Has Decatur Become Atlanta’s Food Mecca?
Decatur Metro | November 17, 2010 | 10:06 amAm I the right person to ask this question?
As a person who certainly enjoys to eat, but doesn’t participate in that much food experimentation and certainly doesn’t get out as much as he used to – thanks kiddo! – the short answer is “No”. But try to stop me. I’m going to ask it anyway.
After a long-winded set-up of course.
With the recent announcement that Eurasia would be closing and replaced by another big name in the Atlanta restaurant scene – Ford Fry – just a few weeks after it was announced that Fox Bros. BBQ was opening a “Big Tex Cantina” in downtown Decatur, I’ve been a bit shocked at the restaurant evolution in Decatur over the past year or so – and during a pretty nasty recession no less!
I recall seeing an online poll recently regarding Atlanta’s best restaurant/food neighborhood that ranked Buckhead #1 and Decatur #2. Now I’m not that hip on the restaurant scene, but the number of best-in-class establishments opening their doors in this city recently would suggest to me that Decatur might finally be able to give Buckhead (or the Westside?) a run for its money.
While Decatur has long been well-established when it comes to pubs and casual dining options, only in the past year or two has it begun to round out its options with a number of new higher-end and yogurt options. All that’s left to pine for is a daily phalanx of food carts up and down the MARTA plaza. To quote Richard III, “My horse for a soup cart!”. Or something like that.
So, what do you think? Do you think Decatur is now the unofficial food mecca of a food-obsessed Atlanta? Perhaps think of it this way: if you had to bring a “foodie” friend to one Atlanta neighborhood/city, which would it be?
(Atlanta food critics: feel free to chime in! Either below or with your own posts/articles elsewhere. I would enjoy hearing your opinions too!)
Related Posts:
-
February 5, 2010 MetroFresh Offspring Coming to Decatur? (17)
-
November 19, 2013 Eater Love for General Muir, Kimball House and Pinewood (4)
-
June 17, 2010 The Best Burger (58)
I’m reserving judgement until Decatur Diner opens.
It has
Well I’ll be darned! How’s their health score?
Haha!
It is? It didn’t look open last night.
Let me just say that I will never go to Decatur Diner after I saw some guy (presumably the owner?) chain smoking in there as he was seated at a booth, working on his lap top…
Huh? I would never go to a diner where the owner was NOT chainsmoking while doing whatever he was doing. You must not be from the northeast.
So….let me get this straight…
IF a random person is seen smoking in a building before it is open for business, THEN you won’t ever be a customer of that business?
You must have a very limited number of places to visit.
New York City, actually which debunks your hypothesis.
All I’m saying is that it isn’t great for PR to leave your lights on all the time and chain smoke in front of the window… plus the stench of smoke is impossible to get out-there’s a reason why no one is allowed to smoke in restaurants anymore.
Yeah, it’s not good PR, but don’t under-estimate the odor covering abilities of burned bacon, overdone eggs, and strong coffee. Come on over to my house and I’ll demonstrate.
“Food Mecca” is open to so much subjective interpretation. Like “Best Burger.” Maybe that’s why it’s probably a good discussion-generating question. I guess you really have to define what “Food Mecca” means. I mean, IMO, I don’t think we have a restaurant on par with, say, Bacchanalia (I’d say we have dishes on par, but not a restaurant). But does that mean Decatur is *not* a food mecca?
We probably have to ask ourselves two questions. First, how often do we Decaturites venture outside of Decatur for a meal where the food is the only reason (i.e., someone’s birthday doesn’t count). And second, how many people venture to Decatur just for the food?
I think Decatur is absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to dining selection. We probably spend 90% of our dining out $$ in Decatur. Sure, convenience is part of it. But there are so many fantastic restaurants here that it makes it very difficult to pass up one of ours to go somewhere else. And I hear more and more non-Decatur friends raving about Decatur restaurants.
And to answer DM’s question, if I were taking out a “foodie” friend for dinner, I’d start in Decatur.
To chime in on your second question: I was also inspired to ask this question after strolling around downtown last night and noticing that there were out-of-towners EVERYWHERE. On sidewalks and in cars, assumedly all coming and going to/from restaurants.
I don’t think Decatur will really ever take on Buckhead–there’s just too much too many options up there, and I don’t think Decatur will support a truly upscale (snooty) spot. (BTW, did anyone know that Roy from Sage is now running the dining room at the St. Regis?)
But I do think Decatur is the sweet spot for a certain price points. There’s something of a herd mentality around restaurants, so when some other hotshot sees Ford Fry opening in Decatur, they drive on over and start checking out storefronts.
Glad to hear about Roy, thanks.
Yes and No. Yes, one of the food meccas, for sure (agree with DarenW about Decatur being the middle price point spot). Buckhead, the Westside and even Buford Highway are still the food destinations for out-of-towners, intown foodies and anniversary/birthday dinners. But, how exciting that Decatur is catching up!
I’d have to say no. To be a “mecca” I think we need a critical mass of truly great restaurants. I think we have only one, Cakes & Ale. Watershed is very good but not at the C&A level. From there, we have some really cool casual places, but the food isn’t on par with Buckhead’s much larger contingent of top-tier restaurants. And I am not talking snob factor here, just food quality. We have no steak place anywhere close to Chop’s or Bones’s. We have no Restaurant Eugene, which is stuffy but excellent. Then throw in Bacchanalia, Abbatoir, all the other Buckhead life group places, plus more. We can’t match all of that.
