Best New Restaurants + Dunwoody Drive-Thru Drama

Dec. 4 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re diving into our Best New Restaurants of 2025 winners, plus stories on Alma Cocina’s Buckhead closure and the latest twist in Dunwoody’s drive-thru drama.

 In other Atlanta dining news, get opening details on Lewis Barbecue at Ansley Mall, a 24/7 Whataburger in Marietta, and The Westwood neighborhood bar in Westview. There’s also some sad restaurant closure news. Plus, we have some dining events to add to your calendar, such as Christmas on Cascade and a World Cup draw watch party at Brewhouse Cafe.

 In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal“. In it, Beth breaks down the most-read dining stories of 2025, including stories on The Colonnade, Your DeKalb Farmers Market, and the year’s biggest restaurant openings. And Sarra shares a recipe for Danbi Seasonal Kitchen’s roasted kabocha squash with miso glaze. 

Cheers!

 Beth and  Sarra

Have You Heard?

 Restaurant Openings

Whataburger opened this week in Marietta. The Sandy Plains Road location is open 24/7, includes a double drive-thru, and serves breakfast from 11 p.m.-11 a.m. No, that’s not a typo. That’s late-night breakfast hours, folks.

Neighborhood bar The Westwood opened in Westview for food, drinks, and pool last week. Check out the food menu here and drinks menu here. 

Buckhead gained another steakhouse this month with the opening of Luella in the former Ivy space. Owned by Revival Restaurant Group – the same group behind The Ivy and Family Dog in Atlanta, and Little Betty in Birmingham – Luella is named for the owners’ daughters. Check out the menu here. 

A location of Yemeni coffee shop Haraz is now open on Spring Street in Midtown. 

The Local Tavern is now open at the Briar Vista Shopping Center in North Druid Hills. The neighborhood bar and restaurant is owned by the team behind Local on North in Duluth. 

The much-anticipated Atlanta location of Lewis Barbecue will officially open at Ansley Mall on Dec. 8. Look for a story on the barbecue joint’s debut online at Rough Draft next week. 

Coming Attraction

The owners behind 26 Thai, Pink Lotus, and Blackjack Bar will open Khao Thai Isan next year at The Mitchell in South Downtown. Part of the Centennial Yards development, expect Isan Thai street food and shareable small plates at Khao Thai. 

Restaurant Closures

Dish Korean Cuisine closed last month at the City Farmers Market complex on Buford Highway, also home to Food Terminal. 

The Atlanta location of Savannah-based Zunzi’s sandwich shop is now closed after seven years on Howell Mill Road. 

Bar Sale

Longtime downtown Atlanta watering hole Park Bar has sold in what real estate brokerage firm The Shumacher Group called a “blockbuster $2 million deal.” It’s unclear what the new owner has planned for the bar. The listing states new ownership has the right to “keep or convert.”

Add to Your Calendar 

Atlanta’s Latin American Association will partner with Georgia Agape Youth and Family Center to host a pop-up grocery and free food distribution event on Dec. 5. Fulton County SNAP Emergency Response donated $20,000 to the event, along with frozen meal donations from Urban Recipe. From 11 a.m.-1 p.m., up to 250 families can drive through or walk up during the food drive to receive packaged groceries.

People seeking a spot to watch the World Cup draw on Dec. 5 should make their way to Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points. Friday’s festivities begin at 12 p.m., with the announcement televised live on the big screens. In March, Men in Blazers named Brewhouse Cafe “the best soccer bar in the U.S.” A second, larger location of Brewhouse Cafe opens next year in South Downtown ahead of the World Cup in Atlanta. 

Cascade Heights coffee shop Cafe Bartique will host Christmas on Cascade on Dec. 6, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Look for seasonal sweets, drinks, opportunities to take photos with Santa, and a holiday market on the patio of neighboring Natalie Bianca restaurant. Free to attend. 

Weekly food festival Smorgasburg Atlanta kicks off the holidays on Dec. 6 with seasonal retail vendors, festive cocktails, and chances to snap photos with Santa. Smorgasburg operates every Saturday from South Downtown through Dec. 20. Smorgasburg will return for another season in South Downtown in March 2026. 

Celebrate the Holidays in Buckhead this weekend

SPONSORED BY LIVABLE BUCKHEAD

This Sat., Dec. 6, Livable Buckhead hosts a day of free, festive fun around Buckhead Village District.

· Decorate wreaths that will add holiday cheer to all 43 Atlanta fire stations and police precincts. (Noon-2 p.m.)

· Join the hot chocolate crawl in Buckhead Village District (4-7 p.m.). Sip hot chocolate or a cocktail and enjoy live music.

· Listen to holiday classics during the lighting of Buckhead’s tree in Charlie Loudermilk Park at 7:30 p.m.

 Join the festivities!

Top Stories From the Week

Atlanta’s Best New Restaurants of 2025

 Yesterday, we announced the winners of Rough Draft’s Best New Restaurants, an eating and reviewing endeavor that took months in order to compile the final list.

Many meals and debates later, we narrowed a list of dozens of contenders down to just 11 standout restaurants (and one collaboration) that kept capturing our attention this year. 

Best New Restaurants (overall)

1. Avize (Westside)
2. Danbi Seasonal Kitchen (Brookhaven)
3. Madeira Park (Poncey-Highland)
4. Sammy’s (Adair Park)
5. Tipsy Thaiger (Roswell)

Best of Brookhaven
Danbi’s Seasonal Kitchen

Best of Dunwoody
Yaba’s Bagels

Best of Sandy Springs
Nonna Dora’s Italian Eatery

Best of Tucker
Nicky’s Undefeated

Best New Bar
Lucky Star (Star Metals/Howell Mill)

Best Collaboration
The New South (chef collective)

Community Spirit Award
Minhwa Spirits (Doraville)

 Read more about each of our winners, plus your Readers’ Choice winners here.

