Floataway Cafe
(404) 892-1414
1123 Zonolite Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
Near Northeast Atlanta and Morningside - Lenox Park
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Business Details
General Info
Founded in 1998, Floataway Caf s menu includes soups, salads, pasta, pizzas, calzones and desserts. The restaurant roasts vegetables using brick ovens and baked fresh rolls every hour. It also prepares homemade sauces daily. The restaurant s dinner menu includes grilled entrees, balsamic chicken, pesce, vitella, pollo, veal parma and chicken piccata. Floataway Caf offers seasonal specials, such as portofino pizzas, pollo sanremo, tortellini boscaiola, and fresh tomato and goat cheese salads. The restaurant offers a children s menu that includes cheese ravioli, grilled chicken salad, kids focaccia, macaroni, and chicken and rigatoni. In addition, it offers a selection of beverages. Its wine selection features Corte Vigna, Placido Primavera, Ruffino, Columbia Crest, Ecco Domani, Blackstone and Sterling vintages. Floataway Caf also provides catering and carry-out services. The restaurant maintains a location in Atlanta.
Extra Phones
- Fax: (404) 892-8833
AKA
- Floatway Cafe
Reviews & Recommendations
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An Atlanta classic
Provided by Citysearch
The first time I went several years ago I found it quirky. Now, years later, after many repeat visits, the quirks are comforting because it's like I'm in on a secret: this is one of Atlanta's finest. Far from trendy and focused on food, this place does not disappoint. Everything is fresh and quite often comes from the owners' farm. I can understand how a first-timer to Floataway might be put off; you have to ask what several things on the menu are, the waitstaff can seem more like NPR hosts vs hot servers, and things can be pricy. But I recommend giving it a try and having an open mind. The renovations to the place are a plus, and the new cocktail menus are interesting and delicious (lemonciello collins, for example). It's quiet, romantic, and a bargain for the fresh farm-to-table food (it's a more relaxed Bacchanalia). If you're looking for a scene, head to Rathbun's. For a high quality and memorable meal, this is one of the best in town.
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Mediocre
Provided by Citysearch
Mediocre best describes the experience at this restaurant. The setting is smart and interior is fresh and comfortable, but everything else is barely acceptable, especially the prices. On a Friday evening, we were promptly seated at a decent table near the windows (highly recommended as all the other tables are out in the open). Even though we weren't seated right along the windows, the room was cold (literally) and it was quickly apparent that the waitstaff was indifferent and even seemed inexperienced. To give you a sense of the prices at Floataway, the only starters under $10 were a plate of olives or an oyster. Nonetheless, we tried a salad w/artichokes which was good (albeit $12) and chicken livers ($10). My wife liked the chicken livers, but I distained them (AJC and CL make you believe anyone would love them; far from the case with me - if you don't like chicken livers, you won't like these). We were able to find a good bottle of wine for $28, which was very surprising. One of our entrees was the margarita pizza, which was nothing special. You can get a pizza equally good or better from Osteria on Highland for under $10 (this one was $15). The other entree was the hangar steak w/french fries, which was good but not excellent. We picked the rhubarb crisp as dessert ($8), which was not crisp and just seemed like a mess of rhubarb with a dollop of ice cream on top. Bottom line, this is an expensive restaurant that is not worth the price of entry, especially considering the mediocre food, service and atmosphere. There are FAR better choices in Atlanta -- places with much better food and a more interesting scene; Sotto Sotto, Ecco, Rathbun's, Trois, Two Urban Licks and Kevin Rathbun's Steakhouse come to mind.
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don't know what to say.
Provided by Citysearch
Felt like I was in a mental infirmary like we see on TV to have dinner. This is not even a trendy place. Light green color on wall and ceiling, colorless and lifeless space with white server?s uniform. Tasteless dish plates and plastic laminate table top and aluminum garden chair. Felt strange coffee cup texture on my lips. Foods were average and very basic nothing dramatic. Small selection of menu. Need better music and lightings, painted concrete block in dining room? French flies with main dish?\r Service was prompt.
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Avoid for parties larger then four, Slow service, Unresponsive Management
Provided by Citysearch
I made reservations about 2-3 weeks ago for 14 of us to celebrate my 30th bday at Floataway Cafe. They had plenty of time to prepare for such a large party or to decide that they would not have the appropriate staffing that night to serve us all. It took about 20-30 minutes to take our drink order and at least that long to get our drinks. No explanation was ever offered. After we had been there 1.5 hours, our waitress took our food orders! We did bring this to the attention of the manager at this time but that did little good than secure us a free glass of champagne at the end of our 3.5 hour meal that was OK at best. Some people got some winners with their pizza or grouper. I was most looking forward to the beet salad and the chicken which were good, but non-remarkable. The beets, albeit fresh, tasted canned. The bread pudding that came with my chicken was bland and dry.\r Maybe our experience would have been better if had more wine, but for being there for 3.5 hours, we only got to order 2 bottles for 14 people. You would think at this point management would have even pitched in or gotten another server to help out ours. At least offer a good explanation or comp some of appetizers. The only thing comped was the $2/person cutting fee for the ALon's cake I brought in. That was fortunate as I would have flipped my lid if I saw it on the bill after all that.\r Takeaway message: okay food, beautiful atmosphere, nice wine/beer menu, shady service, good for small parties only.
