Sperata

We came here for lunch during the week. The ambiance was nice but the experience was too long. I think we were there for over an hour and we only wanted a quick lunch. Service is extremely slow. The food is pretty good though!

Went to Sperata last night for Valentines dinner. Strong service and fine food as usual. Really enjoyed the Angus filet and the Flounder with Shrimp/​Scallop. Sides included with each dish were a numerous variety of vegetables, which really pulled the meals together. Proportioned just right.

I’m giving 3 start because of the quality of the food and my good experiences here before, but the night of ²⁄₁₃ was a very strange experience that has left me with a very bad feeling about Sperata. Let me say right away they offered to comp our entire meal before we asked for anything, an offer we accepted.
They sat us but after 10 minutes no one had come to our table. Finally we called over the hostess, who indicated there was some confusion and took our order. The first two courses trickled out, and we thought it was being brought out by someone other than a waitress, because she never said word one to us. It turned out she was in fact a waitress. When the second course was brought out, we asked for water, which had not been offered before (we had drinks we had ordered at the bar prior to being seated.). When we finished with the second course, it sat on our table for 20 minutes before finally being cleared away, with no sign of interest from the waitress, nor any sign of the entrée coming anytime soon. We were now an hour and a half into dinner and had had enough, and asked that the entrée simply be boxed up for us to go.
Again, the food we did have was excellent. Waiters we’ve had here before have been excellent and professional. When we saw our table was going to be by the front door that was constantly opening/​closing (it was a cold night, and we had an experience once before sitting by the door on a cold night), they accommodated our request for a table further in. But the lack of concern or communication from the waitress last night and the excessive wait for food put a damper on a Valentine’s date.

The wife and I had dinner there last night. I had the bone in Pork Chop and she had the Seafood thingy (Can’t remember the name). Anyway, the food was excellent in preparation and presentation and the portions were bigger than I expected. I will be enjoying that Porck chop for lunch. Great atmosphere and good service.

Food is the thing a restaurant should do best, and this chef is outstanding. Wait staff was very friendly and professional, though we had to ask where our waitress went, as we waited longer than expected to order a drink. Food takes time to receive, as I suspect nothing is prepared ahead of time, and seems to come straight off the cooktop to table, hot and delightfully fresh. In this case, I don’t mind waiting! My husband had Seafood Stew (would have liked more vegetables but it was loaded with delicacies from the sea), I had the Chef’s salmon/​crab special and savored every bite, and our son had a very large beef tenderloin, loaded with mushrooms. Portions were healthy. Two of us had leftovers to savor at home.
I wish the remodel didn’t include the «Ali Baba» curtains that conceal the kitchen space. Chef seems a bit like Wizard of Oz, and one has to wonder, who’s idea was this? Would much rather see the action — the master at work. I enjoy a feeling of creativity and hustle-​and-​bustle in a restaurant. We were fortunate though as the evening drew to a close, Chef came out from behind the magic curtain. We were happy we could say hello, and praise him for a meal well done.
Highly recommend if you appreciate excellent food and an intimate room. We look forward to returning.

We had Christmas dinner with a full four course meal. The meal started with a three-​tier appetizer tray filled with so much goodness of shrimp, prosciutto, bread, mozzarella and dried tomatoes, smoked salmon… etc.
Second course was Windsor Soup with lamb meat. This by itself is a meal. Combining this with a salad consisting of mixed lettuces tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, hot bacon, apples, mushrooms, poached egg, and this should have been enough; not quite yet.
Third course, and the entrée, was a platter of roast beef and gravy leg of lamb, green beans and Yorkshire pudding. There was enough on just this platter to feed another party.
Final course l, naturally, was dessert. This was a baked warm apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream with a froth made of Grand Mariner. It was accompanied by a warm rum raisin toffee cake. We topped all this off with cappuccino.
The portions were just incredibly huge. This was our first time here, but will not be our last. Go and experience a true eating delight.

Food: The food is passable for Buford where there are a good number of unique, independently owned options that are big on charm but disappoint in terms of food. We started with the crab and salmon. The crab came as a salad. In my experience, good crab does not need to be served as a salad and in fact the addition of sauces obscures the flavor (which may be what you want to do if the crab is not particularly good). The smoked salmon was good, but the crab (which looked a little too much like tuna salad) underwhelmed.
For dinner, we both had filets. The filets were nice cuts of meat prepared exactly as we had asked. They each came with scalloped potatoes, wilted spinach and mushrooms.
Service: This was where everything got weird. No one approached our table for a while. When the server did come, he informed us that there had «been some confusion.» Confusion is fine and happens but there were only two waiters and only about 12 total tables seated, so really the more confusing thing is how two people can walk repeatedly by a table, notice that no one is serving it and not try to find out what the problem is. There were other things that are typically lacking in places that don’t emphasize service: my glass was frequently empty, we didn’t have silverware, etc…
The weird part started when, as I was eating my food, a sullen young man (who had previously brought us bread) came over and started to take my plate (while I was eating). About 10 minutes later someone came and tried to take my partner’s plate «to box it up» as he was still eating. They still had an hour or so before closing and other patrons in the restaurant, so I’m not sure why you would walk over to a table, pick up a plate and just start walking away with it.
In the end, the food is fine/​adequate but the place is just a little strange.

