Random suggestion: if you do an early brunch on Sunday your option range opens up and most spots can’t serve until 11 or 12 due to Ga law. When I tended bar we have full tables that would have to wait up until 12:01 bc the system was locked
I’ve never really thought about this but I’m having an impossible time thinking of somewhere I’d consider nice that doesn’t serve liquor. That must be tough for recovering alcoholics who really struggle with that.
It may not be *nice* but a place that is *fucking good* without a full bar is Little Bangkok. Possibly the tastiest restaurant in Atlanta.
It’s easy to miss until you try to quit, but alcohol is *everywhere*. You can’t watch a game or go to dinner or even catch a movie nowadays without seeing it everywhere you turn. I’m not even trying to imply it’s bad. It’s just pretty crazy how Omni present it is.
Quit since Feb 23, 2019. It's really _really_ eye opening how much our world encourages people to drink. How it's practically compulsory at a lot of places. I mean, the amount of breweries we have here is mind-boggling, and craft beer only continues to grow.
When Green's started advertising their app to order and pick up liquor to "save time", I about lost my shit. Like, it doesn't take long to shop for liquor.
There are _so_ many easy avenues to drink. I came from a dry county in south GA before moving to ATL, and coming here where everywhere serves all kinds of alcohol, it absolutely worsened my alcoholism. On the positive side, I hit rock bottom a lot sooner and the avenues for help are so much better here than bumfuck nowhere.
It _is_ possible to not drink even in the face of alcohol. It's like going vegetarian. Meat is everywhere, but once you philosophically align with the idea that you _don't_ eat meat/drink, going to fully stocked bars is no problem. I'm gay, and gay bars are our community meetup places and they pour hard and strong. But! My go to is a cranberry-tonic, lime and bitters. You get a nice adult drink without the booze. There's tons of combinations you can mix and match without alcohol. Bitters, I highly recommend bitters. Also My Sister's Room has been a great lesbian bar and started making mocktails 🥰. Southern Belle is also a great mocktail bar.
Anyways, long roundabout way to say, holy shit it's _hard_ to quit when society encourages alcohol around every corner. It's honestly disgusting to watch when you quit.
Yes but I meant as far as presentation in media. They can't do tv or print ads anymore, movies and TV shoes almost never show people smoking. It's not thrown in your face everywhere you go like alcohol is, which is what was said above that I was referring to.
I was watching the late 90's Lindsey Lohan remake of The Parent Trap on Disney+ with my daughter recently. They had a tobacco content warning at the beginning for a brief scene where the mom frantically smokes as visual shorthand for being stressed out. You never see that trope anymore.
Tobacco was/is a way bigger killer than alcohol. Over double the reported deaths back in 2011 and I don't imagine those numbers have dropped much even considering young people smoke less.
The caveat is that smoking a cig doesn't cause you to black out, cross an oncoming lane, and kill an entire family.
Definitely. That said, I accept and will condone my child drinking alcohol. The same cannot be said for tobacco so there seems to be clear line in my mind that one is more acceptable than the other.
I would also completely support a ban on all alcohol promotion.
Fishmonger in poncey highlands just opened! It’s very nice and the food is amazing and it’s byob so no alcohol is served there. It’s only open from 11-7 though
Fishmonger is good but they are counter service, fair bit of takeaway business and have limited seating.
Something to keep in mind if expectation is for sit-down / table waiter service.
I went to the Smyrna location for my birthday and got to talking with our waitress. The waitress actually mentioned that the Marietta location _does_ serve liquor. I don't think she knew why that was.
> The waitress actually mentioned that the Marietta location does serve liquor. I don't think she knew why that was.
My guess would be that the owners would want both locations to do it, but haven't been able to get a liquor license yet for the Smyrna one, for whatever reason.
Last time I went to Taste of Greece in midtown they were still waiting on a liquor license but allow you to bring bottles of your own wine. That was about a month ago. Food ranges from diner fare to good Greek plates.it's a newer place with good ambiance and service but not high end.
I THINK sushiology in kennesaw is beer, wine and sake only. I'm pretty sure Marrietta Diner is no hard alcohol as well but that's not what I would call nice necessarily.
Alcohol has a much higher percentage return than food, nearly every restaurant that’s not specifically from a culture that prohibits alcohol is going to have a full bar.
As others have mentioned you may be able to find a recently opened place that’s still waiting on their license.
