Atlanta Restaurants Plate Swoon-Worthy Specials for Valentine's Day
Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, and Atlanta’s chefs have been busy preparing memorable dishes and menus for guests to enjoy while dining in or for a special evening at home. The prices listed do not include tax and gratuity unless specified. With social distancing, dine-in seating may be limited so plan early and make reservations today.
Over Valentine’s Day weekend, diners looking for a romantic evening will fall in love with the four-course prix fixe menu at 5Church Atlanta. Menu highlights include wagyu beef carpaccio, hamachi crudo, salmon and crab ravioli, prime beef tenderloin filet, roasted duck breast, seared branzino and vegetarian beet Wellington and red velvet donuts. The four-course menu will be served on Saturday, Feb. 13 in addition to the restaurant’s regular menu. On Sunday, Feb. 14, 5Church is extending dinner hours and will serve the prix fixe menu only from 5-11 p.m. The cost for either night is $65 per person. Guests also can enjoy extended brunch on Valentine’s Day from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Make reservations online.
Normally closed on Sundays, Aria in Buckhead welcomes guests and will serve its regular menu starting at 5 p.m. on Feb. 14. Highlights from chef/owner Gerry Klaskala’s menu include crisped duck confit, mountain trout, Strauss Family Farm veal tenderloin medallions and pan-seared sea scallops. View the dinner menu and make reservations online.
Kick off Valentine’s Day with a lovely brunch at Carson Kitchen. The Alpharetta City Center restaurant will serve brunch from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. complemented by live music from Julie Senger and Ethan Senger from 11:30-4 p.m. Menu highlights include sopaipilla French toast, shrimp and grits, oatmeal brûlée, oxtail hash and egg white frittata . Guests also can sip on boozy brunch favorites such as That’s My Jam mixing bacon jam vodka with fresh lime and house bloody mary mix and Alexa, Play “Georgia Peaches” with peach purée, basil and prosecco. Make reservations online.
Chef Doug Turbush and his team at Drift Fish House & Oyster Bar are reeling in diners with a special four-course Valentine’s dinner menu. The dinner begins with an amuse of sesame shrimp and avocado toast followed by starter choices including steamed blue mussels, beet cured salmon salad and dry-aged heritage steak tartare. Among the entrée choices are Maine lobster vol au vent, braised lamb shank, and fregola pescatore with shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams and saffron pearl pasta in a tomato herb broth. Among the decadent dessert offerings are molten lava cake, warm citrus doughnuts and caramel apple crème brûlée. Cost is $85 per person. Make reservations online. To accommodate diners preferring a cozy Valentine’s dinner at home, Drift is offering two special three-course takeout dinners that each serve two people. Choose from the $99 dinner for two with two appetizers, two entrées and two desserts or the $129 dinner for two that also includes a shareable fruits of the sea option. Wine pairings are available for an additional cost. Place orders at least 48 hours in advance and select pick-up time online.
For those looking to impress a special someone or for those who may have forgotten to make reservations, Red Beard Restaurants and Gunshow chef/owner Kevin Gillespie invites guests into his personal kitchen for a Valentine’s Day Three-Course Date Night Dinner class. Join Gillespie at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14 as he prepares classic steak tartare, lobster thermidor and dark chocolate mousse with Amarena cherries. Participants will be emailed digital copies of each recipe in advance as well as pointers on what ingredients to have ready if planning to cook along. Cost for the two-hour class is $49; view more details and make a reservation online. Gunshow also is selling meal kit packages for the items that Gillespie is preparing during his cooking class. Orders may be placed online for pick up at Gunshow on Saturday, Feb. 13 by 5 p.m.
For a Valentine’s Day with a Spanish flair, head to Gypsy Kitchen in Buckhead. Guests are invited to explore the restaurants classic dinner menu or choose from chef-curated Valentine’s features. In addition to Valentine’s Day on Sunday, these special features also will be served on Friday and Saturday nights. Make reservations online.
