When it comes to shopping malls, most contain the same mainstream options for stores and food. Phipps Plaza in Atlanta breaks the mold. The upscale shopping plaza has a wide array of unique stores and unbelievably delicious food options in its Citizens Market.
Phipps Plaza
Resting in the Buckhead district, Phipps Plaza is an upscale shopping and dining center. The physical address is 3500 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30326. You will find unique stores such as Byredo, Chico’s, Dior, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Prada, and Versace. It is not your run-of-the-mill shopping experience.
The shopping plaza also houses attractions for kids, including an AMC movie theater, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and LEGO Discovery Center Atlanta. With unparalleled experiences at the LEGO store, Phipps Plaza is anything but ordinary for the kids.
Whether you want a luxury shopping experience or entertainment for the kids, you will be thrilled with your food choices when you are ready for a break.
Citizens Market
A 25,000-square-foot immersive food hall, Citizens Market comprises nine chef-driven brands and a full indoor and outdoor bar. You can access the culinary utopia inside Phipps Plaza or from the sprawling outdoor courtyard. The physical address is 3480 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30326.
Citizens Market offers such fantastic food it is challenging to remember you are at a shopping plaza. The food is categorized as fast casual, but the quality is excellent. Award-winning chefs bring flavorful, inspiring, and creative concoctions to the plaza menus. You can choose from various cuisines ranging from modern American food to unique Asian fusion dishes.
With indoor and outdoor seating, the dining area is a gathering place for friends and family. You can feel a positive energy in the air to go along with all those smiling faces and contented bellies.
Cicci Di Carne
Enjoy an Italian dining experience with a Tuscan influence. World-renowned master butcher Dario Cecchini has designed a simple yet delicious menu that features elevated paninis and healthy salads.
The paninis are fresh, creative, and bursting with flavor. Most contain unique ingredients you do not encounter at your average sandwich shop.
Vegetarian options include the Caprese salad and a grilled artichoke and arugula salad. Although Cicci Di Carne is known for its delicious meats, their salads stand independently with crisp produce and fresh flavors. To beef or not to beef? With fresh ingredients and bold flavors, you win either way.
El Pollo Verde
Three Michelin-starred chef Dani Garcia is the culinary genius behind El Pollo Verde. His menu features roasted organic chicken and salad bowls.
Your choices include tasty classic and specialty bowls, a chicken panini, and a roasted half-chicken. Sides include quinoa tabbouleh, pesto roasted veggies, Lebanese brown rice, Moroccan chickpeas, and roasted potatoes.
Many guests choose to build their own bowls. With a wide array of fresh ingredients, you will quickly discover many unique ways to spice up your salad or bowl. Perhaps unfamiliar to some, the Mediterranean and Spanish-inspired ingredients and spices yield some rewarding flavors.
Ella Mia Cafe
Chef Shimi Aaron, affectionately called “The Babka King,” presents his concept of an artisanal coffee shop and bakery. And it is fantastic. The cafe is open for breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner.
Popular breakfast items include avocado toast, a lox bagel, and the scrambled egg & cheese croissant. For lunch, try a prosciutto sandwich, avocado BLT, or the pesto grilled chicken on a French baguette.
If you have a sweet tooth, Ella Mia Cafe serves danishes, scones, brownies, and blondies. Pair your pastry with a hot cup of coffee, a cold brew, or a delicious espresso drink. All the coffee beverages are outstanding.
The modern cafe shines with its international flair and mouthwatering food and drinks. I could sample the cafe goods all day long.
Firebelly Wings
If you love chicken wings, try the Citizen Market restaurant, Firebelly Wings. Flavor options are lemon pepper, Nashville, BBQ, and traditional Buffalo. Enjoy your wings with a side of waffle fries or mac & cheese.
I am not a huge celery fan. So, I love how the eatery serves celery and carrots with an order of wings. You can choose a dipping sauce from bleu cheese, ranch, or comeback sauce. If you are still getting familiar with comeback sauce, it is a traditional southern condiment that consists of mayo, ketchup, and other seasonings.
Wings come in baskets of six or ten pieces. Or, you can order a combo of four wings with a side. If you have a big appetite or plan to share, there is a party pack option with sixteen.
Regardless of your order size, Firebelly serves both traditional and boneless wings. The wings are meaty, bold, and saucy. Yes, that is an excellent combination.
