As y’all know, Fifth Group’s restaurants are some of my favorites in Atlanta. Sooooooo naturally, I’ve been closely watching the progress of their newest downtown hot spot, Alma Cocina.
Set to open this month, Lauren + I were recently able to take a sneak peak into the contemporary Mexican restaurant to try out some of their tasty bites!
When it officially opens, Alma Cocina will serve lunch + dinner and provide catering services to the downtown Atlanta area. The restaurant accommodates about 200 guests for traditional dining room seating, accented by two distinct bar areas with large booths and communal tables which spill out into the beautiful One Ninety One Peachtree Tower atrium.
We sat at the bar, which was a spectacular choice, because we got to spend two full hours with the fabulous bartender Tony – who, get THIS, plays a zombie in AMC’s The Walking Dead seasons 1+2! We love him. MEET him.
I started off with a skinny girl margarita called “Just Wear Black”: Herradura silver tequila, agave syrup, and hand-squeezed lime juice. It was goooooooood. Made perfectly.
Lauren opted for some amazing-looking rum drink. I missed the name of the cocktail, and admittedly, the ingredients - but I DO know this: Lauren liked it a lot. And, it comes in a cool glass. Witness, por favor:
Our man Tony ordered us some traditional Guacamole: tomato, lime, cilantro, red onion, and serrano. It was good. Although we didn’t try it, we thought the Guacamole & Butternut Squash on the menu sounded pretty cool. It’s seasoned with chipotle and queso fresco.
Lauren and I decided to share everything – small plates and entrees. We certainly brought our appetites.
One of my favorite dishes of the night was the Yellowtail Ceviche: pickled mango, cucumber-serrano water, coconut granita, Fresno chile, and micro cilantro. So fresh – so light and unexpected at a Mexican restaurant.
Next up, Braised Lamb Taquitos: cucumber-mint salsa, fire-roasted salsa, queso cotija, and pomegranate seeds. We thought the pomegranate seeds were such a nice touch, and they added a unique flavor to this creative dish.
We moved on to the Huitlacoche Empanada: corn truffle, charred tomato, jalapeno, queso Oaxaca, epazote, and salsa ranchero. It hit the spot.
Tony stopped us there and informed us that we needed a wee bit more to drink. (Did I mention that we loved Tony?!) He whipped up a blended pina colada with ginger for us to share. It tasted like Christmas in Mexico! And, you MUST know by now how we feel about umbrellas in our drinks. We couldn’t have been happier if we tried. 
We made Tony take a picture of us with it…
- hello!!
Eventually, it was dinner time. We shared a Pork Pibil Tamale: banana leaf-braised with bacon-corn masa, green chile sauce, crema, and pico de gallo.
And, also a Roasted Chicken Mole Oaxaca: mashed plantains, grilled green beans, and sesame seeds. I pretty much ate all of the plantain mash. SO good. Sorry, Lauren…
To finish off our grande meal, we shared a few bites of the refreshing Grapefruit-Mint Sorbet: rum-marinated pineapple, guajillo chile sauce.
I’m fully aware that that was a lot of food for two lovely ladies, and I’m being completely honest when I say that we ate most of it and we weren’t in a food coma when we left the restaurant. The plates were smallish – perfect for sharing – and many of them were lighter than you’d expect at a Mexican restaurant. We LOVED Alma Cocina + we’re thrilled to add it to our Fifth Group favorites list! Heck, we’ll even drive downtown to eat there… Anytime.
Welcome, Alma Cocina! Ay! Ay! Ay! We’ll be back soon.
xx, L
Alma Cocina
191 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
http://www.alma-atlanta.com/