This is a nice little spot. The food is better than I expected! The Beef Bouguigon was awesome! It’s tender and the cabernet reduction complimented the beef well. Sadly, the lobster bisque was pretty average. It does has a lot of meat in it though. Lol, other than that it’s quite similar to Campbell’s tomato soup.
Additional thoughts: The portions were a nice size, enough to split or in my case great on reheat. Oh, they only offer table seating, so it’s not the most comfortable dining experience. The atmosphere fits the area though.

This place to me is a little run down. The menu isnt great here and the food is so so. Drinks are made in all different size cups. There is no set cup for drinks or beers which bothered me. They only have bottled beer as well.
Its not a cheap place, there are many other restaurants around it.
I would not come back.

Eaten here several times and never been disappointed. The Picasso salad is exceptional, other salads are great too. Entrée’s are all great, especially the salmon which they vary how its prepared so you don’t get bored with the same flavors. I don’t understand the negative comment about portion size, We’ve taken food home with us a few times depending on the entrée. It appears, from other reviews that groups or very busy evenings are where the restaurant might fall down a bit. As for us — we eat early and during the week and never had slow or poor service or mediocre food. They usually have some wines available that are not on the list so don’t hesitate to ask your waiter for other options and suggestions based on your likings — they’ve never steered us wrong yet on the wine.

Great atmosphere, food and service. After dinner headed up stairs for live jazz. Great place.

Came here for a farewell dinner with classmates. We were able to reserve the whole top floor for our party. I like the privacy we were given. The top floor was large and spacious. Plus, there was a bar for people to mingle around.
Food was mediocre. I wasnt too happy with the lasagna and «cajun» rice. Chicken didnt look too good. I passed on that. I had some of tilapia. It was alright. But, if this is what their food is like i def wouldnt come here on my own and order food from their menu. Dessert was cheesecake and chocolate cake. It was alright. nothing spectacular.
i would have to agree with another Unilocalers review with the ipad paying system and your choice of tip — 18%, 20%, 25%. A real bogus system they have. You’re stared at and forced to tip them a larger amount. Just another way to make sure their servers are given enough tip at an event. Wasnt too happy with that.
Overall, an okay restaurant. wouldnt choose to come back if i didnt have to.

Went for a special occasion with my husband. The service was excellent; wine perfectly paired with meal. Highly recommend for a quiet romantic dinner.

We went to this restaurant for our anniversary lunch today. Because we arrived mid-​afternoon (our favorite dining time) we had the place pretty much to ourselves. So it’s no surprise that the service was exceptional — we were the only patrons at the moment. We have been to downtown Buford a time or two, but don’t know it well and thought we’d give this place a try. What a lovely surprise! We had to order from the «Bistro» menu as it wasn’t yet late enough for the dinner menu, so the selection was not large, but everything sounded good. We settled on sharing a anti-​pasto platter appetizer, which was outstanding. It was served with little garlic bread toast pieces and was the perfect size for two people. We each then had the beef bourguignon, served with baby brussel sprouts, green beans and mushrooms. What a treat! We had a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and topped off the meal with a wonderful, tangy lemon tart with a crusted top. This anniversary treat (on the house) tasted a lot like what I’d describe as a lemon crème brûlée and served with a small side portion of ice cream and fresh berries. Yum! There was nothing here we didn’t like and can’t wait to go back in the evening hours to try their dinner entrees. The ambience is upscale without being stuffy or pretentious. This may become one of our favorite, out-​of-​the-​way places. I see that others have complained about the service citing understaffing, so we’ll have to see how it plays out when we go back in the evening. In the meantime, they get my vote.

New Year’s Eve dinner Nice atmosphere and a wonderful piano player. Started with the shrimp cocktail which was very good. The lobster bisque was not to my liking but my husband enjoyed it. The salad was very good, field greens blue cheese bacon grapes and some strawberries really yummy. My main course was the filet. I ordered it medium well. The steak came covered in a sauce making it more like a pot roast or prime rib. Any sear on the steak was lost. Cutting into it the steak was not very tender for a filet and was way undercooked. I’d say it was a cool medium, getting close to medium rare. I had a few bites then passed the steakish meet to my husband and settled on the veggies which were very good. When the waiter came by to ask about our meal I let him know the steak was not cooked properly. He seemed thrown off and just said sorry. That was the end of it. No offer of anything, no chief or manager stopping by the table or anything. I would think in a fine dining restaurant paying $ 75 for a meal more concern would be shown. Maybe they were just busy. I would go back as the food is good just don’t order the sauce soaked filet. This is not the restaurant for steak.

