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.

Patatas bravas at La Metro
Ponce City Market
Published in the Oct. 14 Family Meal newsletter

Resembling thinly sliced steak fries, La Metro’s patatas bravas ($8) are seasoned with garlic, salt, smoked paprika, and fresh parsley. The potatoes are parboiled and then hit the fryer just long enough to crisp the outside, leaving the flesh inside tender and fluffy.

While the patatas bravas are good on their own, it’s the addition of a spicy tomato dipping sauce that gives these Spanish fries an edge. If you’re not a fan of ketchup but dig romesco or gochujang, La Metro’s spicy tomato dipping sauce has your back. 

Pro tip: A whole bucket of rotisserie chicken from La Metro’s online takeout and delivery sibling, Chicken & Papas, includes fries with dipping sauce, one side (get the dirty green beans), and focaccia. It costs around $36.

Cream tea at Zen Tea
Chamblee
Published in the Oct. 21 Family Meal newsletter

When I need to unwind with a cup of tea (not in my house), I invariably end up at Zen Tea in Chamblee. Here, I can sip tea and indulge in a scone or two while quietly reading or working. Tea houses like Zen are nice alternatives to coffee shops, which sometimes are too noisy and distracting. 

At Zen, I can pop in for a cup of almond oolong or White Silk Earl Grey and a scone without much trouble. (Better still, Zen Tea is an easy walk from the Chamblee MARTA station.) But the real move at Zen is the tea and cream for one ($19), which comes with a 16-ounce pot of tea and three seasonal scones accompanied by lemon curd, preserves, honey, and fresh clotted cream. For scones, I’m team cream on bottom, jam or lemon curd on top. 

With more than 150 teas to choose from at Zen, it can feel overwhelming. But don’t fret. Zen staff members are happy to answer questions, and the menu breaks down teas into categories, including specific blends and decaf versus caffeinated. Take note: most of the seating is outside on the covered patio.

The Reuben at Spiller Park Coffee
South Downtown
Published in the Oct. 28 Family Meal newsletter

When Dale Donchey opened the South Downtown location of Spiller Park Coffee last year, he wanted the menu to include at least one deli sandwich. At this location, Donchey’s fourth in the city, the sandwich menu will eventually expand, catering to the Capitol and justice center crowds, as well as to people attending games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium across the bridge.

While Donchey has yet to expand beyond one sandwich, the Reuben on offer here is worth the trek to the Mitchell Street coffee shop, which is now open on Saturdays.

Served on buttered rye bread, you can order the Reuben ($16) with either pastrami or turkey. It comes dressed with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a generous spread of zingy yellow mustard before being slapped on the griddle to toast up. I opted for turkey — think tangy turkey grilled cheese in the best way possible.

Sarra’s Best Dishes

Salmon at Danbi Seasonal Kitchen
Brookhaven

Do you ever get blown away by a restaurant even though you already know it’s good? That’s how I felt when I visited Danbi with a friend earlier this month. Don’t let the Brookhaven spot’s fast-casual atmosphere fool you: everything (except the cookies) are made to order and immediately delivered to your table. This is the type of salmon you want from a restaurant — appropriately flavored with a slight bit of medium-rare heat that lets the flesh fall apart in your mouth. The accompanying vegetables were all solid (I ate all of them), with my favorite being the miso-glazed kabocha squash, which boasted a rich fermented flavor I haven’t experienced since I visited Japan six years ago.

Chicken ravioli at Nonna Dora
Sandy Springs

I don’t make the rules — sometimes you just need Italian comfort food delivered to your door. I used my quarterly Uber Eats splurge to try Nonna Dora, and ordered the chicken ravioli to get a protein and carbohydrate fix, and added shrimp and capers (a natural fit) to the dish. The result is a hearty pasta meal that isn’t overwhelming. Also, the creamy Parmigiano sauce is so good you can (and should) eat it with a spoon like soup.

Carrot cake from At Heart Panaderia
Various pop-up locations

The universe works in mysterious ways. I caught a glimpse online of what ended up being Teresa Finney’s final cake for Communidad in the Old Fourth Ward and immediately packed my laptop in a bag and drove to the Highland Avenue taqueria. The journey (and wrecking my sugar pause) were absolutely worth it. That carrot cake was pure artistry, incorporating flavors I’d never think to pair with carrot cake’s profile, like salted caramel and orange cream. (And because I am a good wife, I brought another slice home for my carrot cake-loving husband.) Finney and At Heart may be flying solo again, but given her cakes, cookies, and conchas, I’m nothing but confident for her future in Atlanta.

