Birdcage — Restaurant in Atlanta

Are you afraid of my Guatemalan-ness? Cause this place is full of natural heat! The only thing missing was Nathan Lane and a drag show! The Birdcage is one of my all-time favorite movies and while the menu lacked the sweet & sour peasant soup, they brought it with the cocktail naming. We tried the (As)Pirin Tablet (like a non-frozen pina colada, delish!) and the Agador Spartacus (nice bourbon cocktail, wanted to take home the glass!).

The menu is nice and simple, the way it should be and the pricing is super reasonable. We tried the Sweet Potato Bravas (so tasty and love that pink sauce!), Red Chicken Tacos (not too greasy like some of these can be and the consomme on the side was nice), Chile Lime Street Corn (so delicious, like elote street corn as a dip, perfect!), and black bean croquettes (dip them in the pink sauce or street corn dip).

Even being quite full and us in a hurry, we were seated immediately, not being picky about the location (patio vs inside) and the host was friendly and inviting. Our server Austin was quick and we placed the order for everything at once. The food started arriving within 5-ish minutes, only the drinks took a bit, but, again, they were quite busy. Ended up taking about half of the food home, but the starters are all nice and shareable and give a nice cross-section of their menu. They have specials posted above the kitchen, make sure to check those out!!

The decor is perfect! Again, being a huge fan of the movie it was just lovely with the chandelier fans and various kitchy pieces of Miami flair. Loved the glass ware for the rocks glasses and need to find out where they came from. Would love to see them have a drag brunch with things like "Oh No, I Pierced the French Toast", "Is That an Egg? Souffle", and "When the Schnecken Beckons Cinnamon Rolls" LOL.

Note: The photos at night with the neon sign behind us aren't the best, but trust me when I say everything...

This Friday we visited @birdcageatl and it was a very average experience. Nothing felt special or enamoring to us. We did love the decor and the look of the restaurant, but that was the only thing that was a wow. Here is what we ate and had to drink:

Blackbean croquettes ❤️❤️❤️ They were very salty. The tasted okay but it felt like they needed maybe a sweetened sauce on top to cut through all of the saltiness.

Agave Lime Ribs ❤️❤️❤️❤️ They were tender but not exciting. I did like that it came with two house sauces and tortillas.

Picana Steak ❤️❤️ The steak was so tough it was like sawing through an old boot, it was inedible. It had such promise but definitely didn't work.

Drinks: Aspirin Tablet ❤️❤️❤️ We though the drink would be sweet and fruity considering the fruits mentioned in the description. It turned our to be more tart and bitter.

Pipi Loco ❤️❤️❤️ Nothing special to see here. I felt like it could have used more rum.

I was glad they "copped" the steak and gave us free dessert. The steak just was tough and not fun go try to consume at all. They gave us free dessert, but the dessert wasn't exciting to mention either... and we love dessert.

Overall, we would not return back to Birdcage as there are amazing Latin/Mexican places nearby with exciting food, better service, and better drinks. We have other places we can recommend for you, we were excited but it did not meet our excitement level and was a disappointment.

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Birdcage with its sophisticated kitschy decor is almost too eclectic. It's a lot for the senses, almost not quite too much. The place buzzes - borderline too lively. ( Restaurant lively not like a club scene) They focus on grilled food, with some tasty vegetarian choices. The menu's a little different; starters are small plates, and then "From the Grill" is just the entree—sides are extra. Which, I didn't mind. We shared grilled chicken and picked veggie starters for sides. The acorn squash sofrito, which was good. The squash could have used more char, and didn't connect to the delicious sauce. The sweet potato bravas are a pave, also good, though needed a element to curb the sweet. But those churros? Apple filled, chocolate & caramel sauce - amazing! Service was fine. My drink went empty, and no one offered another. My friend had to flag someone down for a refill. Not a huge deal, but still. They were attentive - we just had to ask. So, here's the thing: I'd recommend Birdcage for people who like a lively atmosphere and adventurous Latin-inspired dishes. They have tacos and quesadillas, but with their own spin. It's just… I don't know. It's too much for me to make it a regular spot. But it's definitely on the list for an occasional visit, or to show someone something new. It's just...puzzling. I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't love it. It's like all the great parts don't go together for a smooth...