Peasant Bistro

We attempted to have lunch here today and there is a single sheet of paper with something to the affect of ‘this restaurant is closed”. Based on the dead plants in the windows, it appears to be closed for good?

My first two visits to PB were as a guest for my mother’s Spellman College annual class reunion class Christmas brunches. The Quiet, airy, bright contemporary atmosphere and a Shrimp and Grits plate that was amazing even when served ice-​cold were what brought me back here yesterday while at Centennial Park with a co-​worker. To me, It was imperative that my grits-​averse friend try the dish and that we take advantage of the lack of a line outside of the door at PB during the massive NCAA Final Four Concert series.
We grabbed a table at the lower-​level bar area after being told that the loft area – with 16 empty tables that I counted myself after dashing up the stairs – was reserved for dinner. My friend stepped out to make a call and I was thankful to not have to listen to FloRida, so at first I didn’t mind the group of 7 Michigan fans at the bar or that the two beer bottles and dirty napkin hadn’t been removed from the table and I had not gotten a menu or a greeting. After 10 minutes, I was hungry and tired of looking at a dirty table so I raised my hand and attempted to make eye contact with one of the two male servers providing drink refills to other tables across from and beside mine. I got quick blank glances, the kind you get by aloof strangers passing you on the street. Irked, I discarded the beer bottles Myself and wiped down the table with hand sanitizer. At this point, my friend returns to the table and, as a former Pappadeux bartender, could not understand why I hadn’t gotten a menu. As we tried to rationalize the failure of service, we noted that the table of men next to ours in the bar area were getting replacement beers and getting their food orders taken from one of the servers who gave me a glance earlier on. Now we realize we’ve been sitting 20 minutes with no service. We are forced to raise our hands and nearly shout «excuse me» to the younger of the two servers, who responds not with a «yes ma’am» or a «I’m sorry how can I help you» but a rather curt declaration that «I’m not the server assigned to this bar area but I’ll get some waters for you». He did not offer to clean the table and did not bring any menus. My friend said he dropped the glasses onto our table before turning to assist other guests. 5 minuets after that, two women at the table next to ours received two plates of fries and sandwiches FROM THE SAME SERVER who’d addressed us so firmly.
At this point I walk to the bartender, Benny for an explanation for the dismissive-​ness. Benny, who seemed personally embarrassed by the situation, insisted that we sit with him and that he’d take care of the situation. He asked the Manager Yakup to meet with us regarding our concern. We made it clear that we didn’t want any special treatment and that we didn’t understand why it was so hard to get the basic greeting, menu offers and table clearing that is standard procedure for any server that works at any restaurant that isn’t a Waffle House at 3am Sunday morning. Yakups’s response was the worst that any manager with a semblance of Customer Service training could give: «I’m Sorry You Feel That Way… we have a line out of the door and we are very busy». We chose PB precisely because, unlike Ruth Chris or Legal Seafoods, half the restaurant was empty. And Crowd Size is no excuse for the kind of Dismissive victim-​blaming attitude from a manager. He didn’t bother to look me in the eye while providing me this half-​hear-​ted explanation. I immediately called my mother and asked her to have her class reunion brunch moved elsewhere.
Now, I use the «R» word very sparingly, because I don’t encounter racism often and I know that half my audience will tune out the rest of the conversation. Still that fact that my friend and I were at the time or our arrival the only Women of Color in the anywhere in the restaurant and were the only table not receiving any attention at the bar area bears noting. We were killing time before the (GREAT) Muse concert later that night, so in the 3 hours we spent at PB, I studied two other Black Female couples who also sat in the lower bar area for proof that the tinge of a racial element to our treatment was purely coincidental. Sadly, the two other Black Female couples were also ignored. I gave one couple our menus because I overheard them say they were hungry and were getting no service, and eventually made thier way to the bar. I’m a life long GA resident and have gotten some of the best service in the most backwater redneck-​ish diners and dive bars, so the fact that Yakup allows his predominately white male servers conduct themselves this way confounds and disappoints me.
Once seated at the bar, our time at PB changed dramatically, as Benny went out of his way to ensure we were comfortable, making great wine and menu suggestions. Benny, as well as the outstanding bread pudding, shrimp and grits are the only reasons this place is worth mentioning. I’d love to come back but Yakup and his crew clearly don’t want me here

white, bright, modern, romantic lighting décor
attentive service
bread — hot, delicious, soft.
fried green tomatoes — good but could use more sauce
mussels — yummy! and plentiful and well presented
short rib — GENEROUS serving. SOOO delicious
minus 1 star for sucky profiteroles. I love dessert. the profiterole was yucky. I ate all the ice cream though.