Plan ahead and place orders online for Valentine’s Day meal kits and more from Heirloom Café in Athens. Among the featured items are creamy cauliflower soup; ready-to-bake beef Wellington with Brasstown Beef tenderloin, mushroom duxelles and speck wrapped in puff pastry and served with herb-roasted fingerling potatoes, mustard cream sauce and wilted winter greens; pappardelle with herb kale pesto, brown butter pecans, roasted broccoli, Ellijay oyster mushrooms, chili flakes and burrata; caviar service; bubbles and special occasion wines; and flowers from Hearts of Harvest. Orders can be picked-up curbside or at the pick-up table at the front door. The eatery also is selling Galentine’s sweets boxes benefitting Les Dames d’Escoffier Atlanta for $35. Choose from red velvet whoopie pies, strawberry lemon macarons, cherry swirl cheesecake, sea salt Nutella fudge and more. Pick-up is on Feb. 13. Heirloom will be serving its usual weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday with some special “lovey-dovey” menu items plus strawberry lemonade mimosas and pink bubbles. Brunch is served 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
It’s love at first bite with the Valentine’s Day dessert special at HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern. All three locations—Brookhaven, Dunwoody and Halcyon—are offering warm chocolate lava cake with chocolate raspberry sauce, vanilla bean ice cream and caramel served with two glasses of Bouvet sparkling rosé for $22.
Those looking for love can make plans to attend the anti-Valentine’s Day party at Johnny’s Hideaway. The iconic nightclub also will have its Sunday 80s night with 80s hits played by DJ Mad Hatter and 80s-themed shooters. The first 10 people through the door after 8 p.m. will receive a free, limited-edition Johnny’s Hideaway 80s T-shirt.
Marlow’s Tavern spreads the love throughout Valentine’s Day weekend with a special three-course prix fixe menu for two with optional wine pairings. Over Feb. 12-14, guests can start with a choice of a Tavern salad for two, asparagus fries or warm brie fondue. Main plate choices include surf and turf with grilled filet mignon and skewered shrimp, pan-seared triggerfish or grilled center-cut filet and a sharable warm chocolate cake for dessert. Dinner costs $62 per couple and $83 with wine pairings. All taverns will be taking reservations for dine-in (suggested, not required) from Feb 12-14. This special also is available to-go with curbside pick-up.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day all weekend long with a special prix fixe menu served Feb. 12-14 at Milton’s Cuisine & Cocktails. Cozy up for an unforgettable evening in the historic Crabapple restaurant and enjoy a menu that includes lobster and roasted red pepper bisque, pork shank and prime beef meatballs, bacon-wrapped filet mignon, cornbread-crusted black grouper, Ferrero Rocher Nutella cheesecake and more. Cost is $75 per person. View the full menu and make reservations online.
For a taste of the sea and land, set sail for Ocean & Acre. The Alpharetta eatery will be serving its classic menu along with a selection of chef-curated Valentine’s features over Valentine’s Day weekend, Feb. 12-14. For those wanting to start Valentine’s Day festivities early, Ocean & Acre also will be open for brunch on Sunday, Feb. 14. Browse the full menu and make reservations online.
For a fast and made-to-order meal on Feb. 14, treat a loved one to the two for $14 pita platters at PITA Mediterranean Street Food. Each platter comes with a choice of gyro, chicken or falafel and two sides including fries, rice, grilled veggies, tomato Florentine soup, quinoa tabouli or any spread. This special is available for in-store purchase only for dine-in or takeout.
Revival in Decatur welcomes guests to brunch on Valentine’s Day from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Menu highlights include old-fashioned warm cinnamon roll with buttermilk frosting; griddled bacon-wrapped meatloaf sandwich with aged cheddar on a caramelized onion roll; Revival breakfast plate with local eggs, heirloom grits, homemade sausage, smoked bacon and warm biscuit; and crispy pork schnitzel with roasted onion sauce, local egg and breakfast potatoes. Make reservations online.
