Poor Calvin’s

This place has like no visible public parking at first glance. They have a valet parking on the side but I parked about a block away on the side of the street (No signs or anything but I saw other cars and risked it lol).
When my girlfriend and I came, the place was pretty busy but we were able to get seated in a a few minutes. The waiter was very nice and welcoming and recommended the fried. chicken and crispy beef for us. They also have vegetarian options as well!
Now, I thought it was weird ordering the fried chicken from this place because how great can fried chicken be right? But I figured if the waiter recommended it then hey, let’s give it a try. The food came and was plated pretty beautifully and had numerous colors in it. This fried chicken was some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had and garnished with fried kale, I love it. It came on a bed of lobster mac and cheese and it was so hearty and rich. It really topped the meal off.
The crispy beef my girlfriend got was actually crispy! We thought it’d be seared or something but it had a similar texture to chips but much thicker. It was good, the flavoring was done well and it came with plenty of veggies and rice. Not my personal favorite because the texture wasn’t really my preference, but it was still done very well.
We finished with the red velvet cake with mascarpone cheese and it was heavenly! It had strawberry popping boba in the middle for an explosion of flavor. Definitely a must try and it’s huge.
Come try this place out for yourself!

Two words. Lobster wontons! Dined at Poor Calvin’s for brunch today were I was promptly seated (reservation was made) in their sunroom area. I had the chicken and sweet potato waffle while my friend had the lobster fried rice for entrees.
Honestly, I was underwhelmed by the pairing of the sweet potato waffle and fried chicken breast but the fried chicken on its own was worth the plate. Fried chicken has a hint of spice to it almost making it unnoticeable in the combination with the waffle.
I was able to nibble on my friend’s fried lobster. The presentation was more delicious than the initial dive. My expectations may have been too high but for me it tasted like your average fried rice. It was graciously garnished which did set it apart from what you would get at a Chinese restaurant. I did feel that if more lobster were added and distributed throughout then this entrée could have gotten a gold star from me.
Atmosphere: the restaurant is small so during peak hours you’re a chairs length from the next party or patiently waiting in the door to be seated. The sunroom/​porch area began to heat up as more people came but we’re in summertime Georgia sitting on a glassed in porch… the temperature is bound to rise.

We made our reservation for a Friday dinner at calvins through open table. They had a number of slots available.
After reaching here, we realized that we would have gotten our table irrespective of the advance reservation, because they have so many tables.
The food, no doubt is great without having to wait for it. It’s pretty quick. Was not a big fan of the service or the ambiance. The portions however are pretty good size.

*Small surface lot located behind the restaurant — it runs out of spaces often, so be wary*
After hearing about Poor Calvin’s through friends and reading the plethora of rave reviews here, I am surprisingly and sadly very underwhelmed by the food here. I took a friend and my sister here and was really excited to try the food, but all of us left just «meh». Now I’m left wondering if I just had a terrible experience on an off night.
The atmosphere here is great — nice open seating plan and comfortable. It was nice to be seated in the patio area where there was plenty of natural sunlight coming through. The food smelled amazing! I would still recommend making a reservation via OpenTable if possible, though they were not busy at all in the early evening on weekday.
We started off with an appetizer of calamari that was just any other calamari I’ve had with a more crispy batter versus those at like say, an Italian restaurant. The batter/​crispiness reminded me of the outside of a mozzarella stick. It was drizzled with a pineapple mayo which tasted like honey mustard (which I was not a fan of) with a side of sweet and spicy sauce. It was good, but nothing to call home about or anything crazy special that you couldn’t get anywhere else.
How does a restaurant mess up plain ol’ white rice? Well, they serve you half-​cooked rice that is still tough to chew. We sent it back and they apologized to us for serving us rice from the batch that was «still cooking».
My sister ordered a dish with all kinds of seafood in a curry-​type based sauce — can’t remember the name for the life of me but it’s not on the menu on their website. It had a nice flavor to it and had plenty of pieces of seafood in it — the tiger shrimp was my favorite. Probably the best dish that evening.
I ordered the lamb rack for myself, which was 3 pieces of super fatty, hardly-​any-​meat lamb. The flavoring was mediocre and honestly, I can make better lamb chops myself. The temperature was nice though — medium rare. The broccolini was probably the best part of this dish. The kale mashed potatoes were probably some of the worst I’ve had in recent memory — all three of us tried it and all agreed that it had zero taste. Literally potatoes mashed with some cooked kale with no salt or butter or anything! Perhaps it really was an off night?
The crispy beef tips that my friend ordered reminded me of something I’ve had at PF Changs or Panda Express. No joke. It was so fried that there was hardly any beef left to chew. All batter, no beef, and tasted like American Chinese food.
Our waitress was really nice and attentive, at least.
Unfortunately I was just really not a fan of the food here — maybe I came on an off night or maybe my tastebuds just aren’t used to «fusion» Thai food, but it really wasn’t worth the price and you can get better food at a legit Thai restaurant like Thai of Norcross for half the price of less.

