Tierra

Recently I met a friend at Tierra restauarnt, a small eatery right next to the Atl. Botanical Garden. I had passed by it many times, but hadn't stopped. Well I'm sure glad I did. They have amazing foor & a great wine list!\r \r The Pan Latin menu changes seasonally & a few items change every couple of weeks. The ingredients are always fresh & everything tastes incredible. The black bean soup & the Tres Leches cake (Three Milk cake) will make you want to ""slap your momma!"" Seriously I now crave the soup.\r \r The atmosphere is intimate & cozy, and is a perfect place to go on a date! I love Tierra & I know you will too. Pros: Great patio, DELICIOUS food, attentive service Cons: Parking (small lot) more

This is one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants! The menu changes regularly and every visit I'm impressed and surprised at the chef's combination of flavors and textures. My last visit, over the weekend, was no exception. I ordered the scallops in a savory, chorizo and tomato sauce. They were served over a sweet, corn polenta that made my mouth water - I wanted to lick my plate it was so good! My friend ordered a vegetable plate and bowl of black bean soup. Their black bean soup is amazing - creamy and rich with a dollop of cream on top. And of course, no visit to Tierra is complete without the tres leches. If you haven't tried it, consider yourself warned. It's addictive! Love this restaurant. Quiet, intimate atmosphere, great service, and a menu that won't disappoint. It's a hidden gem, truly. Pros: innovative menu, friendly service, and romantic atmosphere Cons: limited parking, poor street signage more

I was at Tierra last Saturday and the food was excellent. The shrimp in Brazilian style cheese was absolutely fabulous. I was sorry to hear that it would be going away when they change over to the Spring menu this week, but I'm looking forward to going back and trying some new seasonal favorites. But I was also glad o hear that the black bean soup and tres leches cakes, which are both by far the best in town, are perennial favorites and available anytime! Pros: Excellent Food & Service Cons: Almost missed it because the street sign is missing more

I have been going to Tierra for several years now and have never had anything but incredible meals there. I always use it when I have out of town guests in and want to take them to a good restaurant...it is so reliable. The menu varies with the seasons and is inventive without being too extreme. Everything has a South or Central American flavor to it, healthy and well prepared. It seems all of the same staff have been there for several years as well, the sign of a well run establishment. The prices are moderate and a good value for what you get. It's just like a family run European restaurant, but set in Midtown. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed. Pros: Incredible authentic food and great service Cons: Should have a reservation for Saturday night more

We went there on Valentines Day (2 days ago) and the restaurant was packed (which heightens the liability for your food to get messed up in my opinion). The atmosphere was nicely lit, the color of the room is amazing and I learned they have a back patio too. We were greeted immediately and we surveyed the plates in the room as everything looked fantastic. The food we ordered: Caesar salad w/Manchego--the strength was the cheese. The Casar we okay but nothing great, needed more dressing. Roasted Chicken breast\r in Oaxacan black mole served with onion quesadilla and grilled zucchini--this dish was amazing. The mole was complemented by the quesadilla and the zucchini was firm, not too watery, and served as a solid way to clean your pallet. Grilled filet--Free range beef tenderloin over gordita with Mayan green sauce and cheese--this dish was the kicker for me. I don't normally order filets as I think they can be quite boring. I was compelled by the green sauce and gordita. I was incredibly happy with my meal. My meat was cooked perfectly, the Mayan sauce (a nice salsa verde) blended well with my meat and the gordita--which I felt held the dish together. Both dishes were plated perfectly, the presentation couldn't get much better. We had bottle of the Paul Hobbs 'Cocodrilo"" Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (all the wines are very reasonably priced) which blended well with our meal. Dessert was the fig pie, another great accent to the night. Hands down, Tierra is a new favorite.. Pros: Great service, food & wine. more

I'm split on Tierra, everything I got was mediocre at best. we had mussels for an appetizer, I got the beef tenderloin for the entree and the flan for desert. The mussels were cooked very well, but were in a very mild broth that made the fishy taste very apparent. The beef tenderloin was smothered in seasonings that completely overpowered the taste of the meat. The dish was not bad by any means, just overpowering and not what I expected. The flan was so bad that I could barely choke it down. It tasted like I was eating coffee beans plain. My boyfriend ordered the pionono to start which was absolutely delectable. He got the scallops for his entree which were easily the best scallops I've had in a very long time, intense flavor and cooked to perfection. For desert, he ordered Tres leches cake which was also great. I'd love to give Tierra a higher rating, but considering our experience, I feel like it's too hit-or-miss to be much above average. The restaurant itself was nice and made for a romantic setting, however, we were seated extremely close to other tables and could clearly hear our neighbors' conversation, it made me feel self conscious the whole time, as I felt like I was talking too loudly. \r \r A side note- though I wouldn't say this affected my experience at all, there was a woman, who I now believe may be the owner, that sort of lurked around the restaurant, and since it is a small space, it almost felt a little intrusive. She seemed to keep a very close eye on the tables, though she never actually served anyone.\r \r Overall, it was a nice place, and even though I got a few disappointing menu items, the rest of the food was good enough to pick up the slack. Pros: Good food, good service, good wine list Cons: Bad food, sitting uncomfortably close to other more

Tierra is my favorite restaurant. They have a small menu, but it changes frequently. The steamed kale and the calabaza (squash) are incredible side dishes. The restaurant is small and can be crowded, but is not unpleasant. more

I am the world's foremost authority on cole slaw. As such, I feel that it is my duty to protest the wildly inappropriate use of pineapple in coleslaw. Who do these people think they are? First, pineapple in slaw; then what's next? Anarchy in the streets? Public displays of affection? You people and your coleslaw get a room!\r Sincerely,\r Inez Velasco more

