Ciao Atlanta

Four disappointments: 1) after watching the next table enjoy a steak with asparagus when I order the same was told sorry we don 't have any asparagus. 2) Food was delivered to 3 of us but final dish did not come out at same time. It took many minutes before final dish was served. Whether it was the wait or how it came out one of our party had to have their entre warmed up. 3). One of our party ordered the Branzino. $37) What was served was a single thin filet of fish on a puddle of mashed potatoes. Fish portion couldn 't have been more than a couple of ounces. The picture of the dish on Open Table showed two healthy filets. 4) When we complained about the disparity the waiter got the chef/manager/owner and he claimed that food costs have gone up so they had to cut back. He even admitted that he was the one that took the picture that is on their website. Made me wonder if my 16oz steak was really 16oz. No sincere apology but did say what can we do? We said for starters not falsely depict your food on the website. Nothing much was said after that point and they walked away. Only when we paid the check did the waiter say the fish had been removed from the bill. As noted this was a disappointing experience. My wife and I have enjoyed many evenings there dining or having wine at the bar. This was the first time our friends had been to Nowak 's so not a great first impression. We will likely return but with some reservation.

Nowak's midtown location has more than a great neighborhood vibe, it's focused its menu to emphasize consistent classics with a nice dusting of New Orleans magic. (BBQ shrimp for example) It looks like the prices have reduced a little from the post-covid price escalation across the Atlanta restaurant scene. It feels like the value is back in high-end dining at least at this restaurant. Favorites include the Chicken Paillard, always crisp to perfection and the right mix of arugula and vinaigrette and the Steak Frites with a double order of chimichurri. The steak quality in this classic bistro dish is not compromised. It might have been tempting to choose second shelf beef that can hide behind the chimi but the cut was tender, no strings, nice char and medium rare in between. Nowak's is a high quality, high skill restaurant and fills an empty spot for neighborhood fine dining in midtown.

Very good service. Very limited side dish options. No bread with salad or before/during dinner. Underwhelming atmosphere. Photos online don't reflect what's actually on the menu.

We are fans of nowak's fans and we are there a lot! Last night was super busy when we came in to dinner...my pasta dish came out not hot and my husband's steak was undercooked..the chef, manger and server fixed the issue immediately! The service is always top tier and we'll be back soon!

We chose Nowak's for our 22nd anniversary dinner and were really pleased we chose an earlyish time (6:30 on a weeknight, as things were quieter not rushed. Great staff, esp our server Jesus. Great menu choices enough but not too many. We started with the blue cheese chips appetizer (yum! next time we wanna try the artichoke app , wedge salads (yum! , pesto chicken entree salmon entree both terrific; I made a side substitution w no issue. Shared lemon ice box pie for dessert out of this world it's homemade! One request: Add an NA (non alcoholic beer to the menu; just keep one kind on hand. Mocktails are not the same, as they are super caloric. We non drinkers would really appreciate it. We'll be back thanks for a nice evening!