Innovating for a global palate since 1978.

For nearly five decades, patrons have convened in true speakeasy style for one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets. Tucked away in the cellar of a Buckhead condo building, La Grotta offers upscale dining in an intimate ambiance overlooking a lush courtyard garden. Serving traditional Northern Italian cuisine, the menu emphasizes fresh pastas, seafood, and veal.

Started by Sergio Favalli & Antonio Abizanda, La Grotta (the cave in Italian) was Atlanta’s first fine dining Italian restaurant. Since that time, La Grotta has become known for it’s well-seasoned staff, well-heeled patrons, and it’s philosophy that trends come and go but classic never goes out of style. While La Grotta is now owned by the next generation, Christian Favalli, the classic and iconic nature of 1978 La Grotta still remains. This unwavering devotion to keeping it classic is what truly sets La Grotta apart.

La Grotta has been voted ‘Best Italian Restaurant’ by Atlanta Magazine for 18 consecutive years, is a AAA Four Diamond award recipient for over 20 years, and long time winner of the DiRona Award.

Meet the Team

  • Christian Favalli

    OWNER

    Born into hospitality, Christian’s family moved from Bermuda to Atlanta when he was 4 years old. By the ripe age of 7, his father had opened La Grotta and Christian found himself hanging coats in the coat room when he could barely reach the racks. By 10 he was dishwashing, eventually waiting tables, and filling in where needed. By 22, Christian graduated from Vanderbilt University, where upon completion, he told his father he wanted to remain in the hospitality industry. As Christian tells it, he learned some new Italian curse words that day. Over the years, he worked off and on at La Grotta taking the occasional sabbatical to hone his skills- from 3 years cooking in Italy, to a stint in New Orleans, or at other restaurants in the city. In 2007, dad was ready to retire and Christian was called home to La Grotta. He can now be seen bustling around the busy dining room most nights of the week and serving many of the same fine patrons he knew as children over 40 years ago.

  • DANIEL CHANCE

    EXECUTIVE CHEF

    An Atlanta native, Chef Daniel Chance has been at the helm of La Grotta since 2021. Making his own mark on our traditional Italian dishes, he enjoys using fresh produce from local farms and even spent a summer as a commercial salmon fisherman to learn more about food sustainability. He and Christian were acquainted while both working their way up the ranks at Concentrics Restaurants (One Midtown Kitchen, TWO Urban Licks, Trois). Chef Daniel is a veteran of many of Atlanta’s top restaurants, among them, Bacchanalia, Campagnolo, and Watchmans, he has been perfecting his skills in the Atlanta dining scene for over 2 decades. Whether cooking the best veal scallopini in Atlanta or perfecting his gluten free pasta options, Chef Daniel continues to distinguish himself as one of the top chefs in the city.

  • VINCENT STEWART

    GENERAL MANAGER/PARTNER

    An Ohio native, Vince has lived in over 20 different locales ranging from Atlanta to Alaska. His passion for food began at an early age; he grew up taking in the culinary scene in every place his family would move. After attending Mizzou, Vince attended bartending school, which set him onto his hospitality trajectory. Vince has been a part of the La Grotta family since 1996, where he started as a lunch server at our Ravinia location. Working his way up the ranks, he became the manager in Buckhead in 2001 and he is still hosting many of the same devoted patrons today. He has a passion for all things culinary both at work and at home, where is an avid cook and an ardent Kansas City Chiefs fans.