For Atlanta, I thought Culinary Dropout was OK. The food was OK to good, the service could've been better, and the atmosphere was fun. This is a contemporary American restaurant and bar.
Culinary Dropout is a restaurant chain from Fox Restaurant Concepts. Atlantans may be familiar with some of Fox's other brands like Flower Child and Zinburger (all Georgia locations of Zinburger are now closed). This location of Culinary Dropout opened in November 2023 at the Brickworks development in the Marietta Street Artery of West Midtown. Same building as Food Terminal. Culinary Dropout is in the space previously occupied by the last location of 5 Seasons Brewing. That location of 5 Seasons closed in February 2019. For years, during the pandemic and after, the space sat empty until Culinary Dropout revived it. A second Atlanta location of Culinary Dropout opened in February 2024 at Ashford Lane in Dunwoody (Perimeter).
When we visited, plenty of parking was available atop the Brickworks roof. Culinary Dropout has two floors of bars and dining. There's both an entrance on the rooftop - conveniently connected to the rooftop parking lot - and an entrance on the street. On their website and on OpenTable, Culinary Dropout says they validate parking for the first 2 hours. Scan the QR code at the hostess stand to validate. The parking confirmation I got on my phone from ParkWhiz actually gave me free parking for 2.5 hours. Also, we stayed for closer to 3 hours and I wasn't charged anything for the overage. This was on a Friday from 6:30pm to after 9:15pm.
Book your reservation using OpenTable and earn dining points which can be used to redeem restaurant discounts, Amazon gift cards, hotel stays, and magazine subscriptions. Culinary Dropout awards points - not all restaurants on OpenTable do - so that's a plus.
Happy hour is Monday-Friday, 3pm-6pm, and brunch hours are Saturday-Sunday, 10am-3pm.
The restaurant is spacious with a wide variety of seating options and several TVs (but not as many as a sports bar). Upstairs and downstairs, there are bars, different dining rooms/spaces, and patios. Upstairs is the rooftop patio. Downstairs is the big bar and Marietta Street patio. We dined in one of the back dining rooms downstairs, in a wide booth next to windows that looked into the kitchen. During our visit, business downstairs was kind of slow. However, when we exited upstairs, the upstairs bar area looked pretty happening. My wife and I like the interior design and decor, which is amusing, stylish, and eclectic. Walls contain images of pop culture icons like Pink and Post Malone.
Below is a list of what we ordered. It should give you a good idea of the kind of food Culinary Dropout offers and how much it costs.
Starters
* Soft Pretzels & Provolone Fondue ($16) - sea salt
* Wagyu Pigs in a Blanket ($17) - honey mustard creme fraiche
* Hot Wings ($17.50) - buffalo sauce, honey mustard seed, shaved carrots & celery
* White Truffle Deviled Eggs ($11) - crispy prosciutto, chive
Salads
* Chopped Chicken Salad ($19) - avocado, bacon, heirloom tomato, white cheddar, deviled egg, bacon BBQ ranch
Entrees
* 36-Hour Pork Ribs ($30.50) - jalapeno, molasses, fries
* Fried Chicken ($24) - buttermilk biscuit, smashed potato, gravy
* Beer Battered Fish & Chips ($21) - coleslaw, tartar sauce
Zero Proof
* Juicy Watermelon Spritz ($8) - fresh-pressed lemon, smashed watermelon, sparkling coconut water
Overall, the food wasn't bad. My favorite item was the Fried Chicken. It came with four pieces and we got our choice of how many were white and dark meat. We got all dark. The chicken was pretty much seasoned and fried to perfection. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and flavorful all around. For the Fried Chicken specifically, the menu says, "be patient - it's worth it!" We didn't wait any longer than a normal dish and it was indeed worth it. Quality fried chicken.
Our least favorite item was the Chopped Chicken Salad. It wasn't bad, it was just drowning in dressing. The ingredients were fresh enough, though.
All of us liked the Soft Pretzels & Provolone Fondue and Wagyu Pigs in a Blanket. While the pretzels (not the cheese sauce) were salty, the texture was terrific. Not too soft and not too hard - an appetizing chew. If the menu didn't say the pigs in a blanket were "Wagyu," I don't think any of us would've been able to tell the difference. Regardless, they were tasty.
The rest of the dishes were fine. Pretty standard. Again, nothing was bad, but nothing blew us away either. The 36-Hour Pork Ribs were solid. They had good smoky flavor and tang, and were nice and tender -- not fall-off-the-bone, but a bit chewier. The Hot Wings, White Truffle Deviled Eggs, and Beer Battered Fish & Chips were all par for the course. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those. The Juicy Watermelon Spritz mocktail was refreshing and delicious.
Our server was friendly, but forgot to bring us a lot of things after saying she would. read more