Goin’ Coastal

This is my go to seafood spot. It’s quaint, the bartenders are great, the food is excellent, my wive loves it and the risotto is to die for.
Every meal I’ve ordered has been outstanding.

This is our favorite seafood restaurant. The food is always good and the service is excellent. Go there a couple of times a month. Love $ 5 Oyster nights on Wednesday.

Portions were super small. The scallops I received were much smaller than my neighbors. My husband’s mahi was a very small portion and overcooked. Good flavor. Inattentive service. Will give them one more try.

First, parking is non-​existent for this restaurant. It’s about a mile from our house, so we will walk next time. I was surprised how small the restaurant is. Like many restaurants in this area, it is very small and very loud.
I like the open kitchen. Our server was wonderful. She was able to answer our questions in detail. We started with a salmon and tarragon spread appetizer with toast. The salmon was so fresh and the fresh tarragon really made the dish. I ordered the catfish and my SO ordered the special, which I believe was grouper. The food was very fresh, but not memorable.

Best restaurant I Have ever seen. Pauline, my waiter was stunning as was the owner. Paulina was quite knowledgeable and patient as I asked about ingredients. Excellent gluten free alternatives and the theory from sustainable seafood to family fashion salads was a unique experience. As a foodie I ‘d say this surpasses my pub and now other eateries must live up to this encounter. Haven’t potential! MUST SEE ATL EATERY

Had this place bookmarked since forever and never had the chance to stop by because of the very limited parking situation and the crappy pothole filled streets. On this particular Monday, we were craving seafood and we were lucky to discover that Goin’ Coastal was among the few places opened on Memorial Day (per their Facebook post) so we decided to make the trek over and boy, we were glad we did. I did search on OpenTable first to see if I could score a reservation about 45 minutes before we were going to head over and we were able to see lots of spots opened. When we got there, there were a lot of empty tables and we were surprised as we thought they would be more busy on Memorial Day. The establishment is split with half of it as a bar and the other half is rest of the tables and an open kitchen with more seats. The fish/​seafood listed on the blackboard has only been caught 36 hours before being delivered to the restaurant as our server informed us of the freshness of the seafood.
FOOD:
— SHOE STRING FRESH FRIES ($ 3): we ordered these as a starter. Honestly, one of the highlights of the night. We couldn’t stop eating these. So addicting. We actually wanted to order more, but we tried to save our stomach for the rest of our meal.
— LOBSTER ($ 20 on Mondays): my boyfriend ordered the lobster. He said it was on the smaller side, about a 2 lb lobster including the shell and claw. It was fresh. The shell wasn’t too hard where it was brittle or too soft (where it was sitting in the water too long) — exact words from my boyfriend. I was able to try a bit of the lobster and I thought it went really well with the warm melted butter. He added the juices from the two lemons into the melted butter for more taste. The lobster comes with a side of your choice. He opted for the SAUTÉED SPINACH and they were so good. We really liked the spinach.
— FRIED PLATTER ($ 24): I ordered the portion that came with all of the options all fried: three oysters; five shrimp, and one catfish. I was hoping for the scallops too as mentioned on their online menu, but I guess it’s not part of the entrée anymore. My entrée came with a side of cocktail sauce, a side of horseradish sauce, and a side of your choice. I opted for the HUSHPUPPIES. There were four hushpuppies. I thought they were okay. Nothing too crazy with these hushpuppies. I did like the seafood of my entrée. Nothing was fried/​breaded too much where it overwhelms and undercut the taste of the fish. I didn’t feel heavy eating this as I thought I would with ordering a fried seafood platter.
— DESSERT: OOEY GOOEY BUTTER CAKE: this was suggested by our server and it honestly sounds like the most unique out of their other options (various cakes like red velvet). The ooey gooey butter cake is what I believe is thin piece of a torte that wasn’t too sweet. It reminded me a lot of two pie crusts with a thin layer of something semi-​sweet in the middle. It was served with a fruit compote sauce and topped with a mint leaf. I think it may have been raspberry compote. We thought the dessert was good and wasn’t too heavy which we were looking for after our large meal.
DRINKS: both ordered and consumed by my boyfriend
— THAI WHEAT BEER: He said that this was a bit darker/​bitter than Shock Top or Bluemoon. The beer was sweet and interesting. He would order this again.
— SUNSET: this wasn’t the the actual name, but he couldn’t remember the full name. This was a beer cocktail. He said that this was bland and not because it was diluted. He didn’t taste anything but the bitter of the beer and kick from the vodka. He doesn’t know if this is how it should taste, but it’s not something he’d order again in the future and not something memorable.
SERVICE:
The service was good. However, I’m very big on getting refills of water. The water is served from a glass jar. Ours was running low, but we didn’t get offered another one. I felt like I was conserving my water. Other than that, our server was great. She came by to fix our bill for the lobster as she accidentally charged us for normal pricing for the lobster. She gave us some recommendations on dessert and even joked with us so we felt at ease at the establishment.
Overall, we are looking forward to coming back to try other items on their menu, especially for brunch when they serve Lobster Rolls!
TIPS:
+ Monday’s are $ 20 Lobsters
+ Wednesday’s are $ 5 for Dozen Oysters
+ The lot next to Goin’ Coastal is actually the lot for the burger joint, not for Goin’ Coastal.
+ For parking, park along the pay street parking or in the neighborhoods.

