A sampling of great eats in and around Buckhead!
ALMA COCINA BUCKHEAD
Located in the Terminus development, Alma Cocina Buckhead presents modern Mexican fare and high-quality, creative cocktails. The decor suggests industrial greenhouse while a pleasant mix of instrumental and Spanish language music plays in the background. Smiling servers add a welcoming vibe. The menu is packed with pleasant surprises. The Smoke & Berries cocktail arrives with a wooden gizmo that’s set aflame then whisked away leaving a cloud of smoke. Lechoncito (suckling pig) tacos are rich with umami. Chicken empanadas pack serious heat. Huarache, a dish named for its sandal-shaped masa (corn dough) base, comes across as authentic Mexican, genuine Tex-Mex and bona fide Southern cuisine all at once. Mushroom and corn enchiladas could persuade a carnivore to eat vegetarian, while chicken mole smothers juicy airline chicken breast with a scrumptious sauce with deep, complex flavors. Craving dessert? Go for the churros.
Cocktails and wines/glass: $10-18
Tequila flights: $25-90
Guacamoles and salsas: $4-25
Small plates: $12-20
Tacos: $13-24
Main plates: $15-44
Sides: $5-10
BABYLON CAFÉ
When Iraqi native Saad Marwad and his wife, Kelly Rafia, opened Babylon Café in 2014, the city’s foodie community started to buzz about the couple’s fresh, flavorful repertoire of Middle Eastern classics, from falafel and hummus to kebabs and baklava. While the starters are quite good—try the fattoush salad, the lentil soup and the eggplant badenjan—the earthy, long-simmered stews are unlike anything else in town. We like the herb-based qurma sabzi with super-tender lamb shank and the bamia (okra and tomatoes) with oxtail. Don’t leave without a sip of the anise-flavored aperitif called arak and a bite of kanafeh, a sweet made of shredded phyllo, housemade sweet cheese, rose- and orange-water syrup and pistachios.
Appetizers and sides: $2-$7
Entrees: $12-$20
THE CHASTAIN
Chef Christopher Grossman and his team find the best in-season ingredients, some of which come from an on-site garden, and use their culinary wizardry to turn them into something even greater than the sum of their parts. Aside from some mainstays, the menu changes so frequently, there’s always something new to discover. A recent visit yielded an appetizer of fluke, battered with locally brewed Steady Hand IPA and served with sauce gribiche, akin to remoulade. Beef tallow-fried tater tots were adorned with tangy creme fraiche and Osetra caviar, while Faroe Island salmon came with almond infused brown butter, new potatoes and tender-crisp French green beans. Châtel Farms ribeye, a beautifully marbled and wetaged cut, was cooked perfectly medium-rare, sliced and served in a just-right puddle of rich jus. The Chastain walks the line between comforting and supremely elegant, and thanks to the eatery’s bucolic, park-adjacent setting, it feels like a discovery every time.
First courses: $7-$24
Greens: $16-$17
Mains: $29-$49
A la carte: $50-$125
Pasta: $16-$44
Sides: $10-$15
Desserts: $10-$15
CHOPS LOBSTER BAR
Chops Lobster Bar has been an undisputed top steakhouse in Atlanta since it opened in 1989. After a 2022 fire, the Buckhead go-to spot for flawless surf-and-turf reopened, complete with smart renovations that elevate the experience. Don’t skip the fried lobster tail as a starter: Order it portioned into bite-size “nuggets” with drawn butter and tangy-sweet honey mustard aioli on the side. Go for the spinach salad, served with warm vinaigrette, candied shiitakes, bacon lardons and toasted pine nuts, prepared tableside. It’s impossible to imagine a visit without a steak from the extensive list, ranging from a petite 4-ounce Wagyu filet mignon to a massive 40-ounce porterhouse. While steak is the name of the game, the seafood offerings, from Hawaiian ahi with port wine glaze and Dover sole with lemon and capers, never miss. Bottom line: There’s a lot of life left for this Buckhead stalwart.
Appetizers and salads: $14-$38
Entrees: $36-$59
Steaks: $56-$179
Sides: $12-38
Desserts: $12
FLYING BISCUIT CAFÉ
Flying Biscuit Café is a touchstone of diner life here in Atlanta, and with good reason. “Creamy dreamy” grits and flaky Southern biscuits round out most every meal, and there are loads of tummy-warming substantial dishes to choose from. Turkey hash, the Not Your Mama’s Pimiento Cheese Sandwich and chicken pot pie (made with hot, buttery biscuits, of course) are reminiscent of grandma’s kitchen, and the congenial staff will keep you coming back for more. Gordo Stevens’ artwork across the walls and ceiling adds a funky, kitsch-cool vibe to the Brookhaven outpost of this breakfast and brunch favorite.