Do you know what I think is funny. There are quite a few bad reviews for this restaurant… and right above every on of them there is a smashing review. The great review always mentions each dish in detail… the name… exactly what is in it and how it was the best place they have been to. Who remembers the name of each dish everyone in your group ate along with ingredients. No one… Except someone who owns or works at the restaurant and is trying to blanket the bad review.
Be smart. Read all of the reviews. Now I will give you mine…
I was here a week ago with friends. Our first time at this restaurant. We have been to many in the area and had a great experience. This place was a nightmare. Gordon Ramsay would shut this place down. It’s pretty, but the food we had was cold, not cooked correctly (bad thing with chicken), and unseasoned. The waiter was nonexistent when we needed him and didn’t care that we didn’t enjoy the food. He acted like that was normal
.
Later that night my friend was sick. Terribly sick.
Bottom line, don’t fall for the rave reviews… they arent real paying customers.
This place should be shut down.

The Fiancé and I were totally lost wandering around in the Atlanta heat trying to recover from the shock of the line of folks in the aquarium line. We found this place and immediately ran inside for the air con. What we got was an amazing Sunday Brunch!
I dont even know what J had, but I had some sort of salad that was freezing cold, and über delicious– I believe there were apples involved.
What really set this place apart was a celiac’s wet dream: Pecan Sticky Bread Pudding, Vanilla Ice Cream/​Butter Pecan Sauce $ 6. I had 2 with extra ice cream.
God bless Atlanta.

Elegant ambiance, but I didn’t feel awkward strolling in wearing shorts. Great service. I had the duck confit salad and it was amazing!

I’m so irritated I even went to this place for lunch. And I want my $ 14 and might swing by and ask for some sort of refund. I work at CNN and some co-​workers invited me to go to lunch. The restaurant is in a very convenient location. It’s a very beautiful place… lots of natural light and linen.
I ordered the crab cake ENTREE. Key word — entrée. It mentioned a salad of greens and that sounded fine… I just expected an entrée of crab cakes. I was presented with 2 very small crab cakes and a very plain green salad. No tomatoes, carrots, etc. Barely even any kind of dressing on it. It was very disappointing. And I feel ripped off, bc I paid $ 14 to leave hungry. Granted the crab cakes were good. But I don’t like being tricked when I go out to eat. Also, the wait time was ridiculous. We probably waited 30 minutes at least for the food to be ready. In the meantime, our server didn’t even check in to tell us that things were taking a bit of time, etc.
This place is shitty, and I will tell everyone at CNN.

Very prestine
Clean
Interesting restrooms
Tables are very white. Reveals hairs and crumbs.
The oil was mixed wine. Gave it a fruity/​bitter flavor.

