Cakes & Ale

Been twice and really enjoyed both experiences. Would recommend to anyone and I will be back again.

Went for a nightcap with the wifey, looking for a warm drink. The place was winding down but the service was prompt and courteous. I tried the «Figure 4» which was described as ‘boozy’ by the bartender. With a bourbon base it was indeed warm, but one should translate boozy to «tastes like cough medicine.» My wife’s Moscow mule was flat and in a glass — is it cliché now to have copper mugs?
We opted for the cake of the day — coconut! The frosting was delightful and light. The cake itself was okay but perhaps this is because I’ve built it up in my mind. I was hoping for something a little more moist.
All in all, there are a lot of different options in Decatur and this one didn’t really stand out. Perhaps we’ll come back for the full dinner — but I do worry if it may be just as overrated.

Good décor, lackluster service. We arrived at 10:30pm to grab a quick dessert, something already prepared. «Sorry,» on of the waitresses said, «we close at 11pm.»

Brace yourselves, folks! You may have read the most recent issue Atlanta Magazine, featuring The 50 Best Restaurants in Atlanta. I have. Why this restaurant made number one is beyond me. As an employee of a Decatur business and resident of Lake Claire, I had been eagerly awaiting my first visit here. My husband and I made that visit for his birthday dinner, back at the end of November. I had heard from plenty of people that this restaurant was fantastic, and the bar had been set high. The reviews here on Unilocal certainly leave you expecting the best — a solid 4 out of 5 stars from 280+ reviews sets a high expectation in my book. Atlanta is no stranger to chefs with some major culinary cojonoes, and Fifth Group’s Ecco didn’t even make Atlanta Magazine’s Top 50; I’m not sure what happened there.
Why the three-​star review? Straight to the point, the food was not that great. I had a white fish dish (one that I don’t believe is on the menu regularly), which didn’t read to be all that interesting on the menu, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with anything here. It was served in a broth, accompanied by some calamari, cilantro, and probably a few other ingredients. The dish was fairly bland overall, and the fish, a bit fishy. Not a winning dish by any stretch of imagination. I should have sent it back and asked for something more interesting, but I don’t like to make a fuss. It was pretty, but pretty only gets you so far, my friends. My husband had a pork dish, again, nothing that blew our hair back — easily forgettable. We started with the citrus marinated olives and saucisson sec & Bresaola, which were fine, olives and some shaved meats, but nothing that knocked our socks off. We also shared a small salad, spinach, apples, nuts, etc. It was good but, I prefer my food to be a bit more memorable.
It was a huge let down for us. What really surprised me was the lackluster décor in the main dining room. If you look on their web site, you’ll find one main picture of their dining room in the photo gallery, and for good reason. It’s minimalist and dull. The bar is much more aesthetically pleasing, as you can tell from that photo gallery, where it’s presence is showcased.
On a good note, the service was good. We had one of the many gentlemen buzzing about checking on us on a regular basis. I asked a question about one of their cocktails, I think I was inquiring about mezcal, and I was presented a little taste of it before I decided to go with a Tripel.
There are better restaurants in Atlanta, so I hope that Atlanta Magazine hasn’t sent too many of it’s readers here disappointed. There are plenty of establishments we’ve been to on their list that should’ve had the number one spot, Gun Show for instance. If you’re looking for good food, fantastic chef creations that will please the palate, head there.
I have to think that when something like this happens, perhaps it was just an «off night» for the restaurant, but you can’t have «off nights» here in Atlanta. With the vast array of restaurants here in our great city, we rarely visit the same place more than once, unless we are wowed. A good example of this is Wisteria. We had dinner there so long ago, a few years ago at least. I simply cannot forget how amazing the gnocchi was; if it’s the same dish, I believe it is still on their menu as Beef & Veal Meatballs (served atop the best gnocchi). Again, it was both of our dishes that were just okay, not just one. As of right now, I can’t honestly recommend a visit to Cakes & Ale, there are far better restaurants in my opinion worthy of a better dining experience.

I came here recently for a team dinner (group of 7). We ordered a bunch of appetizers and small plates to share, namely: citrus marinated olives, rosemary roasted almonds, squash dip, griddled swordfish, cabbage, and gnocchi. The standouts were definitely the squash dip and the gnocchi (note: the menu changes every day, so the variations on these dishes might differ).
For my entrée, I ordered the whole roasted trout, which they serve whole and filet right at the table. Delicious! While the filet job was alright (I think we made her nervous by staring at her while she was working), the trout itself was super flavorful. However, the true star of the meal was the dessert! Again, we ordered several different desserts to share, including: flourless chocolate cake (dense and fudgy), tiramisu (light and not too sweet), apple crumb tart (nice and warm), and sticky toffee pudding (so rich but so good!). Definitely a great way to end a lovely meal!
–L.

