The Best Tapas/Small Plates in Atlanta

Negril ATL

★★★★☆ 3.5 (1413) • $$

"Upon arrival, at approximately 12:10 pm, the restaurant wasn't ready to seat anyone. We were then told by our server that they were out of a number of items on the menu. Seemed odd considering they just opened for the day.Food was hit and miss. I ordered the Jerk Salmon with mixed vegetables. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the jerk sauce was great. However, the mixed vegetables had no seasoning and the mashed sweet potato also had no seasoning."

Gypsy Kitchen

★★★★☆ 3.9 (1044) • $$

"What a beautiful restaurant. You arrive via elevator (stairs, if you'd like) and I felt like I was being led into a little slice of Atlanta paradise. We had a reso and I accidentally had made it for a patio table but it was hot, so I asked if we could sit inside instead. Believe me, every inch of me yearned to be out on that patio and I can only imagine how sublime it would be on a less brutal day.Inside is spacious with soaring ceilings and wood accents everywhere. Atlanta is one of those cities that boasts incredibly huge restaurants, a nice surprise for someone used to restaurants in NYC and New Orleans. Therefore, ideal for groups, but also not bad for couples on a date night. The acoustics aren't terrible so you can hear each other (when did I become old?)They have two kinds of sangria, red and rosé. I went with the red, expecting something slighly sweet and spicy. Unfortunately it was neither, a little shocking at a Spanish tapas place. It was so overwhelmingly sweet, I couldn't really recognize what I was drinking. Honestly, there's not much for vegans here. I appreciate that they note on the menu what is vegan (just the hummus) and I asked if the salad could be made vegan by leaving off the ricotta. That's literally it, which is a little disappointing in a tapas restaurant.The hummus is good, but I didn't realize it would be smothered in a chimichurri sauce which was too garlicky for me (not that it wasn't delicious but my stomach cannot tolerate a ton of garlic unfortunately). The salad is a sight to behold, overflowing with gorgeous butter leaf lettuce. There might be an entire head on there. It's lightly dressed with a shallot vinaigrette and tossed in with radish and Jerusalem cucumbers. Too much of the former and not enough of the latter. I thought I had seen that black olives were a part of the salad, but when I asked our server she said it's a puree at the bottom of the salad. It was such a tiny amount, I didn't notice so that was a little disappointing.While I wasn't in love with my food nor my sangria, I need to mention how nice the staff is here, from hostesses to our servers.Beautiful ambiance and excellent service go a long way in my book. I feel like this is a great restaurant for non vegans. I'm still perplexed about that sangria, though."

Nakato Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (913) • $$$

"Gotten better. Maybe just a better chef, but everyone at the table loved their meals. Portion size humongous. Everyone had leftovers to take home. Waitress was right on top of everything too.5+. Really.And while most restaurants have increased prices, this seems stable,"

Casi Cielo

★★★★★ 4.6 (619)

"What a fantastic venue!!Atmosphere was hoppin, trendy, open, and hip, the food was some of the best I have ever eaten, bold, artisan, and full of fantastic combinations, however you are going to pay for what you get... it is on the high side.Our service was outstanding... we never wanted for anything and they didn't hover. The place was full and rockin, but somehow they managed to come around just enough.We started with chips and salsa like any Mexican Food place but the salsa was AMAZING! The right combination of heat, flavored, freshness, and consistency. It was a sign of good things to come!Then we had an appetizer of the Tostada pork belly. Seriously.. OOOH MY GODDIE... IT WAS SO AMAZINGLY TOO HOTTIE! A symphony in my mouth of the best combinations of flavors I have ever had. This might be the singularly most delicious dish I have ever eaten. The flavors exploded with ecstasy as I chewed. If for no other reason you have to come and try this!After this I thought that the main meals would fall short. There was no way that anything else could come close. They proved me wrong. Everything was outstanding. What a find... a truly spectacular meal in every way! Yes it is pricey, but it delivers out of this world food!"

Barcelona Westside Ironworks

★★★★☆ 4.2 (692) • $$

"Had a recent celebration, so we decided to go to Barcelona Westside. We have been here many times since they opened, to include the first day that they opened.We had a family style salad, Spanish tortilla, paella, croquettes, and lots of bread/olive oil. As always, delicious. Oh, and don't forget Wine...Five stars all day...!!!We highly recommend"

E Ramen +

★★★★★ 4.5 (442) • $$

"Atlanta is a low key ramen town. The goal isn't to find the best ramen as it is to find, "what does this ramen store do best?"Come get the lobster ramen. It's the buttery lobster broth that makes this amazing! You won't be disappointed. Also try the fried edamame in truffle oil."

MF Sushi

★★★★☆ 4 (384) • $$$

"If I can't get in here because of y'all we are going to box (kidding...) I love sushi and my friend told me about this place. It is very small do with that what you will and is not good for big groups, intimate settings only. The sushi was DELICIOUS, I am ready to go back and even get take out. The service was good. That crunchy roll was surprisingly my favorite roll I tried & that one with Wagyu (I forgot the name) was delicious, pricey but delicious. The parking garage is right next to the restaurant so if the weather is bad you will be covered."

