Photograph courtesy of Fox Bros.
Holiday party season is upon us, but everyone likes to celebrate a little differently. The big names in Atlanta catering, such as Bold American Catering and Affairs to Remember, are a natural choice, but what about when you want to do something a little different, or maybe even host a theme party? Even those that love to cook need a night off to enjoy time with their friends instead of making canapes. So go ahead, hire a bartender (ask someone behind the bar at your favorite watering hole—they’ll know someone) and order your food from one of these curated caterers that are guaranteed to impress.
If you want to have a barbecue, but you don’t own a smoker
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
Fox Bros. started as a word-of-mouth catering company well before there was a restaurant on Dekalb Avenue, even before they served up pork and brisket at Smiths Olde Bar. The brothers now employ a catering staff of 45-50 people in a 17,000 square foot kitchen where they can “feed 2,500 workers lunch at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and then a dinner for 1,500 in one day without blinking.” There are a variety of full-service catering and delivery packages for groups of 15 guests and larger featuring Fox Bros. favorites such as pulled pork, smoked chicken, and popular sides such as macaroni and cheese.
If you want an Italian feast cooked by your Italian grandmother, but you don’t actually have one
Bellina Alimentari
This specialty store that is a love letter to Italy also happens to cater in addition to serving some of Ponce City Market’s best food. Bellina will provide you with an Italian smorgasbord that rivals one of those outdoor family style feasts you see in movies like Under the Tuscan Sun. Each platter serves 6-8 guests, and there are all sorts of antipasti, primi, and secondi choices such as Anson Mills farro and vegetable salad, beef lasagna with bechamel sauce, meatballs cooked in homemade tomato sauce, and spicy braised chicken served over polenta. Like many caterers, they will deliver or provide full-service staff.
Photograph by Our Labor of Love.
If you want to have a bagel brunch or even just a nosh
The General Muir
Whether it is breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner, this Emory Point Jewish deli will take care of every need. Breakfast pastries and coffee, bagels with platters of smoked fish and traditional garnishes, or a full dinner with matzoh ball soup and a stack of pastrami sandwich fixings, the deli fits any occasion. They’ll even arrange orders on your own fancy platters brought from home if you want to bump up the presentation.
If you want to have a Bollywood-style feast
Cafe Bombay
If you’ve ever looked with longing at pictures of friends’ Indian celebrations, Cafe Bombay can help create the party of your dreams for 10 or 1000 of your closest friends. The long-standing Indian restaurant has its own event spaces and relationships with entertainers, but they can just as easily create amazing Indian spreads to serve at home. They offer platters of cocktail-sized vegetable samosas, curries, rice, bread, and Indian sweets. Another plus: They offer as many vegetarian options as non-vegetarian options, so every guest will be happy.
Photograph courtesy of Jennifer Zyman.
If you want to have a classic Southern tea party
Henri’s Bakery
Whenever the party calls for tea sandwiches, cheese straws, and sweets, call Henri’s. The little Buckhead Bakery offers platters of tea sandwiches on soft white, rye, or wheat bread with egg salad, chicken salad, roast beef, and more. Round out the meal with sides such as fruit salad, pesto salad, and potato salad. The tiny sandwiches appeal to a variety of palates and are the perfect size for small hands at kids’ parties, making them an excellent substitution to the pizza most of us tend to serve.
If you want to have a fiesta (mariachi not included)
Sol Catering
Taqueria del Sol is a guaranteed crowdpleaser—who doesn’t love fried chicken tacos and cheese dip? For just $15 per person, Taqueria can craft a taco bar for your crowd of 25 or more, which they deliver with disposable chafing dishes. The per person cost includes two taco fillings of your choice, salsas, guacamole, cheese dip, loads of chips, and two sides such as rice and beans. If you want more than two fillings, each extra meat or vegetarian option is just $1/per person. If tacos don’t appeal, Sol Catering offers other items such as enchilada and fajita bars or barbecue. And they even have an event space (for an additional cost) with a sound system and space for bartenders when you want to take the party elsewhere and not deal with the cleanup.
