Crescent Moon

I really enjoyed the few dishes I had eaten at Crescent Moon, but unfortunately they closed. However, there may be light at the end of the tunnel…
After changing ownership hands a couple of times, they’ve reopened as a Thumb’s Up. I don’t know much about TU, but I think there are a couple of locations locally.
They have kept some of the dishes which were on the Crescent Moon menu. I had one of the «Heap» dishes, which was quite tasty. So, if you liked Crescent Moon, you may just like Thumb’s Up.

Walk on by!
This place needs to just STOP the bleeding… the new owners have ruined what was one of Decatur’s finest restaurants!

It seems that recently the reviews have gone down here. I don’t care and take this with a grain of salt.
I love biscuits and this is what I get. They have the best freaking biscuits ever. A huge fluffy whole wheat biscuit. yes, whole wheat. i know, a sacreligious southern blasphemy. again, i don’t care. The last time i went there, it was just for the biscuit.
I went to california for a month this summer and went out of my way to go to crescent moon on the way to the airport in the wee hours of the morning only to find out that they woudln’t be open in time for me to make my flight. in my book. if you go out of your way to go somewhere on the way to the airport. it’s 5 stars.
it’s just me. doesn’t rate the rest of the food. but i will say the people are really nice. it’s a cool restaurant and everyone i know loves the food.

This used to one of my favorite places and a four star review.
Unfortunately, the owner sold about nine months ago and it’s been downhill ever since. The food is very, very iffy at the moment and the service is bad. We ate there Monday night and vowed not to go back. They got my order wrong, then they couldn’t actually make my order (not enough rice on hand…) and my girlfriend’s dinner was bad. I heard they may close. Stay away until and unless things return to the way they were under previous ownership!!!

The fried green tomatoes are to die for. I crave a whole Veggie Heap skillet, packed with thick slices of potato and onion at the bottom, mounded high with broccoli and other veggies, and covered with cheddar and eggs. By the time I’ve polished this off, I rarely have room for their soaring, flaky biscuit, but the siren song of the homemade strawberry jam is too compelling. I stuff it in my mouth and trust there will be room by the time it reaches my stomach.
I loathe the garage. Damp, poorly-​lit, claustrophobic, and a real challenge for anyone who isn’t able-​bodied. There’s ONE handicapped space next door, but if it’s taken, I can rarely convince my wife (who uses crutches) to bother with the garage. Still, it’s never easy to find parking within 50 feet of the door in downtown Decatur, so it’s one of those things you just have to deal with. Alternately, since it’s so close to the MARTA station, you can skip parking in Decatur entirely. If you do park in the garage, ask the server for a parking buck (it looks vaguely like currency but has an obscured barcode printed all over it); it’ll save you the $ 6 parking fee.

OK I have been a long time fan of this place until recently. Here is why.
On 6.3.08 they got a 80 for a santation grade. Very poor. And I can see why they got that grade too. I use be a professional chef, and there is a saying. «If you got time to lean you got time to clean.» I guess they are doing to much leaning.
Today I sat at the bar the bar for a good 5 five minutes before someone helped me. The guy working the bar gave me no service at all, and he was very grumpy. Smile dude. One of the other servers working the main floor took my order. I ordered the Country Morning. A biscuit covered with sauage gravy, two scrambles and melted cheddar cheese. This has been my staple here for years. The last two times the whole dish was cold. Cold gravy is gross, cold eggs are even worst, and the cheese has not been melted on top. I have slowly watch the quality at this place fall, and I this point I will not be eating here any more.

This is by far one of the most overrated places in Atlanta. I had a friend who used to love coming to this place, so I’ve had more than my fair share of Crescent Moon and at multiple locations. I’ve never liked this place: the ambiance, food, parking, etc. It is greasy and the execution misses the mark.
I see all these good ratings on here, so I’m hesitant to even review this place. Did I miss something? Should I try it again?

My Caribbean chicken was way over done and the black beans where almost raw. The Caesar salad dressing smelled spoiled and the Caesar salad was not romaine but more of a spring mix and my soda had a bug in it.
It was good for kids, mostly because it was not that busy.