Silom Thai & Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.2 (346) • $$

"I have seen this place get plenty of good reviews and decided to test this place out myself. This place lives up to its name. Good food, great atmosphere, nice service, and the decorations are one of a kind.I ordered the One Night in Bangkok sushi roll. Unique sushi roll that tasted great. I also order the Drunken Man Noodle Chicken dish. Tasted good but nothing special. The decorations are amazing and the service is decent. Pretty good date spot."

Bar.bacoa

★★★★★ 4.5 (279) • $$

"My brother and our group of friends came here for lunch today to escape the heat from walking around the Virginia Highlands arts festival.It was a first visit for all of us.The entrance has a nice bar area plus there is indoor and outdoor dining towards the back of the restaurant. We chose a table inside for a break from the heat.Everyone was super friendly and efficient. The menu had a great selection of food to please everyone and featured tapas for sharing as well as traditional main dishes. In addition they had four brunch specials served from noon until 4pm.Our group ordered a variety of items including the blackened shrimp tostada, the pork carnitas, the Peruvian chicken tacos in both corn tortillas and in lettuce wraps. We also ordered the mimosas and vinho verde white wine from Portugal. For dessert we ordered the tres leches cake and the churros. We finished with coffee.Food and service were outstanding! My one quibble was the lack of any vegan coffee creamer. They didn't have any oat milk or almond milk just traditional creamer or milk. I love this place and it's convenient to my office so I'm excited to come back and dine here again after work!"

Ziba's Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.2 (272)

"I found this place in Seated, and if you don't know what that is, I would highly recommend you checking it out for discounts here and other great restaurants in Atlanta...Use my link below to sign up and you'll get a $10 bonus after your first meal (and I'll get $10)!https://seated.app.link/QqvwwlETnhb. Referral code jon1154. This place has a great discount on there and we got a tremendous discount here.Aside from that, the food and service was excellent and kept us coming back! The mussels are a MUST. The portion is huge and the sauce is amazing. Even my 2 and 4 year old loved it. I keep coming back for that alone. I also have ordered the whole fish zambrano which was very tasty as well and came with hearts of palm which I enjoyed a lot too. On the service side, I have never had a bad experience, and the staff has loved my little girls. Really positive experience every time!"

JINYA Ramen Bar - Duluth

★★★★☆ 4.3 (249) • $$

"Parking right in the front with no wait! This place is bigger than it appears from the outside. Very clean and bright. Our server was Mindy and she was excellent! Very knowledgeable about the menu plus she had worked at our regular place a few years back so she could lead us to our favorites and boy did she! We got the original Tonkatsu pork with an extra egg (which were absolutely perfect) plus Mindy brought us their spicy sauce to liven it up to each of our tastes. My friend did one container and I ended up using 2 which made the broth so rich and just the right level of heat for me. This place was a great new ramen restaurant for us! Of course we will be back!"

Urban Hai

★★★★★ 4.5 (219) • $$

"This place has outstanding reviews but it just didn't do it for me.I called ahead of time to place an order for take-out. I should not have done that because it only took 10 minutes to prepare my meal but 20 minutes for me to get there. You will need to park in a parking garage and walk over. The venue validates parking so this will not be an extra charge. The place is spacious and looks extremely nice on the inside. I ordered the Half Pekking Roasted Duck. It comes with two duck soups, bowl of green veggies, some oyster sauce, and wraps. Everything tastes extremely fresh and look great. The duck is not seasoned at all. Nice dish but much more expensive than what it is worth."

Basil's Restaurant & Tapas Bar

★★★★☆ 3.7 (290) • $$

"all I can say is yum, yum, and yum! Such good salads. I recommend the mixed green salad and toasted spinach ravioli. the ravioli is in a puff pastry and it's so good and really cute interior also so beautiful. I LOVE IT!!!!"

Kid Cashew

★★★★☆ 4.2 (187) • $$

"This is a nice spot in Sandy Springs, great décor with indoor and outdoor seating and free parking. The staff was friendly, we just had their small plates. The Brussel sprouts I wasn't a fan of them they didn't have much flavor. I enjoyed the mac n cheese and the cilantro lime chicken skewers."

Olive Bistro Midtown

★★★★☆ 3.8 (226) • $

"Kept it light for my visit. You know it's summer & I gotta get in shape & all that. Yeah, I know you're supposed to do that before summer but hey give me a break I'm trying! Anywho, food was bomb. Had the bowtie noodles without protein & The Vegan with a bottle of wine. Everything was flavorful & I shared with someone else. Yum-me! Parking was validated woohoo. If you're into Mediterranean food or trying to get on a healthy kick go ahead do yourself a favor & grab & bite. You're welcome."