I’d been looking forward to trying Cakes and Ale for a while, having read about it in multiple articles on Atlanta restaurants. My husband and I decided to go for our anniversary. Overall, it was a disappointing experience. The service was extremely slow and not very helpful when they did come by the table. We came for an 8 pm dinner on a Saturday and by the time they came to take our order they were out of two of the 5 entrees (leaving only heavy meat options) and also out of the one vegetable side they offered that evening.
The food we did have was overall pretty good, but definitely doesn’t stand out compared to other restaurants we’ve tried in Atlanta at the same price point.
Between the bad service and running out of multiple dishes on a Saturday, we definitely don’t plan to return and I wish we had chosen another restaurant to celebrate with.

I had been looking forward to visiting Cakes & Ale for a long time. My dinner club hosted a dinner event there and I was all for it. Funny story– I actually went over to Cooks & Soldiers first. You know… C&A, C&S…same difference. Ugh.
Very cool water bottles at the table (I have a thing for cool bottles — I used to collect them). I started the night off with a cocktail called daze of bleu– a blueberry-​infused rum drink with dimmi, aquavit, ginger and lime. A bit too gingery for my taste. For my main dinner I got pork loin and potato au gratin. I did not like either one. The pork loin was a bit too fatty and wasn’t flavorful. The potato au gratin was quite dense and not as gooey as I wanted. Wasn’t a big fan of the desserts so we went to Butter & Cream.

Every December I go to a nice dinner with my family in Atlanta. We’ve been to Morton’s, Bones, Ruth’s Chris, Aria, Oceanaire, Bacchanalia, Rathbun’s, The Optimist, Empire State South and Chops. In twelve years of dinners, Cakes and Ale was, by far, the worst.
There’s not even a «second worst restaurant.» We’ve always had a great meal and a great time.
I’ve also recently been to Seed, Two Urban Licks, Iberian Pig, Optimist, Argosy and Gunshow. These are all great Atlanta restaurants you should go to instead of Cakes & Ale.
Ambiance? Imagine a public library on a cruise ship.
Food? Just above mediocre. Nothing awful. Nothing memorable. So many better restaurants in Atlanta. I’m sure there are better restaurants in military prisons.
Service? Even after I told the hostess our waiter was struggling, nobody ever came to the table to help out or apologize or do anything, really. Truly awful service from a restaurant going through the motions.
Later that night, I found myself jealous of my nephew who threw up on the way home while my meal from Cakes & Ale just sat in my stomach, digesting.

As always great restaurant. We called Billy and told him we had 9 for a birthday party. He could pick the menu.
Well pick he did. 6 courses later and a birthday cake we were stuffed in a good way. The oysters great. The beet salad awesome. The trout deboned table side and the rare pork tenderloins were some more high lights.
My mom the birthday girl loved the whole night.
The service was also great.
My family loves this restaurant.

Excellent service! They were attentive, but it didn’t seem like they were hovering.
The wine selection was lovely, and the food was well prepared. Everyone at my table raved about their food choices.

My friends and I dined here for the dinner portion of our Decatur progressive dinner. We made reservations in advance and our table was promptly ready. We decided to share a variety of dishes: the Arancini, Prosciutto di San Danielle & Soppresatta with pickles, Burrata, chickpea fries, cardamom whipped sweet potatoes, kale and baked egg, and butternut squash purée. My favorite dishes were the whipped sweet potatoes and kale and baked egg, but nothing was outstanding or extraordinarily delicious, and some dishes I found to be heavily creamy but a bit bland in flavor.
I see in other reviews that the service has been highly complimented here, but our experience was lackluster. Our server, although attentive, struggled with knowledge of the menu, and on questions he didn’t know, he just made up answers. We initially asked if the kale and baked egg was vegetarian, and he hesitantly told us he thinks it is cooked in chicken broth, and it wasn’t until the end of our meal when we asked another server who checked with the chef to confirm the dish was not in fact cooked with chicken broth and was entirely vegetarian. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for my friend, who missed out on this dish because of our server’s lack of knowledge and unwillingness to do his due diligence to ask when he didn’t know. We also had trouble finding our server a couple of times during our meal and for such a small dining room and so many staff, I find this incredibly odd.
Overall, the food didn’t impress me, the service definitely didn’t impress me; there’s definitely better restaurants in Atlanta to spend this kind of money, and Cakes and Ale just falls short.

Went to the café side for coffee and wine after dinner. Had a glass of wine. It was good. My boyfriend had a cup of coffee. He liked it. I love espresso. So I ordered a shot. I was not impressed. I’m not sure what they rubbed the rim of the glass with but it was not a fresh lemon. I can assure you of that. I’m not used to, not getting my own slice of lemon now that I think about it.
Won’t be going back there for after dinner coffee.