Ok, so maybe we went a the wrong time of day… dinner. I asked the waitress to help choose between crab cakes and the Indonesian banana chicken. She’s a vegetarian but she said the crab cakes were the most popular item. After eating them, I’d have to say– why was that exactly? They’re listed as made from backfin crabmeat. They were fishy and outside of that, flavorless. Came with a lonely Caesar made of field greens (huh?), three lonely croutons and some dressing in a disposable dressing container that came from a can, and fries that were cooked but that’s it. Not crispy, not nothin.
It’s such a cool looking place and the lines are out the door for breakfast but it was mediocre.
My kid’s grilled cheese– wasn’t cooked through. We’re talking, slices of cheese that we pulled out that were cold.
My wife’s portabello and spinach quesadilla was also pretty lame. We’ll have to try it for breakfast to give it a second chance. But don’t waste your time on it for dinner.

I like Crescent Moon for three simple reasons:
1. Cute, outer-​space-​meets-​retro-​diner décor.
2. Whole grain biscuits that are fluffy, not dense.
3. Griddle Grits! Mmm, crunchy, fried cheese goodness encasing creamy, packed-​with-​flavor grits. Soooo yum!
Yes, it can get packed. No, not everything on the menu is great. Some stuff is actually yuck. But what is good is GOOD. So I go!
Parking– if you’re coming from Ponce or Clairemont: head south on Commerce and turn left onto Swanton, towards the MARTA Station. Park in the garage next to SunTrust. Crescent Moon will give you a fake dollar bill as your token to get out of the lot.

Fantastic! I love this place for multiple reasons; the old 50’s diner fun atmosphere, the yummy looking desserts and most importantly, it’s the only place I’ve found that makes a killer homemade black bean burger! Just as Liz L. mentions «black bean burgers ARE important!» — especially to us vegetarians. — I don’t typically go to this location, I go to the one at Northlake Mall on our way home from Stone Mountain after a day of mountain biking (well, sorta mountain biking — HA!) This place make me long for the days of diners. Is it just me or are they a dying breed? I grew up in Connecticut and those were the places to hang out, meet friends and get some cheap eats. There just aren’t too many down here in the ATL. Such-​a-​bummer!

I like this place. It has a great black bean burger, which is important, because black bean burgers are important.
Also, their waitstaff is pretty rockin’, except for one lady who heavily sighs every time she’s asked for something, like she just can’t believe that you’d ACTUALLY ask your waitress to… umm…be a waitress.

I walked in and felt like i was in a retro-​futuristic diner… Where’s the food simulator? oh they still cook here? yay! That simulated food can’t be good for you!
Everything i had here has been superb… breakfast, lunch and dinner. The french toast is great! the non-​traditonal burittos are tasty also, and everything is fresh and wholesome. Not ya tipical diner, but One of my favorite places to grab a dessert or a meal, sip some coffee and imagine that you’re in a real life Jetson’s flick.

I have to echo Southern K’s review. The french toast is simply out of this world. Words fail to describe its super-​sweet, yet somehow hearty overall wonderfulness.
Of the rare times I’ve ventured beyond the french toast, everything has been quite good (with the exception of the grits — very bland). If you’re not in the breakfast mood they also make an excellent cheeseburger.
There’s going to be a wait on the weekend, but they are fairly efficeint at moving people through. So, be patient, order whatever looks good to you, but for the love of all things holy, make sure you get a slice of french toast with whatever you order. You’ll be glad you did.

This is one of my favorite places to eat. I like to sit in a booth by the window and people watch. Delicious food. Nice staff. Validated parking. My only wish is that they kept later hours on Sundays.
They serve a wide variety of food and it has all been good. I would recommend the tuna burger, cream cheese scramble (scrambled eggs and cream cheese), and meatloaf with mashed potatoes. As for appetizers, the artichoke dip is truly amazing. It is not that gross, processed crap they serve at the chain restaurants. It has huge pieces or artichoke heart and real cheese and it’s served with pieces of toasted, buttery bagel. In regards to sides, the grilled tofu, asparagus, fruit salad, mac and cheese (so good!), grilled tomatoes, and sweet potato fries are delicious. Finally, the milkshakes and fruit cobbler are wonderful. The only thing I haven’t enjoyed as much is their specials. Those have tended to be overpriced and underseasoned.
Weekend mornings are super busy and you must wait for a seat, so I try to avoid going then, but for lunch or dinner, I’ve never had to wait. Basically, this place gives me the warm fuzzies and I leave feeling relaxed and well-​fed.