Krispy Rice
Inspired by the Katsuya restaurant in California, Krispy Rice offers a divine sushi experience. Everything is fast, fresh, and delicious.
The eatery is renowned for its namesake rice. That iconic dish shines alongside hand rolls, cut maki rolls, and nigiri. Appetizers include edamame, Krispy chicken gyoza, and Krispy fried shrimp.
You can order from various hand rolls and cut maki rolls, including tuna, shrimp, yellowtail, salmon, and truffle avocado. Krispy Rice offers shareables and boxes where you can sample various sushi rolls.
There is no need to shy away from sushi just because you are at a mall. Krispy Rice has somehow perfectly packaged sophisticated creations and convenience.
Sa’Moto
Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto melds Asian flavors with Japanese techniques and tosses in a bit of American spirit. The pan-Asian dishes are flavorful and satisfying.
Signature appetizers include karaage, popcorn shrimp, edamame, sticky ribs, pork gyoza, and vegetable spring rolls. Try a delicious shrimp, mushroom, or kakuni bao bun with nori fries. Or, savor a bountiful ramen dish bursting with flavor.
You can also create a combo meal, where you choose a protein, side, and sauce. Proteins include karaage, fried shrimp, and sticky ribs. Side options are nori fries or steamed rice. Then, choose a sauce of gochujang aioli, apricot sweet chili, or hoisin chili.
Do not let the ingredients or flavors intimidate you. Find out for yourself why Morimoto is an iron chef. You will not regret it.
Sam’s Crispy Chicken
You may be surprised to hear the famed culinary team at Umami Burger is behind Sam’s Crispy Chicken. Please do not fret. They keep the menu simple and do chicken right.
Sam’s boasts that their chicken is 100% antibiotic and hormone-free. The southern fried chicken is seasoned, cornflake-crusted, and cradled by a soft brioche bun.
Sandwich styles include classic, Sam’s Original, Buffalo, and Nashville. Sam’s offers various sauces to top your crispy chicken sandwich, like truffle ketchup, Buffalo, ranch, and BBQ.
You can enjoy your sandwich with waffle fries or loaded waffle fries. Sides include chicken bites and various mac & cheese dishes. The food feels like home, y’all.
Soom Soom
Co-owner Zahi Ofengart brings his vision to life at Phipps Plaza. The eatery serves authentic Mediterranean cuisine so fresh and flavorful you will swear you have teleported across the globe.
Savor a homemade pita with a mouthwatering spread like classic hummus, tahini, or baba ganoush. The salad bar and sides menu pairs nicely with a pita but is substantial enough for a meal.
Many guests enjoy building their own pita, wrap, or plate, where you can sample up to four toppings or spreads. Add rice or couscous, and then choose a protein and sauce. Protein options include falafel, roasted cauliflower, chicken shawarma, and chicken kebob. Your tastebuds will dance.
Umami Burger
The burger joint prides itself on taking you beyond the usual sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavor experience. Umami means the “essence of deliciousness.” Their decadent, savory burgers draw a wide grin that will stretch your cheeks.
Deciding what to order is a challenge because everything looks so good. Burger options include the OG, the classic, a truffle burger, a bacon burger, and a pimiento burger. Top your burger with truffle ketchup, umami sauce, ranch, Buffalo, BBQ, or bleu cheese. If you have yet to visit Umami Burger, try their namesake sauce. Your tastebuds will thank you.
Ready for another dilemma? The signature sides are all tempting as well. These include loaded fries, truffle fondue fries, cheesy tots, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and shoestring fries. Each is excellent.
Umami is not just for carnivores. The eatery offers impossible patties and gluten-free buns. Other than the loaded fries, all the sides qualify as vegetarian dishes.
Enjoy a Day of Shopping and Dining
Although Atlanta offers many things to do, a day of shopping and dining at Phipps Plaza brings pure joy. With unique stores and restaurants, the entire experience is a breath of fresh air. Do yourself a favor and explore Phipps Plaza and the restaurants at Citizens Market. The food may be fast-casual, but it is unique and creative!
Featured image credit: Citizens Market Atlanta
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About the author
We are Scott and Julie at Miles with McConkey. After nearly 30 years, we took a leap of faith out of the corporate world to enjoy a life of travel and adventure. We hope to inspire you to find ways to travel more and enjoy life now.