La Strada Restaurant

La Strada (Johnson Ferry Road) is a hidden gem in East Cobb. This restaurant exceeds my expectations every time. Over the course of 16 years I have had a few mediocre meals and I know this can happen in any restaurant so I am still giving them 5 stars. The current owner Yanni is the old G.M from 103 west and he is always very courteous. I must say the food quality and specials have improved dramatically over the course of these years. I always go for the soft shell crab when they are in season, pasta special, the lamb shank Ossobuko, and their fish special (depending on the fish). Other excellent dishes are stuffed veal parmigiano, shrimp sambuca, and spaghetti with meatballs. As I wrote for Circle Sushi and their sushi rolls the La Strada meatballs are not your typical huge Swedish style pre-frozen meatballs. These meatballs are not only made from scratch but they are delicious and I think 3 of these with pasta marinara and a complimentary salad is more than adequate to fill you up. The marinara sauce is excellent as well as their wine selection. Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. My only complain is that I need to ask for the garlic bread at times which is is upon request depending on your preference. Best desserts are the tiramisu and creme brulee which I normally order with my cappuccino or a nice glass of port. more

LaStrada is the best in Atlanta for authentic Italian meals and beyond! The fish specials are fabulous! Yanni is an inventive chef and and a most inviting host. My husband and I have been enjoying the food and great staff with our friends for over 20 years! Our favorite! more

We have been going to La Strada for what has to be 20 years. The food, service, and atmosphere is always excellent. The specials are original, the regular menu is equally impressive. Yanni is a wonderful host, always there for any request. We have never had a bad meal or experience there. more

We recently relocated to the Marietta area from Dallas Texas and were referred to LaStrada by our local real estate broker as we were looking for quality mid-priced restaturants in the new neighborhood where we have purchased a home. What a wonderful recommendation. The food is fabulous; nice bar and wine list; nightly specials seem to always be something unique and mouth-watering; the service is both professional and friendly; and once you meet the owner, Yannis, you will see why this restaturant has an obvious following of long time loyal customers. We have dined there several times now and have been made to feel right at home on each occasion. Being from Dallas & New York we are spoiled when it comes to dining out and are thrilled we found LaStrada. more

When you see most reviews on a restaurant are ranging from positve to glowing, you have to question the couple that are downright mean spirted. I have called Atlanta my home for 64 years. I have traveled to more than half of the United States and more than 30 different countries. I have eaten some really bad stuff and some really outstanding meals. La Strada is our favorite neighborhood restaurant. We knew the original owner, and we know the current owner. If for some very unusual reason you happen to get something that is not quite up to your expectations, all you have to do is mention it POLITELY to the owner or his son, and they will bend over backwords to make it right! We have had nothing but excellant service and wonderful, authentic Italian food every time we go there. Since we go there quite often (usually about once a week), I feel like we are pretty good judges of what goes on. We have tried almost everything on the menu, and while we don't like everything equally, we have never had a meal we just couldn't eat. And we have never gotten sick from eating at La Strada. While we don't pretend to be culinary experts with degrees from Le Cordon Bleu, we do like to think we know the difference in the good, bad, and the ugly. What is really ugly is the type of customer who comes in, expects fast food restaurant type speed of service, is loud and obnoxious, complains rudely, and brings a table full of loud and obnoxious children ( or guests). Yes, this is a family restaurant, but that doesn't excuse bad manners or bad taste. Then there was the customer who complained about the creme brulee as being too buttery and wanting a refund. Hello! Creme brulee doesn't have butter in it. If the quality of the food is really bad, you have a right to let the owner know POLITELY, but if you just don't like something, please don't be so offensive as to complain rudely. You ordered it. Just eat it or leave it on your plate and stop by McDonalds on the way home. Oh, and by the way, this restaurant is casual. You can wear jeans, shorts, sandals etc. But please, leave the beach clothes at home, the ones that show all the cracks, rolls, bulges, oozings, and other unsightly areas that nobody wants to look at while they are eating. If you want good, consistent quality and authentic Italian, then come try La Strada. And be sure and tell Yonnie how much you enjoyed your meal. more

I've been hearing buzz about this restaurant for years and now I see why. It is not only very cozy but has great item selections. Our timing was perfect because there seasonal softshell crabs were on the specials menu. It was phenomenal! We had a total of 6 items off the menu and it was evident the they use fresh product. more

You will always feel welcome, and we have never had a bad meal. The specials are always changing and are always delightful. Pros: Great Service Fantasic Food more

Worse than no service. Be prepared to be spilled on. Use extreme caution eating, not likely to feel well afterward. Extremely overpriced, visit your grocer's frozen section. You'll find better food and save a fortune... Cons: All more