Peasant Bistro was excellent. One of my very good friends insisted on taking me out for my birthday (even though it was a few weeks prior, our schedules didn’t line up until recently), so after doing a little digging around for somewhere new to try I stumbled upon this place courtesy of Unilocal.«What the heck?» I thought, «Let’s give it a whirl.»
So anyway, after braving downtown traffic heading for the basketball tournament, we found Peasant Bistro (its tucked right around the corner from the Embassy Suites and Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse), but it was worth looking for.
Upon entering, I was struck by the classiness of the joint. It is a two story restaurant with a sweeping staircase leading up to the second floor seating that looks down onto the main dining floor and bar. The bar really caught my attention because behind it is a wall full of wine bottles all turned on their sides in a very sculptural way — cool use of wine bottles as art.
We were seated up on the second floor at one of the tables nearest to the railing overlooking the downstairs, and as soon as we sat down our waiter Daniel came over to introduce himself and get our drink order.
The menu had a lot of tempting options and a very, very extensive wine menu (French bistro, duh). Once we’d made a decision (in order to take advantage of trying more dishes, we agreed to share our entrees), Daniel came back with sparkling water and some lovely, fluffy French bread with olive oil and vinegar to dip it in. Beware the vinegar though if you have a cough — my friend very nearly choked to death because the spice of it tickled his already pollen inflamed throat. I (allergy free as I am at the moment) quite enjoyed it.
So for our dinner we split a honey crisp apple salad (light bibb lettuce with a great champagne vinaigrette and slices of apple), and I ordered the lamb cassoulet and my friend ordered the Ashley farms chicken. The presentation of each dish was (as expected) very well done — my cassoulet came out with a two frenched lamb chops and sliced lamb sausage surrounded by white beans and more pieces of lamb in a fragrant broth. The chicken was sliced in half and underneath each piece were long, roasted fingerling potatoes, brussel sprouts and an extremely sour veggie I later learned was endive. I’d steer clear of the endive entirely, if I were you.
We thoroughly enjoyed each dish and the bites we had of each other’s meals, and for dessert (yes of course I had to have dessert for my birthday dinner), we split the almond cake with blackberries, blackberry gastrique (so French and fancy, I almost felt like donning a beret), and sliced almonds. Delish! The cake was warm when it came out, the blackberry gastrique and sliced almonds were perfect to dunk it in, and I didn’t feel overstuffed afterwards. Excellence.

Nice upscale restaurant in the downtown area and conveniently located next door to the hotel I was staying in. The quality of the food and service was top notch, but the prices were a bit high compared to other places I’ve been in the Atlanta area.
The beer selection is not very good, but the wine selection was pretty good. What I was impressed with was the really great scotch & bourbon selection. A couple of the selections were priced extremely low especially the Oban 14 which is what I ended up going with.
I started with the french onion soup which was great. It had just the right amount of everything and that created a very good flavor. They had a very wide selection of entrees that all sounded very interesting to me. I went with the pork tenderloin based on the suggestion of the bartender. He was spot on as it was cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the bed of spicy greens that it was on. For desert I went with the bread pudding and was impressed. My only thought was that they should have given a larger portion of ice cream based on the size of the bread pudding order.

Such a great experience and surprise! Happy to find this little gem from all of the business traveler restaurant stops. Thanks, Fellow Unilocalers!
Near the Doubletree and Omni Hotel, it’s a pretty, 2 story restaurant with simple design and décor. We sat at the bar and what caught our eye are the $ 5 dollar wine specials! Yes, please!
They have a short, simple menu but filled with variety. From a simple ranch filet to Lamb Tangine — my taste buds were watering!
With my $ 5 dollar CA wine, I had the Shrimp and Grits, and my colleague had the Chef’s risotto which the bartender claimed «you can never go wrong!».
The shrimp and grits was delicious! Presented beautifully, the grits were melt in your mouth and not soupy at all! The shrimp were a good size and cooked perfectly. The dessert menu is not that appealing so we passed but I was very happy with my overall experience, service and food!

Had a really enjoyable lunch at Peasant Bistro with a girl friend while in town for a conference. Terrible weather outside — so we sat in the window and watched the rain fall between good conversation. We each had steak frites — nice sized steaks and really really good fries. They also have a homemade garlic aioli that was quite tasty to dip in!
The décor is nice and stylish, casual and classy. They have two floors, so keep that in mind if you make reservations and have someone unable to head upstairs (I’m not sure if there is an elevator.).
Another nice thing, aside from the food and décor — they had a nice selection of $ 5 wine by the glass! The weather was so bad we had to have two glasses! Their lunch menu is really nicely priced, and competitive to the chains and more casual places, making it a really wonderful option in the area.
Overall, a really lovely and nice experience at Peasant Bistro — great for lunch or perhaps a more romantic dinner!