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Good food selection, snobby management
Provided by Citysearch
The new renovation at Floataway is very nice and the food is great. However, the waiter we had was unskilled and seemed like he should be waiting tables at Houstons. He was not very knowledgeable about the wine list or menu. The music in the place was bizarre....loud rock which was distracting. I felt like I was dining in the Hard Rock Cafe. When I mentioned to the hostess and manager about the unappealing and odd choice of music for such a fine dining establishment, neither even gave the courtesy of a glance and just shrugged their shoulders. In t he future, I will go to Woodfire Grill where the food is awesome and service top rate.
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The Decor has been revamped at the 'new' Floataway Cafe
Provided by Citysearch
My wife and I have always loved this neighborhood foodie hideaway. Owned by husband/ wife team, Anne Quantrano and Clifford Harrison, Owners of the West side restaurant Bacchanalia. Floataway is like the sophisticated little sister of Bacchanalia and the food is always fresh, simple and delicious. This gem has been around for a while but the Decor has been newly revamped by the original designer, who happens to be a regular patron. The space has been remastered enough to give the bar patrons more elbow room while and for patient guests it provides for much needed lounge space. This new lounge space offers guests a great place to wait while their table is reworked. The new space also can accommodate bigger parties.\r Needless to say I have never wanted to promote the fact we loved it so much because we still want to be able to get a table. Don't mind the other comments about service. The service is exceptional, it is reserved and they don't overplay their freshness and quality of goods, it is implied, as well, the staff are usually the most talented in the industry. Professional and Polite.
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Who does the hiring??
Provided by Citysearch
The service/servers in this restaurant are very much like all businesses owned by this person. Step into Star Provisions and you'll be lucky if someone smiles at you. Sit at the bar at Floataway and you'll be lucky if the bartender looks you in the eye (never mind help with a wine suggestion). Who does the hiring? The food and atmosphere at Floataway Cafe is great. The service is almost baffling. Is it that this business owner is so arrogant that they feel the servers treat their patrons rudely and yet they'll come back because the food is good? Too bad......because.....reputations do catch up with you.
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good food, not so good service
Provided by Citysearch
The atmosphere is quite different here than other nice restaurants in Atlanta, it is located in an old warehouse. \r You have to walk outside down a hallway to get to the restroom. Despite that being a bit strange, the service was horrible! I was served a flat coke and politely informed our waitress and asked if I could get another. She responded back very rudely. There was non stop attitude the whole time. The table beside us actually started to chat with us about how awful the service was and what a terrible waitress she was. But, overall the food was quite good. To start we had the endive apple salad which was really, really delightful. Then for my entree I had the trout with braised veggies which was wonderful, my husband had the ravioli which was also very, very good. Our friends that were with us had the \r chicken it was so tender, fell right off the bone. His wife had the califlower risotto which was divine. The desserts were great (ESPECIALLY the cheese tray). Bottom line, if you want good reasonably priced food and a night out in the city but awful service then this is the place for you.
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Love this place!
Provided by Citysearch
The margherita pizza is fantastic! Great cheese selection, good drinks and perfect summery desserts!\r Interior is well done & fresh! The steak fritte was also great!
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Absolutely Horrid
Provided by Citysearch
I was extremely disappointed with this restaurant. Despite having made reservations, I had to wait twenty minutes for my table. The waitress was inattentive generally and took forever to come to take our order. The meal choices I wanted had run out (which was not revealed until after I attempted to order them). I ended up getting meat that was undercooked (not cooked to specifications) and very salty. The side options were basically french fries and onion rings (with fancy names) and brussell sprouts. I ordered the french fries. They were the best thing about the meal. I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER go to this restaurant again or recommend it to anyone.
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Great food, warmer restaurant (and people)
Provided by Citysearch
UPDATE - Floataway has improved its game - both with the renovation and more attention to service. I've been back several times (most recently this past week) and they no longer deserve the rebuke (tho they definitely deserved it at the time). I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. It's one of the best spots in the neighborhood. ____________________________________________________________________ OLD REVIEW: It saddens me to say that Floataway Cafe is no longer the restaurant it used to be. I've just returned from an evening that was highly unsatisfactory. While the food remains delicious, the service and management seemed completely out of touch with reality. It made me think that they've somehow started to think that no matter how poor the service is, they will continue to earn the rave reviews. Someone in the back of the kitchen needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Things have gotten so dismal in the front of the house that I can no longer recommend this restaurant to my friends or visitors. Some key points: We arrived precisely on time for our reservation. We were made to wait 30 minutes (with nary a word from the hostess as to why). This was at 9PM in the evening. I understand that this is an inexact science, but it could have been handled much better. Wait, wait, wait, wait for a server to show up. She finally does and takes our drink order. Little did we know that this would be the theme throughout the entire evening. This culminated with her chatting with a friend who had come into the restaurant as we waited 20 minutes (no exaggeration!) to just process our bill (in a nearly empty restaurant). On top of the glacial service, the restaurant was freezing cold. This wasn't just a matter of of 68 vs. 72, but someone joked that they had turned off the heat to clear the tables. I was wearing socks and loafers and even my feet were cold. Our bill for three people came to more than 200.00 - I think we deserved more in terms of service and comfort. To be fair, the appetizers and entrees were delicious. Maybe I should ask them if they would consider takeout - because I am not going to put up with that horrific level of service again.