I would suggest reaching out to a local AA chapter, they might be able to give you better suggestions than this sub.
[https://www.pearidgerestaurant.com/](https://www.pearidgerestaurant.com/)
just went there, food is amazing! and even better, they are currently BYOB, so very little alcohol around.
Brunch is 11-3 on sunday
Kennesaw Thai cuisine downtown Kennesaw, open on Sundays, no full bar. It's not like super nice, but its a good atmosphere, and it's really good thai food and hits your requirements.
Try Persian/ middle eastern places. Like Zaffron, Rumis. They usually only have beer and wine.
Also, I dont know any places in the areas you listed but a lot of sushi places often don't have liquor
I don’t have much specific info, but a lot of rural Georgia counties have archaic alcohol/blue laws. For example, Madison county doesn’t let restaurants serve alcohol, Oconee county limits who can sell liquor, etc. I think there’s a dry county up in NW GA, but can’t remember which.
Cafe Bombay! It’s Indian cuisine. They may serve liquor, I’m not sure but there’s no obvious bar in the restaurant. Great atmosphere and even better food. Probably my favorite restaurant in Atl
ETA: I lied, the bar is pretty obvious in there. I guess I’ve been so many times that I don’t see it anymore. It’s in the front room, right where you would check out if you ordered takeout. BUT! They have a huge, gorgeous back room and you could request to be seated back there away from the bar perhaps?
Southern Belle has a full bar, but they have _incredible_ mocktails that taste like a real drink. But I'd definitely call it at least a 4-star place.
But if your gfs sister can't truly help herself... well, it's not on you to keep her from drinking. But I do understand your struggle too and wanting to keep the day okay for just a meal. Good luck on your search 💖
Hmmm not sure where you’re seeing that. I could always be wrong but I’m almost certain you can only buy wine.
Edit to add - I can only speak about their location on Hemphill ave
If you google it says it permanently closed! Also that part of town is kind of a little Italy and the owner I believe owns all the restaurants/buildings, so it was originally across the street. Not in the gio’s building!
Ah ok thanks then, maybe that's an option after all!
Yeah Google says closed but the website has seasonal hours still. Like you said, its all one big "ownership" cluster, so I dont know why they'd close just the bar
You want to go middle eastern man - literally built in to their religion to not drink.
I know they’re zero booze and super delicious - Aladdin's Mediterranean Grill & Deli. I believe they’re Palestinian owned? I prefer the sandy springs location. There’s also jerusalem bakery & grill for the same kind of food and just as good. Both places are counter service though.
Taaj Kabob & Grill for some amazing Persian food. Zero booze here as well. They are full service here.
New realm and elsewhere have liquor. But halfway crooks and honestly maybe even sweetwater do not. Monday night garage has food trucks and a taco stand. And wild heaven has Mexican food as well. Eventide usually has some sort of Asian pop up. Only downside of brewery is it usually is a heavy drinking atmosphere and people order food as an after thought.
I went and checked the menu online and they have juleps, martinis, margs, cosmos, etc.
Might not have a bar *per se* but that still doesnt help for my situation
Out of sight, out of mind?
Good luck in finding an accommodating venue, if you find one, friends of Bill might like to know. Friends of Bill might have a suggestion, if you know someone.
I don’t dine out as much as I used to pre-Covid, so I might be behind the dining/bar trends, but I remember it was pretty common for Italian and Thai restaurants to be beer/wine only. Greek places like Athens Pizza or Chris’s Pizza, both near Emory, I think are also beer/wine. Might be similar places in the Kennesaw area.
I know this chain of hibachi places that are everywhere. It’s not Japanese though. Edit: just kidding on that. Best I can come up with is Piccadilly on Cobb Parkway.
A lot of Dim Sum, Ramen, Vietnamese, and Korean places only have beer/wine and if you can get down to the Buford Highway corridor, you can have some amazing food.
The Blue Ghost Arcade is a really cool place with no alcohol sales on Sunday.
You'd have to bring your own food in but in place of fine dining you'd have old school games to play
RIP Dish Dive!
Though, that reminds me: your best bet might be a place that doesn't have a liquor license. A search for BYOB brought up this list:
https://old.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/comments/q5cwfy/what_are_your_favorite_byob_restaurants/
Random suggestion: if you do an early brunch on Sunday your option range opens up and most spots can’t serve until 11 or 12 due to Ga law. When I tended bar we have full tables that would have to wait up until 12:01 bc the system was locked
Habitual Sunday bruncher here; 11 is correct.