Okay, Atlanta. I tip my hat to you for Poor Calvin’s. Nestled just a few blocks from downtown Atlanta, this restaurant earned it’s 5 star Unilocal rating. It’s southern, Thai, and Japanese fusion and it’s perfect. There’s a bar and two rooms serving great creations from dessert to cocktails to main dishes. I had a great Thai iced tea followed by classic fried green tomatoes. Both were good, but what stood out to me was the beef tip with coconut rice dish. It’s perfectly cooked, crunchy, and flavored! I’ll be back, Poor Calvin’s!

With four and half stars and over 1000 reviews I expected a lot out of Poor Calvin’s. They have nice outdoor seating, but that’s all I was happy about. Here’s a list of dishes and some notes:
— Basil Rolls: Just your regular spring roll but only with veggies. The mustard sauce was pretty decent.
— Lobster Macaroni and Cheese: The waiter told us the only good thing about the fried chicken dish was the lobster mac and cheese, so we went ahead and got the mac and cheese as an appetizer. This dish was my favorite amongst everything we ordered. Still wasn’t crazy about it.
— Chicken Coconut: My brother said it was some of the best coconut soup he’s had so if you trust my brother, go for it!
— Shrimp Tom Yum: Good tom yum that will clean up your sinuses BUT you only get one shrimp. We shared the soup and I managed to get the shrimp. Warning: this dish may cause an argument.
— Fried Red Grouper Thai Curry: For some reason we completely ignored the fact that this dish was fried, so when it arrived we were a bit disappointed. If you are a fried fish type of person, you may like this dish.
— Bone in Smoked Pork Loin: The waiter recommended the pork, so I was excited about this dish. Sadly, it was over cooked so we didn’t enjoy it as much as we had hoped.
Thai Curry (gluten free, vegan): My dad doesn’t eat meat, so he ordered this item. He didn’t tell me what he really felt about the curry but just by reading facial expressions, it didn’t seem like he cared much for it.
Overall, we were disappointed but maybe it was just an off day or we don’t understand the complex tastes of Thai fusion. Make sure you go with an appetite because the dishes are pretty large.

Food and service was a perfect combination last night! My colleague and I could not stop eating or raving about the mouthwatering meals we had. Our server was a consummate professional, informative, and friendly. We were truly taken aback by how wonderful the inspired Thai fused dishes were; we believed it would be good, but wasn’t prepared for how good! From the appetizers to the dessert, I could not stop eating! My personal favorite was the deviled eggs with Korean BBQ beef and caviar, that was flash fried in a light tempura batter. The rest of the staff was friendly the entire time we were there as well. We always had full glasses of water and our wine glasses were topped off from our bottle of wine (which was half off last night).
The one thing I didn’t like was that it was extremely loud. It was a fairly small space that was filled with energetic people. Obviously, that still did not affect my culinary experience.

This place has been bookmarked and recommended by so many people! I’m glad I finally got a chance to check it out. I didn’t get the full experience, but that means another opportunity to check it out. I went with Justin for drinks and appetizers since I was already in the area. We were all cocktailed-​out from lunch, but we tried lavender lemonade and a raspberry tea. The lavender lemonade is amazing! Highly recommended. Especially if you don’t drink or are planning to be the DD. We didn’t really like the raspberry tea, but it wasn’t bad either.
For appetizers, we tried the fresh basil rolls and the pork & chicken dumplings. They were both really good! They weren’t my favorite basil rolls, but still really good. They were different from any that I’ve ever had because they have a raspberry-​tasting sauce on top. So it had a subtle sweet twist. That exemplified their fusion theme, which I really liked and had respect for the chef.
The atmosphere is classy & trendy at the same time. The music is fun, upbeat yet ambient. The bartenders were all really nice and made us feel welcome. Everyone in the whole restaurant was really friendly and you can tell they were genuine too.
I want to come back and try their lobster mac & cheese, fried chicken, and pineapple fried rice!