Alma Cocina saying farewell to Buckhead  

Nearly six years after opening on Peachtree Road, Fifth Group will close the Buckhead location of its contemporary Mexican and Latin American restaurant, Alma Cocina, on Dec. 20.

Alma Cocina’s Buckhead location opened two months before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Fifth Group CEO Steve Simon said the location wasn’t able to regain its pre-COVID numbers, which ultimately led to the decision to close in Buckhead.

But Simon noted that Alma Cocina’s original location at 191 Peachtree Towers is doing extremely well and there’s no fear of that restaurant closing any time soon. 

 Sarra has the full scoop on the Buckhead closure here. 

Dunwoody raises concerns, nixes Raising Cane’s drive-thru permit

 Rough Draft’s Cathy Cobbs has been following this Dunwoody drive-thru drama for weeks. It all came to a head on Monday night when the Dunwoody City Council refused to grant a Special Land Use Permit (SLUP) to allow a drive-thru at the new Raising Cane’s on Ashford Dunwoody Road. 

A staff memo summarizing the SLUP request recommended the denial of the drive-thru application for a number of reasons, including concerns over the proximity of its curb cut to a nearby McDonald’s and traffic congestion. 

Representatives from Raising Cane’s clapped back saying that the company counts on revenue generated from drive-thrus, making this decision less than ideal for the fast-food chain. 

We have a feeling the drive-thru saga in Dunwoody will continue into 2026. 

 Read more from Cathy here. 

At the Market + Two Recipes

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS

The weather is getting colder, but we’re here to keep you warm! Every week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two recipes you can making using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, we’ve got tasty miso soup and a hearty loaded sweet potato. Check out both recipes here.

Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.

The post 🥺 Year-end restaurant closures appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Restaurants in contention opened between Oct. 1, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2025 and reside within Rough Draft’s coverage zones in the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Tucker, Sandy Springs, and Dunwoody, along with a few from greater metro Atlanta.

This year’s award winners brought something extra special to the Atlanta dining scene. Your next favorite dish might come from a sandwich shop doubling as a community hub, a fine dining establishment leaning into Alpine ingredients, a strip mall spot dedicated to an Italian grandmother’s legacy, or a tiny counter-service restaurant whipping up made-to-order meals perfect for a dinner party.

Introducing Rough Draft’s Best New Restaurants of 2025, along with the winners of our inaugural Readers’ Choice Awards and a trio of special awards for Best New Bar, Best Collaboration, and Community Spirit.

Jump to: Readers’ Choice | Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Tucker | Best New Bar | Best Collaboration | Community Spirit Award

Overall Winners

Avize
956 Brady Ave., Westside Atlanta

Avize is a culinary exploration of Chef Karl Gorline’s Bavarian heritage and the Alpine-bordering countries of Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. For Gorline, Avize isn’t a literal interpretation of Alpine food traditions. Instead, the menu pays homage to these cuisines through foraged ingredients, such as serviceberries, and vegetables, grains, and herbs harvested weekly from the restaurant’s Bremen, GA farm. The only physical indication Avize leans Alpine is in the dining room, where a taxidermied white mountain goat named “Truffles” is given pride of place.

Gorline gussies up rustic dishes of venison, duck, and schnitzel, whipping gamey proteins, fish, and root vegetables into elegantly presented plates that are almost too pretty to eat.

Begin with the dandelion greens salad studded with seasonal citrus, or the venison tartare. Gorline gets cheeky with his lemon pepper wet riff on frog legs. For the main event, order hay-smoked duck, fermented carrot Bolognese, or the fallow deer crusted with black sesame atop a serviceberry jus accompanied by eggplant and chicory. 

While wine pairing suggestions come listed with each dish, tap in Avize Director of Hospitality and sommelier, Taurean Philpott, for further advice. As with the food, wine at Avize favors Alpine producers. 

Moody and cozy, with a playlist jockeying between 1980s New Wave and old and new-school hip hop, Avize makes fine dining fun and approachable. With the more casual vibes of Bar Avize next door, serving martinis on silver plates and everything from fries and oysters, to adult chicken nuggets topped with caviar, this Brady Avenue restaurant is the total package. 

Danbi Seasonal Kitchen
3432 Clairmont Road, Brookhaven

Don’t be fooled by Danbi Seasonal Kitchen’s appearance — this Brookhaven strip mall spot offers far more than meets the eye. Although the sleek, technology-forward interior, minimal staff, and no-tipping policy suggest a standard fast-casual operation, the actual product is on the same caliber as finer dining institutions. Chef Jack Kim has worked a wide range of restaurant jobs, and it shows. 

With the exception of the cookies and brownies on the counter (those are baked ahead of opening hours), Kim makes everything to order. The menu’s foundation on healthy, seasonal ingredients proves that food can be good for you and taste good, too. The smoothies, for example, don’t contain an excess amount of sugar, instead highlighting the god-given flavors in each ingredient. The frothy beet smoothie gets its sweetness from Fuji apples and maple syrup, with the main ingredient’s earthy flavor at the forefront. 

Everything is good here, but the Guajillo coconut salmon especially shines. (This is one case where you do want to order salmon at a restaurant.) The fish itself maintains that ideal doneness with just a hint of medium-rare, and the accompanying curry-like sauce, Brussels sprouts, and miso-glazed kabocha sauce almost outshine the main dish. 

