Oreatha's At The Point — Restaurant in Atlanta

Update-** 2nd Visit. Flavors are so on point regarding seasoning. Seasonal veggies & Roti bread oh so perfect. Beet salad is delicious. I can see most people not liking beets but they’re good for you and the portion is great for price. Fried green tomato dish is perfect combination. I wanted more for sure. The Jambalaya didn’t look like what I expected but it still looks great and the flavors-oh my goodness gracious. So tasty 🤤. They really know how to cook. I hope they continue to add specials and change up for seasonal veggies. More veggies will keep me in the door. Our server “Blue” was awesome. Located right on the corner. There’s free parking on the street and in the plaza across the street. Very nice ambience and comfortable seating. Everything clean. Restrooms and floors really nice. Straight forward menu. Thought there may be more pages, but the paper is thick.

Collard Hush Puppies-10/10 perfectly cooked, perfect size, great taste, and the sauce is amazing. It’s like a sweet hot sauce could easily be $2 less. Salmon Empanada-8/10 I appreciate transforming the salmon and they were perfectly cooked and decent tasty, didn’t taste the smoke flavor in which I’m not sure if they smoke this in-house or purchase it pre-smoke and then mix it up. The cabbage slaw on top was delicious. I could’ve ordered that as a side. This item could have been $5 less Collard Greek Salad-12/10 I don’t usually prefer tahini dressing, but it was perfect on this salad. I added balsamic and it really stepped it up. The chickpea acts like croutons and this is a genius menu item as most wouldn’t try to serve collard greens cold. I’d order this every time. Burger- 10/10 very pleased with presentation, flavor, cooked temperature, bun choice, and natural cut fries. This is a hit like top five burger. Catfish-10/10 very pleased with presentation, fresh catfish, great portion, cabbage underneath delicious, but the grits had too much coconut cream in them. It overpowered the grits. The plating is fancy, but I was scared to drop some fish on the table because the plate isn’t wide enough. Keylime Pie-8/10 Delicious and great idea with blood orange infused, my pie was a bit burped on the bottom, which changed the taste and made this pie very firm and not easy to slice through with my fork. I’m sure it’s perfect most of the time, it’s worth trying. Bread Pudding-10/10 perfectly cooked, great idea, ice cream is natural tasting. I don’t prefer chocolate chips. I could have done pear, apple, blueberry, or raisin, but the chocolate was not for me, but I didn’t drop a rating because I didn’t like chocolate. It’s a great dessert.

There was really only one other couple there, which was surprising. For two people with drinks, appetizers, and desserts, tax, tip, we were at $200. You could come here and not spend nearly that much but how we eat this place will be reserved for date nights or special occasions. I would try some of the other menu items. I imagine when they get larger, they may expand their menu a bit. Hats off...

I chose Oretha's because it was a Black female owned restaurant with a personal story and intentional menu. And all in all, these things gave a vibe that unique & cozy with only a few things standing out.

SERVICE: The host was a bit standoffish, but I'm sure she was constantly putting out fires- I know being a former hostess myself. But for a FUBU Southern Black restaurant, we expected a bit more Southern Black hospitality. (*My friend and I are both Black and from GA). Kierra, our server, was so well informed of the menu- a true hospitality professional. From her cadence in following up to her subtilty in clearing the table, her skills would make for a wonderful trainer. My only disappointment was her not asking about the one dish we left untouched. I think we all were hesitant to address it. C'est la vie.

FOOD: Presentation was well done. We liked the different take on arancinis; it worked. The basil had a strong note but gave nice character. And although Tierra sold us on the collard green salad, I was hesitant because they're naturally bitter and stiff. And as expected, the salad was bitter and stiff. The vinaigrette sweet enough to placate the bitterness, but the stiffness could've easily been avoided if they were slightly wilted- just for a minute. I'd also suggest cutting them in shorter strips for easier eating. I had the Thai catfish and replaced the eggs with jollof rice- I'm glad I did. Having an egg on top would've made the dish not as visually desirable or tasty I think. Instead, the fish and grits would've suffice to deliver a basic but tasty shrimp and grits feel. The jollof rice was just not good. It was sticky, clumpy, cold, and bland. It was our dish left untouched. My friend had the smoked salmon sandwich. The salmon was good, but it wasn't smoked. We guessed that maybe it was partially smoked and then cooked? We think that highlighting the fried green tomato would've gave the dish a more wow/southern factor. It didn't do the salmon any justice from being smothered in the hollandaise (which was good hollandaise). My suggestion is turning it into an open-face sandwich where the fried green tomatoes are a base- giving more room for 'smoked' flavor. Plus, salmon is usually a dish you seek if you want a lighter meal, so the Texas toast weighed everything down.

I had the French rose to which had a nice dryness.

OTHER: I'd STRONGLY recommend a better chair-to-table height ratio. The ergonomics of a table set up can drastically affect one's dining experience. i.e. leaning into your food to comfortably hear your conversation rather than being able to shift eye contact and body language.

Overall, we enjoyed the food and accompanying experience. I'd definitely make my way back so I can taste the other cultural fusions. But if you're looking to support the entrepreneurship and richness of southern Black culture, it's a great...

While the service level was amazing, the menu offerings was not that great. We ordered two appetizers and I was not impressed by either, they were overall basic at most. The wine list was super short, pretty basic and to make it worst it was flat and not served in the standard serving size. For dinner, I then ordered the pork belly but after the first bite I didn’t want anymore. It was served with sweet potatoes and collards. The collards were raw. Seriously RAW! That’s not upscale, that’s insulting and nasty. They say the menu is a tribute to moms around the world and therefore each menu item had a different area of the world associated with it. Most the places listed I’ve spent extensive time in and let’s say this menu wasn’t well planned out. Soul food is southern (USA) cuisine. If you do to much of a twist and you get this place. They missed the mark with this spot. The atmosphere is cute. I recommend maybe for a quick drink with a friend but not for dinner as there are far better places in Atlanta. After paying a $100 tab, I was still hungry and ended up having to go across the street to the revamped JR Crickets to get some wings because I was truly unsatisfied by this restaurant’s menu selection. By the way, I didn’t send my food back. I was never asked if they could make me something else even after my friend mentioned to them that I didn’t like it. I was offered an adjustment to my check and all that is ok. I paid and left and frankly will not return. I support blk owned businesses but stop with the cutesy stuff and focus on the food. Also parking is horrible here and you run the risk or a tow, a break-in or theft. You have...