Gato Arigato

Because of Gato Arigato, I have not been able to enjoy a bowl of ramen anywhere else in Atlanta lately. Gato Arigato is a pop-​up at Gato Bizco Café every Tues — Thurs. Get there early! Gato is really small so the wait can get pretty long. If you want a fancy dinner, this place is definitely not for you. If you want to have a casual dinner with fantastic food, then you have to try Gato Arigato. Because of the small space, Gato gets really hot inside certain times of the year. BYOB only; luckily Candler Park Market is only a few steps away. Ramen, gyoza, and maybe two more appetizers are usually on the menu; the type of ramen changes pretty frequently.
For appetizers, we tried the green tea gyoza (pretty good & different) & okonomiyaki-​style octopus pancake (delicious! great for sharing) So far we’ve tried the tonkatsu & shoyu ramen on two different visits… they’re both creative & amazing! Make sure you add a soft boil egg to your ramen.

Living in Candler really beckons at least one trip to Gato Arigato, right? Well, I suppose we had waited long enough to try this mammothly awesome popup in our hood for dinner and we had a bit of a bonus — Two of our friends from Japan were with us.
We showed up just before 7pm and waited to be seated. As soon as the doors opened, we grabbed one of the booths and almost in unison began to guffaw at the hilarious menus (see photos for reference of said humor) and proceeded to devise our orders.
We all ordered some different items — Squid Ink Fried Rice, Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, Gyoza, and the two varieties of ramen for the evening.
Everything pre-​meal was wonderful and we all especially loved the gyoza (of which there are tofu varieties for the sake of vegetarians) and the rest of us absolutely loved the takoyaki and okonomiyaki.
The ramen was honestly the first I’ve ever had in this form. It is served cold (I’ve heard it is served hot in the winter) and was extremely flavorful — salty, bright, deep onion-​y broth with veggies of all kinds, wonderful noodles, and a perfectly poached egg. It was fantastic. I did get a bit of the broth from the pork-​based ramen and it was really interesting as well. Much more bright and citrus-​y than i was expecting. The flavors were very different between the two. Pro Tip: Splitting small plates and perhaps one bowl of ramen between two people will definitely yield a full meal for two.
It was such an experience to be had and I am so thrilled to say that we have had our first go with Gato Arigato.

We went here recently due to my chronic ramen cravings and loved the setting. Since it’s next to Candler Park Market, it’s extremely easy to grab a growler for the BYOB aspect. Given that it’s summer, they had two cold ramen options. Both were good, but I am looking forward to Fall as I’m more of a warm soup/​ramen person. I would definitely recommend this place for a break in your usual dinner spot.

I love this place. LEGIT ramen without the drive out to Buford highway. AND, chef Allen doesn’t charge an arm and a leg even though he could since he basically has ramen cornered in this part of town.
During the summer the ramen is cold, which I generally DO NOT like, however chef Allen worked his magic and it was delightful. I’ll definitely be back, but I can’t wait for the hot ramen to return once fall rolls around since it’s also very good.

Gato Aragato is a fantastic dining experience. We had the tako yaki and the chilled pig soup. Absolutely unique. I loved it.

This place is a great find in The Candler park area. The restaurant itself changes through out the week, but from Tuesday to Thursday you can get some of the best miso for a pretty good price… More importantly it’s byob. If you forgot to get the booze before you left home, there is also a market right beside it that sells a pretty good selection of wines and beers.
We had the octopus appetizer– pretty good basically deep fried octopus topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce
Then each got a bowl of the miso… It was really good and very filling.
Only downfall was it was really hot in the restaurant (no ac and only baby fans) and the hot soup made it worse buuuut the waitress told us before we left that they would be serving chilled miso for the summer because if the heat.

This was fantastically fun!
It was a pretty dreary Wednesday, and my friend suggested that we venture to Gato Arigato to mix it up. I’ve been to Gato Bizco before, and I’ve heard of the pop-up…so I was pumped!
We went in around 8 PM. It was steamy and warm inside. The line really wasn’t too bad. We put our name on the list and were seated at a booth within 30 minutes.
We shared the gyoza for a starter, and I had the vegetarian ramen for dinner. I found the gyoza tasty, but it was nothing super exceptional. The ramen, on the other hand, was delicious. This ain’t no cup ‘o noodles. The portion was hearty, and I enjoyed every last nibble.
It’s also BYOB, which is clutch. We picked up a couple of delicious beers at Candler Park Market prior to dinner.
Given how busy this place is, the wait staff was excellent. The food came out quickly, and we honestly were lingering too long. Given the situation, they really were not pushy at all (and they have every right to be)! Once we realized that people were still waiting, they let us finish our beer by the cash register before paying.
Overall, Gato Arigato is hyper-​local, affordable and fun. I’ll definitely be back. I just don’t want to tell too many of my friends.