An unusual off night for service got my goat but owner Krisin’s personal and thoughtful response to my piqué reminded me what a special place Cakes & Ale truly is — even loving families, friends and neighbors have off moments. Can’t wait to go back but will stick with my favorite place to sit — the bar! The food for me and my dear H has always been flawless.

Cakes & Ale — I love you! My mom treated my 15-​month-​old and me to dinner here for my birthday, and you did not disappoint. I was nervous about going to such a nice restaurant with a toddler, so we went right at opening at 530pm. The service was impeccable. They had our table ready with a high chair, and even thought of the details, like serving her meal a little early and making sure food was not placed right in front of her eager arms. The entire wait staff was pleasant and sweet and made me feel very comfortable about bringing her along. The ambiance was casual but upscale. Not a super quiet, romantic restaurant, but still good for date night (or generational family dining).
Apart from the service, the food was FABULOUS! We started with the arancini and burrata, which were INCREDIBLE. The flavors in the burrata dish with apple and nuts was totally unique and fabulous, almost like a dessert. For dinner, baby had the gnocchi which was among the best I’ve had. My mother had the trout and I had the snapper. Both fish were great, but didn’t quite live up to fabulousness that was the burrata — that dish just set the bar so freaking high! For dessert, we finished with the almond cake, which was just the right amount of sweetness and the chocolate flourless cake, which was rich and thick, but not in a way that kept me from eating the whole thing. :-) So we ended on a high note.
Cakes & Ale — I cannot wait to come back. I need another excuse for a return visit pronto!

Roasted trout was delicious, but it’s lot of work to eat it, taking out all the bones.
It’s no different eating a Korean flayed fish in Korean restaurants, however.
much like their restaurant name, the cakes were phenomenal.
Toffee pudding had me smiling.

Sorry but not a good review. This is one of those way way over rated places. I get the impression the chef thinks he is Mr. Wonderful and can do no wrong. This is a place that is good but is it really ever worth a return trip? We went only because the reviews were so high. In fact my two star rating probably should be a 3 (maybe) but I gave it a 2 to balance out the really high rating it has.
Technically there is nothing wrong with the place. We were greeted warmly and our server Candice was a pleasant as could be yet a little slow. To be honest we were a little turned off when she told us we were not able to submit our appetizer order until we knew what we wanted as entrees! What? Why? We were starving and wanted to get somethings on the table while we studied the menu, of which the menu was kind of boring which made it surprisingly difficult to choose. Do I want vanilla or do I want chocolate? Really? However, the food quality was superior and was expertly prepared.
The ambiance was a little drab for me but yet it was clean and thoughtful. So what is my beef? Portion sizes and lack of flavors? While everything tasted good there was nothing that was a Wow or OMG, «I have to have that again!». It was bland and unimaginative. I understand making the food the star of the dish and not adding all types of sauces to cover up the flavor of the food itself but give me something. Perhaps a little salt or a little acid like lemon!!! The portion sizes where ridiculously small and left you saying «is that all for that price?».
I hate a place that I have to ask for more bread (especially since I don’t want the carbs) so that I can leave somewhat satiated. On a positive note the bread and butter were excellent. More bread please!
As far as dessert is concerned, we didn’t order any since we felt we would be dissatisfied and elected to go to Java Monkey (?) across the street for coffee and world class pies.
I would never return to a this place. There is no reason to. I hate to write a review like this because I’m sure these people work hard at what they do but please give me something! I hope they read this review and take some corrective measures. Although I doubt they will. I sense a little too much arrogance .
Read Melissa Z’s review since she is spot on!!!