If you’re feeding a large party, order everything to go and serve it at home. 

Madeira Park
640 N. Highland Ave., Poncey-Highland

It’s been 16 years since Steven Satterfield opened Miller Union, now a Michelin-recognized restaurant for the James Beard-award-winning chef. But in 2025, Satterfield and Miller Union partner Neal McCarthy, and Dive Wine founder Tim Willard, opened Madeira Park in Poncey-Highland. 

They transformed the former cafe at the old Highland Inn into a lively wine bar where people pack the dining room and patio nightly.

The wine list–a constantly evolving project for Willard and sommelier and General Manager Jade Palmer–features familiar favorites, boundary-pushing vintages, and collector wines. Pro tip: Ask for the “book” – an off-menu, hand-written list of limited-run and rare wines curated by Palmer. 

Fortified wine lovers will find a healthy selection of vermouth, sherry, port, and Madeira, including bottled-aged pours of Terrantez dating back to 1899 and a century-old Sercial. And while Philip Weltner keeps cocktails low-ABV by dialing into fortified wines (try the Bijou with sweet potato shochu, vermouth, and sherry), heavy hitters like the Sazerac and Rob Roy round out his drinks list.

Bar snacks include salads, oysters, ham and cheese beignets, and beef tartare, with entrees featuring the seasonality of ingredients for which Satterfield is known. Led by Chef Ollie Honderd, order a bistro steak with crowder peas and caponata, or the daily fish en papillote seared in brown butter complemented with French filet beans. 

Sammy’s
565 Northside Dr., Adair Park

Jason Furst and Chef Sam Pinner have created a buzzy community hub in Sammy’s, a compact coffee and sandwich shop at Abrams Fixtures in Adair Park. Lines form early for coffee and bacon, egg, and cheeses in the morning. In the afternoon, the lines return for sandwiches chock-full of ingredients. 

You’ll meet Furst at the counter, greeting you with his sterling smile. Hospitality courses through his veins, and through his long, flowing locks and full beard. Pinner works the smoker out front, tending to the pork butts for Uncle Sam’s sandwich and the Miami Sami served on bread sourced from Pan American Bakery. For the Reuben, Pinner brines the pastrami and finishes it on the smoker, topping the sandwich with Southern-style coleslaw, based on his mother’s recipe.

Every Friday evening, Sammy’s transforms into a bar teeming with people ordering High Life ponies and martinis from Furst paired with smashburgers, whole smoked wings, and barbecue specials from Pinner. 

Sammy’s already feels like it’s been around for years in Adair Park, with people huddled around tables, sometimes with small stockpiles of sandwiches. (Yes, they’re just that good.) It can be hard to find a seat at peak hours–even outside–an indication that Furst and Pinner must be doing something right. 

Season Marietta
301 Lemon St., Marietta

You would have no idea Season just celebrated its first anniversary. Situated in a standalone building on Lemon Street, the breakfast and brunch restaurant has the aura of a place that’s been open for decades. The restaurant runs like an extremely well-oiled machine, with an attentive staff thrumming at both the back and front of the house. 

There’s a smaller, separate coffee menu for diners who can’t function sans-caffeine. The specialty and seasonal drinks are just as detailed and visually impressive as items from a neighborhood coffee shop. You also won’t go wrong just ordering a French pressed coffee.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that everything on Season’s food menu makes for a solid meal. The savory dishes like the chorizo chilaquiles and tamale huevos rancheros truly shine here. Chef Nick Jennings makes Season’s red chorizo in house, and sausage lovers who don’t try it are quite frankly doing themselves a disservice. 

Those whose tastes steer sweeter should opt for the maduros-stuffed buttermilk pancakes, or French toast served with blueberry compote, duck ham, Virginia maple syrup, and cinnamon sugar. Other must-orders include the pork belly grilled cheese, croque madame, and selection of biscuit sandwiches. 

Come early, or make reservations. If not, be prepared to wait for a table. A meal at Season, however, is worth it. 

Tipsy Thaiger
605 Atlanta St., Roswell

Birdie Niyomkun, Phudith Pattharakositkul, and Candi Lee want Tipsy Thaiger to reflect their love for entertaining. Here you’ll find homestyle Thai staples mingling with Thai street foods and finer dining Thai dishes within the cozy environs of one of Roswell’s most historic dining rooms. 

Kicking off with a cocktail is the move, including with the gin-based Green Curry Sour, or Thaiger Martini mixed with vodka and yellow rice sake. The Mango & Sticky Rice mixes rum with clarified mango and a float of salted coconut foam. 

With a food menu divided into gab-glaam (bar bites, small plates) and gab-kao (shareable entrees served with rice), order everything family style, starting with the jackfruit dip and Thaiger salad comprising beets, tomatoes, and aromatic herbs tossed in Thai dressing with fried shallots. The unctuous chili jam clams are a must, which sees middleneck clams coaxed open as they’re quickly stir-fried in a creamy, sweet and spicy sauce. 

Never skip ordering she-crab fried rice for the table to complement entrees of 36-hour braised Hung-Le short rib or the daily market fish, which can come fried, poached, or seared. For a decadent dessert, opt for the Thai tea toast – a hunk of toasted brioche covered in Thai tea cream and peanut crumbles served with coconut ice cream to cut the sweetness.  

Tipsy Thaiger gently nudges you out of your Thai food comfort zone–and that’s a good thing–while also introducing you to the depth and breadth of Thailand’s foodways and hospitality traditions. In other words, it’s a triumph.