I wanted to like this place from the start. I really, really did. But it was $ 60 wasted. The only thing I liked was the Pinot Blanc (Alsace).
Went to Peasant for a birthday dinner celebration. Upon entering, the hostess walked me upstairs to the private dining room. The restaurant is the cutest– chic, modern, and low-​key. Definitely wonderful to look at. No doubt. Everything looked magnificent.
The food was down hill from there. My friend and I both ordered the butternut squash ravioli for our first course. The dishes were lukewarm, bland except for the heavy butter soak. It tasted like the entire dish was swimming in butter! There wasn’t any sauce on the ravioli– strictly slightly translucent pasta with pine nuts sprinkled on top. Although the pasta was pretty and seemed fresh, the entire course was without taste and FULL OF BUTTER.
I send it back. I couldn’t take it. I order the French Onion Soup. Why was the soup cold? The swiss on top was like a heavy blanket caked on top of barely warmed soup. What in the hell??? At this point I’m worried about my main course.
I get the braised beef short ribs. There were four measely strands of carrots, a heap of mash, and braised beef. The beef was really fatty, the mash wasn’t really flavored (garlic or onion would’ve been a treat), and where were the veggies? Oh, and did I mention my main course was barely warm? As a matter of fact, everyone’s food was lukewarm!
Others sent back their main courses. Two women sent back their shrimp & grits because they said the tomatoe-​y sauce atop of it wasn’t good (hmmmm…I remember reading that in another review). Three people got salmon– and the fish portions were waaaaay off. One woman’s plate had a heaping filet, while another man’s plate had about half the portion. My friend ordered the pasta (tagatelle) that was loaded with mushroom chunks– and again. Same theme with their pasta… NO SAUCE. Are they against sauce at this place?
The guy next to me got the lamb. The restaurant didn’t have mint jelly… ok, no biggie. However the two lamb chops he got were thin atop a heaping portion of white beans. Is this how they fill you up? Skimp on the meat and load up on the beans? Is this is the Depression?
Did I mention that every commented that their food was warm… but not hot?
You would think after having so many dishes returned to the kitchen because they were unsatisfactory or cold, that the manager or someone would come out. No dice. I wanted to speak with the manager to tell him/​her about my poor dining experience– but noone ever came out to speak to our party of 15.
By then I just said f*** it. If they don’t care then I don’t either. $ 60 bucks wasted– but there are several other places in Atlanta to eat. I’m wondering how in the hell this place manages to stay open? Must be the endless number of first time suckers like myself…
No worries. I won’t be back.

What a pleasant surprise! We decided to visit the CNN HQ, and since it was such a beautiful day, took a walk thru Centennial Park. We decided to grab lunch in the nearby vicinity, and noticed the Peasant Bistro sign right by the Embassy Suites. What a pretty restaurant… white linen table clothes, beautiful full bar, two stories, gorgeous lighting… very elegant.
My daughter and I split the Chicken sandwich (Chicken, Advocado, chipotle mayo) and the homemade potato chips– very good. My husband had the peasant burger with red onion jam; said it was very good! We also split a Caesar salad, and iced teas to drink; our total was $ 36 before tip. Our service was great from «Jay», and the manager stopped by to see how our meal was.
The menu was very interesting; brunch offerings with omelette’s and Mimosas… we may be back for breakfast :) They do have a children’s menu with the normal faire (mac & cheese, burgers, chicken sandwich, etc.) as well.