Regretfully, I must break away from the majority opinions. The food is okay, but there is no angelic Hallelujah chorus erupting after tasting two seafood dishes and with the price point, it should have been.
Although I was unimpressed with the menu, I was intrigued to dine here based on the fact that the chef is a James Beard nominee. By my account and taste, he excels in simplicity, and clearly that is a laudable cooking style, but the food fell boring and flat on my and my tablemate’s palate.
I wanted to order the snapper entrée which is paired with kale, but the waitress said they ran out of snapper and kale so they were replaced with trigger fish and collards. So yeah, totally the same entrée.
*blink*
Anyway, the trigger fish was fresh and moist but it had no special flavor other than the taste of the fish itself. That’s what I mean by the chef excelling in simplicity — the fish was prepared well but it was plain.
The other seafood item was the NC trout. Incredibly fresh but it’s size seemed like it was a bit small. My 70yr old mother finished it and was still hungry. I tasted that as well and it was plain. Like the triggerfish above, it was prepared well — one of the moistest filets I’ve tasted but that was all I tasted — fish. Nothing exciting. It was accompanied by bacon-​mayo spread that came on the side, which my mom tried but I did not. She’s a bacon lover and she said it didn’t do anything for the meal.
My boyfriend ordered the pork loin which I did not taste and he enjoyed his meal but he said it was not anything he couldn’t find at another restaurant in Atlanta. (Sorry for the double negative there.)
I usually don’t take a star off for service bc I don’t think one bad service experience should ruin a restaurant, however the exception is when the price point elevates the dining experience such that one is expected to have exceptional service. She was absent, aloof and we were made to feel like she generally did not care about this table.
Do you know what’s more disappointing than a disappointing dessert? NOTHING. So here we are at CAKES & Ale…(CAKES, People, it’s in the friggin name) and there was one friggin cake on the dessert menu. I do believe the word CAKES in the name is plural.
Nevertheless, we ordered the chocolate cake, crème brûlée and the Apple pie which was more like an apple-​pie-​half-​dollar. The brûlée had the soft essence of blood orange and was brûléed correctly. The apple pie was literally the size of a half dollar and the crust was a dried biscuit– like the kind you’d throw at a window when you realized you over-​kneaded it and forgot to add butter/​buttermilk. The chocolate cake was the best dessert bc it was not overly rich but had a lovely chocolate flavor.
The ambiance is trendy and loud. I wouldn’t take a first date here. I don’t mind noise though; it’s a good atmosphere with a group. I thought people who be more dressy but it was trendy casual.
If you’re traveling through, I wouldn’t recommend making a stop. There are lots of better restaurants.

Had THE most delicious lunch here at Cakes & Ale during my Atlanta visit.
Arrived around 12 on a Thursday, the restaurant had a few people but was empty for most part. My friend’s baby was with us & they were able to get her a high chair & accommodate her no problem. We sat quickly & ordered some sandwiches — the meatloaf & monte cristo. Also ordered potato cabbage salad & salt & vinegar chips as sides.
After quite a wait (surprising considering not that many people were in the restaurant & they are sandwiches) we finally got our sandwiches. Well worth the wait considering they were AMAZING.
Meatloaf had a delicious mustard coleslaw combo that made the sandwich so tangy and delicious. The monte cristo was just like a dessert sandwich — topped with powder sugar & served with raspberry preserves. It complimented the cheesy turkey & ham sandwich that was perfectly griddled. The sides were just as delicious — the potato cole slaw was impressive — very light but it had delicious bacon all with it to make it rich. The chips were homemade & amazing as well.
Loved this Decatur restaurant. Only dinged a star because I’m not sure how fast the service would be during dinner time considering ours was pretty slow during a light lunch crowd. Worth a visit!

It’s that time of year when I update my review for Cakes & Ale. I am happy to report that it remains my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. The food is consistently flawless. The gnocchi — a staple on the menu — is light and airy, and continuously reinvented with new flavors, just perfect. The African squash dip (alas, not currently on the menu) is innovative and complex. I could go on, but suffice it to say chef Billy Allin deserves a James Beard award!
I would also like to give a special shoutout to barkeeps Evan and Chris, who consistently manage to create the most inventive and balanced cocktails I have ever had. This is by far the most under-​recognized bar experience in the city.

Cakes & Ale is the kind of casual upscale restaurant that tends to do well in big cities these days. Seasonal menu, local ingredients, innovative cocktails; well-​dressed bartenders, the day’s offerings written in chalk. Not every restaurant in this genre is particularly noteworthy, but I tend to fall for these places when they’re any good. I was impressed with my short visit to Cakes & Ale.
My husband and I stopped in for a snack and a round of drinks, killing some time before dinner. We walked in at 6:00 on a Saturday, and the place was already busy. We sidled up to the bar and passed a pleasant hour. The space was attractive, well lit and neatly, elegantly decorated. The bar was comfortable, and the bartenders both skillful and friendly.
The drinks were top notch, delicious and crafted with care. I had the Run to the Hills, a mezcal cocktail with white cacao, vermouth, grapefruit, and bitters. It was a great cocktail, the mezcal and white cacao a surprising but lovely combination. My husband had the Jimi & Janis, a drink with dry gin, Grand Poppy, Benedictine, lime, and bitters. I don’t prefer gin, but this was a solid cocktail.
We shared a couple small plates to tide us over until dinner, and these were both excellent. The melon and prosciutto was simple and satisfying, with top quality ingredients – juicy ripe melon and silky salty ribbons of prosciutto. The burrata and watermelon was similar in spirit, an assembly of beautiful elements, impossible to botch. The burrata was soft and milky, and it came with colorful cubes of yellow and pink watermelon, sprinkled with holy basil, nigella seeds, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt.
I’d love to come back to Cakes & Ale for a full meal, where I can get a better sense of the kitchen’s range. While we were sitting at the bar, another party a few chairs down received a giant whole fish, and it looked amazing. I live in California so it might be a while, but I plan to go back to Decatur. There are a lot of restaurants in this little part of town, but Cakes & Ale is high on my list.