When you have a formula that works, it’s best to stick with it. The team behind Yeppa & Co., a new Italian restaurant in Buckhead Village, isn’t trying too hard to vary from their other restaurants, including Storico Fresco and Forza Storico.
If you’re among the many fans of those other restaurants, you’ll know what to expect at Yeppa. The restaurant is lively, energetic, loud and warmly lit, with approachable food and drink on a menu that still holds a few surprises and feels impressively authentic.
The biggest surprise at Yeppa might be the cost. Despite its location in one of Buckhead’s ritziest shopping developments, Yeppa is reasonably priced; you can have a nice evening for well under $100 per person. It’s nice to be surprised by a restaurant check in a good way, for once.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
According to the restaurant’s owners, Pietro Gianni and Steve Peterson, Yeppa’s prices are a result of cost-cutting elsewhere; they spent far less than many other restaurants on their buildout, leaning into the strengths of the existing space and repurposing materials already in place.
The focus on reducing costs extends to the kitchen, where the cooks follow a zero-waste policy, and there is no executive chef. Creating the menu is a collaborative process that involves Gianni, Peterson, the cooks and chef consultants from Italy. Yeppa’s menu is meant to be a direct import of Italian cuisine, and a reflection of the way Italians live, rather than an American chef’s interpretation of it.
The breadth of Yeppa’s menu is another factor that makes the restaurant a refreshing gathering spot in Buckhead. There are a lot of options. For large groups, there are the generously sized focaccia pizzas, a long list of antipasti and skewers of grilled meat and fish. For more romantic occasions, it’s easy to assemble a multi-course Italian feast of salad, pasta and a main course of ossobuco, branzino or chicken.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
Those focaccia pizzas quickly have become the centerpiece of the menu. The focaccia comes from a baker in Italy and is flash-frozen before being shipped to Atlanta. The system saves the restaurant money, but you never would guess that, based on the generosity of the toppings, including impressive amounts of premium ingredients, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Because Yeppa is inspired by the village of Rimini, a beach town in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, seafood is a strength of the menu. Grilled shrimp and branzino skewers, served with a bright salsa verde, might make you feel like you’re at a coastal cookout. Yeppa’s fritto misto is a perfectly executed pile of light, crisply fried shrimp and squid, served simply with a lemon for squeezing.
The beverage menu pulls off another impressive balancing act, featuring mostly Italian beers, as well as a robust wine list that comes directly from a winery in Rimini that is located next to a villa owned by the restaurant’s partners. There are some creative cocktails made with both liquor and beer; Yeppa’s drinks manage to be accessible and interesting, creative and crowd-pleasing.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
With crowds filling Yeppa nearly every night of the week, the restaurant appears to have captured the same secret sauce as the partners’ other establishments. The wide-ranging menu and inviting atmosphere certainly are enticing. And, in a time where inflation seems to be on everyone’s mind, Yeppa’s reasonable prices can’t be overlooked, either.
Although Buckhead is known for more formal and expensive restaurants, Yeppa is a place where people can enjoy a good bite to eat without worrying about breaking the bank.
It’s easy to find a good meal in Atlanta, but it seems to be getting harder to find good value. Maybe the secret formula for a successful restaurant boils down to making your customers feel that they’ve gotten their money’s worth.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
Credit: Yeppa & Co.
YEPPA & CO.
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: casual, beachy Italian
Service: excellent
Recommended dishes: finocchio salad, fritto misto, piccola mini lasagna, gamberi skewers, prosciutto crudo pizza, tortellini in brodo, ossobuco, Nutella tart, panna cotta e mou
Vegetarian dishes: focaccia bread service, gnocchi con sugo de Margherita, rigatoni al pesto con patate, insalata di campo, pomodoro al pomodoro, finocchio, polenta fries, vera Margherita pizza, fagiolini, funghi, patate, verdure miste e pesto, Nutella tart, sorbetto al limone, gelato, panna cotta e mou
Alcohol: full bar
Price range: $$-$$$
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-12 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Parking: free deck with validation
MARTA: 1 mile from Buckhead station
Reservations: recommended
Outdoor dining: yes
Takeout: no
Address, phone: 306 Buckhead Ave. NE, Atlanta. 678-952-0000
Website: yeppaco.com
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