occasions! Look to spend roughly $140 for two. read more

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My guy and I popped in on a random Monday night to avoid Atlanta traffic, and it was a lot nicer than we thought it would be. We learned upon arrival that the Aria was newly remodeled, and it was absolutely beautiful inside. There's a sense of modern fine-dining mixed with traditional fine-dining here, and I loved it. For appetizers we started with the Butter Braised Lobster and the Grilled Tender Beef, both of which were absolutely incredible. The broccoli mousselini was the best addition to the lobster, and the beef was tossed in a delectable Korean Sauce, which had a little bit of a kick to it. The appetizers were our favorite part of dinner! For entrees, we had the Short Rib of Beef and Sea Scallops. The short rib was more of a familiar dish, but didn't disappoint. The scallops were seared perfectly and decent in size. As far as dessert, we were a little disappointed. We ordered the Warm Chocolate Cheesecake. Don't get me wrong, it was very yummy but also very heavy in butter. We were just expecting more of a creamy taste to the cheesecake. read more

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One of the staples of fine dining in Atlanta, it seems Aria has been around for as long as I can remember. My wife and I dined here on a Saturday night, our first time back in probably about 10 years. The dining room was classic, white tablecloth on some tables dim lights but a bit on the noisy side. The tables were packed in very closely and a tight fit to get to your seat, but great for eavesdropping. We started at the bar, a small little 4 seater connected to a lounge area. The menu was quite large and offered a tasting menu, but we decided to choose our own dishes. We started with a few appetizers and decided to share an entree. All our dishes were expertly prepared with very fresh ingredients, but they lacked the interesting flavors and textures found at some of the newer, trendier restaurants. Don't get me wrong the food was very good, just not very exciting in my opinion. Our favorites included the beet w/Meyer lemon yogurt appetizer and the truffle mashed potatoes underneath the lobster tail appetizer. The service was fast and friendly but we didn't have room for dessert. Yummy level - 8 read more

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Absolutely wonderful, everything was cooked perfectly, my boyfriend ordered short did and it was super delicate and the vegetables were tender. The filet minon was a little undercooked and i ordered medium rare. We got the chocolate chews kale for dessert and it was the best dessert we've had, overall, if you're looking for a fancy restaurant with expensive yet somewhat affordable prices for a special occasion, this is the place to go read more

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Aria is hands down one of the best dining experiences I've had in Atlanta. The pleasant experience begins with a phone call to confirm your reservation and see if you are celebrating anything. You know you are in for a treat when you walk in and see this place. You walk through a classy looking bar area, where the bartender is making delicious looking cocktails. Once you get through the bar area, you enter the dining room which is unbelievable. The main piece of art in the room is the chandelier in the middle of the room. Our server said that it was supposed to be a plant that was struck by lightning. Very cool. The wine list here has to be the best Atlanta has to offer. We took a good twenty minutes just trying to figure out which bottle to order. We finally decided on the Nanfre Valpolicella 2015. This was an Italian red that was so delicious we ordered a second bottle. For appetizers, we had the black truffle burrata and grilled tender beef. The burrata came with toasted ciabatta bread and was amazing. The grilled tender beef came on skewers and I could not get enough of them. They were so tender and juicy, basically melting in your mouth. For dinner, my girlfriend had the slow braised berkshire pork. I had a bite and wanted to take it from her it was so good. This was top ten tastiest pork I've ever had. I had the filet. It was cooked perfectly. A huge piece of meat, but I could not let any go to waste. Absolute perfection here. If you are looking for a nice dinner in Atlanta, Aria is a must. We will be back for sure. read more

Where do I start? We celebrated my husband's birthday here and our experience was beyond amazing. Aria ensured that our visit was special by having a personal note from me (that I didn't write) telling husband happy birthday, to a customized birthday dessert. The food was impeccable and the ambiance was so romantic. The flavors of the food are robust and complement each other in every bite. I never had to ask for a thing and our needs were anticipated the entire night. We will definitely be returning. read more

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we all loved it. food was great. but the people we're the best part. fast, kind, attentive, fun, etc. we we're very impressed. and they had great spicy margaritas which are my favorite. read more

Aria - New American Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

First and foremost my wife and I have sentimental value attached to this place as this is where I proposed to her (she did say yes). Aria is one of the finest establishments with Atlanta for top notch food and service. My wife and I, highly recommend this place to be your next spot for indulgence. read more