This place is fantastic. The food is great, well-​priced, and the service is quick. The best part is it’s BYOB and Candler Market is only a few steps away. We ordered almost everything on the menu to split between two of us and it was still less than $ 40.
Go now!

So very disappointed. I went this evening after work to try the tonkotsu ramen however they had changed their menu to a shoyu ramen (which I am a not a fan of). I ended up ordering the veggie ramen which had a chili-​garlic broth. The waitress asked if I would like an egg with my ramen which the answer is always yes, however she failed to mention that it would cost an extra $ 2. Pretty steep for one egg.
The ramen came out really quickly but it tasted mediocre. The egg was soft-​boiled which is my favorite but it wasn’t cooked properly; the center of the egg was still cold.
I can make much better ramen at home. What a waste of $ 13.

Ordered the sashimi, the meat gyoza, and the tonkatsu ramen. Everything we received was perfect. We waited an hour for a table, and I was still happy when we left. I would be willing to wait for a table at this place every day.

Gato Arigato not only has one of the cleverer restaurant names, but it also creates an experience unique to the Atlanta food scene.
The restaurant opens up at 7pm and is very small seating no more than 20 to 25 people. So if you have a large party, be prepared to brush your arms against the person next to you. I recommend that your party be limited to 5 to 6 people or else you’re going to have a bad time. Also, Gato has a BYOB policy, so if you forgot to bring your own wine or beer, there is little store within walking distance where you can stock up.
We had to wait around 30 to 45 minutes to get a table. Normally this isn’t too big of a deal, but combine that with a cramped restaurant and a steaming kitchen right next to you, and it could become stressful.
After being seated, we waited at least another 20 minutes for our order of gyoza and takoyaki balls to arrive. Gyoza are essentially fried dumplings while takoyaki balls are browned octopus balls. If you’ve never had any of these, I recommend you at least try them. In my case, I was expecting the best gyoza and takoyaki balls known to mankind and sadly, was letdown in a big way. The only nice thing I can say about the gyoza is that it was nicely fried on the outside. It was also spicy, but this isn’t anything new. All in all, I felt that I could buy and fry my own frozen gyoza and takoyaki balls from an Asian supermarket and those would still taste better. It didn’t help that the price tag for 3 – 4 small pieces of each appetizer was on the higher side. We had to wait what seemed like another 20 minutes to get our pork ramen.
This is where the long wait, average-​tasting yet overpriced appetizers, cramped space were redeemed. The pork ramen was some of the best I’ve ever had. The broth was delicious yet subtle. The combination of scallions, fermented apple, grilled pork, and noodles was heavenly. I regret not adding the soft boiled egg to it, but I will make sure to do that the next time I go. Finally, add some sauce, which should be on the table and tastes exactly like Chipotle barbecue hot sauce, if you want to add a nice kick to the ramen.
Now that Gato, is on my radar, I will make sure to return.

This past week Atlanta had another cold spell, and ramen was the perfect way to warm up. There was a bit of a wait (as everyone else had the same idea that night) but everyone was friendly and it was easy to stay warm while waiting. Gato Arigato is great because it’s BYOB so there’s no added liquor expense. Two friends and I got seated at the bar, in the middle of the action. We started with the Okonomi-​Yaki, which was amazing. It’s like a pancake-​omelette with octopus, bonito flakes, and a delicious sauce. And it was gone within minutes. I could’ve had that all night and been satisfied. We all went for the Tonkotsu ramen, this week made with barley noodles. I heard Chef say he saw the barley this week at the farmer’s market and decided to run with it. The broth was creamy and delicious, and it was served with pork belly and fuji apples. I have never had apples in my ramen before, but it was a good addition (and they were spiced!). The pork belly was my favorite. It was sweet and melted apart in the broth.
It was great to watch Chef make the noodles in front of us, as well as all the other menu selections. It really puts you in the action. I’m very interested in coming other weeks to check out what else he has to offer!