I was here for their $ 5 oyster Wednesdays. My first time here, we came around 7:30p and weren’t able to be seated without a reservation and they ran out of oysters when we were able to be seated. If you’re making a reservation, be sure to tell them to save you some oysters (they ran out by 8:30 the first time I tried to come here).
Compared to Fontaine’s Oyster House across the street. The oyster deal here is much better. The oysters are cheaper, $ 5 per dozen compared to $ 7 per dozen. They are also much better in quality. They clean the oysters really well!
Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten to try anything else here, but the $ 5 oyster deal on Wednesdays here is probably one the best deal you can find in town!

Goin Coastal is soo tastyyy… It’s a small place and fills up real quick. I end up sitting outside which was not too bad because it was a nice day… What’s bad is, I can never get full eating here and I mean I ordered an appetizer and an entrée and ate off my friends plate as well… I wondered was it just me… but my friend was still hungry as well. I loved the mussels and the scallops. I also ordered a fish I never tried before but was local. The server was attentive and courteous. It was amazing! I will definitely be back when I’m ready to spend a lot of money for a little bit of food…

Absolutely loved this place and will be returning. I had the trout blackened and it was Ah-​mazing! My server was excellent and the cocktail he recommended with the edible flower was Ah-​mazing! It will catch you off guard if you’re a light-​weight drinker. My husband had some kind of jambalaya without the sausage and he said it was good but the sausage would have given it the extra flavor boost it was missing. He doesn’t eat the swine soooo his loss. The atmosphere was great for couples and had a coastal feel. We arrived right at opening which seemed like the perfect time because it started to get busy as we were leaving. Two snaps in a circle for this place. ;)
P. S. I almost forgot about the buttery cornbread squares of heaven. These things are addictively good and had I not been trying to tone and tighten for the summer I would’ve asked for a batch to go.

Omg. Love this place. The staff are really passionate about what they do.
Erika the bar manager made me the best concoction based on what I had a taste for with edible orchids.
Daniel the bartender provided the best service because I ate at the bar.
Bettina can sell anything on the menu. She had me eating piranha ribs!
The food was excellent!

I have been back to Goin’ Coastal a few time since my last review and am happy to report, I am once again a fan!
Here is what I love: Reservations are generally pretty open most times, the corn bread that comes with soft-​melty butter is free and the cocktail sauce that comes with the fried shrimp is really tasty.
Here is some stuff I wish they’d fix: The french fries are the shoe-​string type which are not my fav. I have asked them to make them extra crispy and to hold the mass amount of salt which makes them sorta better. I wish they were crave-​worthy, but they are not. The mixed drinks are way $$ for the amount of actual booze in them. And for beers, they mostly stick to the IPAs. I’d like to see more options on that front.