Loud. This place was loud. The kind of loud where you find yourself shouting so the person across from you has some hope of hearing you, assuming they’re not already deaf or dying from acoustic trauma.
But the food was outstanding, as was the service. I visited as part of one of my alumni group’s monthly culinary outings. I cannot remember the server’s name, but he and his colleagues took very good care of us. My glass was never empty. My order was confirmed and the food itself was excellent.
Chef Calvin blends a variety of Asian influences with Southern traditions, but with 1,062 reviews preceding mine, I’m sure you know this already. The server said one thing which stood out to me, and that was everything coming out of the kitchen was going to have a spicy kick to it. Some items more than others. He was right, but I didn’t have anything which overpowered my palate in any way. And everyone at my table seemed generally happy with their meal.
I got to sample the calamari and the lobster mac as appetizers. Both were good. I can see how someone might make a meal out of the lobster mac by itself. But the real star of my meal here was the pork loin. Served with a «dollop» of basil mashed potatoes, the pork loin itself was a crowd pleaser – cooked just right and served with a curry dijon mustard, and bacon cream. It really was excellent.
The star of everyone else’s meal was the Suspension Cake, which was so big, it looked like something out of _​2001: A Space Odyssey_​. I mean, the thing cast a shadow. It was two layers of red velvet cake surrounding a thick layer of strawberry-​sweetened mascarpone cheese, and topped with a chocolate ganache. The whole thing was garnished with a pistachio drizzle and a pizzelle cookie. I confess, I had a spoonful of it. It was really good. I imagine eating the whole thing (which could easily serve six people), would be like trying to eat a cannoli. A colossal, burrito-​sized cannoli. Delicious madness.
Parking can be tricky, but they have parking privileges at a nearby lot. Next time I go, I’ll bring earplugs and I’ll try to communicate with sign language. Holler if you’re coming with.

The Gville peeps decided to have a hangout, and to celebrate my early birthday too.
Parking can be a bit tricky since their parking lot was small, but you can either park at the auto shop or across from the park on the side of the apartments (intersection of Piedmont and Renaissance). Just make sure it is on the opposing side of the park as there are signs on the side of the park that says no parking. lol.
We decided to share the lobster wonton. It usually comes with 3 pieces but the waiter added an additional piece as there was 4 in our party. That thing was to die for. The light raspberry drizzle was amazing as well.
I had the fried chicken as a friend’s review enticed me in doing so. The lobster fried rice also seemed good, but paying that amount for rice seemed a bit much so I went for the chicken with lobster mac n cheese. The noodles were creamy and delicious, and the chicken was tender and juicy.
My friends each ordered varying dishes (lamb and beef), and they all seemed to love their choices. The atmosphere was nice and relaxing as well. The waiter was nice in bringing out a tiramisu dessert as it was a birthday ish celebration.

The good: finally! My first legit 5 star place in Atlanta. After traveling in Atlanta for a couple of days, it was our last night here that we finally found a place that, imo, would be worth coming back to. For appetizer we had the lemon grass mussels, it was on point. Mains we had the lobster fried rice, bone in smoked pork chop, and duck dynasty — all of which were really good! Couldn’t have gone wrong with any. Portions sizes were more than enough. Taste was amazing. Service was impeccable :)
The bad: the décor of the place was meh, wasn’t too fancy, at times some parts of the restaurant were tight to get around, but it’s about the food! :) and that was great.
The ugly: the dessert was sold out :(unfortunate but got to live on.
Neutral: it’s great for groups, during my visit here there were two birthday groups going on. There was a couple of cozy spots for dates, and tables of 4 for regular dinner outings. Absolutely recommend.

