Nadia Abddulahi
, Staff Writer
Tapas restaurants generally can be found in midtown and downtown Atlanta. A recent addition to Kennesaw’s variety of cuisines has made our city a great new place to have tapas. Five40 tapas opened in 2013 and is the only full experience tapas restaurant in Kennesaw.
According to Five40 Kitchen & Socialhouse’s site, “Tapas style cuisine originated in Spain and has grown in popularity due to its social aspect of sharing.”
Tapas cuisine consists of food items that are smaller in their portions so that you can try a wider variety of foods. Five40 also offers a wine collection and hookah lounge. There are specials for every day of the week as well.
Now let’s get to the good stuff, the food. First, we tried the calamari. Five40’s calamari has an interesting blend of mixed, non-spicy peppers and arugula. Next, we tried the Bobo De Camarao, which is a local Brazilian dish. The dish includes shrimp, coconut milk, cassava, and long grain white rice.
Other great dishes include the yucca fries, Mediterranean flatbread, and crab deviled eggs. I really like any deviled eggs and the crab deviled eggs did not disappoint.
Another interesting dish was the ceviche, which is baked pita bread served with shrimp, avocado, and pineapple in a lime salt rim glass. For desert, we tried the warm brownie. The brownie dish is quite fancily decorated.
According to manager Adam Rife, the smoked Gouda mac-n-cheese and Brussels Sprouts-N-Apples are some of the best sellers. Rife mentioned that the menu is always changing, but these two items stay on the menu since they always sell.
Overall, what I liked most about Five40 is the international menu items. There are dishes from Japan, Jamaica, Italy, Spain and Brazil to name a few. And, if you don’t want to try international plates, there are less “exotic” dishes as well. Bottom line, Five40 can cater to any palate.
“Our customers are awesome. They come and they all have a great time. So, it’s like they are our family too.” Rife is also connected to KSU since he is a sophomore international business major with a concentration in accounting.
Five40 and manager Rife appreciate KSU. So, Rife mentioned a special offer: All KSU students, faculty, and staff will receive a 10 percent discount when they show their student ID card.
Five40 is located in the in the Cobb Place Shopping Center near the Kennesaw US Post Office. To find out more about Five40, visit their site at http://www.540tapas.com