The kind of diner where Lucy & Ethel might’ve come up with one of their schemes while sitting over two eggs sunny side up and sizzling strips of bacon, Crescent Moon is one of the cornerstones of the Decatur dining scene.
The light-​filled, cheery-​retro interior, complete with swiveling bar stools, will make you wish you’d worn your poodle skirt or letterman’s jacket.
Most of the food, too, adheres to retro food groups — while there are some lighter options, the majority of the menu is sticktoyourribs hearty. Breakfast is served all day — and once you see the table next to you order ‘The Heap,’ you’ll have already decided that’s what you’re getting too. The heap is a concoction of potatoes, eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese — and you can even pretend like it’s a low calorie meal by ordering a half sized portion.
Lunchtime options offer soups, salads, and burgers — and during dinner they have ‘Blue Plate Specials’ too, with meals like meatloaf or salmon.
As soon as you walk into the diner, you’re immediately greeted by some oversized fluffy cakes behind the shiny glass display — and good luck saving room for ‘em. But at least there’s always take-​out.

I’d say the best thing about this solid breakfast spot is that they sell challah french toast by the slice so you can order it almost like a side. And it’s gooey and delicious.
Second to the french toast, for me anyway, is the atmosphere. They’ve painted the walls in different colors, mostly alternating blues like dark blue and periwinkle. Then there are the lights — big globes hanging from the ceiling and many others. There are these neat little round lights on the left wall as you walk in, that look sort of like mini ceiling lights, but on the wall. They may be meant to look like stars. I like them. There are comfy booths all over, and tables in the middle but there is enough space that you don’t feel crowded and second-​rate at a table.
I ordered the wrong thing, though — the breakfast burrito (which is actually called something else that’s escaping me at the moment). I occasionally will order this somewhere because I like breakfast burritos as a general rule. Then I will eat it and remember that I like my own breakfast burritos just as much as I ever like a breakfast burrito out, and get somewhat disappointed. This sensation, of being able to do something just as well as a restaurant can, is rare and unsettling for someone like me who loves food but doesn’t cook much.
The «heaps» are a signature dish here, and will be a good choice for most. A «heap» consists of potatoes with eggs and other ingredients such as meat, cheese, and veggies, served in a skillet. You can get a half-​order which makes the amount of food almost reasonable.
My main problem with the food is that I am particular about my breakfast potatoes, and I don’t care for this particular preparation. They’re basically cut into haphazard chunks and seasoned, served a bit on the mushy side.
I am a hash browns girl, myself, so it’s probably best if I either stick to the sweet side of Crescent Moon’s menu, or go a la carte. Even aside from the french toast, there’s lots of choices, you can have an cheese croissant or biscuit sandwich, for example, something I can never go wrong with.

I can see how some would roll their eyes at the self-​conscious fiftyness of the décor, but the food is hard to beat. I tend to go for the Southern comfort angle (Mac n’ cheese, BBQ sandwich, collards, etc), and am always … comforted.
The outdoor seating faces a parking deck, but they’ll validate your parking in the lot ’round back, which ain’t bad in Decatur.
Pretty good bottled beers. Not a great wine selection. The latter really doesn’t make much of a difference to me, but it might to some.

There are a lot of lights here. I mean, a LOT of lights. It looks like the lighting section at IKEA exploded and most of it lodged in the ceiling in downtown Decatur. Yet… it’s pretty cool looking.
I dig places that serve breakfast all day long, but I decided to have a real dinner when I was here last week. I tempted premanently clogging my arteries by ordering a fried chicken breast drenched in buffalo sauce, served with a side of fries and gorgonzola ranch dressing. It was great, like an order of wings without the pesky nibbling and bones.
Top it off with a glass of real chocolate milk… what more do you need?

Neighborhood diner-​style joint with a mean breakfast menu. I love sitting down on a weekend morning, ordering a breakfast croissant, have a coffee, and relax. Bright colours, bold blues, yellows and the requisite diner chrome make up a good deal of the themes. Lanterns, both round and icosohedral, hang from the ceilings emitting a wan yellow — adding accents to the flourescent white lights that keep the place well lit.
Service is by young gals (and a couple guys) who are uniformly friendly — adding to the local diner sort of atmosphere. Thus far, I haven’t made it past the croissant sandwiches, Sweet fries, the hash browns (chunky), and the Arnold’s Eggs. I keep ordering the same things!
Flavourful and homey, it gets a four from me.