Top Five Readers’ Choice Winners (overall)

1. Tipsy Thaiger (Roswell)
2. Enso Izakaya (Avondale Estates)
3. Lucky Star (Star Metals)
4. Brasserie Margot (Midtown)
5. Madeira Park (Poncey-Highland)

Best of Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, and Tucker

Brookhaven

Danbi Seasonal Kitchen
3432 Clairmont Road, Brookhaven

Don’t be fooled by Danbi Seasonal Kitchen’s appearance — this Brookhaven strip mall spot offers far more than meets the eye. Although the sleek, technology-forward interior, minimal staff, and no-tipping policy suggest a standard fast-casual operation, the actual product is on the same caliber as finer dining institutions. Chef Jack Kim has worked a wide range of restaurant jobs, and it shows. 

With the exception of the cookies and brownies on the counter (those are baked ahead of opening hours), Kim makes everything to order. The menu’s foundation on healthy, seasonal ingredients proves that food can be good for you and taste good, too. The smoothies, for example, don’t contain an excess amount of sugar, instead highlighting the god-given flavors in each ingredient. The frothy beet smoothie gets its sweetness from Fuji apples and maple syrup, with the main ingredient’s earthy flavor at the forefront. 

Everything is good here, but the Guajillo coconut salmon especially shines. (This is one case where you do want to order salmon at a restaurant.) The fish itself maintains that ideal doneness with just a hint of medium-rare, and the accompanying curry-like sauce, Brussels sprouts, and miso-glazed kabocha sauce almost outshine the main dish. 

If you’re feeding a large party, order everything to go and serve it at home. 

Brookhaven Readers’ Choice: Confab Kitchen & Bar 

Dunwoody

Yaba’s Bagels
4780 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody

Lena Abdallah and Ahmed Nashif bet on Atlantans’ affinity for bagels when they opened Yaba’s Bagels this summer. Yaba means “father” in Arabic. For Abdallah, the Dunwoody bagel shop is more than just a business, it also serves as an homage to her father, who used to own bakeries in New York. 

Abdallah grew up understanding that a good “water” bagel depends on the precisely timed kettle boiling process to bring about the signature textures: crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Yaba’s respect for the bagel-making process, which includes boiling the dough twice before baking, comes through in the first bite.

But Yaba’s Bagels isn’t your standard New York-style bagel shop. Sure, you can get staples like bagels and lox, or a bacon, egg, and cheese, but the signature bagels infused with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients are the real move at Yaba’s. 

Based on Abdallah’s father’s recipes, order the Levantine za’atar bagel with a thick spread of labneh drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za’atar. The Souk sees your bagel of choice (we suggest sesame) topped with a spread of tahini and date syrup garnished with dates and toasted walnuts. For a little sweet and savory action, the Yaffa on an onion or salt bagel piles on grilled halloumi, arugula, and tomato. It’s finished with pomegranate molasses.

Bagels aren’t the only shining stars at Yaba’s. The deli sandwiches are every bit as good, including the Reuben stuffed with hot pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. Order this sandwich on a za’atar bagel. Grab one of Abdallah’s cheese danishes or apple turnovers for the road. 

Dunwoody Readers’ Choice: Cuddlefish 

Sandy Springs

Nonna Dora Italian Eatery
1100 Hammond Dr., Sandy Springs

When you find yourself sipping on Parmigiana sauce from a spoon like it’s a luxurious stew or bisque, you know you’re in the midst of a transcendent dining experience. Thank Nonna Dora for that, whose namesake shaped chef-owner Patrizio Alaia’s childhood and cooking philosophy. Every menu item, from the cheesy frittatine to the 100-percent beef meatballs, carries his grandmother’s influence. 

Antipasti and pasta make up most of the menu. It’s hard to go wrong here, but if you’re not into tomato-based sauces, opt for the pesto, Parmigiana, or ultra-rich mushroom lasagna. There’s also a small selection of pizzas, salads, and meat and fish-based main courses (branzino, saltimbocca, and a breaded chicken cutlet). 

Denying yourself a post-dinner cannoli, frolla (Neapolitan pastry stuffed with ricotta and candied orange cubes), or tiramisu is a criminal offense. Make the meal feel extra European by pairing it with an Italian soda.

Come in on Saturdays and Sundays for brunch, including for lemon ricotta pancakes, polenta and shrimp, and an Italian version of an English breakfast. 

Sandy Springs Readers’ Choice: Mister 01 Pizza

Tucker

Nicky’s Undefeated
2316 Main St., Tucker

Greater Philadelphian-owned Nicky’s Undefeated brought yet another strong tenant to Tucker’s Main Street in 2025. It’s a restaurant and bar serving top-rate sandwiches, cheesesteaks (don’t ask for a Philly), wings, and pizza that also doubles as a Philadelphia Eagles hub. 

The hoagies and melts come served on super-soft Liscio’s rolls straight from South Jersey, so no sharp corners will distract your mouth from the pile of meat and cheese inside. Bring a crowd, because the menu at Nicky’s is best divided and conquered. 

Order garlic parmesan wings, cheesesteak egg rolls, and mozzarella squares for the table. Then split a sandwich. Hoagies and cheesesteaks are the name of the game here. But we also recommend Nicky’s fried chicken cutlet sandwiches like the Rocky Balboa (chicken Parmesan), Crazy Betty (Buffalo chicken with mozzarella and more Buffalo sauce), and Meadow Soprano (a fried chicken and kale Caesar hybrid blessed with Pecorino Romano). The slow-roasted Italian pork sandwich with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe and a couple of jumbo pizza slices (more accurately described as quarters) also get the job done. Save room for dessert, including Via Veneto Italian ice, Bassetts ice cream, or pistachio ricotta cake.