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

Not only is it Michelin season again, but we’re fast approaching Best New Restaurants season in Atlanta. It’s the time of year when publications like Rough Draft present awards to new restaurants bringing something special to the local food scene. 

New restaurants often reflect our present-day communities and show us where Atlanta’s food scene is headed, whether that’s fresh perspectives on familiar cuisines or spotlighting underrepresented cultures on menus. Some new restaurants look to shake up traditional service models, like fast casual and fine dining, becoming food and operations trendsetters. 

Rough Draft Dining Reporter Sarra Sedghi and I have spent the last year eating at dozens of new restaurants across the metro area. To compile our list, final decisions are based on specific criteria, such as creative use of ingredients, consistency of food and service over multiple visits, and unique characteristics like zero-waste practices or clever beverage programs setting some new restaurants apart from others. 

While we’re currently working to finalize the 2025 list, we want to also give our readers a chance to weigh in on the new restaurants they believe deserve top marks for 2025. 

Enter Rough Draft’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Participation is as simple as filling out a form to vote for your favorite new restaurant. 

Just like Rough Draft’s 2025 list, new restaurants considered for Readers’ Choice opened between Oct. 1, 2024, and Oct. 1, 2025. New restaurants must reside within Rough Draft’s major coverage areas, including the cities of Atlanta, Brookhaven, Tucker, Sandy Springs, and Dunwoody. We’ve provided space to fill in your favorite restaurant for each city category, along with a category for new restaurants residing in adjacent communities within greater Metro Atlanta. (Think Roswell, Decatur, Marietta, Jonesboro, Duluth, Peachtree City, etc.) 

We’ll collect reader responses through Nov. 21 and announce the Rough Draft and Readers’ Choice winners during the first week of December. 

Click here to vote for the Best New Restaurants of 2025.

Need a refresher on the restaurant openings from the past year? Check out each month’s major restaurant openings below. 

• SEPTEMBER 2025 openings
• AUGUST 2025 openings
• JULY 2025 openings
• JUNE 2025 openings
• MAY 2025 openings 
• APRIL 2025 openings
• MARCH 2025 openings
• FEBRUARY 2025 openings
• JANUARY 2025 openings
• DECEMBER 2024 openings
• NOVEMBER 2024 openings
• OCTOBER 2024 openings

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

Chilaquiles at La Mixteca Tamale House
Buckhead, Underwood Hills, Suwanee
Published in the Sept. 2 Family Meal newsletter

Whenever I see chilaquiles on a morning menu, it’s an automatic order, especially if I get to customize my breakfast nachos with sauces, toppings, and protein options.

Serving as the base layer for chilaquiles, thick strips of fried tortilla are quickly simmered in salsa, to which refried beans, eggs, cilantro, and lots of crumbly queso fresco are added, along with other ingredients like pico de gallo, avocado, and jalapeños. Then you pile on your favorite extras, including shredded chicken, chorizo, steak, and even tofu.

The chips for the chilaquiles at La Mixteca Tamale House come with substantial heft, enough to hold together during the salsa simmer without disintegrating or turning to mush, or later collapsing under the weight of multiple toppings.

I appreciate that La Mixteca keeps its chilaquiles add-on options tight. The basic dish comes with eggs of any style, avocado, queso fresco, onions, cilantro, and jalapeños. I added spicy green salsa, shredded chicken, and opted for a sunny egg, mixing in the yolk to give the chilaquiles a creamier texture. At $15, this chilaquiles brunch was a bargain. 

Za’atar bagel and Reuben at Yaba’s Bagels
4780 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody
Published in the Sept. 9 Family Meal newsletter

Located at Ashford Place, in the former 101 Bagel Cafe space, Yaba’s isn’t your standard New York-style bagel shop. Bagels are infused with spices like za’atar, or come with spread options like labneh drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za’atar, or tahini and date syrup topped with dates and toasted walnuts. The “water bagels” at Yaba’s take me right back to the deli in my hometown, reminding me that the precisely timed boiling process matters in bringing about the signature textures of a New York-style bagel (crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside).

My love affair with Yaba’s za’atar bagels began in August when I ordered the Levantine ($11), which comes with the aforementioned labneh spread. It continued with my recent bagel sandwich order: the Reuben ($14) and a turkey and Swiss ($12) on a za’atar bagel. The former was stuffed full of savory, hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut.

