A sampling of great eats in and around Buckhead
BY: Wendell Brock, Rebecca Cha and Angela Hansberger
PHOTOS: Sara Hanna
ANIS CAFÉ & BISTRO
Anis is everything you’d hope to find in a French bistro, without having to buy a plane ticket: traditional Provençal dishes, relaxed patio dining and often a small congregation of French speaking diners to help set the mood. Grilled North African-style Merguez sausage, coquilles St. Jacques or a bright, crisp salade d’Arnaud (named after the owner) are all winning starters. Entrées of truite meunière, poulet rôti and boeuf au poivre are sure to bring you back to that quaint Provençal village square. Best-in-class items are the croque monsieur, salade Niçoise, moules marinières and not-to-bemissed chocolate mousse.
Lunch prices: $8-$19
Dinner prices: $8-$35
anisbistro.com
BIG SKY BUCKHEAD
The laid-back cattle ranch decor in this West Village hotspot is the perfect foil for top-notch Tex-Mex-meets-Deep- South eats. Specialty cocktails served up by fresh-faced mixologists combined with events such as trivia nights, game-day viewing parties and weekend brunches with all-you-can-drink mimosas make Big Sky Buckhead a favorite urban escape. Best-in-class dishes such as the Big Sky Nachos, Goose Island IPA wings, Original Burger and Buffalo Chicken Sandwich are good enough to brand this place in your memory forever. Good to know: Big Sky is a cashless establishment, so don’t forget your alt-currency. Also, free on-site parking spots are limited, so consider carpooling or ridesharing.
Starters: $4-$12
Salads, sandwiches and tacos: $11-$13
Entrées: $15-$19
Brunch items: $12-$15
bigskybuckhead.com
BUCKHEAD DINER
This indispensable, neon-splashed diner is a jewel in the crown of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, which includes the Greek temple-like Kyma next door and the Atlanta Fish Market down the street. For 30 years, fans have flocked here for the housemade chips with Maytag blue, the “sweet heat” Thaichile calamari, juicy burgers and the decadent white-chocolate banana cream pie—all classics. Simply by virtue of the way it lights up Piedmont Road, this diner has always been, and will always be, a star.
Appetizers: $6-$12
Sandwiches and burgers: $13-$16
Entrées: $17-$30
buckheadrestaurants.com/buckhead-diner
BUTTERMILK KITCHEN
Chef Suzanne Vizethann offers thoughtfully handcrafted food in a room as pure and simple as its namesake drink. Southern classics are the foundation of this Roswell Road breakfast-and-lunch spot, and you can’t go wrong with the Brunswick stew, chicken salad, pimento cheese or the fried chicken biscuit with pepper jelly and pickles. Vizethann’s love of sweet confections really shines at weekend brunch, when folks line up in front of the inviting bright-blue cottage for the likes of toasted blueberry coffee cake and poppy-seed pancakes with strawberries and lemon curd.
Breakfast dishes: $8-$13
Salads and sandwiches: $8.25-$11.50
buttermilkkitchen.com
CIBO E BEVE
An unassuming strip mall cover belies the cozy sophistication awaiting inside this popular Sandy Springs trattoria. Chef Linda Harrell’s menu is punctuated with exquisite, simple fare such as Tuscan kale and bean soup and braised short rib ragu with spinach ravioli, and is anchored by classics such as woodfired pizzas and chicken parmigiana. Don’t bypass the Italian wine list with top-notch selections both familiar (Santa Margherita Vermentino) and obscure (Morgante Nero d’Avola). On Monday evenings, select bottles are half price. Weekends are especially busy, so plan your visit accordingly.
Appetizers, soups and salads: $5-$16
Pasta, pizza and sandwiches: $13-$32
Mains: $23-$36
Desserts: $4-$8
ciboatlanta.com
FARM BURGER
Of the locally pastured gourmet burger chains, Farm Burger, which has a Buckhead shop on Piedmont Road near Tower Place, has long been a favorite. And it’s hard to imagine a more decadent list of toppings for your grass-fed, dry-aged patty than oxtail marinade, apple slaw, red-bean chili, pork belly, bone marrow, cured lardo, bacon, fried egg or the six kinds of cheese. Keep your eye on the blackboard for seasonal specials, too. In spring, you might get a burger decked out with Vidalias and pesto; in summer, a dollop of peach chutney. While we don’t normally pass on beer-battered onion rings, Farm Burger’s sweet potato fries are irresistible.
Snacks: $2-$4
Burgers: $6.75-$8.50
farmburger.net
