Friday night we visited Utopia [insert various food types here] Lounge for a friend’s birthday.  Although Utopia is located less than half a mile from my current residence and I’ve heard good things about its bar scene, I have never taken the opportunity to visit.  Utopia is currently touted as a Cajun and tapas lounge, but has previously been a tapas, sushi, and martini bar, among other things.  Despite all this, Utopia is, at it’s heart, a nightclub. The kitchen is open until 1am and there are three different rooms with separate DJ’s and ambiances. The Lounge’s confusion about its cuisine led to a little confusion over its menu offerings, but we soon settled on two items from the Cajun side of the menu, the Southern Fried Chicken and the Seafood Crepes, both with a side of Cajun fries.

Southern Fried Chicken

Seafood Crepes

As you can see, the fried chicken dish came with at least half a chicken, garlic bread, and a side, and was very reasonably priced.  The seafood crepes were filled and topped with sauteed shrimp, crawfish, and oysters (the menu said the topping was a “New Orleans Veronique Sauce”, but it didn’t meet those qualifications).  Hoping we didn’t have another sub par New Orleans food experience, we took our first bites:

Mario's First Bite

Jessica's First Bite

I was very very pleasantly surprised by the crepes.  The seafood was in large chunks so you could taste each different element (although they most likely weren’t fresh), and the sauce was very creamy with just the right amount of spiciness.  Mario said the breading on the fried chicken was also quite good.

Utopia’s Cajun menu held up to my expectations of Cajun food, something that doesn’t happen often outside Louisiana.  Though we didn’t order any tapas, we did taste a friend’s chicken fingers (a plate which also gives you a lot for a little), which were also good, and had a very tasty tangy sauce. I can see a “Girls Night Out” at Utopia for cocktails and tapas in my future!

www.utopiaatlanta.com