There’s no “vibes” at Nicky’s, just a clean, well-lighted place with a good attitude, huge portions, and a modest bill. It works and, frankly, shouldn’t be questioned.

Stop by Sunday and Monday nights to catch NFL games on one of the big-screens. Non-Eagles fans are welcome at Nicky’s, but probably shouldn’t vocalize that fact, or take offense to the anti-Packers and Chiefs art taped to the counter window. 

Tucker Readers’ Choice: Nicky’s Undefeated

Jump to: Readers’ Choice | Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Tucker | Best New Bar | Best Collaboration | Community Spirit Award

Best New Bar

Lucky Star
1055 Howell Mill Road, Star Metals

Lucky Star became the latest restaurant from Chef Jason Liang (Momonoki, Cuddlefish, Brush, Michelin-starred O by Brush) when it opened at Star Metals. As a breakfast to happy hour, and beyond, kind of place, Liang returns to his Taiwanese roots at this restaurant and the comforting street foods of his childhood. 

While you should absolutely come for Liang’s food (try the beef noodle soup and gan mian dry noodles), stay for cocktails from beverage director Kirk Gibson.

You might recognize Gibson from his days at The Pinewood in Decatur and Cardinal in Grant Park. Maybe you attended one of his pop-ups years ago at Brush, or in Candler Park during Little Bear chef Jarrett Stieber’s Eat Me Speak Me days. 

At Lucky Star, Gibson lets loose his bartending skills and passion for cocktail science and experimentation. He goes all in on techniques like fat-washing and clarification, or using a sous vide machine or liquid nitrogen to extract the flavors and textures he’s after for drinks. Cocktails come mixed with syrups and tinctures made from seasonal and foraged ingredients. 

Look for cocktails like a painkiller made with freshly juiced white corn, a coconut-washed rum Manhattan, or a Sidecar made with yuzu juice and salted yuzu syrup. For Lucky Star’s clarified espresso martini, Gibson distills down cold brew steeped in vodka in a Buchi Rotavapor, which boils off the alcohol, leaving behind the roasted floral notes of the coffee. Gibson then re-dilutes the cold brew mixture to 80 proof and finishes the cocktail with white creme de cacao and creme de peche.

With everything batched and ready to go, cocktails arrive within minutes of ordering, even if the ingredients comprising these drinks took hours or days to create. Gibson and his team make cocktails at Lucky Star seem effortless.

Gibson has definitely hit his stride here. A word to Atlanta cocktail enthusiasts: prioritize grabbing a seat at the bar to geek out with Gibson and his cohorts during one of the weekly cocktail omakase services. You’ll thank us later.

Best Collaboration

The New South
Various locations

Yes, please do believe the hype around Black chef collective The New South. Current members include Robert Butts, Demetrius Brown, Gary Caldwell, Carlos Granderson, India Johnson, Chryssie Lewis, Dene Lynn, Jon’nae “Jae” Smith, Rodney Smith, Charmain Ware, and Christan Willis. 

Independently, each member is already impressive — since forming in 2024, these chefs have headlined food festivals, competed on food television shows, announced new restaurants, and hosted ticketed dinners. When The New South works in tandem, however, its chefs produce something that’s hard to replicate.

You can catch The New South in action at one of the collective’s quarterly, eight-course dinners, where you’ll find bites such as infused sweet watermelon juice “hard cups,” or sofrito braised lamb with plantain gnocchi, pickled fresno, lamb demi glaze, microgreens, and charred onion dust, or dukkah smoked Kobe beef with broccoli, onion puree, and pickled green tomatoes.

Since there are more chefs now than courses, not all of The New South members contribute to a meal. But you’ll find many of them attending New South dinners to support and infuse the event with infectious positive energy. And even when they’re not hosting dinners together, this collective shouts out members making strides on their own. In other words, it’s impossible not to root for The New South and its chefs.

Community Spirit Award

Minhwa Spirits
2421 Van Fleet Cir., Doraville

Part distillery, part coffee shop, and part tavern, Minhwa Spirits’ greatest asset might be the commitment to metro Atlanta chefs and food producers.

In addition to cocktails incorporating the distillery’s award-winning soju, chai-infused gin, and makgeolli, owners Ming Han Chung and James Kim have cultivated a community of collaboration at Minhwa. 

You’ll find resident chefs doing stints in the kitchen, including Lino Yi (TKO Korean, Lazy Betty), who currently handles lunch, dinner, and brunch. There’s regular coffee service from Postern Coffee and pastries from small-batch bakery Sugar Plus Air. 

Minhwa also hosts numerous collaborative events throughout the year, ranging from pop-up nights with Dhaba BBQ, Karly’s Kitchen, Mighty Hans, Salty Smiles, and Soupbelly, to dumpling and makgeolli (Korean rice wine) workshops, to regular makers’ markets and K-pop bingo nights. (Resident cat, Hoshi, was even named after a K-pop singer known for his feline appearance.) 

Chung and Kim see Minhwa Spirits as a sort of jumak, a Korean tavern that provided lodging, nourishment, and alcohol to travelers during the Joseon Dynasty. Serving the community lies at the heart of everything on offer at Minhwa Spirits, right down to always providing space and opportunities to support local chefs, bartenders, and artists.

Jump to: Readers’ Choice | Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Sandy Springs, Tucker | Best New Bar | Best Collaboration | Community Spirit Award

The post Rough Draft Atlanta’s Best New Restaurants of 2025 appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Dinner and drinks with a view at Celestia ($$$)
Midtown
Published in the Nov. 11 Family Meal newsletter

Former Umi chef Fuyuhiko Ito opened two of three planned restaurants at Spring Quarter in October: ISHIN and Celestia. Located on the 8th floor of Ten Twenty Spring, the elevator opens to Celestia, sporting multiple seating arrangements, including a terrace lush with plants and rooftop trees.