I swear it took us a million years to find parking but we did it! We. Found. Parking!!! In all seriousness, you can park in the neighborhoods for free.99 or go a block down, like we did, and pay a measly $ 2.00 to park.
While the hubby struggled to find parking… I called and reserved a table for 2 and a half (kid) on a Sunday, around 6:00 PM (10 minutes before our arrival.) Easy breezy, we got sat immediately. Even had the option of dining inside or outside. We chose outside.
We ordered the «baked oysters» for starters (3 options, we chose 2 of each). Hubby got the «coastal bowl»… I got the «lobster roll»… and for our super picky 4 year old, we got a half serving of «lobster mac.»
The complimentary corn bread was great! Our kid devoured it. The hubs enjoyed his bowl. However, there was a few pieces of seafood that he could just not eat because it was «really fishy.» My lobster rolls were okay. Nothing spectacular. However, the bread/​bun they used is sooooo GOOD! It’s crispy, it’s fluffy, it’s buttery, it’s effing delicious! Definitely the BREADwinner here!
Our main server seemed a little annoyed and in a rush but the other servers who would come by to check on us was quite nice and helpful. Decent spot. A little pricey. But we’ll be back.

I love the lobster mac and cheese there. I ate half from the side to the middle (not from the top down) and asked for a go box to take the rest home. I could see the generous chunks of lobster sticking out from the mac and cheese and was looking forward to enjoying the leftovers for dinner the next night. Imagine my surprise to find that ALL the lobster had been removed and all I had was mac and cheese. I guess whoever packaged it up for me to take home was hungry.
I hope they enjoyed my dinner. I won’t be back!

With most restaurants fully booked (shout out to the love of my life for waiting until the last minute) we were «stuck» with an early reservation at Goin Coastal. So glad he procrastinated!
We had a 5:45 pm reservation and good thing we did. The James River oysters ran out while we were there! The oysters were great btw. Can’t wait to try it out during the week during their oyster special. The cornbread and butter was great to curb our appetite and had some pretty tasty (and surprisingly strong) drinks.
We ordered the shrimp and grits and the stuffed swordfish (special menu item). Both were amazing and not your typical seafood entrée, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Parking was tough but we opted to park across the street at Murphys. They charge $ 10 for non Murphys patrons. Not bad considering the limited options.
In addition our waitress was amazing! We will definitely be back!

Bad service and both the steak and fish were overcooked and dry. Plenty of better steak and seafood options in Atlanta. Skip this one.

Been here a couple times and will definitely be back. I like how the menu changes so they always have fresh fish. Great atmosphere at the bar and always great service.
We had drinks and oysters to start and they were good.
We also had the crab and shrimp au gratin app and it was amazing.
We had Bluefish and Yellowfin Tuna. Both were delicious.

A little pricey for the quality. Fried shrimp were good. Not great. Batter was a little heavy. Parking here is tough. Walk here and get an app and cocktail.

I can’t believe this has been in my neighborhood and I waited so long to go. Excellent. Simple but fresh, and sustainable. High quality sea food, and cooked to perfection. I had an amazing yellowish tuna steak, lightly pan seared and very fresh and flavorful. The scallops with risotto were also amazing, a heavier option but really tasty !
The optimist was my go-​to for seafood, but this is just as good, maybe a bit less of the cool vibe, but warm and cozy atmosphere.
I hear mondays are lobster nights and wednesday oyster nights! Will definitely return!

