This place has been lingering on my “to try” list for quite some time. It initially opened to mediocre reviews, but lately reports have been coming in that the chef is killing it. This past week I decided to finally pay a visit.
Miso Izakaya is located in the strip of new restaurants and bars along Edgewood/Boulevard. The area is definitely not gentrified yet, and the only complaint I could lodge is that it’s overrun with hipsters. But I prefer the hipsters to the Buckhead set.
The dining room is gorgeous, all dark wood and soft lighting:
An izakaya is a Japanese version of a brewpub. Lots of drinking and tons of small plates to nibble on and share. Miso brings it in a major way with a nice selection of alcohol (including the most comprehensive Japanese beer list I’ve seen in Atlanta) and a selection of delicious dishes for $4-9. I tried two Hitachino beers I had never had before: their classic (an IPA) and their XH (aged in sake casks- super good!).
The “buns” section of the menu contains the must-order dishes. The bun with pork belly (pictured) and the crispy duck bun were the best of the bunch.
We also had great luck ordering the tonkatsu (a pork dish, hammered thin and breaded in panko) and the salt and pepper quail (very tender and well-seasoned, we picked it up and nibbled around the tiny bones). I did my research ahead of time online and was rewarded when a waitress told me our table had ordered all of the best dishes in the restaurant.
My only complaint of the evening was the service. It was a Wednesday night around 7:30, yet they only had two servers working. It took 30-40 minutes to get our first orders (one of which was sushi!) and when our food came it took another 5 minutes to even get some silverware. I’m hoping this was a fluke, because the food was amazing and I want to seriously love this place. I will definitely be performing a re-visit. Now who’s with me?
Good for: EVERYONE! This would be a great date spot, or a good place to take a big group. I can’t imagine anyone not liking this place.
(images from Spoonfed Atlanta and Creative Loafing)
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