The bar filled up quickly in the six o’clock hour, as did Celestia’s serpentine sofa beyond it. We sat on the terrace to enjoy a pleasant fall evening with a spectacular view of the Midtown skyline.

Sip on the Jade Dusk – a verdant green cocktail made with Coconut Bounty rum, pineapple, and pandan. Given Ito’s background as a master sushi chef, opt for the akami tuna crudo dressed with soy vinaigrette and topped with a light salad of avocado and onions. Serrano pepper slivers and jalapeño granita crown the hamachi crudo, which is finished table side with ponzu (think Japanese citrus vinaigrette).

Try the karaage (Japanese fried chicken bites), too, and Celestia salad with bitter greens, radicchio, pomegranate seeds, and grapefruit tossed in yuzu agave dressing.

There is a dress code here. Although, it didn’t seem strictly enforced. But you’ll need a reservation, even for cocktails. 

Squash pancakes at Pure Quill Superette
Edgewood
Published in the Nov. 18 Family Meal newsletter

When Chef Hudson Rouse’s kids were younger, getting them to eat their daily allowance of fruits and vegetables was always a challenge. Like so many parents of small children, he often resorted to hiding vegetables within the meals he served to his kids by baking these ingredients into casseroles or desserts, even folding them into pancake batter at breakfast. In fact, that’s the impetus behind the squash pancakes offered during breakfast at Pure Quill Superette. 

For Pure Quill’s squash pancakes, Rouse cooks shredded butternut squash in French butter on a flat top until a wafer-thin patty forms (similar to hash browns). He then pours the pancake batter over the squash patty. 

Rouse is known for using farm-fresh, seasonal produce and foraged ingredients in his cooking, and for letting those ingredients do most of the talking. As a mild-tasting fall squash carrying hints of warm spices, the butternut squash lends a touch of nutty earthiness, while not over-amplifying the sweetness of the pancake batter.  

A stack of two sizable squash pancakes ($12) arrive at the table topped with two pats of butter and just enough cane syrup to drizzle on before eating. 

Mountain trout cru at Avize
Westside Atlanta
Published in the Nov. 25 Family Meal newsletter

Though dainty in appearance, Chef Karl Gorline layers in just enough texture and combination of flavors as to not overwhelm this petitely portioned starter.

Tender slices of North Georgia trout come marinated in yuzu (semi-sweet Asian citrus) topped with teeny dollops of diced celery. A thin celery ribbon provides soft crunch, followed by pops of salinity from trout roe and hints of savoriness from blistered shishito. The cru is finished table side with fermented apple cider ponzu. 

In one little raw dish ($24), Gorline harnesses the seasonality of fall in the South and packages it beautifully. Yuzu, celery, and fermented apple cider ponzu: the trinity I didn’t know I needed. 

Sarra’s Best Dishes

Shakshouka at Diyar Al Yemen
Marietta

I grew up eating Persian food, and I’m always excited to try other Middle Eastern cuisines because I’m curious about how similar ingredients translate across regions. I used family bonding time (a Sunday lunch) as an opportunity to sample Diyar Al Yemen’s menu. The $9 Uber Eats delivery fee seems hefty, but compared to the quality and amount of food you get, it’s a small price to pay.

The Diyar for Two platter ($53), for example, can easily serve twice as many people and still yield leftovers. I selected the Yemeni shakshouka, spelled shak-shookah on the menu, out of sheer curiosity, but ended up liking it best. This style is light on tomatoes, which I appreciate as an acid reflux sufferer, and incorporates diced jalapeños and onions.

Other hits with my family included the chicken shawarma sandwich, ful (mashed fava beans, sautéed onions, and tomatoes topped with tahini and olive oil), fahsah (shredded lamb over mashed potatoes), and fasiola (sautéed kidney beans, onions, and tomatoes topped with tahini).

Gwinn and Tonic from Garrett Tansel of Falling Rabbit
Duluth

In November, I was given the opportunity to help judge Explore Gwinnett’s Gwinn & Tonic cocktail contest. While the lineup included some strong contenders, Falling Rabbit bartender Garrett Tansel’s take was heavily inspired by Gwinnett County’s Korean population, which represents about 2.7 percent of Koreans in the country.

The cocktail mixes two ounces of Minhwa Spirits’ collaborative gin with The Chai Box, Queen Huh Gin, which is lush with chai spices like cardamom (my favorite). This gin may or may not make an appearance as a white elephant gift in December.

Tansel then combined the gin with Korean Milkis cream soda and Ghia chili-sumac soda to create a blend that pretty much tastes like a melted creamsicle with added complexity from the spices. He garnished the drink with a kimchi chip. (There’s something so special about a drink that comes with a snack.) The fermented flavors made a fantastic contrast to the sweet, aromatic cocktail.

Ceviche at Cuzco Peruvian Cuisine
Brookhaven

I drive by Cuzco on Buford Highway multiple times a week and finally decided to try it one day when my body felt desperate for iron. Cuzco is yet another example of a metro Atlanta strip mall spot that shouldn’t be underestimated.

With upholstered booths and decorated walls, Cuzco has an atmosphere that’s easily enhanced with drinks and live music — I can absolutely see myself visiting on a Friday night. But back to the ceviche.

I took the opportunity to order the special ceviche topped with calamari ($23). The portion was gigantic, and the sinew indicated freshness. I could tell that the fish hadn’t been dead long — the meat’s consistency took me back to eating snapper sashimi with ponzu sauce after a deep-sea fishing trip. Both my stomach and my iron reserves left extremely satisfied.