Parking in Virginia Highlands is not ideal and parking at Goin’ Coastal is no different. So if you’re are not the walking type, recommend the marta bus or some type of ride sharing application.
My overall take on Goin’ Coastal is just a little above average. I had crab dip as an appetizer then I had the low country boil as a main. Both lacked the seasoning I desired. I expected the country boil to be a little more spicier. The shrimp nor the potatoes seemed to have absorbed any spices. The sausage was decent. But again, overall I’m still at a little above average.
Service was exceptional and the menu was pretty diverse for seafood options. I think I would go again. Maybe go with fish next time.

They did not have a long wait on a Sat after the holiday for a party of 7 so that was great. I did like that they did offer kid friendly food even though it’s not on the menu. What I didn’t like was that the cornbread served was cold. We ordered a scallop platter and got maybe 4 medium sized scallops. For a 22 $ plate I expected more scallops. Also the Grits came out cold. Our hush puppies came out burned or extra crisp. It was hard to get past the burnt taste and enjoy them. It wasn’t the worst, but for having family out of town and the other reviews it was disappointing.

Their menu has something for everyone from a wide selection of fish, fresh and light dishes, and dishes with a southern twist. Perfect for a date night, or going out with friends!
The service was amazing, and our food arrived quickly. I visited on a Wednesday night, where you can get a dozen oysters for $ 5! I also ordered their special, which was a blackened salmon with baked brussels sprouts. My friend ordered the shrimp and grits which she raved about. They also have a great drink selection, I had a lime and basil vodka cocktail which I highly recommend! Everything was so fresh and flavorful, I was definitely filled up but it didn’t feel heavy at all. I will be coming back often!

Appetizers:
Seared scallops with Korean pancake and cucumber kimchi
Baked oysters (bacon and spinach, bleu cheese, and parmesan)
Entrée:
Chilean seabass (coastal seasoning) with fingerling potatoes
Appetizers were a bit sparse but very good. I’m Korean so I guess I’m a bit biased about the scallop appetizer, but the baked oysters were good too. Decided to go all out and get the seabass to see what the hype was about (never had it before) and it was a little oily, but in a buttery way not heavy way if that makes sense. Little under seasoned for my tastes and I know it’s so the fish isn’t overwhelmed, but a little more wouldn’t have hurt. The fingerling potatoes were perfectly cooked and crispy, seasoned very well.
Service was great, very attentive and helpful!
Definitely would come back to try out the swordfish and trout :)

My guy and I were looking for a place near my hood that had a deal goin on. After giving him several options, he settled on Goin Coastal who had a Loaf Deals special $ 15 for $ 30 worth of food. Luckily, you can use as soon as you purchase — no waiting period. Once we got there, we found that it was oyster night. You cannot use the voucher on oyster night (Wed) or lobster night (Mon). However, since they were already out of oysters for the night, they let us use the voucher.
They get us going with some cornbread. If you’re wondering what the green pieces are… they are chives, not jalapenos. The bread is quite moist, but falls apart too much in my opinion. We each order drinks. Beer for my date. Moscato for me. FYI the Moscato is VERY sweet, but I liked it. I ordered the NY strip with potatoes. My date opted for the pork chop after the fine recommendation from our waitress. We asked if they had the Krispy Kreme bread pudding and, unfortunately, they didn’t have it that night. Our waitress told us she would bring us some butter cake on her since we couldn’t get the bread pudding (NOTE: The cake never arrived. I knew she would forget when she said it. Not docking her on this though since we weren’t really owed any cake). She also told us that we could always call ahead and request the bread pudding in advance.
So our waitress told us the pork chop was better than the steak and boy was she right. We both found the steak quite disappointing. Really, the butter MADE the steak. That should never be. The meat was also a bit fatty. Also, it was served on the cold side. I think the steak was ready well before the potatoes were and it had sat for a bit. :-(I didn’t complain though. Perhaps I should have. The potates were piping hot and tasted great. The pork chop was amazing. I think it was the best restaurant pork chop I’ve ever had.
Take home: We were both planning our next visit before we left the restaurant. Avoiding the steak the next time.