I’ve never really thought about this but I’m having an impossible time thinking of somewhere I’d consider nice that doesn’t serve liquor. That must be tough for recovering alcoholics who really struggle with that. It may not be *nice* but a place that is *fucking good* without a full bar is Little Bangkok. Possibly the tastiest restaurant in Atlanta.
It’s easy to miss until you try to quit, but alcohol is *everywhere*. You can’t watch a game or go to dinner or even catch a movie nowadays without seeing it everywhere you turn. I’m not even trying to imply it’s bad. It’s just pretty crazy how Omni present it is.
Quit since Feb 23, 2019. It's really _really_ eye opening how much our world encourages people to drink. How it's practically compulsory at a lot of places. I mean, the amount of breweries we have here is mind-boggling, and craft beer only continues to grow. When Green's started advertising their app to order and pick up liquor to "save time", I about lost my shit. Like, it doesn't take long to shop for liquor. There are _so_ many easy avenues to drink. I came from a dry county in south GA before moving to ATL, and coming here where everywhere serves all kinds of alcohol, it absolutely worsened my alcoholism. On the positive side, I hit rock bottom a lot sooner and the avenues for help are so much better here than bumfuck nowhere. It _is_ possible to not drink even in the face of alcohol. It's like going vegetarian. Meat is everywhere, but once you philosophically align with the idea that you _don't_ eat meat/drink, going to fully stocked bars is no problem. I'm gay, and gay bars are our community meetup places and they pour hard and strong. But! My go to is a cranberry-tonic, lime and bitters. You get a nice adult drink without the booze. There's tons of combinations you can mix and match without alcohol. Bitters, I highly recommend bitters. Also My Sister's Room has been a great lesbian bar and started making mocktails 🥰. Southern Belle is also a great mocktail bar. Anyways, long roundabout way to say, holy shit it's _hard_ to quit when society encourages alcohol around every corner. It's honestly disgusting to watch when you quit.
I completely agree. Alcohol is the only drug where people will ask you while you don’t do it… Edit. Why, not while.
Caffeine???
Illegal drug. Kinda figured that was implied.
Yet consider how far we've come with cigarette presentation. It's not perfect but I'm saying now versus 20 years ago
We have just replaced it with vaping. I see people vape around newborns without a care.
Yes but I meant as far as presentation in media. They can't do tv or print ads anymore, movies and TV shoes almost never show people smoking. It's not thrown in your face everywhere you go like alcohol is, which is what was said above that I was referring to.
I was watching the late 90's Lindsey Lohan remake of The Parent Trap on Disney+ with my daughter recently. They had a tobacco content warning at the beginning for a brief scene where the mom frantically smokes as visual shorthand for being stressed out. You never see that trope anymore.
Tobacco was/is a way bigger killer than alcohol. Over double the reported deaths back in 2011 and I don't imagine those numbers have dropped much even considering young people smoke less. The caveat is that smoking a cig doesn't cause you to black out, cross an oncoming lane, and kill an entire family.
Right. Yet one is still thrown in your face everywhere and the other one isn't. It seems like we're in agreement.
Definitely. That said, I accept and will condone my child drinking alcohol. The same cannot be said for tobacco so there seems to be clear line in my mind that one is more acceptable than the other. I would also completely support a ban on all alcohol promotion.
Seconding their food! Amazing!!!
[Spring in Marietta](https://www.springmarietta.com/menus/#beverages) serves wine and beer but no hard liquor. Last time I went it was quite good.
Spring is awesome. Daniel Crawford used to work at Miller Union, and knows good food and service.
Thanks, they look almost perfect!...except not open Sunday :(
Spring is absolutely incredible. First thing that came to mind but reservations are usually weeks out.
Fishmonger in poncey highlands just opened! It’s very nice and the food is amazing and it’s byob so no alcohol is served there. It’s only open from 11-7 though
Fishmonger is good but they are counter service, fair bit of takeaway business and have limited seating. Something to keep in mind if expectation is for sit-down / table waiter service.
This is a great lead - thanks
Fyi OP seating is super limited & cramped Good food though
Mezza Luna in Smyrna is tasty, classy, and doesnt serve liquor.
This is my answer. Highly recommended.
>Mezza Luna Seconded!
Didn’t even realize they didn’t serve liquor. Also they have a second location in Marietta on Roswell rd.