But that’s good. To support all of those restaurants, a city needs to be more like . . . Buckhead. That is, utterly charmless, gridlocked by traffic, completely unwalkable, and pretty much miserable.
Decatur isn’t a food “Mecca” but it is very damn good and doesn’t leave me wishing I lived anywhere else in the area.
Totally agree.
Yes. Cakes and Ale is really the only truly *great* restaurant in town in comparison to the Concentrics / Buckhead Life / 5th Group types. I don’t have the cash to go to those places very often though, so Decatur’s choices are just fine me.
You wouldn’t include Watershed as a great restaurant? I know Scott Peacock left, but that place always drew rave reviews.
I love me some Watershed. Just not on the same sophistication level as Cakes & Ale in terms of nuance, design, etc.
I ate at Watershed for the first time a few weeks ago and was utterly disappointed. I don’t plan to return.
I guess I need to give Cakes & Ale another shot. Been twice and was disappointed both times! Great service both times, though.
I love me some Cafe Lily!!
Helloooo? Iberian Pig anyone? That place is amazing!
Iberian Pig is the best place on Earth.
Speaking of Cakes & Ale, does anyone have a progress report? The work on the new digs appeared to stop a couple months ago and there have been even fewer signs of life there than at Decatur Diner. Did the move hit a snag?
Also, what happened to happened to the Trackside? Work started, and now it’s just sitting. Seems like the most common restaurant name in Decatur is “Coming Soon.”
I’m sure Mecca would disapprove; but things have definately improved since the return of the McRib.
And Mickey D’s is open on Thanksgiving morning! Nothing says family like a McRib at 11am.
Ruby Tuesday’s is also open on Thanksgiving morning! (I sadly know this from personal experience.)
Bacchanalia, Star Provisions, etc. is West Midtown, not Buckhead.
There isn’t enough variety to make it a Mecca. Decatur needs a really good vegetarian restaurant like Cafe Sunflower; a really good Middle Eastern; and a really good fish place.
My chief complaint is why all the loud music? Every restaurant seems set on entertaining the staff with music choice and volume. Or maybe they are trying to keep patrons from enjoying their meal in peace and comfort, gotta move those tables!
Anyone else bothered by the volume or am I just an old curmudgeon?
A possible downside of becoming even more popular (if that is even possible) as a restaurant destination, could be the crowding out of more local and affordable eateries, the pubs and the retail stores. We lost our light industrial base years ago.
Any news on the Jimmy Johns sub place? Have not seen any activity at the Tastings old space.
Seems to me that the West Side is probably more of a food mecca than Decatur, but we’re pretty close behind these days. Ford Fry’s presence will help.
I don’t know about ‘Mecca’, but I can say that when I moved from VA-Highland to Decatur 6 years ago, one of my main concerns was how long it would take to travel back to VA-Highland, Midtown and Buckhead for dining and night life. Now, I find no need to go to any of those places for either. Decatur has come a long way on both fronts. Of course, I could just be getting old and lazy.
If only we had a NY-style bagel shop.
YESSSSSS! I can’t believe Toco Hills got the Goldberg’s & we didn’t!
Toco Hills got another bagel place? Wow. I thought Bagel Palace had the market covered. A genuine NY style bagel place ought to make a killing in Decatur. Babies and toddlers use them as teethers, kids like them, adults like them. I am positive that a savvy entrepreneur could make a killing out of selling good bagels and good coffee in Decatur.
Have you tried Duck’s? They bake their own after boiling them first. I prefer theirs to Bagel Palace. Plus, they have Dancing Goats’ coffee.
Hmm. Are Duck’s bagels the ones at Dancing Goats Cafe? If so, I find them a bit too dense. My idea of a NYC bagel is extemely crisp, hard, outside but some softness and air inside.. Bagel Palace is the closest to my ideal version. But who knows? The small bagel and coffee vendor I frequented in NYC daily, if not thrice daily, may not have been representative of all NYC bagels. Some say that nowhere can get the quality of NYC bagels just right because NYC water is a key ingredient, whatever the chemical and mineral content of that may be. I am pretty sure that a genuine NYC bagel has to be boiled first before baking.
You’re right, Karass. The bagels at Dancing Goats (along with the donuts) are from Duck’s. They are boiled and they are very dense. They taste better with a good toasting, which you might not be able to get at Dancing Goats. I agree that a good bagel must be boiled first. A lot of bagel chains (like Einstein’s) place the bagels in an oven and then pump steam into the oven in place of the boil.
Needs a really good Middle Eastern? I’d say Mezza is the best in the area. Plus Cafe Istanbul!
If I have to use the word “mecca”, then my short answer would be no. However, Decatur certainly has the potential to draw even with the Westside– we just need four or five more Ford Frys to come in, and bring a couple of their friends with them! For example, take Cakes & Ale, which is probably one of Decatur’s best restaurants. While it’s very good, I think it’s vastly overrated (it can’t touch the likes of Bacchanalia or Floataway Cafe, or even Miller Union). Still, it’s probably one of Decatur’s better restaurants, although I haven’t been to Watershed since Joe Truex (sp?) took over, but am planning to go soon…
Cafe Lily may have the best servers, wine list and overall food variety, value and quality.
Andryannis Bistro Cafe although not open at night has excellent Greek and Mediterranean food.
Cafe Alsace is truly scrumptious! And delightful too!
Decatur is the “places of worship” of the resturant scene, not the Mecca.