Holey buggered lettuce, Batman. Nasty, old, brown romain lettuce, STILL FROZEN. I got a piece of ice wedged in my teeth when I took a bite. The lettuce was brown. Really brown. It tasted foul. It tasted frozen. And damn me, I was too hungry to drop it on the floor. I ate it. Big mistake. His was just as bad, it wasn't just mine. By this point, we were very, very nervous. The ""food"" arrived. His tortellini was hard, rubbery, overcooked... the alfredo sauce tasted like warm milk with unmelted parmesan cheese in it. The lasagna was evil-looking, and he didn't eat half of it. The manicotti was rubbery and foul. All told, he had a few bites from each, just to be fair, but ate far less than half of his entre?. My veal saltimbocca looked like it had a very difficult life, and a very unpleasant death. Just a couple of meagre fork-fulls of flat-pounded veal, a few pieces of prosciutto, and either horribly over-cooked spinach, or it was canned / frozen. I was so hungry that I ate it all within 30 seconds, only pausing to investigate the odd taste in my mouth when I'd finished. I tried the ""garlic mashed potatoes""... UGH. Boxed, flaked, instant mashed potatoes? REALLY??! For eighteen dollars a plate, at least give me a couple of real boiled red potatoes, something... but instant mashed? What the Hell? I took two very small bites and passed the rest, despite my hunger. It was also completely unseasoned, and had that Pam-spray flavor that the garlic bread had. Foul. When the manager came by to ask us, we were honest.. neither of us have had to give that kind of news to a restaurant, and neither of us have written a bad review before. This was the worst restaurant we'd been to in the area, bar none. He mentioned his foul pasta trio, and I mentioned the potatoes... Know what he had the balls to tell me? ""Other people like them."" Really, jackass?! No, no one else likes your mashed potatoes, because they taste like FLUFFY VOMIT. No one likes that. Try to tell me they weren't instant? Really, jackass?! Then that means your chef is so craptastic that he can make real potatoes taste exactly like fluffly, vomit-flavored instant box potato powder. That takes skill, man. The waitress came back and said that my bro's meal would be credited, but not mine (fine, I ate it, shame on me). The bill comes, and they took off exactly half of his entre?. So instead of paying almost $40 for food worth less than $5, we split a bill of almost $30. We felt robbed. Man, do you think we came in there trying to angle free food? Really? It couldn't possibly be that the garbage you served us wasn't fit for a prison cafeteria? So we're served horrible food at high prices, then we're lied to by the manager, then told we'd get a partial refund, then got a partial of a partial, and to top it all off, we both got sick afterward. My stomach turned all night, and I had diarreah in the morning. I'm sure he didn't fare much better. One star. Pros: Not a single thing. Cons: Food, sanitation, attitude more

We are very spoiled in our home when it comes to fresh seafood and great pasta sauce. LaStrada offers us both. As a mother who enjoys cooking for her family, I know first hand what goes into serving quality food and expect only the best for my family. LaStrada offers us the opportunity to dine in their restuarant enjoy a wonderful meal and not break our budget. What a concept in today's economic state. Pros: The most consistant first rate food in Marietta and the price is right (Fair) Cons: They serve the best soft shell crab ever and its not in season year around more

The food is always delicious. I've been eating here for years and always leave impressed. Love the dessert selection. Tortillinis are my favorite at La Strada and the soft shell crab! Yum!! Also the gorgonzola salad, delicous! You can't go wrong with any item on the menu, A+++!! Pros: Fresh and delicious Italian! more

I have been dining at the Marietta's La Strada restaurant for quite some time now. Everytime I have eaten at La Strada my experience has been nothing but wonderful. The food is consistently great! Service has always been friendly and my preferred flow from garlic bread to salad to entree to desert has always been on time. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who really likes their Italian foods. Pros: Always great tasting food. more

I have been coming here for years and have never left unsatisified. The food here is authentic and delicious. The owner and his son make you feel at home. I would recommend this to anyone who loves great Italian food! Pros: Great Food! more

My wife and I have been enjoying dinning at La Strada for six years. The food is great and service is very pleasant. We have been treated the way we would love to be treated as customers at this place. Pros: Thumbs up - great Italian foods Cons: Thumbs up - good management and services more

Nice, unpretentious atmosphere, good food, reasonable prices (assuming you're expecting a moderately... more

Nice, unpretentious atmosphere, good food, reasonable prices (assuming you're expecting a moderately expensive dinner) more

Amazing! This place rocks! great scallops, calamari, anything else. We never had a below par meal. When the... more

Amazing! This place rocks! great scallops, calamari, anything else. We never had a below par meal. When the flag for soft shells is out I am there. more

I worked here for several months and can tell you that although the food is amazing, you don't want to see the kitchen. I made salads while dodging co c kroa ches, nobody washes their hands even though salads are made by grabbing handfuls of lettuce and cheese, the silverware often still has bits of food that are just rubbed off with a napkin before rolling because we were ALWAYS low on silverware, it doesn't matter to servers if they drop your bread on the nasty floor because they are under strict time standards and a lot of stress and the customer isn't going to know anyway. The owner, Yanni, is a sexist and perverted old Greek man who sexually harrasses his female employees and especially treats hostesses like they don't have a brain. Pros: the food Cons: parking is a nightmare, the restaurant is very unclean, and the owner is disgusting more

Bar staff and wait staff were great! ""Chef's Specialties"" were reminiscent of an off night at Olive Garden. ""In crowd"" will get seated before you, beware. Owner/Manager was patronizing and not at all interested in making us happy. It was if he had all the business he needed and could afford to lose customers. Won't return! Pros: Bar staff, Wait staff Cons: Management more