The post The best dishes we ate in November 2025 appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

To get a taste of Thanksgiving across the US, six Atlanta chefs — three Southern and three hailing from the North and Midwest — shared their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and family food traditions for the holiday. 

For this South versus North side dish smackdown, The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman (South) and Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown (North) talk treasured family recipes.

Read the other Thanksgiving side dish smackdown stories here.

The South: Sweet potato mash

The Daily Chew founder Julia Kesler Imerman 

Julia Kesler Imerman calls her Thanksgiving table “semi-traditional,” with a lighter, fresher spin. Her family has incorporated fresh vegetables into Thanksgiving sides since moving to Atlanta from South Africa when she was three. 

“We have your traditional mac and cheese,” she said. “We also have a sweet potato mash instead of mashed potatoes, or in addition to sourdough stuffing. It’s very simple, but it’s very good.”

Imerman’s family also has a green bean salad, roasted vegetables, and savory cornbread muffins that contain actual pieces of corn. There’s always a lot of wine at the family’s Thanksgiving table, too. 

Growing up, Imerman’s father called the shots in the kitchen. When she was five, her father let her start contributing to Thanksgiving prep — mixing things in bowls and maybe trying to peel vegetables. The family’s meals were, and still are, more global than regional. 

“We’ve been having an alternative to mashed potatoes since I was young,” Imerman said. “My dad always loved using sweet potatoes or other root vegetables for a mash or puree on Thanksgiving.” And it’s a tradition she continues with her own family.

Imerman uses olive oil in the sweet potatoes and incorporates a savory element by folding in sage-infused butter. The result is brighter and not quite as heavy.

One notable exception from Imerman’s family, especially in the South, is pork. She usually offers a different braised meat, such as brisket. Her dad used to prepare lamb. 

As Imerman’s family has grown, her Thanksgiving traditions have shifted. She’s taken over hosting between 40 and 50 people at her home in Midtown. “It’s a big extended family, lots of kids running around, usually a big fire,” she said.

Thanksgiving Day carries even more meaning for Imerman now that she’s a mother. Her oldest child took his first steps during a previous Thanksgiving meal. 

Sweet potato mash with salted sage butter and cinnamon (Serves 4)

Ingredients

For the mash

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 3 to 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 1/4 cup whole milk or cream (or warm oat/almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the salted sage butter

• 4 Tbsp salted butter
• 8 to 10 fresh sage leaves
• Optional: pinch of nutmeg or smoked paprika
• Extra flaky salt, if needed (taste first since using salted butter)

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes

1. Add sweet potato chunks to a pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
3. Drain and let sit for 1 minute to release steam.

Make the mash

1. Add salted butter, warm milk/cream, cinnamon, and pepper.
2. Mash until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning. Salted butter may mean no extra salt is needed.

Make the salted sage butter

1. Melt the salted butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
2. Add sage leaves and cook until the butter foams and leaves crisp, about 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Add a small pinch of flaky salt, only if needed.

Assemble

1. Spread the mash into a serving bowl.
2. Spoon the salted sage butter over the top.
3. Garnish with crisp sage leaves and a dusting of cinnamon, if preferred.

The North: Macaroni pie

Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown (Rhode Island) 

As a child, Bread & Butterfly and Heritage Supper Club chef Demetrius Brown bounced back and forth between his native Rhode Island and Georgia. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University, Brown made Atlanta his permanent home. 

Brown’s family roots lie in the South and the Caribbean, particularly in Trinidad. At family gatherings, the table typically features an eclectic mix of dishes representing the depth and breadth of the African diaspora. Thanksgiving is no exception. 

Rather than a traditional Thanksgiving feast, the family cooks dishes from a chosen country each year. But three dishes are always on the Thanksgiving table: stuffing (his brother’s favorite), his maternal great grandmother’s spice cake, and his fraternal great grandmother’s macaroni pie. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the savory Trinidadian pasta bake blended with sharp cheddar cheese, milk, eggs, and pimento peppers, with bucatini replacing macaroni. 

“My mom and my grandmother do a really amazing job making macaroni pie. You can put anything on it,” Brown said of the zesty Caribbean riff on mac and cheese. “At my grandmother’s house, we would eat it with red beans and rice. I’ll just mix mine with some gravy at Thanksgiving.”

Brown makes macaroni pie with béchamel sauce, adding cheese, caramelized onions, paprika, onion, and garlic powder to give it a big flavor boost. 

Macaroni pie recipe (Serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients

• 1 package of bucatini noodles
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 cans of evaporated milk
• 2 lb block of extra sharp white cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to instructions (8-12min)
2. Shred cheese
3. Bring milk and butter to a simmer and slowly add 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a baking pan, combine noodles and cheese. Slowly mix in eggs
5. Add remaining cheese to the top and bake at 375 until golden brown or approximately 25 to 35 minutes.

The post North vs. South Thanksgiving sides smackdown: Family recipes appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

To get a taste of Thanksgiving across the US, six Atlanta chefs — three Southern and three hailing from the North and Midwest — shared their favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and family food traditions for the holiday. 

For this South versus North side dish smackdown, Avize chef Karl Gorline (South) and Breaker Breaker chef Maximilian Hines (North) talk must-have hot dishes for the Thanksgiving table.

Read the other Thanksgiving side dish smackdown stories here.

