During our search for a place to eat for dinner, The Deer and The Dove in Decatur in Georgia stood out from the rest that night — so we decided to try it.
The Deer and The Dove in Decatur in Georgia. Restaurant Review.
Located on the historic Decatur Square, The Deer and The Dove is a farmer-centered neighborhood restaurant that serves rustic cuisine by Terry Koval, who is the chef and co-owner of the restaurant. Opening the restaurant in June of 2019 was a dream come true for both Terry Koval and his wife Jenn, as it signified an opportunity to focus on farmer relationships and local sourcing to support his vision of a scratch kitchen focused on slow food.
We arrived at the restaurant without a reservation; but the hostess was able to seat us at the table in the foreground in the above photograph. We were warned that we might not be able to stay after 90 minutes; but fortunately, a table was always available despite the restaurant becoming crowded.
If the somewhat small dining area does get too crowded, patrons can either sit by the full service bar or at tables along Church Street the outside of the restaurant. Thankfully, the weather was pleasant that evening.
We started off with the Housemade Salted Yeast Rolls with garden herb butter. The rolls were warm and of the perfect texture of slightly crispy on the top and fluffy on the inside. The rolls were flavorful enough that they did not need the butter, which was good — but everyone at the table agreed that the butter tasted a little too much like grass. $8.00
The only criticism I have about the Coffee Dusted Seared Venison was that it could have been cooked just a few minutes longer, as the inside was slightly too red for me. Regardless, it was still amazing — along with the roasted beets, carrot purée, beet blood, spruce sea salt, and carrot chips. Even the presentation of the plate was impressive. $23.00
“I do not like cheese”, I have kept telling you in past articles. See that block of cheese in the front? I ate the whole thing, which was part of what was called Cheese From Our Friends: Chevre from Decimal Place Farm; Thomasville Tomme from Sweet Grass Dairy; and Coppinger peach jam, pairings, and grilled sourdough bread from Sequatchie Cove. This was true farm-to-table at its finest. I enjoyed everything — except for the nuts and the other cheeses, which is okay because this platter was not meant for me in the first place. $26.00
Tongue is not really considered a delicacy to a person who is Jewish, as it can be obtained from any Kosher delicatessen and Kosher-style delicatessen — but one person wanted to try the Grilled Beef Tongue from Bear Creek Farms with Ellijay shiitake mushrooms a la Grecque trout tonnato sauce. The tongue was sliced thin. By no means did that person regret ordering it, as the plate was eventually cleaned. $20.00
The Harvest Plate is a vegetarian dish that comprised of Woodland Gardens Heirloom Tomato, Bruléed Eloté, Parmesan, Anson Mills Farro Verde, Creamer Peas, Shiitake Mushrooms, Roasted Hickory Hill Farms Butternut Squash, Sungold Tomatoes, D+D Rooftop Basil, and Butternut Squash Soubise. $31.00
For some reason, the pheasant called my name — and I could not ignore it. I am not sure I have ever tried pheasant in my life; so that night was the night. The Fossil Farms Pheasant consisted of pheasant ballotine that was stuffed with fowl sausage, Hickory Hill Farms roasted baby carrots, Lacinato kale, Ellijay shiitake mushrooms, squash purée, and poultry jus. I was somewhat nervous about the sausage, as I typically do not eat sausage — but this dish worked out quite well for me, as I completely finished everything on my plate. $59.00
I momentarily placed my glass of water over what remained of the pheasant so that I could say I had pheasant under glass. You could say this is a product of my wry sense of humor; but I do not drink alcoholic beverages; and no rye bread was anywhere in sight.
Despite all of us being somewhat full, we decided to venture on into dessert. The Creme Caramel French custard was drenched in sorghum syrup and topped with candied nuts. $10.00
The Snickerdoodle Cookie by itself is $3.50; and it can be optionally topped with house made ice cream — which was available in seasonal flavors — for $3.00 each. A chocolate chip cookie was another option instead of the snickerdoodle cookie. $6.50
I ordered the Ice Cream Sandwich, whose components were a blondie cookie, peach buttermilk ice cream, and peach jam swirl. These flavors really commingled well together, as I am not sure I would have enjoyed each component separately as I did together. $10.00
A full bar is available at The Deer and The Dove.
Final Boarding Call
We did not order any alcoholic beverages, as none of us were interested in them.
The dining experience of The Deer and The Dove was excellent and adventuresome for all of us, with prompt, friendly, and attentive — and patient — service. The ambiance was nice and comfortable — although the ambient noise was a little loud. The lighting eventually dimmed, which was very nice — but unfortunately to the point of being almost too dark to photograph the meal. The food was definitely freshly prepared and of a high quality, as not a drop of it was left over. All of us were not only full; but we were satisfied and happy with our dining choices. Even though the prices are not inexpensive, I highly recommend dining here if you want a leisurely — and definitely filling and delicious — meal that is different from the typical run-of-the-mill restaurant with the same boring choices.
Although waiting for a table is possible, I never saw a line for a table — but reservations are strongly recommended, as we simply showed up and almost were not seated at a table.
The Deer and The Dove
155 Sycamore Street
Decatur, Georgia 30030
1-404-748-4617
thedeerandthedove@gmail.com
Operating Hours
- Tuesday through Thursday: 4:00 in the afternoon through 10:00 in the evening
- Friday through Saturday: 4:00 in the afternoon through 11:00 in the evening
- Sunday: 4:00 in the afternoon through 9:00 in the evening
- Monday: Closed
Paid parking is located on the street and in nearby parking lots; but free parking is available on the street after 6:00 in the evening.
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