Goin’ Coastal is a local, fairly small restaurant in Virginia Highlands that serves sustainable seafood/​fish. All the fish is fresh and never frozen and just 36 hours from the water! They have a listing of the available fish posted on the wall. I was impressed with the selection, especially for Atlanta. The place has a nice cozy feel that seemed to have many locals from the neighborhood. My wife and I felt very comfortable with the reception and seating. It was Friday evening and we made a 6:30 reservation. They were not slammed which was nice.
We ordered shrimp and crab au gratin as an appetizer. It was a generous portion! We were thinking that this would be great for sitting at the bar with a few drinks if you did not want dinner. The dish had good flavor and was served with french bread. I would have preferred a small toasted baguette pieces to spread the au gratin and provide a little crunch. There was ample crab which was nice.
One nice touch here is that you can select your fish and then select one of four styles to have it prepared. My wife selected cod done with miso. I ordered monkfish done blackened. Both dishes came out looking very nice and hot. My monkfish was not as blackened as I would have liked but I probably should have chosen swordfish. The fish was nice and fresh and had very good flavor with the grits and sauce that it was served with.
My wife’s cod though was the star of the evening! It was cooked perfectly, not overdone like happens so often with cod. The miso broth and vegetables had an incredible depth of flavor that was quite impressive. I ate more of hers; she hates when I do that, lol. My dish was good, but hers was better.
I enjoyed Goin’ Costal. The ambiance and style of the restaurant really works. We had great genuinely friendly service, our server had been there 5 years. Fish was good and fresh. Prices were reasonable, total with two cocktails and tip was $ 100. This may be my go to spot for seafood, especially fish.

We had a snafu with customer service and the manager ended up comping everyone’s meal. He went above and beyond to rectify the situation. Food was great, I enjoyed the brunch crab cakes benedict and the execution was flawless. The crab was nice and meaty with minimal filler, and the three pepper hollandaise was flavorful! I had the Caesar salad as my side– the homemade dressing was delicious! I will certainly be back again, not only for the great food but the excellent customer service!

Great service! Small establishment but thankfully it wasn’t too packed. Here’s what we had.
Hush puppies were BANGIING!
Fried catfish – golden lightly fried — -yummy
Fried platter — scallops, shrimp, oysters — all good but the scallops could’ve been better
Sides– sautéed spinach-​ok, grits good but I’ve had better, potatoes were undercooked
All in all I’d go back. We found parking across the street for $ 5 but i have a feeling we could’ve gotten away with not having to pay anything

Good spot for brunch lunch or dinner! Always fresh seafood specials, $ 1 mimosa brunch and amazing complimentary sweet bread. It’s a small place but I think they take reservations. Excellent location in the heart of the Highlands.

Saturday a group of 12 of us had an early dinner here for my birthday. My husband reserved a big table for us in the private area and it was set up nice & ready to go shortly after we arrived.
Our waitress was friendly and gave us great service, she even offered to take a group photo of us as we were leaving.
None of us had ever been to this restaurant before, in fact my husband and I picked it based on the good Unilocal reviews we read. We all ordered different things across the menu and sampled each other’s food. I tried the pimento fritters, parmesan garlic baked oysters and caesar salad for starters. The fritters were super gooey with lots of mayo, if you like mayo you’ll love them, unfortunately I’m not a huge mayo fan. The oysters were awesome, loved them! The cornbread & butter was yum! For dinner I had the shrimp & grits, the flavor was good but the grits were pretty thin and the shrimp were not completely peeled or deveined, which was a bummer because other than that it tasted great. My Mom ordered the fried shrimp and hers were partially peeled also. I tried the hush puppies and fries also and they tasted great.
After dinner the waitress brought out a birthday slice of pecan pie that was awesome! Def a must try!
Overall I think this restaurant was good, we’ll be back.