My wife and I stopped here for dinner. When I called to make my reservation my first question was "At what time do you close?" and their answer was when the last customer leaves. I loved that. Have you ever been in a restaurant late and been almost kicked out because they were closing? Well not here!! The place is small and intimate. We were the only young couple in the restaurant. The had on the menu a chefs 7-course dinner for $85 USD/pp. My wife and I love surprises so we went with that. As well they offer the wine pairing for it for an additional 117 USD/PP. A bit expensive but you don't have to be choosing wines that are done for you for every dish. So basically you get 7 small portions of wine. One per dish. It was fantastic!! Every dish was perfectly paired with its wine. This place is perfect for anniversaries and birthdays. I would come back any day. read more

Lovely. The first word that comes to mind is "private". Second word "restrictive". And I mean that food-wise. Their staffing, the ambience and overall experience was excellent. Think multiple servers. Think chefs/cooks bringing dishes out to you personally. Refills upon refills of chilled, branded waters. Not a speck of dust in sight. It's just that the menu seemed limited to ME personally - there were maybe 7 entrees? 8? Other than that the food they did have was delicious and the experience was really a beautiful one and highly recommended for a date night or special evening. The interior is very tastefully decorated and accented perfectly with a white and black motif. And the small dining room gives off a noticeable vibration of exclusivity - not quite elitism which I liked. The wine list had multiple chapters and some of the bottles had commas on the price tag - we stayed far away. Gorgeous and dare I say "famous" Buckhead dining room that will not disappoint those with class and elegance in mind. read more

Aria - New American Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

I do not believe my last visit was 6 years ago! Tonite was the usual excellent. The foie gras was perfect as usual, just right, warm in the middle, not cold like many, no dripping of fat. The venison also perfectly done medium rare, it has a little bit of texture, not melt in your mouth smooth meat, but it's still awesome. The only thing I didn't like was they don't let me visit the cellar, they said it was closed to customer visit since a couple years ago. I don't buy it. read more

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We had an impressive and fun Saturday dinner here. The space is upscale and stylish (most people were dressed up) but the service is warm and unobtrusive. Highlights for me were the crab cake starter served over a Vietnamese-style salad and the Brussels sprouts side, which was served with the filet (a perfect medium rare). There was plenty on the menu we'd look forward to trying on our next visit. I thought the broccoli side (served with the pork) was a bit bland, and I'd probably try the short rib over the pork next time around. I was also impressed with the restaurant's COVID measures. A lot of places have let those fall by the wayside, but tables here were very well spaced out, and the staff all wore masks and gave you your space. Will definitely return on future visits to Buckhead! read more

The Aria has been a well known and well received restaurant for a long time. We were finally able to stop in tonight and check it off our list. We were seated quickly and the staff was friendly. We both had the tasting menu. Some highlights would be that every single component on every single dish was cooked perfectly which was very impressive however most of the dishes were nothing special, nothing new or nothing amazing. The highlights of this menu were the duck confit and the foie gras. Edit / Update Came back today and had the best restaurant experience and food ive had in this city. I updated my rating from 4 to 5 as today every dish was a hittttttr read more

I celebrated my birthday here and the food and service was great I just felt the seating was a little too close for me.. read more

Aria - Chickpea and crab cake - New American Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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Had a nice dinner at this restaurant. The food was good. I did not do the ordering but everything I had was solid and well plated. I remember the yellowtail sashimi which was nice, with a hint of sour and some spice. For the main, I had the scallops which were cooked nicely, could have had just a little more sear but it was still tasty, presented on a very well composed plate. Overall a nice experience. read more

Me and my newlywed husband ended up eating here as part of our honeymoon journey towards home. Not only did we get a beautiful dessert congratulating us, but our waitress Bettina was amazing! We did the tasting menu with was 8 courses and it was ALL amazing. We left my husband's hat accidentally that night and we were SO upset we got it out of the country on our honeymoon I immediately called and told them. They offered to mail it to us since we didn't live local. The owner personally called me and mailed it priority to us! We will be back for sure they went above and beyond! Tyler Davitte was happy he got his hat back and able to wear it :) THANK YOU for everything! read more

Went to Aria twice in December 2021 - once for a date night and once with friends. Liked it both times.. Bread Service is amazing and menu is seasonal so got to try a bunch of menu items. Things I ate - burrata, crab cake, beet salad, filet, sea bass, chocolate cheesecake. Crab cake exceeded expectations. Also loved the filet. Chocolate cheesecake was eh - I bet they have better desserts. Service is always great and valet is convenient. read more

