Big Michelin Guide Reveal + October Openings + Atlanta Chef’s New Restaurant
Nov. 6 — For today’s Side Dish, we’re offering two recipes, including one for purple sweet potato latkes using fresh produce from your local farmers market.
The Michelin awards have come and gone. We’re bringing you the full rundown of what took place in Greenville on Monday night, along with the list of Atlanta restaurants now part of the new dining guide to the American South.
Look for a roundup of October restaurant openings, and a story on Bread & Butterfly chef Demetrius Brown’s upcoming Summerhill restaurant, Heritage. Brown calls Heritage his homage to Africa and its diaspora.
🍽️ As always, get the latest Atlanta dining news, like details on a few openings, the completed sale of R. Thomas on Peachtree, and an update on Rough Draft’s food banks and nonprofits roundup for SNAP beneficiaries. Did you know that Trader Joe’s just dropped a corn-scented candle? They sure did. Plus, we have some dining events to add to your calendar,including the 22nd annual Chomp & Stomp chili cook-off and bluegrass festival this Saturday, and more dining news to know.
➕ In case you missed it in your inbox on Tuesday evening, here’s a link to the latest edition of “Family Meal“. Beth shares her initial thoughts on the new Michelin Guide to the American South and just what went down with that now infamous press release. Speaking of Michelin, Sarra shared a recipe for the three-cup chicken from Lucky Star, which joined the recommended Atlanta restaurant ranks in the guide this year.
Cheers from the Rough Draft dining team!
🍸 Beth and 🍰 Sarra
🥂 On Fri., Nov. 14, Community Farmers Markets’ Red Clay Soirée returns to Summerour Studio for a mission-driven evening uniting some of the finest farmers, chefs, and bartenders of the local food movement. This feast of flavor and fellowship promises to be every locavore’s dream! SPONSOR MESSAGE
Have You Heard?
🥂 Openings
Raani Coffee will open Nov. 8 in the former Hodgepodge Coffeehouse space on Moreland Avenue in East Atlanta. Owned by Praveena Sundarraj, Raani includes a roastery and tasting room and serves pastries.
Beyond Juicery + Eatery will open a location on Peachtree Road in Buckhead on Nov. 8
Jamaican restaurant stall Perfect Seasoning opened at the Peacherie, the new micro food hall in Midtown. This is the second location for Dalisha Williams, who opened Perfect Seasoning at Chattahoochee Food Works last year.
👉 Coming Attraction
A second location of Pink Lotus Thai restaurant will open next summer on North Main Street in downtown Alpharetta. Backed by the owners of 26 Thai Kitchen, Pink Lotus first opened on Brady Avenue on Atlanta’s west side earlier this year.
💵 R. Thomas Sale Complete
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill was sold to the Teranga Group, the AJC reported. The local hospitality group operates restaurants and lounges in Atlanta and Charlotte. Owner Amat Baba said they don’t plan to change the menu or staff at R. Thomas, but will give the interior a bit of a refresh. As for the quirky little Peachtree Road restaurant’s beloved tropical birds, once owned by late-founder Richard Thomas, Baba told the AJC that cockatoos Peaches and Cream and Ruby the parrot will likely stay put for now. However, the birds could move to another part of the restaurant out of the way of car and foot traffic. Read more about the regulars of R. Thomas here.
🆘 Help a Neighbor in Need
Despite a court order, it’s unclear as to whether the Trump administration will fund SNAP benefits through November. Earlier this week on Truth Social, the President threatened to withhold funding until Democrats agreed to reopen the government. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday that the President and his administration would comply and at least partially fund SNAP.
Regardless of what the Trump administration ultimately decides to do, the more than 41 million people – many of them children and senior citizens – on the federal food assistance program still need help putting meals on the table. Rough Draft continues to track the local nonprofits, organizations, and restaurants providing food, and accepting donations and volunteers.
🍳 New Affordable Breakfast Alert
Snackboxe Bistro owner Thip Athakhanh recently opened Naga Bistro, a restaurant serving a trifecta of Cambodian, Lao, and Thai food in Chamblee. Beginning Nov. 8, Naga Bistro will offer weekend breakfast, starting at 7:30 a.m., to include congee, an oyster omelet, steamed buns, and pandan waffles. Most of the weekend breakfast menu is under $10.
⛔ Kitchen Closure
Michelin-starred Buckhead restaurant Atlas will close Nov. 9-19 for a kitchen redo. The renovation will upgrade kitchen equipment and allow Chef Freddy Money and his team time to reevaluate the restaurant’s guest experience.