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Floataway Cafe - An Average Experience
Provided by Citysearch
The food was average compared to the prices. I had the Magherita Pizza, which was average. I have definitely tried better pizzas. The Trout with the seasonal veges is definitely a better choice. Service was prompt.
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Good food, but ambiance and wine list would keep me away
Provided by Citysearch
We all know that the restaurant is hidden amongst office suites in an industrial park. I can live with that if the restaurant makes you forget that once you walk in its doors. Floataway does not. I felt like I was in a garage all night. It just felt cheap. The chairs were uncomfortable, the table looked like an outdoor patio table from Miami in the 50's, the cinder block walls were painted like my elementary school cafeteria. For the menu prices, I would have expected a little more class. One last thing on the surroundings....to use the bathroom, you have to exit using a fire door out into a strange corridor lined with office space. It's just plain weird.\r \r Fortunately the food was excellent. My only gripe on the food was the mere 4 choices for non-pasta entrees. The steak was done well. Pasta was fresh and delicious. The pizza was average in my opinion. The cheese selection was also quite nice served with nice accompaniments. And dessert also delicious (warm chocolate cake with banana ice cream). Service was also excellent...very attentive.\r \r My last gripe is the wine list. While there were some uncommon and interesting bottles, it is priced poorly. There are very few selections under $40. This is unacceptable. Over half the list is priced $60 and up and it's not a big list...one page for both whites and reds. There is definitely more variety and value in the whites than the reds.\r \r Overall, the food is good, the menu creative, and the service attentive. But for my money and with the fine selection of top notch restaurants in the ATL area, I won't return to this bizarrely placed and decorated restaurant.
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Great service
Provided by Citysearch
Extremely helpful sommelier, she definitely knew what she was doing. The food is truly luscious and memorable. Tremendous ambiance. My only gripe is that it took me forever to find this place, because it's so nicely tucked away.
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still wonderful
Provided by Citysearch
This is definitely one of the best restaurants in atlanta. I had not been in several years but it was just as good as I remembered. Still is a bit difficult to find though. Everything is so fresh you really want to come early for dinner as they always run out of many of the items. If I could change anything it would be the expensive wine list. Just isn't necessary to have such expensive wine.
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A Wonderful Evening
Provided by Citysearch
I dined here with two others for my birthday. It was a Thursday night and even though we didn't have reservations we were seated promptly in the beautiful little courtyard outside the restraurant. Unlike many patios in the city, there were no sounds of traffic or busy streets. Just a perfect, quiet spring evening. Our meals (red snapper, oven roasted chicken and georgia trout) were delicious, our waiter attentive and helpful, and the desserts were simply devine! (a chocolate torte with chantilly cream is not too sweet and perfect with a cup of the french press coffee!) We also enjoyed a delightful bottle of wine. A bit pricey for me, but perfect for a special occassion (birthday, anniversary).
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Overrated Restaurant
Provided by Citysearch
Atmosphere is uninviting, uncomfortable, had awkward seating and very difficult to find. I was not impressed at all with the food, was actually a very bad meal. Will not be returning to this restaurant.
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MLK Weekend
Provided by Citysearch
We arrived @ Floataway for our 8 pm reservation and were asked to wait at the bar for several minutes while our table was prepared. It was worth the short wait! After being seated, we very much enjoyed a fantastic array of house-cured salumis. Boyfriend had skate wing with bacon and cherry reduction, and I thought he would cry, it was so good. My lamb pasta was also nice. This is definitely one of the best meals I've had in Atlanta! I actually preferred Floataway to Bacchanalia.
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Love It! Romantic! Exceptional Quality!
Provided by Citysearch
I went with my husband and my sister and her husband for a night on the town. This is a beautifully modern setting and the food is Excellent!!! The owners have an organic farm where most of the vegetables greens are grown. The whole menu is organic- so fresh, it is wonderfull!! The ingredients are truly farm fresh and eco-friendly. The Menu is a little confusing, but the wait staff is more than willing to explain. I am definately dining here again!!!!
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Cold, strange, and uninviting
Provided by Citysearch
If you are expecting a warm, romantic atmosphere, this is not the place for you. The restaurant is a bit hard to find even once you are parked and at the right complex. You enter through a walkway of outside diners, but there is no clear marking of the entrance or hostess stand. Once we located the hostess, we were seated in very modern, solid metal chairs at a tiny table slapped up right next to the bar. These chairs have no cushion and are cold and uncomfortable. Menu options are hard to understand. In fact the menu is arranged in such a way that it is difficult to decipher appetizers from entrees from desserts. The food was the one bright spot in the evening - it was good, but small portions and we quickly ate so that we could leave and head to more comfortable surroundings.
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