Gocha's Tapas Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (180) • $$

"Service was excellent to say the least but the drink prices are outrageous. I read reviews of a few ppl speaking of the reviews about the prices and they weee right! Our shots were $30 each for Don Julio Anejo when most places charges at minimum $18-$20. So that was a mood buster for us! I willSay if you are a person that drinks def ask before you purchase bc you may be in for a shock just as we were. Other than that, the food was good. We had fried green tomatoes, spinach dip, salad, and fried flounder. Again, the service was really good. If I go back I know to "pregame" at home and maybe a beer there. Ambiance is really nice too. Very grown and sexy!Service 10/10Food 8/10Ambiance 9/10"

JINYA Ramen Bar - Poncey Highland

★★★★☆ 4 (122) • $$

"Jinya is consistent and solid ramen. I really appreciate the customization options provided. I like the Poney Highland location, there is ample parking and on a Thursday night there was little to no wait. As we approached, we saw a party wrapping up on the patio and it was a lovely day outside. I mentioned to the host that we wanted to sit outside, he wasn't rude but did try to dissuade us from waiting.My party of 2 order the crispy tuna and one jinya bun and 2 bowls of ramen. The ramen came out before the small plates. I hate when that happens but such is life. The Black ramen hit the spot and the chicken wonton ramen with hot sauce literally warmed my soul. The jinya bun was a miss... idk if it was the large amount of mayo or I've had inauthentic buns but they were a hard no. Thick pork belly...really fluffy bao, and ransom mixed greens. The crispy rice and tuna was spot on. There is a limited drink menu like 4 cocktails, a decent assortment of sake, a few beers, wines, and non alcoholic beverages. All in all it's a good for a weeknight. Probably one of the best ramen at this price point in the city. Is it as good as ramen in Japan... nah but it scratches my western itch."

Aye Tea Elle Elevated Tapas

★★★★☆ 4 (119) • $$$

"So....this was good, but not good enough for me to return.Parking was extremely challenging.We were charged a cover for "entertainment" which ended up being R&B bingo. I guess that was ok, but there were not enough cards or markers to go around.....so not sure why everyone was charged.The food is decent, nothing particularly amazing. I expected more wow factor. The space is small but cute. Nice for a date night. I love tapas because I can try multiple things, but these small plates are entree prices, so it didnt really make sense for me."

The Family Dog

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (153) • $$

"After a failed attempt to get a seat at Whiskey Bird & Truva, we aimlessly wandered into The Family Dog. We just wanted a quick drink and snack before heading home but were really hoping we would be able to bring the pup! And leave it to a restaurant called the Family Dog to be the best dog friendly option in the 'hood!We were seated on the empty dog friendly patio pretty quickly (it was a hot summer day). The server was hard to flag down but once we got her, we were able to order quickly and efficiently. She also brought a pup cup to my dog which she thoroughly enjoyed. I ordered an Aperol Spritzer to help cool off and we paired it with an order of tots and queso, as recommended by our server. Honestly, it was all the perfect little snack, while letting us dine with our dog. I'll have to stop in for a full meal next time!"

The Office Bar

★★★★☆ 4.2 (60)

"This is a step above a hotel bar-much more spacious with a bit more attention to the aesthetic than some hotel bars toss out there. I had the opportunity to visit recently for a business get together and we found the space very accommodating of our group of about 30 people. If you're staying at the Epicurean it's an easy walk across the parking entrance. If you're visiting from anywhere else, you can either park nearby or valet. Either option is pretty manageable."

Letsbap

★★★★☆ 4.2 (24)

"If you have been following me, you would know that I love oriental food! Since I have not been outside lately, I decide to order through the DoorDash app!I ordered the Fried Rice w. Sriracha Mayo, Bulgogi and Kimichi. The food was really good especially when I mixed in the Kimichi with the fried rice. It was filling and I had to save some for later and ate it for my dinner. I more than likely will try this place again due to the fact it was more than I expected and curious to try other dishes on the menu."

Vanity Restaurant And Bar

★★★★☆ 3.5 (26)

"I honestly don't know what to make of this place. It was next to my hotel and the beautiful exterior drew me in.When I got inside, it felt like a night club. It was super dark and I was carded and then told to sit anywhere so I sat at the bar. I ordered some steak bites and some fries. My server forgot to put the order for the fries in so I only got the steak bites and they were really tasty! However, they gave me disposable silverware to eat the steak with, which felt a little odd.I wouldn't say go and I wouldn't say not go - just check it out for yourself. Making a reservation is seemingly unnecessary but easy through the yelp app.Also, be warned: this is also a hookah lounge so it goes have that fruity smoke scent to it."

6am

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (35) • $$

"We were immediately greeted and seated upon entering the building. I believe the host name was Jessica or Jennifer. Unfortunately I for not recall but her service was exceptional. I have shared pics of the menu. Pricing was fair. Whenever I first visit lounges and they offer wings I will try them. The wings we're large however I definitely prefer the smaller ones. The shrimp poboy was good too. The good was definitely hot when it arrived to the table. The only downside was I simply wanted a cup of water but you have to purchase a bottle of fiji water for $4. Before leaving we had the opportunity to try a hookah. The ambiance of the place was nice. Open floor plan but intimate at the same time. They dimmed the lights right before I was leaving. The restroom was exceptionally large, very clean with a lot of natural light. There is no alcohol served. Great after hours spot for sure. Great food options on the menu."