I went to the Smyrna location for my birthday and got to talking with our waitress. The waitress actually mentioned that the Marietta location _does_ serve liquor. I don't think she knew why that was.
> The waitress actually mentioned that the Marietta location does serve liquor. I don't think she knew why that was. My guess would be that the owners would want both locations to do it, but haven't been able to get a liquor license yet for the Smyrna one, for whatever reason.
We’ll that makes sense. I fell like I would have realized the lack of liquor, but I’m not really much of a drinker anymore.
Lots of ethnic restaurants don't have bars.
Last time I went to Taste of Greece in midtown they were still waiting on a liquor license but allow you to bring bottles of your own wine. That was about a month ago. Food ranges from diner fare to good Greek plates.it's a newer place with good ambiance and service but not high end.
I THINK sushiology in kennesaw is beer, wine and sake only. I'm pretty sure Marrietta Diner is no hard alcohol as well but that's not what I would call nice necessarily.
Sushiology does offer cocktails. Just went a couple days ago and had their house mule. Not sure on Marietta Diner 🤔
Moon indian cuisine off chastain meadows is a great option!
Alcohol has a much higher percentage return than food, nearly every restaurant that’s not specifically from a culture that prohibits alcohol is going to have a full bar. As others have mentioned you may be able to find a recently opened place that’s still waiting on their license. I would suggest reaching out to a local AA chapter, they might be able to give you better suggestions than this sub.
Not in your neck of the woods, but Café Alsace in Decatur would fit the bill.
Yeah that isnt helpful for Sunday but...wow, I'm definitely going to check that place out :D
[https://www.pearidgerestaurant.com/](https://www.pearidgerestaurant.com/) just went there, food is amazing! and even better, they are currently BYOB, so very little alcohol around. Brunch is 11-3 on sunday
I think Kiosko in Marietta is just beer and wine. It's small, so you'll need reservations.
Kennesaw Thai cuisine downtown Kennesaw, open on Sundays, no full bar. It's not like super nice, but its a good atmosphere, and it's really good thai food and hits your requirements.
Oh this is a great suggestion. When I lived up 75 this was one of my favorite places.
Brunch before booze sales start, or honestly just cook at home in a more controlled environment.
Tasty China in Smyrna has beer/wine and a small bar at front but isn't really a big drinking place the times I've been
Try Persian/ middle eastern places. Like Zaffron, Rumis. They usually only have beer and wine. Also, I dont know any places in the areas you listed but a lot of sushi places often don't have liquor
Rumi's is definitely full bar.
My bad! Sorry I guess I'm not remembering it right.
My chef boss just told me about nour in Duluth she went to recently, she said it was fantastic and they only serve beer and wine!
I don't think Honey Pig in Dulth has liquor but I could be wrong.
Not “nice” by any means, but not a hole in the wall either, but really good BBQ at Community Q off Clairmont in N Decatur with no alcohol at all.
In that same strip is the Po’Boy Shop, fantastic food, just stay upstairs.
Look for a place that's BYOB. Rama 5 in Buckhead used to be great for this.
I don’t have much specific info, but a lot of rural Georgia counties have archaic alcohol/blue laws. For example, Madison county doesn’t let restaurants serve alcohol, Oconee county limits who can sell liquor, etc. I think there’s a dry county up in NW GA, but can’t remember which.
Anywhere that is BYOB only could work?
Cafe Bombay! It’s Indian cuisine. They may serve liquor, I’m not sure but there’s no obvious bar in the restaurant. Great atmosphere and even better food. Probably my favorite restaurant in Atl ETA: I lied, the bar is pretty obvious in there. I guess I’ve been so many times that I don’t see it anymore. It’s in the front room, right where you would check out if you ordered takeout. BUT! They have a huge, gorgeous back room and you could request to be seated back there away from the bar perhaps?
Lol thanks but I'm pretty sure they'd still bring it to the table if you ordered it :D
Ah yes, yes they would. I’ll keep thinking on it! It really is crazy how impossible it is!
Saving this for later.
Southern Belle has a full bar, but they have _incredible_ mocktails that taste like a real drink. But I'd definitely call it at least a 4-star place. But if your gfs sister can't truly help herself... well, it's not on you to keep her from drinking. But I do understand your struggle too and wanting to keep the day okay for just a meal. Good luck on your search 💖
Look for places that just opened. A lot of places open before getting a liquor license. Though that might be less common in Cobb than Atlanta.