Seed Kitchen & Bar and Stem Wine Bar spread the love with a Valentine’s feast in Marietta. Chef Doug Turbush and his team have planned a four-course menu priced at $85 per person plus tax and gratuity. The meal starts with an amuse of peeky toe crab with yuzu, cucumber “caviar” and apple followed by starter choices including a half dozen French kiss oysters, seared Hudson Valley foie gras and lobster pot stickers. Among the entrée choices are tuna steak au poivre, butter-poached Maine lobster and Maple Leaf Farms duck breast and confit leg. Dinner ends on a sweet note with a choice of chocolate peanut butter parfait, s’mores tart, red velvet cake and more. Make reservations at Seed or Stem. For those preferring to spend Valentine’s Day at home, Seed is offering two customizable three-course takeout dinners that each serve two people. Choose from the $99 dinner for two with two appetizers, two entrées and two desserts or the $129 dinner for two that also includes charcuterie to share. Wine pairings are available for an additional cost. Place orders at least 48 hours in advance and select pick-up time online.
Southern Belle and Georgia Boy temporarily come out of hibernation to bless hearts with a special, socially distanced Valentine’s Day edition of Georgia Boy’s seven-course tasting menu. Offered over Valentine’s Day weekend, Feb. 12-14, the menu will be served in Southern Belle’s charming dining room. Cost is $125 per person with the option to add wine pairings for $89 or zero-proof cocktail pairings for $49. Make reservations online as soon as possible as seatings are limited and tables will go fast. Due to the limited nature of this pop-up, a vegan menu option will not be offered.
Normally closed on Sundays, Storico Fresco in Buckhead and Forza Storico on Atlanta’s Westside are spreading amore and opening on Feb. 14. Both restaurants are featuring their signature heart-shaped, ricotta, grana, nutmeg, beet-infused filled pasta served with brown butter sage sauce, Feb. 8-14. The pasta special also will be available at Storico Fresco’s retail counter to cook at home, Feb, 1 through Feb.14. To dine at either restaurant, make reservations online quickly due to the limited seating availability.
Escape to the beach with your sweetheart and spend Valentine’s Day at The Big Ketch Saltwater Grill. The Buckhead seafood shack is serving its classic menu of coastal-inspired fare and handcrafted cocktails along with special chef features.
Fall in love with Southern-inspired gastropub fare at The Southern Gentleman. The Buckhead eatery will be serving its classic dinner menu along with chef-curated Valentine’s dishes all weekend, Feb. 12-14. Valentine’s features include bay scallop tartine with bacon and maple vinaigrette, wagyu steak frites, and “Tournedos Rossini” with stuffed baked potato with seared foie gras, caviar and bone marrow potato puree. Cuddle up over heart-warming cocktails such as Love at First Sight with prosecco, rose water, house-made grenadine and candied “poms” and Cupids Arrow with Fiddler bourbon, strawberry-infused vermouth and Fiero. The Southern Gentleman also is open for brunch on Valentine’s Day with special features.
Tin Lizzy’s Cantina pulls out all the stops to ensure a heartfelt Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day. On Feb. 13, stop by any location and celebrate Galentine’s Day with girlfriends over Tin Lizzy’s menu of favorites such as fully loaded tacos, skillets, salads, margaritas and handcrafted cocktails. On Feb. 14, Tin Lizzy’s offers a special “For the Love of Tacos” Valentine’s Day promotion. This dine-in special for two includes two classic or Thin Lizzy margaritas, queso, salsa and chips, four tacos and a sharable dessert for $40.
Umi in Buckhead is normally closed on Sundays but will be open on Valentine’s Day offering its regular menu of modern Japanese cuisine for dine-in and takeout. Menu highlights include spicy tuna crispy rice, uni tempura, assorted sashimi and nigiri, Chilean sea bass yu-an yaki, lobster toban-yaki and wagyu tobabn yaki. Make reservations online.