Seriously good food, and convenient to Piedmont Park and the Botanical Garden. Best tres' leches cake in ATL. Be sure to go on Wednesday, when wine by the bottle is half-price. Pros: good ambience, owner looks after you Cons: very limited parking, limited seating more

We recently had dinner on a Wednesday, when bottles of wine normally less than $50 are half price. Great deal for a very nice wine list. Started off with two appetizers - the mussels were delicious in a tasty broth, and the bread basket was the perfect for dipping in the broth. The crab frittata was a very generous portion, loaded with seafood on a crispy tostada-type round. For dinner, we had the seared tuna, which was cooked perfectly, i.e., medium rare, and the pork tenderloin with a tropical relish. It was moist and delicious, and was served with creamy chipotle mashed potatoes. For dinner, we had to try the Tres Leches, which I understand they are famous for. I can see why! Though not ordinarily a fan of desserts, I would eat this dessert at any given opportunity - breakfast, lunch or dinner! Our server, Jennifer, was excellent. Always there just when we needed her, but never hovering or intruding. And she really knew the menu and gave us good descriptiions and recommendation for our food and wine selections. Both of the owners stopped by our table to check on us and were very friendly. We will DEFINITELY be back! Pros: Great food; Great service; Plenty of parking; Reasonable prices Cons: Tables are close together so it can get a little cramped, and it can get a bit loud. more

After reading other reviews, I realized that we were not alone on the attitude of the owner/host. We were a party of four, the first couple arriving, with a reservation. Early on a Friday (definitely PRE-rush). Although we sat and waited for our friends at our table for over 5 minutes, no one came for a drink order. Then when our friends did arrive, we waited again. We actually had to go and ask someone to take our drink order. We realize now that we asked the owner/host, who treated my boyfriend like he had asked him for something out of ordinary. \r I hope the staff doesn't feel like the dinner guests feel--under the evil eye of the owner throughout the entire evening. I felt like I was doing something wrong...just being there. \r It's a shame because the food was good, but it's amazing how attitude and ambiance can add bitter to my taste buds. \r If you're representing Brazilian food, you need to add caiprinhas to the drink menus. more

Tierra is the place that I take people when the visit from out of town. The food is simply amazing. Everything I've ever had at Tierra has been wonderful. The wine list is also fantastic. It's a small restaurant so make a reservation. Pros: Great food and wine more

Our waiter was amazing, great service and even better food! The host was welcoming and accomodating. You can't go wrong with half off bottles of wine either! Thanks Pros: Service, Dessert Cons: Small, Can be loud more

My husband and I did not know that this is a resturant that if you are not a regular you get terrible treatment from the owner/host! We had to wait for everything and our poor overworked waitress tried but she did not have enough help. I would never waste my time and money on such a rude resturant with such a limited menu! There are too many resturants to even think of going here. The owner needs a class in manners! Pros: Good wine Cons: Bad service, limited menu, load more

I was literally moaning while I devoured the silky Tres Leches cake at Tierra. I live right around the corner and only recently did I discover this absolutely delicious restaurant. I love that the menu changes weekly. The space is small-not bad small-intimately small. Overall, a really great place for a low-key date or a small group. Pros: food, dessert, service Cons: crowded at times more

I've been to Tierra a number of times now on a recommendation from a friend - and every visit has proven why this place is among the great restaurants in Atlanta. The unique, authentic food is a delight and finishing off with the tres leches is a must. I have seen the owners (who do the cooking) personally talk to almost every table in the restaurant on more than one occassion - something I haven't seen in a long time. I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a place with a unique touch and great food - not to mention the great south american wines. more

Tierra was rudest, most appalling dining experience ever. The atmosphere is immediately uncomfortable - you are IN the dining room with no suitable waiting area. The ""host"" asked if we had reservations (we did not), then acted like he was doing us a favor by seeing if a table was available. We were seated in an unpleasant, high traffic area. Halfway through our wine, we were again approached by the host and asked to move - he wanted to put a party with reservations there. I expressed to him how RUDE the request was and he proceeded to argue with me and try to make me feel obligated to move because we did not have reservations. We come to find out the host is the OWNER. How you say in business treating customers that way is beyond me. The food was overpriced, nothing special (a dime a dozen in Atlanta-Midtown-Buckhead). Pros: tres leches Cons: Rude Ownership, Cramped dining room, Pretentious more

My wife and i have been dining at tierra for a while now, but our experience on valentine's was great! the restaurant had not been overbooked, we got our table as soon as we walked in and the food was great, the service warm and the atmosphere quite romantic.This the only restaurant in Atlanta where we have found the food to be consistent. Wish there were more of them... We recommend it to all our friends and they always thank us. Great place! more

My husband and I had driven by Tierra a few times since we live nearby and thought we would give it a try. We walked in on Friday night without a reservation, but the owner said she would gladly fit us in. We had a lovely appetizer, dinner, dessert and bottle of wine that the owner recommended to us. We had just finished our dessert and asked our waitress for the check when the owner stopped by our table. She declared that we needed to leave asap so others could sit down and walked away. We were baffled? It would have been one thing if we were lingering, but this is not the case. Even though the food was up to par, I will not return due to the owner's lack of appreciation for her customers. very disappointing! Pros: pleasant waitstaff, good food Cons: rude owner more

After noticing this restaurant for a long time, I finally stopped by and am very pleased that I did as this is an EXCELLENT restaurant! Wonderful atmosphere with great wine selection and absolutely superb food! Ive now been twice in one week and am already looking forward to my next visit. The menu offers an extensive choice of very tasty dishes. I am hooked and recommend a visit to this restaurant with a friend, a date, your husband or group of friends you wont be disappointed! more