One of the nicest restaurants we visited while taking a road trip from New York to Florida. We stopped for dinner, and found Poor Calvin’s on Unilocal,with 4.5 stars and over 1,000 reviews it was really promising. This restaurant is super busy and crowed, when we arrived, we were asked if we have reservations. There were available tables outside but it was pretty cold ad windy — no one was sitting outside. The other option was sitting at the bar, but as I do not like to sit at the bar and we were dressed down (driving in car all day), we chose to sit outside and freeze. After few minutes, we managed to get a little table inside, so it was pretty nice that they found something for us, without having a reservation.
We noticed that the food portions were huge. Especially the cakes. And after our huge main dishes, we did not have any space left for the cake. Well, maybe next time…
I ordered Vegetable Curry with rice, and there was an option to add tofu ($ 2 extra). Usually I like the veggies only, but I thought that extra tofu would be nice. So the whole dish was about $ 16 and it was pretty big, good to share.
— I rate my Vegetable Curry ⁴⁄₅ because my dish was, even though it was very tasty, missing salt. Also, there weren’t enough vegetables, my curry consisted mainly of huge tofu blocks (they were supposed to be «added», not the main thing!), so I was a bit disappointed. I wish I didn’t order tofu with veggies, so I could enjoy vegetables only. Another thing about this dish — there was not enough rice for the amount of curry served. The rice I had was enough for ¼ part of the curry only, at the end I was eating only the sauce and tofu.
— Pad Thai was delicious. Really good flavors and texture, absolutely loved it. Still, I would rate it ⁴⁄₅ because the food was a bit too oily and I think they could have added more veggies, in my opinion.
We did not try the cakes, but we saw people eating them and not even finishing a half. The slices were really big and beautiful. I would definitely come back to try more.

First of all… Calvin is not poor. He is rich in creativity and has a wealth of technique and inspiration at his command.
His restaurant is the lovechild of Thai flavors mixed with Southern Favorites… It is an alien sounding experiment that fires on all cylinders in practice.
Drink up… Calvin will pay for an über back to your hotel! And they have my favorite beer DogFishHead’s 90 minute IPA available at a bargain basement $ 5 a bottle!
Our Lobster Fried Rice arrived as a huge portion with plenty of Lobster meat. it was nearly identical to a dish I ordered in Bangkok’s ChinaTown…
The Fried Chicken and Lobster MacN Cheez was Out of this world… The Chicken had a fish sauce funk that breathed new life to this southern delicacy. I licked the plate. and it was a huge plate. I gained 3 pounds at that meal. And I do not regret an ounce of it.

Was really looking forward to coming here because all the reviews were great and I couldn’t wait to try everything!
We called to see if they had any seats open on a Tuesday night for four people (3 adults and toddler) at around pm. They said the first slot they had open was for 7:45pm. We drove there anyway just so we can put our name on the list since it was only 5 minutes away. When we got there, they said they could seat us right away in one of the outdoor seats. Great!
However, it took them about 10 more minutes before they came to seat us. I figured it was cool since we didn’t think we would get seated until 7:45pm anyway. The waitress came after about 5 minutes and asked for our drink orders. Then came back about 10 minutes later to get our food order. We ordered the lemongrass steamed mussels for our appetizer, then the seafood mélange, the fried chicken with mac and cheese, and the duck dynasty.
I think the food itself was a 4 star type of food. However, we waited so long for our orders — I would say 35 – 45 minutes, that I had to knock it down 1 star. The waitress was nice but she barely came to our table to even check our drinks or to give us an update on where our food was. She also took forever getting the check. Maybe it was just a busy night. I don’t know. We were seated outside, so I couldn’t tell. But it just took way too long. And our toddler can sit there for hours and be fine. I was the one that was getting a little frustrated since took so long.
In any case, the mussels were pretty good. Just a bit too salty for my liking. The seafood mélange was delicious. The seafood was cooked well — not rubbery and seasoned well — not too salty. There was an ample amount of seafood so that’s always great! The fried chicken with mac and cheese was also tasty. Not dry at all and the mac and cheese, our toddler approved. The duck was my husband’s favorite. And I must admit, I was impressed with the duck. I typically don’t like duck unless it’s peking duck and even then, I only like it from one or two places. In any case, their duck was not gamey at all. Very nice.
Anyway, I’m not sure if I would come back but it’s definitely worth a visit. Maybe our waitress was just having on off night that night. She was still nice though!

