Gigi's Italian Kitchen & Restaurant
Italian restaurant · Candler Park
1660 McLendon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Highlights
Cozy Italian bistro serving fresh pastas & classics, famed for tiramisu
Cozy Italian bistro serving fresh pastas & classics, famed for tiramisu
"When we visit Gigi’s Italian Kitchen, we feel like we’ve been whisked away to another time, one that’s light on stress and heavy on delicious creamy pasta primavera with housemade cavatelli. If you snag a seat at the bar, you’ll see chefs in crisp white T-shirts preparing pastas, salads, and beef carpaccio in the open kitchen, where fancy dramatics take a backseat to plain old fantastic cooking. The red-checkered tablecloths, family photos, and always-burning candle could have fallen out of a romance novel. And since the place is tiny, reservations fill up fast, though spots are always reserved for walk-ins." - nina reeder, jacinta howard, juli horsford
"Even after the expansion, Gigi’s Italian Kitchen in Candler Park is still on the cozy side. So you’ll have far more difficulty securing a last-minute reservation at this top-rated Italian spot than you would finding a parking spot in the big free lot behind the building. Obey the signs, clear your car of valuables, and settle in for creamy pasta primavera and a front-row view of the always entertaining open kitchen." - juli horsford, jacinta howard
"Who made the weekends the date night standard? As one of the best restaurants in Atlanta, Gigi’s makes a solid case that the best date night is any day they’re open (which is Friday-Tuesday). Red gingham tablecloths, colored holiday lights, wax-covered candelabras, and randomly incorporated plastic green vines feel playfully cliche at this Italian restaurant in Candler Park. And with only a few, tightly packed tables, which all give a front-row view to the chefs pan-tossing pasta, it still exudes an intimacy you can’t find anywhere else in the city." - jacinta howard, juli horsford
"Gigi’s is a very tiny Italian spot in Candler Park, and it's perfectly suited for anyone whose view of romantic dining is still shaped by that Lady and The Tramp spaghetti scene. Red gingham tablecloths, colored Christmas lights, wax-covered candelabras, and randomly incorporated plastic green vines feel playfully cliché. Chefs pan-toss pasta while couples lock eyes with each other (because the tables are so tightly packed a glance elsewhere risks uncomfortable eye contact with strangers). Don’t expect to find kid-friendly spaghetti and meatballs here—but rather a small menu of great, upscale dishes like flaky poached snapper and fried, chewy polenta strips topped with cream and caviar." - nina reeder, juli horsford, jacinta howard
"Sometimes you want a beautifully plated dessert, and sometimes you just want a really well-executed classic. For the latter, Gigi’s Italian Kitchen has you covered with their tiramisu. Served in a thick slab, the Italian sweet is decadent and it’s easy to see why they cheekily dub it the “best in town” on the menu." - Lia Picard