Croissants from Viennoiseries After Dark
Cottage bakery with evening delivery service around Metro Atlanta
Published in the Sept. 16 Family Meal newsletter

“Butter + love = Paris.” That’s the motto for Viennoiseries and the founding principle behind Chloë Chadet’s cottage bakery operation on Atlanta’s west side. “I launched Viennoiseries After Dark because of our love for viennoiseries any time of the day. Late night to early morning cravings,” Chadet told me. This includes her craving for croissants in the evening, which she bakes to flaky, buttery perfection, accompanied by petite jars of jam, and begins delivering just after sunset with her mother, Christelle.  

While croissants are synonymous with France, especially Paris, part of the buttery puff pastry’s origins lie in Vienna.

Viennoiserie is a category of baked goods that bridge the gap between pastry and bread in France, made in the Viennese style. The origins of the croissant can be traced to medieval Austria and the crescent-shaped kipferl with a dough similar to brioche. It’s said the croissant we know today was invented by Austrian native and baker August Zang in 1838. He owned a Viennese-style boulangerie in Paris and transformed the crescent-shaped Viennese bread roll into a flaky, layered, laminated dough pastry. It became an instant sensation in Paris. 

Chadet also bakes bacon gruyere quiches (yes, please) and occasionally batches of Madeleines. A quiche, which easily serves six people, and four croissants set me back about $41, including a $5 delivery charge. 

Sopa de pollo roja and house salad at Communidad Taqueria
655 Highland Ave., Old Fourth Ward
Published in the Sept. 23 Family Meal newsletter

Listed as sopa de pollo (chicken soup) at Communidad in the Old Fourth Ward, don’t expect noodle-laden, clear broth with chunks of chicken and vegetables to hit the table. This soup leans heartier, with a zesty red broth infused with chiles and tomatoes, similar to that of pozole (Mexican stew with chiles, pork or chicken, and hominy).

Chicken asada, corn, fried tortilla strips, and white beans pack the savory broth, even before you pile on crispy shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, and a garnish of fresh cilantro. Crunch. Layers of texture. A savory, aromatic broth with a hint of heat. Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja has entered the chat, Atlanta. Reply by ordering it.  

I paired a cup of the sopa de pollo roja ($6) with a small Communidad salad ($7), to which I added chicken asada for an additional charge ($5). With a base of Romaine and arugula, the salad on its own comes with marinated black beans, hibiscus-pickled red onions, tortilla strips, and crumbles of queso fresco tossed in a roasted jalapeno green goddess dressing. The chicken asada simply introduced more protein to the mix, soaking up the flavors of the pickled onions and black beans as it steeped in the juices of the salad’s other ingredients.

While not paired together as a combo on the menu, Communidad’s sopa de pollo roja and house salad should be, because it’s the soup-and-salad combo we deserve. 

Sarra’s Best Dishes

Baby arugula salad at KR SteakBar
349 Peachtree Hills Ave., Peachtree Hills, Buckhead

Since moving back to Atlanta last year, I don’t think any dish has impressed me more than the city’s contemporary wave of salads. KR SteakBar’s arugula salad is the latest to capture me. I can’t recall the last time I’ve eaten such tender arugula — the leaves felt young and plush and carried a subtle peppery flavor rather than abrasive bitterness. The arugula made a great vehicle for smoked mozzarella, salami chunks, and olive brine vinaigrette (such an underrated ingredient) and created a light take on antipasti — a good opener for the heavier meat and pastas that followed.

Pizza ranch dressing and Pepp City pizza at Glide Pizza
254 West Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur

Visiting Glide Pizza’s first dine-in location this month taught me a few things: first, Glide’s patrons have a serious love for the pizzeria’s ranch dressing, and second, I should never interview anyone while pizza is cooking, because I am powerless around that smell. I ended up leaving with a few slices and a cup of house ranch, which my husband and I obliterated (the secret is fresh basil and dill, I’ve been told). It paired well with the spicier pizza, but I also want to try it on everything else.

Matcha tonic at White Windmill Cafe & Bakery
Buckhead, Doraville, Duluth

My ideal beverage combines caffeine and carbonation — any kind of espresso tonic or coffee spritz creates a jolt that’s both invigorating and productive. So, when I encountered the matcha tonic at the new White Windmill location in Buckhead, I ordered it without hesitation. It’s not the drink for everyone, especially if you don’t enjoy matcha without milk or syrup, but I love how the fizzy carbonated water aerates the earthy matcha. I suppose you could add boba, because they make it in a boba-compatible cup, but I didn’t. 

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