BeetleCat — Restaurant in Atlanta

Beetlecat definitely stands out on North Highland. Love the restaurant sign visible from street. The nautical theme inside is really nice. The sails as ceiling covering was a great idea. Sorry no pic. It had a clean, white, blue and brown color wave. I encourage you to book a reservation. Seated is my choice as it is free and you can get cashback on your bill through the app to be redeemed for various rewards. Check it out! Saw this restaurant on a Tiktok video.

Parking can be challenging. There is of course free street parking if your lucky. There is also a public parking garage. Starts at $6.50 for first 2 hours and goes up. Also some pretty funny you will be towed if you park here signs in the area. Lol!

We arrived 5 minutes early and seated immediately. A waitress came by to fill our water glasses. She advised Spencer would be our waiter and be by shortly. Spencer arrived and introduced himself few minutes later. He was very friendly and informative having worked there four years.

As we covered drinks, I mentioned wanting to try the Fish House Punch. Spencer said it was a Long Island and Arnold Palmer Colan best he could describe. He offered us free samples as it is a pre-made drink. Cute little shot glasses with 1 cube ice. The taste was as he described. We both ordered one. I will say the lemon flavor was dominate overshadowing the other ingredients, which were rum, brandy, peach Whiskey and black tea. Maybe add splash simple syrup to cut the tart flavor if you want sweeter.

Another waiter walked past bar, saw drinks, and brought them to us. I noticed others doing this whether their table or not. Loved the staff working as a team!! Great service to patrons.

We decided on the lobster roll and Moqueca stew. The lobster roll market price was $36. Spencer said the stew was not spicy although jalapeños are a listed ingredient. I love spicy so I didn't mind. I did ask for no cashews. As we waited, we finished our samples. My friend noticed a inch long curve piece of plastic in hers. We told Spencer so he could alert the bartender. She looked confused where it came from. He brought us grapefruit shots and apologized for the plastic in the shot glass.

I decided late to try the baked oysters. We got a half dozen. They came out few minutes after our food. This worked as I had to send my stew back when I saw cashews on top.

Lobster roll was definitely cooked in butter. There was no mayo on the sandwich. Waffle fries were seasoned. Love seasoned hot fries. There was a decent amount of lobster on the roll. It does come on a round bun not a hoagie roll. It also comes with house made potato fries so Spencer suggested adding side of fries.

The half dozen baked oysters were full of flavor. They were a bit salty to me. I have blood pressure issues so try to watch my salt intake. I could taste it immediately. Happily shared as 6 would have been too much for me to consume.

The moqueca stew was filled with small shrimp, bite size pieces of the fish of the day, red and green peppers, onions, tomatoes garlic and yummy spices. It definitely reminded me of a curry dish. The balanced flavor was on point. I did send the 1st one back as mentioned due to cashews. The second one was piping hot with side steamed rice. Good portion size for one person.

Let me mention there is outside dining available on the patio. I normally do not do outside dining. However, the patio is not at street level. You can dine out and not worry about pedestrians walking past your table. Covid or not, I am not a fan of that so I'd dine out here on a nice day.

Masks are required. Social distancing is observed. All waiters wore masks. There is a sign on the door as you enter. Actually 2 signs one on each door.

One last thing, there is a larger bar area downstairs where you can dine as well. This is also a nice cozy dining area to...

So, I took my husband here happy hour Oysters for his birthday this past Monday 10/16. The service was awesome, the waitress was sweet as pie! The food was really really good. That said, Friday (today, 10/20), on a whim, spur of the moment, we decided to go back. Even though we did not have reservations for a very busy Friday night, my family of 4 was greeted beautifully and seated within 5 minutes of arrival. Our waiter was wonderful! He chatted it up with my son about Karate and was very kind to my little ones and my husband. When it was time to pay, my husband asked do that accept Apple Pay, he was told they do not. I said no biggie, I’ve got my card number, I’ll take care of it manually. He lets us know that the last time he did that, he got yelled at…. What the hell? So I said to him, well, if they would like to get paid I think they may want to figure it out. He laughed and agreed. He returned with Juliana, his manager… this is when it went waaaayyyyyyy left. She comes over to the table and states “hey, I heard we only have Apple Pay” I said “Yes, I’m so sorry, but I do have my card number ready to pay.” She decides to freaking DOUBLE DOWN and state but you only have Apple Pay… girl, are you deaf or dumb… which one cause I JUST said I have my card number and I’m ready to pay. She has the NERVE to SCOLD me about how they don’t accept Apple Pay… girl do you want this money or don’t you? So I reiterate, that I have the card number and ready to pay. She goes ( as condescending as humanly possible) “if that’s the ooonnnnnlllyyyyy way you can pay” I cut her off and say ma’am we would not be having this conversation, that’s why I’m talking to you. She says “I don’t want there to be a BIG issue so follow me.” Now I’m pissed pissed because what issue is there ma’am!?!?! She further states TWICE that in the future this won’t be allowed. The AUDACITY to ASSUME that id EVER be back after the way she spoke to me!

Patronizing a restaurant at their price point TWICE in one week and then receive that kind of pushback on something as small as solving an issue that I didn’t know would be an issue was sooooo petty and sooooo unprofessional! We didn’t have physical cards because it’s 2023 AND it was legit on a whim. I WONT BE BACK!

Update: I did return this year on a whim and guess what!?!! They were able to take my Apple Pay payment… ain’t...

I had to make an edit to my original review based on a few more experiences.

Original review: Donuts for brunch! I have to admit that the donuts were one thing that stood out for me as far as coming here for brunch. I’m not a huge donut fan in general. However, these were creative and delicious, with unique toppings such as pork floss on the Buford Highway donut.

Some of the other popular dishes here are the lobster roll and the burger. Both are delicious. The lobster roll has won awards in Maine. Of course the oysters are a hit as well, and you can get a discount during happy hour.

The drinks are also very nice. The have good bartenders, and actually have a nice downstairs bar where you can just hang out and have some cocktails, or kill some time while you’re waiting for a table.

Edit: I have been to Beetlecat a few times, but this time I brought my mom and my boyfriend. We did the oyster happy hour. Sadly, they were out of the oysters my mom really wanted. Even though they were only $1, they were also pretty small. If you are used to eating oysters on the coast, then you might be disappointed.

I got the lobster roll again, and it was okay. I feel like it is inconsistent. Sometimes it's great, and sometimes its a little chewy, or a little under cooked. I honestly do not think I will order this again. However, the chips that come with it are really good.

We also ordered potatoes. Personally, I did not think they were that flavorful, and they were a little greasy, but my boyfriend really liked them.

The tuna tartare was delicious. They served it with these giant pieces of sesame crackers, which kind of took away from the tartare. They could have chosen something smaller, with maybe less of a distinct flavor. Honestly, the tuna tartare was so good that you could it it by itself.

My mother ordered the fish and chips. It was okay, but not amazing. The breading was good. It wasn't too greasy. I also liked that they served homemade tartar sauce with the fish and chips, and homemade horseradish with the oysters.

Based on this experience I would really love to give them a 3.5, but that's just not an option. I like the cheap oysters, but they're kind of small. I like the drinks. The tuna tartare was great, but everything else was kind of middle of the road. For now I have to bump them down to a 3 from my origial 4....