Ok, bear with me on this one. This is a restaurant inside of another restaurant. It’s only open from 10pm-3am, Monday-Saturday. It has no sign. And it’s amazing.
Octopus Bar is a partnership between Angus Brown (formerly at Miller Union) and Nhan Lee (the chef at So Ba, where Octopus Bar is housed). The food was described by one blogger as “Restaurant Eugene meets Buford Highway.” There is no cohesive culinary style. It appears the kitchen is just cooking whatever they think might be good.
Their instincts are spot-on. This is definitely one of the more interesting places I’ve been lately. We started with two cocktails- serviceable, but not outstanding. Really, you’re here for the food. We ordered:
Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Maine Lobster Roll
Braised Rabbit Cavatelli
Hazelnut Peanut Butter panna cotta
The shrimp were intensely spiced with salt, pepper, and some Asian peppers. Almost numbingly hot- I tried to avoid those. We were instructed to eat the shrimp with the shells on. They had been cooked in a way where this was possible, but I had trouble with it and kept feeling like I was doing something wrong. The lobster roll was buttery goodness. Glorious chunks of lobster, drawn butter, chives, mayo…be still my heart. I think my favorite dish was the rabbit. The pasta appeared to be house-made. It was firm and chewy. There was a fun contrast between the bright escarole and the rich rabbit. This is a dish I’ll be craving.
We loved the panna cotta dessert. A perfect end to a deceptively simple meal. The prices here (as you can see on the menu) can’t be beat. Part of me wishes this was a full-time restaurant I could enjoy any time, as heading to East Atlanta is a bit of a trek, and I’m not a night-owl. But I’ll definitely be making the trip back to Octopus Bar, and I highly recommend it if you’re hungry in East Atlanta late at night.
Posted at 12:40pm and tagged with: EAV, east atlanta village, octopus bar, so ba, two column,.
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