My husband made reservations to dine at the coveted wine cellar table for our anniversary in October several months in advance. However, he received a call today from the hostess that they regret to inform us that they have to cancel our reservations at the table we booked MONTHS in advance, but they would happily sit us in the main dining room. My husband asked to speak to the manager, who made some BS excuse and eventually hung up on him! He was rude and callous and didn't even care to make the situation right. I guess that's how Aria treats their "typical" customers. read more

It had been a couple years since my wife and I went here. We don't live in Atlanta, but come every couple months for a weekend and usually always trying to go somewhere new and different. This time, I decided to return to the best meal I have ever had in Atlanta to see if it has stood the test of time and the verdict...absolutely YES!!! Aria offers a truly wonderful dining experience. From the moment you walk in and greet you, take you to the small but oh so sexy bar to get you set up with drinks, and escort you to your table, you know from the first moments their patrons matter to them. Both wife and I started with a perfect fresh, simple, perfectly executed salad with arugula and escarole, spiced pecans, plums and wonderfully simple lemon vinaigrette. For my entree I had the most succulent, fall off the bone lamb shank over a smooth polenta and roasted vegatables. A wonderful start to fall. Wife had the most beautiful, perfectly cooked scallops that had a great crust and melted in your mouth. We finished with a shared desert of a warm apple tart with vanilla ice cream. Sweet apples cooked into a great crust. Its a beautiful restaurant with a romantic atmosphere. Service is perfect. Helpful, but not pushy and always there to help. It is a place for a special night as it is pricey, but 5 star meals like this are and Aria deserves every star it gets. Can't wait to go back. Just a quick update. Went again on a quick weekend visit to ATL. I will say it again...one of the best dining experiences you will have ANYWHERE! From the moment you walk into the restaurant you are greeted graciously and with a smile. From helping you at the bar, to showing you to your table, everything is done with class and graciousness. Not fou fou or uppity, but just treating you with the right amount of care and thoughtfulness. No wonder they are nominated for a James Beard award for best service. They are always there to help, but not in your face. Just always in the background making sure you have everything you need. New forks and knives just appear quietly without interruption, but are there. And the food...just sheer perfection. Had the arugula salad with just the right amount of Parmagiana regiano on top and a light lemon dressing. My wife had a celery soup that had no cream, but was so rich and delicious, with black truffles that it was divine. For entree I had the scallops which were perfectly cooked and although only 4, they were so big, I could not even finish the last one. It was served with a beautiful mixture of peas and greens. Wife had the lemon sole with a light Panko crust with capers and lemon buerre blanc sauce. DELicious. TOpped it all off with the apple tart served warm with just the right of ginger to cut through the sweetness. The crust was more like a cookie type crust and not pastry which I just loved. This restaurant has never let me down, and I promise you it will only light up your life. Truly a complete dining experience. read more

Aria - Amazing scallops! Melt in your mouth - New American Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

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This place was exquisite from the service to the meal. Friends and I went for a late dinner and had the tasting menu which has 7 different courses. Everything was good and the drinks were great too. I would totally do that again. It was such a beautiful evening I almost thought I was on vacation. read more

My fiancé took me to Aria for my birthday and it was truly a wonderful evening. From roses addressed to me on the table to a personalized dessert at the end of dinner, they truly went above and beyond to make me feel special. The food was amazing too. Definitely would recommend Aria for a special occasion or romantic date night. read more

Aria - Personalized lemon pound cake for my birthday! - New American Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Dined here for the first time with a family member. Even though we made a reservation there was an additional wait of 20 minutes before being seated. The bar/waiting area is small and cramped. During the meal, the service was overly attentive. So much so, that i felt like I was being constantly interrupted. The food was expensive, which was to be expected, but nothing really stood out to me as being exceptional. I ordered a tequila cocktail that tasted average and I had a difficult time finishing it. Overall, an average experience. For the price I expected better tasting food. The restaurant is located in an unusual area and i wasn't impressed with the interior either. I had heard so much about Aria that my expectations were high. I doubt I will return again. There are a number of other excellent fine dining establishments in Atlanta. read more

Beautiful inside. GOOD - At table service was very good; none too loud, good for a business dinner; the appetizers; wine selection. NEEDS IMPROVEMENT - bar man (maybe we got him on a bad night, but seemed to have had a charisma bypass); not all wait-staff knew the dishes; some over cooking on the meals (duck, beef, soft veg); desserts looked great but weren't memorable; sommelier was over zealous. BAD - Nothing. read more

