By Jason Reeher
Atlanta is known as the unofficial capital of the South, and travelers delight in the city's many attractions and hot spots. Seafood lovers will be happy with Atlanta's many outstanding restaurants, from family-style meals and buffets to nightspots and more upscale affairs, Atlanta has an array of delicious seafood eateries.
Casual and Buffets
If you like a casual setting, Midtown's Steamhouse Lounge & Fuel Dock has affordable specials, such as a 1-lb. crab dinner or a dozen oysters, and simple appetizers, including shrimp and scallop nachos and crab dip.
For a relaxing meal outside, enjoy Fontaine's Oyster House, where you can eat on the patio. Entrees include such house specialties as creole shrimp and scallops and jambalaya, plus steamed or raw oysters.
If a Japanese seafood buffet sounds appealing, take the family to Sandy Springs Crossing and eat at Nori Nori. Children under 12 get a discount, and you can enjoy all-you-can-eat dishes, including sushi, baked green mussels and blue crab in sesame sauce.
Steamhouse Lounge & Fuel Dock
1051 W. Peachtree St.
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 233-7980
www.steamhouselounge.com
Fontaine's Oyster Bar
1026 1/2 N. Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306
(404) 872-0869
www.nnnwcorp.com/fontainesmain.html
Nori Nori
6690 Roswell Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 257-1288
www.norinori.com
Fancy
For a low-key dinner date, make a reservation at the Red Snapper. With affordable entrees such as ginger snapper and mussamun shrimp, the Red Snapper is, as the chef/owner describes it, "unassuming" but also delicious.
You also will want to visit Atlanta Fish Market. This Buckhead restaurant is upscale-casual and offers fresh seafood flown in daily, plus an iced oyster bar and sushi roll tower.
Lovers of Greek seafood should book reservations at Kyma, also in Buckhead. The cuisine includes Greek-style grilled oysters, wood-grilled octopus and sardine filets that are crisped in olive oil.
The Red Snapper
2100 Cheshire Bridge Rd., NE
Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 634-8947
www.redsnapperatlanta.com
Atlanta Fish Market
265 Pharr Rd., NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 262-3165
www.buckheadrestaurants.com/afm.html
Kyma
3085 Piedmont Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 262-0707
www.buckheadrestaurants.com/kyma.html
Nightclubs
If you like to listen to jazz while dining on seafood, head to north Atlanta and Weezy's Movin' On Up Cafe. You can eat fried, blackened or grilled catfish or tilapia while taking in a live band.
For some drinks out on a deck under palm trees, head to Cocktail Cove Grill & Bar. This place features all-you-can-eat crab legs, plus a DJ or live entertainment, depending on the night of the week.
Wind up your seafood tour of Atlanta with a night out at Vickery's for wine, bourbon shrimp and some low-country seafood saute.
Weezy's Movin' On Up Cafe Jazz & BBQ
10270 Medlock Bridge Rd.
Johns Creek, GA 30097
(678) 580-2847
www.weezysjazzandbbq.com/
Cocktail Cove Grill & Bar
5840 Roswell Rd.
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
(404) 255-7571
www.cocktailcoveonestop.com
Vickery's
1106 Crescent Ave., NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 881-1106
www.vickerys.com/
About the Author:
Jason Reeher has been a freelance writer for 20 years. Reeher's opinions have appeared in a wide variety of publications, including "USA Today" and "The Wall Street Journal." He holds a master's degree in business and public administration from the University of Phoenix.
