Alici

We’d be willing to bet money that, like us, the majority of city residents wouldn’t know what to do with a shucking knife—at least as far as an oyster is concerned. No shade, we’re just a landlocked city. But any peek around social media will tell you that Atlanta loves seafood (the 48-oysters in a setting kind of love). So when the team behind Bastone and Grana opened Alici, yet another Italian restaurant, they gave it a seafood focus, and it’s quickly become a new date staple. And we’re so on board with it, we’re practically starboard.

Since Alici’s cuisine is inspired specifically by the Amalfi Coast, everything from the decor to the food stands out as a change from the restaurant motifs we’ve come to expect around town. In place of the normal Home Goods Pulcinella poster, there are decorative lemon blossom tilework above the kitchen pass and piles of oyster varieties stacked on mounds of finely crushed ice—all showcased behind a glass window along the curved bar. So, if you’re seated at the bar, you’ll get the added entertainment of all the night’s oyster shucking.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

And if you’re looking for a lengthy night out, you’re in luck at Alici. Head to the spacious white umbrellaed patio, where on balmy evenings and after a few cocktails, you might be able to envision the Trader Joe’s parking lot as the blue waters under a grotto. The multicourse menu even invites you to treat this meal like that Italian summer vacation you took that one year, where there’s no time limit and every reason to get a couple drinks and slowly make your way down a delicious menu, from oysters and crudo to antipasto, pasta, entrees, and dessert. 

While seafood is and should be the center of your dining experience here, don’t skip the pasta. It’s made in-house daily, and gives that satisfying carby cuddle you can’t get from protein alone. 

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

Most of the entrees are simple, well-prepared fish filets, which are all solid. But if you’re only going for a few plates, stick to the earlier courses like the swordfish crudo with tasty lemon aioli or rich chili butter mussels, which has a delicious heat that takes us by surprise, every time. The night ends with a complimentary shot of limoncello—a tasty, potent last impression, perhaps intended to lure diners back. But the seafood loyalists already know the moment the first tray of oysters hit the table and immediate plans are made to come back for $1.50 oyster aperitivo hour that returning is a given.

Food Rundown

Swordfish Crudo

Small dollops of lemon aioli top these thin slices of swordfish, which melt away in your mouth so easily you have to eat another one just to make sure you weren’t imagining things. Shaved celery, olives, and mandarin oranges give the dish a fun freshness that make this our favorite crudo on the menu.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

Soca

The tender chickpea pancake has a crepe-like delicacy but is solid enough to stack with delicious seasonal toppings. The smoked salmon with citrus and creme fraiche is a nice, light start if you’re planning a multicourse meal. But the savory mushroom that mixes sweet raisins and salty, finely chopped nuts and parmesan is so good you might have to order another before you proceed to the next course.

Tots & Caviar

These are regular, crispy deep fried tater tots, but they’re laid on top of a pool of creamy stracciatella that’s sprinkled with two types of roe. Now it’s hard for us to recall the times we used to eat tots with just ketchup.

Mussels

The freshness of the mussels already put this dish in Atlanta’s top tier for mussels options, but the spicy calabrian chili butter sauce stands out among the ubiquitous white wine-garlic broths around the city. Ask for more bread if you have to. In fact, ask for a bottle of sauce to take home with you so you can savor this memory longer.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

Squid Ink Campanelle

Made daily, the perfectly chewy campanelle in a simple tomato sauce with tender shrimp is something we’d start a fight over since it's a popular dish that sells out quickly when it's on the menu.