My new favorite date night spot! The service is top notch and the food was delicious. My evening here exceeded all my expectations. I am for sure coming back again! read more

Chef Justin White surprised me big time by booking the wine cellar table downstairs for our 5-6 month anniversary! We were originally suppose to go in December, but I got sick, so we tried again in January and it all worked out this time. This has been on my list since I started hearing about it. A lot of people say Aria is the "BEST" restaurant in fine dining in Atlanta. It was my first fine dining experience and I tried so many new foods for the first time. Everything tasted amazing. The restaurant itself looks very small when you walk in and sit at the bar, but there is ample seating in the back. The bar itself is upscale and fun. I loved the music they played all night in the background. Some of it had an international feel, but all of it had an ambient feel. I love upbeat, but relaxing. We sat at the bar for a little while until our table was ready. I'm not sure the bartender's name, but he did an awesome job! I got the "The Maximilian Affair" which had tequila, lemon, grenadine, among other liqueurs at first. Later I had tried "The Scofflaw" which had Whiskey, grenadine, lemon, among other liqueurs, which was also amazing, but I did like The Maximilian Affair better. THe bartender did an awesome job on both. Chef Justin White got a Western IPA which he enjoyed. We then proceeded to the downstairs room where our table was. The experience was very romantic too sitting in the wine cellar room. Servers occasionally would come by to get wine for patrons, but there is only one table downstairs and so it was very intimate. It was dark with several candles lit everywhere. Our server's name was Chris and he did an amazing job. His timing to check on us was always perfect and he planned the meal timing wise perfectly with all the dishes that we got on the tasting menu plus the couple of extra dishes we added. Now that I've written about the awesome service, awesome drinks, and awesome atmosphere, let me write about the awesome food. Sorry about the pictures. It was hard to get good pictures with my camera, but luckily Daniel took awesome pictures already of the food. 1) Celery Root Soup. Amazing! It is famous for being creamless, but it tastes so creamy. Chef Justin White was telling me how they make an emulsion to give it a creamy taste. It was one of the best soups I've ever had. I think the black truffle was really prominent in the soup and made it really good. Soak it in their fluffy bread to make it even better. 2) Tempura Octopus - The vinaigrette in this is very light and sweet. It came with a frisee salad with butternut squash. It was a candied ginger dressing so it complimented the dish well. It also had toasted peanuts and of course the octopus tempura which was amazing and crisp. The cheese they used was mizuna and had a little bit of Fuji apples. 3) Blue Ridge Mountain Trout - the interesting part of this dish is how it is cooked so that you can eat both the skin and the fish. 4) South Carolina Quail - This was my first time trying quail! I enjoyed theirs a lot. It was fried with a different salad with it. The only criticism I had about anything that we ate was that the bacon on the salad that came with this was a little hard and chewy so a little difficult to eat, but it gave the dish a nice contrast to the other soft vegetables with the fingerling potatoes and onions. 5) Foie Gras - This was my first time trying foie gras which I learned is made from duck liver. The dish came with vanilla pudding, apples with a red-wine vinaigrette, and bruschetta. It was very rich and it complimented the sides really well. I think I should have tried this with some bread, but instead I tasted it alone again and again to really learn about the flavor. 6) Painted Hills Ranch Natural Beef Short Ribs - This is a signature dish of Aria. I enjoyed how soft the ribs were and the sauce it came with complimented it really well. The butternut squash on this was fresh and perfectly seasoned. This was an amazing addition to our meal 7) Venison - The vension that we had was actually from New Zealand and it was my first time trying vension. I believe it was medium rare and that was good to be able to taste the flavor. It was presented well and cut into pieces easy to eat. It also came with broccoli and carrots. 8) Goat cheesecake & Chocolate Meringue - We asked for a cheesecake for one of us instead of the meringue so we could try both desserts. The goat cheesecake was awesome! I have never had a cheesecake made of goat cheese. Regular cheesecake is great, but this wasn't overwhelming like regular cheesecake and it came with whip cream. The chocolate meringue had a espresso-tasting, very rich, gelato-texture on top with wafers and a decadent chocolate inside the wafers. It was a great end to the meal and they even wrote "Happy 5 months anniversary" on the plates for us. read more

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