My fiancé and I are currently looking for a venue for our wedding rehearsal dinner — we dinned at Peasant Bistro last night and I was appalled at how terrible the food and service were, especially considering the prices!
For the first course my fiancé had the French onion soup which he liked but I thought was very bland. The cheese they choose to top it with detracted from the dish (far too chewy). I opted for the beet, goat cheese and pine nut salad and while the beets were cooked well, I’d say they took up 98% of the salad itself. There was ONE tiny chunk of goat cheese about the size of the tip of my thumb and literally only FOUR pine nuts in the entire thing (yes, I counted, I was that shocked). It was laughable at best.
For our entrees, I ordered the chicken and was pleased with the overall presentation, however, one bite in and I was ready to leave. There was absolutely no seasoning in the entire dish whatsoever (note to the chef: salt and pepper are your friends, please use them) and the chicken was actually raw in spots. The jus that was served with it was more appropriate for a beef dish and the flavor profile did not work well with the chicken at all. My fiancé got the duck which we were told would be served «medium rare» — wrong; it was rare to the point of being actually raw and also lacked the proper seasoning. To supplement the main dishes we had ordered a side of haricots verts and they too were incredibly undercooked and underseasoned. The worst part about the blandness of everything is that there were no salt/​pepper shakers available to us to «fix» the food!
At this point my fiancé and I were both incredibly disappointed and disheartened but decided to give dessert a try, thinking how could they possible screw it up? Well, somehow they managed to ruin that, too. We had ordered the brownie with peanut butter/​banana ice cream and contrastingly to the entrees, the brownie was incredibly *over*cooked! The ice cream itself was nice but had a very strange texture. Overall, for a dessert with as many components as this one had there was a surprising lack of flavor.
Other than the abysmal food, the restaurant itself was pretty and clean. The service, on the other hand, was severely lacking. Our waiter never once bothered to check on us after the food was dropped at our table (by another server, nonetheless) and treated us as if we were just an annoyance standing between him and the end of his day.
Oh and the bill? Almost $ 100 (we didn’t even order drinks). NOT worth it!
The bottom line? Don’t bother eating here. Save your time and your money — there are plenty of excellent restaurants in Atlanta and in the area that offer better food, have better service and are more reasonably priced.

On my short visit back to Atlanta, I found myself wandering around Centennial Olympic Park at lunchtime. On the north west side, just around the corner from the Embassy Suites lay this elegant two-​story restaurant. Didn’t make it up the curved staircase but sat in the window bench of the downstairs bar.
Fried Green Tomatoes — SPOT ON. Great crunch, flavor, tomato remoulade. Best ones I had this trip.
Shrimp and Grits — also wonderful! Although the portion was definitely on the small for the high lunch price. I was *almost* full after this and the appetizer. I guess I’m a little girl with a big appetite. I would’ve appreciated just one more scoop of grits, is that too much to ask for?
I also sampled the Seared Georgia Trout — simple flavors, well cooked. Crispy skin! Those in the kitchen DEFINITELY know what they’re doing.

Really? Has no one Unilocaled about this great find? Is it being kept a secret and I’m out of the loop? Lucky for the rest of you, I didn’t get any memo about this so I’m letting the cat out of the bag.
$ 15 All You Can Freakin’ Eat Mussels on Monday Nights at the bar.
I devoured mine an hour ago and am burping up the Garlic Cream and Curry Sauce with moules infused air. Gross? Whatever, don’t be jealous!
Choose from Au Nage (Garlic Cream), Provencal (Marinara), and Curry. I had the first and last and both were delicious. Don’t ask for a spoon and slurp the soup like a pro — with a mussel shell.
You’re welcome.