Have lived in Atlanta for 25 years and have never made it up to historic Buford. Our meal was outstanding and would rank Sperata as on of the top restaurants in the Atlanta metro. Service was excellent and the food outstanding. The flavors on every plate were exquisite. Reservations made again before we left.

I really love this place. We go here about once a month. I see some people with reviews say it is to expensive but I really don’t think so at all. You can review a menu online so you know upfront. I think it is priced fairly for what you get and the quality you get. Sure you could spend a little less and go a chain restaurant but this offers more boutique and intimate type dining. We have been going for about four years now about once a month and I can honestly say there has only been one time we let there feeling less than completely satisfied and really that can happen anywhere. I think the case that night was they got slammed when they did not expect to so the wait was unusually long to get our food. Parking can be a little challenging but leaving yourself just a few extra minutes to find a spot will solve that. I really would recommend this place over any other restaurant in the area if you have a full hour for dinner, want a romantic and quaint atmosphere with unique food options and good wine.

My family has eaten here on three occasions — two graduations and one anniversary. My parents, who are from out of town, say the food they had here is the best food they have had. My husband, who has traveled all over Europe and the US, says that the food served here is in the top 2 of this all time favorites only behind a restaurant he visited in Belgium.
My son took his prom date here and they both loved it!
Wonderful food, cozy atmosphere. Can’t wait to go back for our next occasion.

My husband made reservations for 7:30pm on Saturday, May 10^th at Sperata to celebrate our 16^th wedding anniversary. We arrived a few minutes beforehand and stood in the front of the restaurant awaiting the hostess. Well, we waited and waited and eventually a waiter greeted us. My husband advised him we had a 7:30 reservation and we’d like the window seat. The waiter said the window seat was previously reserved and my husband said, «yes I reserved it on Wednesday.» The waiter apologized and said he’d have the window table ready in just a couple of minutes. Just then someone else came over and invited us to wait upstairs where we could sit at the bar and have a cocktail. We went upstairs and a Prom party was going on. We were asked if we were there to check on our kids. Really!!! So whatever… we had our drink and went back downstairs only to find that our reserved table had been given to another party.
We were seated in a smaller table, which by this point was fine — we had been there for 30 minutes and just wanted to be served. Our waiter greeted us and brought us cocktails, but I had to ask for water on the table. We were disappointed to learn that the kitchen had run out of the Steak Diane, so I ordered the lamb and my husband ordered a ribeye. Our waiter served us salad and bread, and again we waited… and waited… and waited. At this point it’s 9pm. We had been there since 7:30pm. Our waiter apologized and said 5 minutes. We gave him 10 and still no food. We were done!!! We kindly asked for the check and the waiter delivered it and actually assumed that we would pay for the entrees that never arrived. He said, he would «box them up» for us. Um, NO thanks. We could not believe it. No offer to comp our drinks, no sincere apologies and we left hungry… on our anniversary. :(

Great food and service. Pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. We had Valentine dinner with old friends who selected the place. Never rushed. Gave me free dessert just because the timing of my salad was not perfect.

Visited on a Friday night 8:00ish. This place is next to 37 main Bar and Music venue, where I was really heading. Decided to stop and get something to eat. Very nice inside with a pianist playing and white table linens. Service was extremely slow however, looked like they were very short staffed for the 20 or so tables maybe 2 servers. Then I notice people coming from upstairs must have been a party going on. Anyway order the Lobster and crab bisque which was really good and not so loaded with fish but fine for me. Nice flavor and thick just like I like it. Then I had the Seafood paella, seemed more like a seafood risotto then a paella. It was actually very good, had plenty of seafood in it including lobster. I was blown away with the food but it was good can’t complain about anything but the slow service. Our waiter was very nice and professional so I can’t say anything was off other than probably need more staff. I would give it another try.

We were going to have our Christmas lunch here, we had reservations. Showed up, needed the other door open, was treated rude immediately. Was sat down, given a Christmas menu which wasn’t posted on the website. After being seated for about 5 or so minutes, he came back, we decided to leave.

Dinner was ok. Service was extremely slow and could have been on point a little better. 3 hours for a dinner is a little too long for this cat. Asked for drinks or refills and it took 10 – 15 min. Should NOT take 15 min for a drink.
Pretty expensive too considering the portions. Its Buford, Ga for gods sake, not downtown Atlanta. Bring your prices down and turn your restaurant into a weekly place instead of a «special occasion» place.
3 stars is being generous as far as I’m concerned.

I came here for my birthday over the summer for lunch. I called ahead to make a reservation but I didn’t need to because we were the only people there the entire time.
It wasn’t the best atmosphere. There were no people and it looked a little dirty. The European style music that was played was a nice touch though.
The prices are a little expensive for the quality of the food. I got the salmon which tasted great but the rest of the entrees were way too salty. My family members couldn’t finish their food– which is a first! I don’t think I’ll be making my way to main street buford any time soon!
Three stars because I really liked the salmon. But that’s about the only good thing!