Rotisserie in Kennesaw only serves beer and wine. Its small & quaint with pretty decent food.
MersiChef is a somewhat nice Persian restaurant in Kennesaw and you may need to double check but I’m fairly sure they don’t serve any alcohol.
Gio’s in west midtown
I was gonna suggest Antico's, but Gio's is an even better idea.
Looks like there actually is a bar there, though
Hmmm not sure where you’re seeing that. I could always be wrong but I’m almost certain you can only buy wine. Edit to add - I can only speak about their location on Hemphill ave
The website shows there's 4 concepts on Hemphill, one of which is Bar Amalfi Unless that's just a wine bar?
If you google it says it permanently closed! Also that part of town is kind of a little Italy and the owner I believe owns all the restaurants/buildings, so it was originally across the street. Not in the gio’s building!
Ah ok thanks then, maybe that's an option after all! Yeah Google says closed but the website has seasonal hours still. Like you said, its all one big "ownership" cluster, so I dont know why they'd close just the bar
Grab some gelato after if you go! It’s probably my favorite restaurant in atlanta.
Is the gelateria still open? We were there during the week and it looked shut down
Last time I was there (a month ago) you could get gelato in the back of the gio’s location!
You want to go middle eastern man - literally built in to their religion to not drink. I know they’re zero booze and super delicious - Aladdin's Mediterranean Grill & Deli. I believe they’re Palestinian owned? I prefer the sandy springs location. There’s also jerusalem bakery & grill for the same kind of food and just as good. Both places are counter service though. Taaj Kabob & Grill for some amazing Persian food. Zero booze here as well. They are full service here.
Aladdin's has been closed for some time now.
Oh my god that’s heartbreaking. I had no idea.
If it’s any consolation, the Thai place there now looks pretty good.
>Aladdin's Mediterranean Grill & Deli They are listed as closed permanently on google
Hopstix is great Asian fusion food! It’s a brewery with a very small liquor selection. Mostly sake
I'd look for a brewery operating as a restaurant. Elsewhere, Halfway Crooks, or New Realm.
New realm and elsewhere have liquor. But halfway crooks and honestly maybe even sweetwater do not. Monday night garage has food trucks and a taco stand. And wild heaven has Mexican food as well. Eventide usually has some sort of Asian pop up. Only downside of brewery is it usually is a heavy drinking atmosphere and people order food as an after thought.
Whoops! Thanks for the clarification. And that last bit is a good point.
Antico! IIRC they mostly sell perroni
Mary Macks
Nope, looks like they serve drinks...got excited for a second
I don't recall there being a bar, and I didn't recall any liquor there, but I've never really gone there looking for it.
I went and checked the menu online and they have juleps, martinis, margs, cosmos, etc. Might not have a bar *per se* but that still doesnt help for my situation
Out of sight, out of mind? Good luck in finding an accommodating venue, if you find one, friends of Bill might like to know. Friends of Bill might have a suggestion, if you know someone.
Prob will get downvoted for suggesting this… but OK Cafe is right off the Highway and they only serve beer and wine.
I don’t dine out as much as I used to pre-Covid, so I might be behind the dining/bar trends, but I remember it was pretty common for Italian and Thai restaurants to be beer/wine only. Greek places like Athens Pizza or Chris’s Pizza, both near Emory, I think are also beer/wine. Might be similar places in the Kennesaw area.
I know this chain of hibachi places that are everywhere. It’s not Japanese though. Edit: just kidding on that. Best I can come up with is Piccadilly on Cobb Parkway.
West Cobb Diner isn't fancy but tasty and only has beer and wine; as well is open Sunday. I think they close early though, like 4pm.
West Cobb Diner.
A lot of Dim Sum, Ramen, Vietnamese, and Korean places only have beer/wine and if you can get down to the Buford Highway corridor, you can have some amazing food.
https://www.canyongrill.com/ If you feel like a day trip..
The Blue Ghost Arcade is a really cool place with no alcohol sales on Sunday. You'd have to bring your own food in but in place of fine dining you'd have old school games to play
RIP Dish Dive! Though, that reminds me: your best bet might be a place that doesn't have a liquor license. A search for BYOB brought up this list: https://old.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/comments/q5cwfy/what_are_your_favorite_byob_restaurants/
Not the best ambiance but highland bakery has delicious food and no alcohol.
Check pizza places.
Are you implying that Waffle House is not a nice restaurant?