Poor Calvin’s was my last meal in Altanta before getting on a plane Friday night. It’s got charm it’s eccentric it’s got attitude!
It was a really nice meal it was a reward to myself I had just closed one of the biggest deals of my career that morning and that feeling of certainty accompanied by good food and great atmosphere makes a flight back to New York City all the better!
I started big with Fried Green Tomatoes and Basil Rolls wrapped in soft-​skin rice paper and curry mustard sauce which were perfect selections to start before an entrée.
I got the Lobster Fried Rice it looked like too much fun and was delicious the Lobster was deep fried on top of a bed of perfectly cooked fried rice perfect Southern Asian Fusion.
I didn’t get desert but they looked good too, you’ll want to come here it’s the perfect blend of both worlds.

Good things come to those who wait and this is especially true for my experience at Poor Calvin’s. See, I have long bookmarked them and an opportunity to try them never came up until 1 lunch date with a fellow Unilocaler came up.
We had a wonderful lunch date here! We arrived and parked across the street at an auto garage, entered into the quaint establishment and were seated immediately.
Our server had perfect timing with everything, from water refills, ordering and checking up on us. We decided to treat ourselves to the lobster wontons for starters. It was generously filled with lobster and topped with caviar. Delicious!
I decided on the fried chicken w/​lobster mac and cheese and my friend decided on the lobster fried rice. When I saw her dish come out, I was regretting my decision because her dish was a large portion of delicious looking fried rice topped with a huge lobster tail. It was an A+ on presentation alone, but my friend was super nice in giving me some to try.
My fried chicken was not anything to laugh at tho! it was perfectly seasoned and fried, resulting in a juicy, moist Southern rendition. The lobster mac and cheese was more than enough for 2 people so there was a lot still left on my plate but it was really delicious as well. We watched as other diners got their lunches and I have to admit, all the portions were very generous.
To finish (cause we had to finish our get-​together with something sweet) we decided on the pandan pound cake. The server originally told us it would be served alongside butter pecan ice cream, but it came out with plain vanilla ice cream. It was really a small matter as the pound cake was already sweet enough as is.

I am not sure what exactly is «poor» about Poor Calvin’s, because it certainly isn’t the food, service or atmosphere. Prior to a trip to Atlanta, I turned to Unilocal for suggestions on where to take my boyfriend for his birthday dinner. Boy am I glad I listened to 1000+ Unilocalers.
We made reservations and were even able to push them back a couple of hours before. Cute little place right outside of downtown. Very unassuming. We were seated in the sunroom, but there were a couple of different rooms, all with eclectic décor. Our server was very friendly and had excellent drink recommendations. I went with the Dixie Derby (yum) and my boyfriend the Jasmine Manhattan. Both were excellent. We started with the lobster wontons as well. Crispy wontons with a creamy lobster filling and topped with caviar.
Our entrees came out surprisingly quick. That is actually my only complaint about the entire experience. We would have liked to drag out the celebration a little more, but no big deal. I got the fried chicken. And let me tell you, this is not your grandmother’s fried chicken. The perfectly fried chicken breast was served atop lobster mac and cheese (which is why I ordered the dish I can’t lie). The lobster mac and cheese was absolutely perfect. Cavatappi and bowtie in a creamy cheese sauce with the sweet lobster. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. BF got the crispy beef since that seemed to be a big hit on the reviews. Such good flavor and the jasmine rice and crispy kale were perfect compliments.
They brought out a complimentary crème brûlée dessert for the birthday celebration. Although we were stuffed, we still cleaned the pot.
The staff were so nice and friendly, and they even set up an Über for you if you are staying downtown! We had such a great experience that I would not come back to Atlanta without coming here!

The visuals on the food is great, very fun and brightly colored plating. I was disappointed with how the flavors delivered though, much blander, one dimensional then I thought. Everything seemed to be missing something in so far as texture interest or flavor contrast and balance.
The gyoza dumplings were by far the best thing we ordered.
Very cramped entryway and bar area.
FYI: The spring rolls were IMPOSSIBLE to eat, because they were cut on both sides and loose. What a huge mess all over!
Shrimp fried rice was pretty basic and standard, not terrible, but not standout or memorable in any way.
Wanted to love this place, it just didn’t pan out in multiple ways.