☑️ Vote for Your Fave
Election Day may be over but you can still vote for your favorite new restaurant of 2025. New restaurants considered for Rough Draft’s Readers’ Choice Awards 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 Metro Atlanta restaurants residing in adjacent communities. (Think Roswell, Decatur, Marietta, Jonesboro, Duluth, Peachtree City, etc.) Vote here through Nov. 21.
🌽 Trader Joe’s for the Win
Chalk this one up to items you didn’t know you needed this holiday season. Trader Joe’s released a corn-scented candle. The limited edition soy wax candle ($5.99) features the essence of “sweet, freshly baked cornbread.” How very Southern of the California-based grocery chain.
📆 Add to Your Calendar
Everyone’s favorite chili festival is back again this year. The annual Chomp & Stomp chili cook-off and bluegrass music festival (pictured) returns to Cabbagetown on Nov. 8 for its 22nd year. The day kicks off with a 5K fun run. Chomp & Stomp officially begins at 12:30 p.m., featuring more than 90 restaurants and home cooks battling it out for best chili. Expect bluegrass, Americana, and alternative country music on six stages, along with local artist vendors and beer stations. You can pre-purchase a $10 chili-eating spoon at Little’s Food Store, Mikkelson’s Market, Sweet Cheats, or Emerald City Bagels, or purchase spoons for $15 on the day of Chomp & Stomp.
North-Highland Restaurant Week returns Nov. 9-13. Two dozen neighborhood restaurants will participate this year, offering specials throughout the week. Events kick off with the North Highland Wine Walk on Nov. 9, from 2-5 p.m., and include tastings and artist vendors along the route. Tickets are $37.52 per person.
James Beard Award-nominated chef Arnold Myint will be in Atlanta Nov. 11-12 promoting his new cookbook Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home. Myint will cook a family-style Thai dinner alongside chefs Parnass Savang and Rod Lassiter at Talat Market in Summerhill on Nov. 11. Tickets are $125 per person.
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Local Food and Dining Stories
Did you miss these October restaurant openings?
🍁 Check out this brief roundup of October restaurant openings, including Buddy Buddy, Spring 2nd Branch, Ghee Indian Kitchen, Lo Kee, Tyde Tate Thai Kitchen, Smorgasburg Atlanta, and Auxiliary Coffee.
Plus, get the latest on the bars and restaurants opening soon around Atlanta, like Close Company from Death & Co. and Barrel Proof at Westside Provisions District.
➡️ Read the full list of October restaurant and bar openings here.
Michelin drops new guide to the American South
⭐ The inaugural Michelin Guide to the American South is now official (and confirmed by the French tire company) after what appeared to be a press release scheduling snafu that revealed the list hours before the ceremony began. But the show must go on – and it did – starting with a cocktail reception at the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, before the main event.
This year marks a significant change in how the organization recognizes Metro area restaurants, folding the previous Michelin Guide to Atlanta in with the new guide to the American South.
The only change to Atlanta’s 2025 Bib Gourmands saw Banshee shift to the recommended restaurants list. Eight new Atlanta restaurants earned recommendations this year from Michelin, including Staplehouse, which lost its one star due to the relocation of the tasting menu to the owners’ new restaurant in Gay, GA. The remaining 2024 one-star restaurants maintained status in 2025, including Atlas, Lazy Betty, and Spring.
➡️ Check out the Atlanta restaurants included in the 2025 guide here.
Bread & Butterfly chef opening Heritage in Summerhill
🌍 After operating Heritage Supper Club as a dinner series for the past five years, founder and chef Demetrius Brown will evolve it into a restaurant next spring in Summerhill.
Brown, along with his Bread & Butterfly partner, Brandon Blanchard, will open Heritage at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Reed Street across from Little Bear. Like Heritage Supper Club, the restaurant will center its menu and music around the cultures within the African diaspora.
While Bread & Butterfly leans French, including influences via French colonization of African and Caribbean nations, Heritage will be Brown’s homage to Africa and its diasporic peoples.
➡️ Read more about Heritage from Beth here.
🥂 On Fri., Nov. 14, Community Farmers Markets’ Red Clay Soirée returns to Summerour Studio for a mission-driven evening uniting some of the finest farmers, chefs, and bartenders of the local food movement. This feast of flavor and fellowship promises to be every locavore’s dream! SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Market + Two Recipes
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY FARMERS MARKETS
🍠 Each week, Rough Draft Atlanta and Community Farmers Markets are partnering to bring you two tasty recipes you can make using ingredients from your local farmers market. This week, it’s all about sweet potatoes! We’ve got sweet potato latkes and honey and sesame-coated sweet potatoes for you to try. Check out the recipes here.
🖋️ Today’s Side Dish was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.