The South: Crab dressing

Avize chef Karl Gorline (Gulf Coast)

For Avize chef Karl Gorline, who grew up on the Gulf Coast, holiday meals always include seafood. “You’re right there by the water,” he said. “So, crab dressing is something that we had quite often. Imagine it like a weird crab cake.” 

Gorline believes that the farther south you go, foodways have a more natural resistance to the norm. In this case, Thanksgiving recipes that are pushed across the country but don’t exactly reflect the region. 

“Basically all the way from Mobile Bay over to New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain, that’s one of the largest [crab] markets,” he said. 

Blue crabs are native to the area, and even a sign of trust. “Back in the bayou, people would just have crab traps out all the time. That’s somebody’s crab trap, and you respect it.,” Gorline said. “It’s almost like leaving the door unlocked in your neighborhood.” 

A friend of Gorline’s uncle would make crab dressing and bring brined chickens to smoke for Thanksgiving. Gulf Coast Thanksgiving meals also tend to feature pasta and gumbo at the table, with gumbo occasionally served with dressing instead of gravy. 

Crab dressing (Serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients

• 1 pouch stovetop chicken flavor mix
• 1/4 cup chopped celery 
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion (Note: celery, pepper, onion are the trinity) 
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions
• 1 pound lump crab meat
• 1 1/2 cups rich duck or chicken stock
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tsp Old Bay (or mixture of 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper)
• 1 tsp dried parsley 
• 1 tsp ground carraway
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary 
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice 

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a sauce pot. Add trinity (onions, bell pepper, and celery), Old Bay, dried parsley, carraway, rosemary, and allspice. Sweat over medium heat. Season mixture to taste with salt and pepper, about 1 to 2 teaspoons of each. 
2. Add rich duck or chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the dried stuffing mix, incorporating lightly. 
3. Add crab meat and scallions. Set aside for later preparation or transfer to a casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. 
4. For a sauce, combine one pack of brown gravy mix, one pack of turkey gravy mix, one cup of apple juice, a little cracked pepper, fresh rosemary, and crab meat over medium heat. Or serve dressing with gumbo. 

Dressing can also be stuffed inside a brined young chicken.

1. Brine chicken in a 1:5 ratio of salt to water for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
2. Roast or smoke chicken 20 minutes per pound at 365 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the chicken’s temperature next to the wing joint (it should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit) before removing it from the oven or smoker.
3. Let bird rest for at least 15 minutes, or 1/4 the amount of time cooked, before serving. 

The North/Midwest: Corn pudding

Breaker Breaker chef Maximilian Hines (Ohio/DC)

Breaker Breaker and Stolen Goods chef Maximilian Hines spent a good chunk of his childhood in Ohio, with occasional stints in DC. But Ohio is home. It’s where he was born and where his parents are from – and where childhood memories were made around the Thanksgiving table.

For Thanksgiving, the family would prepare dishes influenced by their roots in Haiti, Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Virginia. Some years, the stuffing served alongside the turkey, Honeybaked ham, yams, and mashed potatoes and gravy was mixed with blue crab meat, drawing on family roots along the Chesapeake Bay. 

Then there were the numerous casseroles on offer, including a corn pudding that came to the family’s Thanksgiving table via his grandmother’s college roommate. 

“The holidays are still pretty indicative of what my grandparents made every year, which definitely skews more Ohio than anywhere else,” Hines said. “Everything was a casserole, like green bean casserole, squash casserole, and that corn pudding. A lot of it involved canned vegetables from Glory Foods.”

The custardy corn pudding (or casserole) isn’t difficult to make and can incorporate late-season sweet corn. Hines likes the dish because it balances sweet and savory flavors gelled together by scalded milk, butter, and curdled eggs, giving the pudding a similar texture to a scrambled egg bake. 

With family now scattered around the country, and his sister in London, it’s been hard to gather for Thanksgiving in recent years. As a full-time chef, Hines tries not to cook on Thanksgiving. However, this year he asked his mother for the corn pudding recipe, a dish that might just turn up on his Thanksgiving table, or at the Breaker Breaker staff potluck planned before the holiday. 

Corn pudding (Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 2 cans of whole kernel corn (15.25 oz), or 1 quart of fresh shaved corn off of the cobb
• 1 3/4 cups scalded milk, or 2 cups unscalded milk 
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 4 eggs 
• 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
• Salt and white pepper to taste, or approximately 1/2 tsp 

Optional ingredients 

• Pimento 
• Baking powder 
• Tajin 
• Thyme 
• Sorghum instead of sugar

Instructions 

1. Scald milk in a skillet until it reduces slightly. Add butter and allow to melt. 
2. Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly. Slowly temper in milk and butter into the eggs and whisk until well combined. 
3. Fold in corn and seasonings and transfer to a small greased casserole dish. (If you are using pimentos and baking powder, add both with the corn during this step.)
4. Cover with foil and cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 1 hour, or until thoroughly set and a cake tester can be inserted and removed cleanly. (Foil can be removed toward the end of cooking to allow for some browning.)

Alternative method, with chef pro tips

Hines follows his family’s corn pudding recipe, but makes a few adjustments. He strongly recommends using pimentos and baking powder.

“When I tested this recipe, the Southern influence in me decided to cook it in a greased cast iron skillet instead of a casserole dish,” Hines explained. “I cooked the corn pudding at 350 but didn’t cover it, and it cooked and set at 30 minutes instead of the typical time of almost an hour.”

Baking uncovered in a cast iron skillet at 350, Hines added, gives the corn pudding some nice caramelization and a light crust on top. He finishes the corn pudding with cut chives for color.

Read the other Thanksgiving side dish smackdown stories here.

The post North vs. South Thanksgiving sides smackdown: Hot dishes appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.