The Argonaut — Restaurant in Atlanta

The term Argonaut conveys adventure and exploration, just like my tastebuds experienced as I indulged in the various dishes!

Dining here on a Friday evening was a true culinary experience with friends. We began with drinks; I opted for the refreshing mango Jarrito, while my friends enjoyed their delicious cocktails.

For appetizers, we tried both the ceviche and hush puppies, each bursting with flavor. The hush puppies, prepared with a glaze, offered a perfect balance.

Let’s talk about the oysters—they were incredible. When they arrived, our server explained the different types of oysters based on their origins. Some were bigger than others, which was expected since they weren’t all the same variety. One thing they all had in common was their flavor: fresh and delicious! As I write this, I’m craving a few!

As we moved through the menu, we selected both the Hamachi and the Norwegian Salmon. Both were delicious. The Hamachi was based with a citrus zest and pepper among other ingredients. The salmon cut was fresh and delicate, served with spicy cucumber and soy ginger.

For the entrees, both the lobster roll and the smash burger were great choices. The burger has a kick to it, so if you’re not a fan of spice, just let your server know to put the sauce on the side. The lobster roll was made with fresh ingredients and paired with a buttery roll. Scrumptious!

After indulging in all the items on the menu, we couldn't leave without dessert. It was hard to choose, but the first runner-up was the peach cobbler cheesecake. It’s such a treat! One bite leaves you wanting more!

Now that we’ve set the tone with the food, let’s talk about the ambiance of this place. It’s a double-level venue, with the upstairs available for private parties. If you’re celebrating a special event, this place can host it. The evening ambiance was upscale yet casual. The excellent service made the experience even better. There are also two bars and an outdoor patio if you want to catch some fresh air!

The attention to detail at this restaurant is unmatched. There’s impressive artwork on the walls and around the restroom area. The lighting is also perfect if you want to take a quick selfie to mark your visit to the latest restaurant in the city!

It’s also worth noting that there is free parking behind the restaurant for all patrons, which was a great bonus for me!

My overall experience was amazing! I can’t wait to see what’s coming on their...

The Argonaut looked promising, as seen in the photo of its exterior and some of the curated pictures on Google Maps of some of its food options. The photos looked pretty cool, and I looked forward to trying what they offered.

I arrived around 4:30. The plan was to meet the group that I was meeting and try to experience a Happy Hour in Kirkwood. Sometimes, finding a good Happy Hour in ATL can be challenging for the reasons that it can be challenging. Because of the time we were to meet, I opted to bring my pretty young daughter and made sure to be prepared to meet a friend and his partner for a quick spell before they returned to their new home country.

A man with a ponytail pulled up, half greeted everyone, and rudely expressed how he "couldn't have this" when referring to my daughter and me pulling up a seat to the counter. Cool, I'll move, but he never presented any alternatives. I'm in the service industry too, so I might've said, "Hello, ma'am, you might not be able to sit at the counter, but these tables beside it are perfectly fine to be seated at." Something like that. That should've been my sign to get out, but I stayed so my friend could meet my daughter and spend some time with her.

I figured out the seating for us all and commenced completing and receiving my order. I had the 12 HH oysters on the half-shell, which were fine. The hushpuppies were garbage. This is the south, and hushpuppies are basically cornbread. Give them a slight sweetness. They were also dry, and while that chili sauce was a nice try, it did not connect. My starting beverage was the strawberry mint mule, which was mid-at-best, but it had fresh mint, which was the biggest highlight of that drink. The best thing that I had at this establishment was the bottle of prosecco.

The bartender who made it was pretty nice, but assuming the original person mentioned is the manager, that person needs training. The restaurant is in Kirkwood. You'll get a variety of customers at that time of day. Never will I go to the fake-Optimist again, plus The Optimist has better food. For what I spent on nothing at this place, I could've gone somewhere good, and I ended up having to go accross the street to El Mariachi for something...

Came in on a random Wednesday after work and sat at the bar with my friend and had an amazing service experience with Colton. Colton truly took care of us and made our first time experience very special. Colton also keeps a very clean bar. The restaurant is very clean, the chef came out and greeted us and spent a few minutes with us at the bar which was a nice touch. Loved the open oyster counter/bar, the open kitchen. Tried multiple things: Hush puppies were nice and hot and fresh, my takeaway is that the sauce was a wee bit spicy. The tuna and yellowtail was delicious. The ceviche fell flat for me, the fish used probably was not the best, had a weird texture l, too much fruit was used but lacked salt, I think the execution should be revisited. The biggest disappointment was the lobster roll, it was minced lobster meat, no salt or aioli on the bread or anything. Lobster roll was dry and bland, and for the price point you would love to actually see pieces or chunks of lobster meat, definitely should revisit that dish and make it better for sure. All in all, we will return. Hats off to Colton, after some time the bar area got extremely busy and he handled it so well by himself and still maintained his professionalism and service standards but you could see a lack of teamwork, kitchen calling for hands and Colton needing some help and fellow teammates just...