The Highlands’ sustainable seafood restaurant. Everything is 36hrs from water to door so expect fresh flavorful shrimp & crab au gratin appetizers b/​c it’s pretty damn tasty! Rotating craft beers make this afternoon date spot a good place for foodies & drinkers alike. ESPN at the bar so you can catch those highlights while the Mrs. chooses between crab cakes or gravlox… decisions, decisions

So after many attempts to make it on a Wednesday, I finally achieved my goal and enjoyed a good meal. A couple things took me by surprise. 1. They now have a limit 1 dozen oysters per customer. I wasn’t to happy, but after finishing my meal I was comfortably full. 2. When ordering blackened seafood it’s usually a spice they put on the fish. At this restaurant it’s how they char the outside of the fish. I ordered Flounder and for the price I didn’t want it burnt. Over all though the food was great and the service was right on point. For 2 people, 2 dozen oysters, 2 higher priced meals, and a couple drinks each it came to just over $ 70. Also they’ve expanded the restaurant to the other side of the building so it’s much larger now.
On that note I’ll probably return some day, but with all the great seafood place I’ve herd about it probably won’t be anytime soon.

I went here on a Sunday, pretty late in the evening (about 8:45). I had also been drinking most of the day, so my memory may not be the best.
Anyway, came here with a group of 5 and the place was pretty empty and we sat down right away. Started with the oysters and they were outstanding, then moved to the fried catfish which was also on point. Really enjoyed my meal here, as did everyone I was with. Easily the best seafood meal I have had in Atlanta. My only complaint is there isn’t a cheap red win option. If you want red wine, I believe they start at about $ 60 a bottle. And considering I had been going hard all day to that point, a great bottle of wine wasn’t necessary.
But overall, I loved this meal and will be back soon.

Food — 2: I was not impressed with my crab cake. it had a sour aftertaste. My companion got a crab dip and it was challenge finding the crab in it — all cheese :(. I came here for the Oyster deal on Wednesday but they ran out before I got there. The best thing was the complimentary corn bread… oh and the consoling skinny fries. Yum!
Ambience — 4: Small, chic and cute. There is a strong riverine smell int here but it is allowed for a seafood restaurant.
Location — 5: It is next to other restuarants and a good place in VaHi to walk around.
Weird enough, I am open to going back, earlier on a Wednesday for the oysters.

We will definitely be back to try all the things we didn’t get to this time. What a lovely place. Good atmosphere, nice but unusual wines, cool cocktails. Fat juicy oysters on the half shell drew us in on a Wednesday evening ($ 5/​dozen!) but we were happy to stay and sample more.
Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks, Evan!
If you are going for the oysters, call ahead to reserve. Mignonette on request. We ate 2 dozen.
We also had the clam chowder (delicious, very tender clams, a bit salty) and the crab cake (very crabby. Yummy sauce).
Comfortable setting but still a nice evening. Good, happy crowd. The place filled up about 7:20.
Maybe we will see you next Wednesday, Goin Coastal! Put us down for another 2 dozen!

At first I thought I was going to have to verbally flip a table the first few minutes I settled into Goin’ Coastal. For one the online menu and the in-​restaurant menu are vastly different, which meant the dish I came for was non-​existent. Second, our waitress seemed at first to be too curt for my mom and myself’s taste.
However, by the time I left Goin’ Coastal all was well.
Turns out our waitress was a sweetheart who went over and beyond to give my mom, who has a food allergy to walnuts, comp cornbread in place of the comp banana bread. The $ 1 mimosas were potent; trust me you only need two. My duck confit omelette, although terribly over cooked, was better than expected. The cheese grits were creamy, and tasted magnificent after a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and Splendas.
In terms of décor, this place is tiny but uses the space it has wisely. I was concerned I’d be cramped, but that wasn’t an issue at all. In addition to being a «sustainable seafood joint» Goin’ Coastal uses recyclable takeout products. So if you want to support a green and environmental friendly restaurant this is your place.
If you want healthy servings of food, seafood, and cheap mimosas for brunch give them a go.