Had dinner here last night. It was my first truly amazing Atlanta dining experience since I moved here a couple months ago. Here’s why:
I somewhat hate Atlanta for the prominence of bacon, fat asses and multipleclashing clothing labels beneath my nose any given moment, ie, I think Jay Gatsby would llllove Atlanta… and its restaurants. I don’t care for most of ATL’s adored dinner spots. They use too many da#n calories/​sauces/​creams or illogically over-​the-​top «Mediterranean» cliches which drown out or displace essential flavors. For me, pretentiousness is boring and Atlanta’s many «mediterranean/​southern/​cajun» spots are a snooze and miss the point of fine dining: to play up a food «source» sans all the razzle-​dazzle.
On the menu here: Restraint! Restraint! Restraint! – with a side of bursting flavors (but just enough). It re-​presents worldly (but not «mediterranean»)/American (more jeffersonian, not so much southern) cuisine how a farmer’s wife would dish up your meal after a few years at CIA.
–I had the Lamb Tagine… I’ve Never had lamb/​lamb tagine (shanked or center) that didn’t taste too «gamey» yet paired well with anything exotic. This dish was perfectly balanced, with couscous paired to emphasize its lightness. The simple dish had a Moroccan influence, but wasn’t dominated by spices. It showcased a confluence of flavors (moroccan spices, tomato, finely minced carrots/​onions). The presentation was imaginatively imperfect… «pulled» lamb on a bed of couscous.
–My rmmate had the Braised Short Ribs – BEST dish of the night. Wild onions (first time seeing these in ATL) were suspended in a dish of gelatinous hhotness… I’ve seen this technique many times but almost fell over here. It was like a 5-​person music band that clearly never plans to split up – tough with ribs, eh? It’s pan ju was also subtle and to die for!
–Rmmate’s friend had the Alaskan Halibut Caponata/​Tomato Vinaigrette: tasty and simple. Cooked perfectly.
–Dessert was a hazelnut «candy bar”-Aaamazing and the pecan bread pudding-​Aaaamazing (just «sticky» enough but not toooo full-​of flavor.
–Menu: I love that sides like frites/​potato gratin/​sauteed spinach/​cheese grits are liberally paired alongside simple dishes built upon the essential awesomeness of lamb, salmon, halibut, chicken, etc.
The wine list was reasonable, extensive and tastefully selected (but I would love to see pairing selections added). Cocktails (including signatures/​several single malts/​or apple/​pear brandy) sounded interesting… rmmate’s brazilian caphin (?)-whatever was tasty. I had a great pear brandy. Friend had an inexpensive yet tasty chenin blanc. (The bar downstairs has dark mahogany and a nearly concealed huge mirror and is, therefore, my kinda upscale bar).
Appetizers were very interesting (mushroom ravioli – was not bland at all, as is often the case); Short Rib Croquettes – Aaaamazing and witty.
Entrée listings like Pork Chops with corn bread pudding and Ashley Farms Roast Chicken Breast (Summer Vegetable Tian/​Chicken Jus) – simple enough – will bring me back for more.
–Atmosphere: The locale has simple/​clean/​neutral colors, beautiful décor. Romantically simple-​like the dishes.

Pleasant bistro was just that, pleasant, not bad, not great. Inside you will find a menu with a varritry of food types and cozy seating.
Once you enter you are taken up stairs to a table, I did not see a elevator. Many of the booths are semi private with walls on three sides. Our table for two was framed by 2 large pillars, on one side it over looked the entrance, the other side had a nice bay window looking out to the Olympic park.
The food on the menu all sounds wonderful. I had the salmon with curry asparagus and eggplant. $ 21.
For the price of the meal the portion seemed a bit small. The quality of the fish was good, with a nice sear. The asparagus did not seem to be the freshest to me, and the curry was tasteless. All of this was atop of a rice dish that looked like what my mom makes with left over rice.
The meal comes with bread to dip in olive oil and vinegar. We were give four bite sized pieces of bread, and not offered a refill. The dipping vinegar looked like wine based one, and it was quite tart. I would have liked to see a balsamic instead.
Overall the food was good, not great and at this price point it met but did not exceed expectations.
I think this would be a good place for a date, or a client or anyone else you to impress and please with a wide selection of many options.

Came here today for lunch since it was nearby and I happened to see the scoutmob for it. We walked inside and it was a pretty nice upsale seeming place, but we actually decided to sit outside since the weather was so nice. I later thought we’d have bad service sitting outside, but I was glad this wasn’t the case, as the waiter came by several times to give us refills on water and ask if we wanted more wine.
Anyways, I started with the Caesar salad, which was surprisingly good for a simple salad. I think it had caramelized onions, and they didn’t particularly taste like onions, but in a good way. Either way, it was very good, and a nice start to the meal. The wine, meanwhile, was pretty good for being relatively cheap. I also tried the soup of the day, and it was REALLY good, wish I would of got that instead of the salad.
I also got the Steak Frite, cooked medium. It actually didn’t take very long to be made, or at least it didn’t seem like it did since the appetizer was brought quickly and lasted long enough. I honestly expected a pretty thin steak, but the one brought was very very thick and satisfying. It was cooked medium just like I’d asked, topped with garlic butter; it tasted great. And the fries were actually pretty freakin good for just being fries, too.
Overall, pretty good place, and actually not as expensive as you’d think if you get those $ 5 plates they offer, although we didn’t get those.