Maybe I set my expectations too high before coming here but I wasn’t too impressed with the food here. It’s decent and the service is good but nothing out of the ordinary.
We got the following:
* crispy beef– meh, I didnt dig the crispy part of the beef and thought the dish was a bit too salty. My husband loved this though!
* duck dynasty — tasty. The duck has a nice balance of being rare, being chewy and well-​seasoned. My most favorite dish of the meal
* lobster wonton — meh too. I dont understand the rave on this dish here. Taste nothing spectacular or different from the typical wonton.
* phở cocktail — it is a tasty drink but since I had such a great Phở cocktail in vietnam, this one got a high bar to surpass which it didn’t. I wish it had more of a cinnamon, cilantro, and more herb taste to the drink to really complete the taste of Phở in the cocktail if that’s what they are aiming at.

Upon arrival you will be greeted by this unassuming house turned restaurant, and then you step inside and the décor is just as much about fusion as the food. Elegant but eclectic, each room had it’s own vibe, and each table had it’s own style. We were escorted to the extended dining room which seemed to be an added on piece that wrapped around the building of the main house. It had beautiful pendants, and windows letting in wonderful light which I knew would give me excellent photos (And it did deliver!)
We were seated and immediately our waiter was attentive and helpful as we asked many questions about the menu. Since we were in a time crunch to make the airport we were quick to order. I went for the Tom Yum soup as a starter because anytime I see it on the menu I have to try it. It was delicious with the right amount of heat and spice, the only thing I wish it had was more protein as there was only one large shrimp in the bowl.
My friend wanted to try one of their signature cocktails, so she ordered the Lychee Martini. It was sweet made with kettle one vodka and a lychee and grapefruit liquor.
The stars of the show were certainly our main courses. We went with the Crispy Beef, and it was unforgettably good. We were obsesed with the texture of the beef, it had a nice crunch and were generous portions of angus beef tip. We also ordered a Chicken Thai Curry dish which was creamy and delicious with a good balance of spice to cream. Next time, because there will definitely be a next time, I will order the Pineapple Fried Rice, and the Fried Chicken with Lobster Mac and Cheese.
As if things weren’t delicious enough, we decided we couldn’t leave without trying one of their desserts. Without any pictures or anything except the description from our waiter, we went with the Toasted Pound cake, and when it was brought out we just about shed a tear. It was picture perfect, almost too good to eat. It was a house-​made liquor ice cream on top of lychee pound cake and mixed with fresh fruit doused in a lime green sauce. I don’t even fully know what we were eating, but it was so outstanding we didn’t even care before we scarfed it down.
The meal was excellent, one of my favorites from our trip to Atlanta. I would hope anyone who lives in Atlanta has found this gem, and if not, put it on your list like right now.

Der ehemalige Irish Pub ist jetzt ein «American-​Thai-​Fusion» Restaurant. Klingt kompliziert, ist es praktisch aber nicht: In modernem Design, mit netter halboffener «Terrasse» (oder sind es nur große, offene Fenster) empfängt das PCAF die Gäste. Der Service der fast ausschlißelich männlichen Belegschaft ist ausgesprochen freundlich.
Die Speisekarte ist nicht allzu üppig, was damit begründet wird, dass die Gäste eh immer gefragt haben, was man denn empfehle, so dass es nur wenige Gerichte gewünscht wurden.
So finden sich bei den Startern z.B. Lobster Won-​Tons. Crab Cakes und Beef Satay. Die Entrees reichen von Grilled Lamb über Currys bis hin zu Pad Thai.
So richtig überzeugen konnten mich die Gerichte — bei mir gab es Lobster WonTon und Pad Thai mit Tiger Shrimps — nicht: Auch wenn das Pad Thai soweit ok war, war das Lobster Wonton eher enttäuschen: Vom Lobster geschmacklich keine Spur.
Alles in allem gebe ich vier Sterne — für das Essen drei bis vier («ok»), den guten Serive fünf und das Ambiente vier.