Moving my 3÷30÷13 review from the Gato page, now that Gato Arigato has an official page:
Glad I came to try the Mon-​Tue Gato Arigato Japanese version of this tiny café– and it’s a little dangerous, b/​c I could end up being here every week since I live in the neighborhood.
First off, the place is tiny…6−8 counter stools and 4 booth tables and that’s it. I must have come in right after it filled up with the 1^st round of diners, so I put my name on the wait list, and went over to Candler Park Market to buy a bottle of wine to go with dinner… yup, Gato is BYOB! I had plenty of time to observe the 2 chefs cooking on the stove and grill behind the counter… everything looked and smelled delicious! The menu (and specials– duck wing ramen, the night i was there) is small but has some great options… it was hard to choose.
For starters, we tried the thinly sliced radish salad with micro greens, which was gorgeously presented and fresh. The Okonomi-​Yaki, which was like a cross between an omelet and pancake with shredded purple cabbage, pieces of octopus, and bonito flakes, was delicious.
The tonkatsu ramen– not the best ramen broth I’ve had, but definitely the best (ok, ONLY) ramen broth in Candler Park, and not oily like another well known ramen restaurant nearby. The noodles were nice and chewy/​toothy in a good way, and didn’t dissolve in the broth. Served with a couple colorful bamboo shoots and mung bean sprouts, the soft boiled egg was heavenly, and the pork belly was flavorful and beautifully cooked. Sure, everything could have used a dash of salt, but hey, the salt shaker is in front of you on the table… for the convenience and value, it’s a great deal. Glad Gato is trying something different with the Monday and Tuesday menus… there’s already a pizza, Mexican and southern food places in the neighborhood, so this place differentiates itself from every other neighborhood in Atlanta.
Saw the King of Pops dining while i was there,…it was freezing outside, so i guess there wasn’t really much of a demand for cold popsicles. The restaurant definitely has a laidback vibe, and the service is not fast, but it’s cute in a beatnik hippie way, so it fits right in along this stretch of Candler Park. Limited parking spaces behind the restaurant, otherwise, it’s street parking.

So good! Came here on a cold Wednesday night with an adventurous friend for some warm comfort food! She made me try the octopus balls — which were surprisingly good. We also got an order of the veggie gyoza, which had a lovely crispy Hane (the wing on the dumpling, hopefully I’m spelling that right). Come here hungry! Seriously hungry! The ramen bowls are gigantic and you will want to eat it all!
Some tips: get here early. They start letting you in at 7, but a line forms quickly. We arrived at 6:45 which was perfect timing. It’s BYOB. Stop at the Candler Market next door to pick up some liquid libations. Get the pork ramen, trust me.

So so good! Came here to nurse a hangover and I was pleasantly surprised.
1. Byob, there’s a market a few doors down where you can buy beer and then drink it in the restaurant
2. Super friendly staff. One of the guys only brought 3 octopus balls to the table. I told him the menu said it came with 4. After checking he came back and apologized. He said he would bring us 3 more since he messed up. Waters were kept full before it ever reached the bottom.
3. Ordered the veggie ramen with egg. My total was $ 11 for the ramen and $ 5.50 for the octopus balls. I walked out of there super full. Still am actually
4. Not very much space in the place but I really liked the atmosphere. Cute and cozy!
Great way to kick off the new year! Will definitely be back.

Thanks to a friend who was craving warm, comforting food on an unusually cold November evening, we decided to try the Japanese pop-​up concept at Gato Bizco, entertainingly called Gato Arigato, which serves up a limited list of Japanese fare three nights a week, Monday through Wednesday.
Get thee to Gato Arigato, I’m just sayin’.
And once there, order the pork belly mochi. This small dish is hard to describe but a definite must-​try. Imagine mochi (pounded sticky rice, stretchy-​springy in a loose sort if way) with chunks of pork belly, held together by a quick cook on the griddle served with a spicy Chinese yellow mustard and green scallion oil. Absolutely delicious.
We also shared an order of okonomiyaki (best I’ve had in ATL) and gyoza with tuna filling. Both were delicious. However only three gyoza an order, FYI.
But the highlight of course was the tonkotsu ramen. Al dente noodles, soft boiled egg, freshly grilled pork belly, charred scallions, fermented apple slices in a most delicious, rich broth. The saltiness of the broth, chewy noodles, and interesting apple slices really hit the spot. They do a vegetarian version, which I likely will never try, because damn… how can you say no to the pork belly? Dayum!
Highly recommended. Easily 4 stars. And not 5 because I’m stingy. But probably 5. :-)

Gato Arigato located at Gato Bizo on Monday, Tuesday, and now Wednesday nights from 7 – 11 PM is serving up Japanese food in Candler Park. This is such a cool concept restaurant!
If you haven’t been to Gato before, the cat themed pictures, figurines, and books towards the front will surprise you.
I tried the much lauded ramen here with a duck egg after waiting for what seemed like an eternity. There are only 7 booths and a counter for about 6 people for the entire restaurant. It is a tiny, tiny space so they can’t just bus a table and seat you. That’s why people have griped about the seriously long wait. I can’t fault the place for buying a small space. You just gotta work with what you got.
Back to my ramen, I got the vegetarian style. I liked the noodles and all of the veggies including the wood ear mushroom pieces. I didn’t care for the tofu broth though. I’m just not big on unflavored soy products. Still, I like the idea of this place, and the dish was well executed even if the flavors were off for my tastes.
I’ll be back to try some of their other dishes, but I’ll probably avoid the milky tofu broth.