Breakfast: $3.29-$12.99
Lunch: $4.99-$12.99
IL GIALLO OSTERIA & BAR
Experience the love-through-food feeling in generous portions at il Giallo Osteria & Bar in Sandy Springs, where Italy’s Piedmont region is brought to life by Chef Jamie Adams and General Manager Leonardo Moura. The menu showcases classic, seasonal and regional Italian dishes. Fresh pasta is made overlooking the dining room during service. Spaghetti and meatballs present al dente pasta and fork-tender spheres of ground duck, turkey and beef. “Crazy lasagna” layers braised short ribs with sheets of pasta, drizzled with garlic and rosemary juice for yummy umami. Chicken parmigiana is so big it fills the plate. Pizza, made by Pizzaiolo Brendan Keenan, features a Neapolitanstyle thin crust that’s cooked through; one bite of margherita is all that’s needed to be impressed. The wine list showcases varietals and blends from around the world, including several Italian picks. Beer and classic and creative cocktails are also offered. Save room for tiramisu or hazelnut chocolate bars.
Appetizers: $4-20
Salads: $14-16 Pizza: $16-24
Pasta: $18-39
Sides: $12-13
Entrees: $29-51
Desserts: $10-12
ROSHAMBO
Roshambo is owners Chris Hall, Ryan Turner and Todd Mussman’s “love letter to Atlanta.” The decor honors the city, including a triplelayered wall of the Atlanta skyline and a collection of plates adorned with local icons. Lunch, dinner and weekend brunch menus present something for everyone, whatever the craving and definition of “comfort food.” Daily specials expand the weekday options. The Magnolia plates two eggs any style with creamy heirloom grits, crispy bacon, turkey sausage and a hearty biscuit. Shrimp and grits is a popular standard that evolves with added seasonal ingredients. The best-selling faux cheval burger is packed with juicy umami. Bucket O’Chicken, which serves up to four, showcases crispy-juicy segments of fried bird alongside two sides like collards and mac ’n cheese. Chicken shawarma has strips of spice rubbed poultry with hummus, pita, cucumber and tomato salad plus tzatziki sauce. Butter cake, a merger of bread pudding and caramel apples, is so popular it can sell out.
Cocktails: $10-18
Starters: $9-17
Salads: $9-25
Sandwiches: $16-21
Mains: $18-34
Daily plates: $21-45
Bucket O’Chicken: $68
Sweets: $10
STARFISH
Starfish—which can look just a little lost on the block that houses Restaurant Eugene and Holeman and Finch—is exactly the kind of sushi joint we have been trolling for. In a city where Japanese cuisine can be hit-or-miss and sometimes not the freshest, chef-owner Seung K. “Sam” Park’s reticent little pearl is a superior catch—cute and compact as a bento box but with just a hint of luxury. At dinner, we were delighted to see how the kitchen plays around with untraditional ingredients such as truffle oil and balsamic vinegar, slicing fish as thin as carpaccio and arranging it in dazzling presentations. When our flounder sashimi arrived, the server told us to place a dab of the ponzu jelly spiked with cilantro, jalapeño and lime on a strip of the fish and roll it up. Exquisite. Starfish isn’t the kind of place that announces itself with screaming klieg lights or red carpets. But in this culture of excess, sometimes being a little bit under-the-radar can be very seductive.
Lunch entrees: $7-$16
Dinner entrees: $12-$30
TRUE FOOD KITCHEN
Don’t be put off by the mobs of hipsters waiting for a table or the funky menu items with unfamiliar ingredients such as hemp, flax and chia. Though it could easily be mistaken for an ephemeral, crunchy beardo hangout, True Food Kitchen is here to stay—not just because of its good intentions and exemplary karma, but because of its tasty eats. Favorites include the shiitake lettuce cups, spring asparagus toast and the T.L.T. (tempeh, lettuce and tomato) sandwich. Good for the uninitiated are the margherita pizza, steak tacos and Mediterranean chicken pita. Recommended drinks include the non-alcoholic Cucumber Cooler and Medicine Man tea or the buzzinducing lemongrass margarita, citrus skinny margarita and Strawberry Smash.
Starters and vegetable plates: $7-$13
Salads and bowls: $10-$14 (added protein $3-$9)
Pizzas and sandwiches: $12-$16
Entrees: $14-$26
YUZU
Chamblee is to Atlanta what 1980s SOHO was to Manhattan: edgy and on the verge, which is why traditional, sedate Yuzu is such a welcome respite in its midst. Veteran restaurateurs Anna and Kenny Kim run their dining room with efficiency and grace. With a flash of his Masamoto knife, Chef Kim delivers top-notch sushi and sashimi such as chu-toro, escolar and salmon, as well as mouthwatering rolls (we highly recommend the special spicy rainbow roll and the crunchy dragon roll). With dishes such as tempura udon, charred salmon skin salad, Japanese ceviche and an impeccable teriyaki chicken, there’s something for everyone at this authentic sushi bistro.
Appetizers, salads: $4-$14.50
Special plates: $13.50-$17.80
Sushi plates, rolls: $8.50-$16.50
Dinner entrees: $13.50-$15.90
Note: Prices and menu items may have changed since original publication.
BY: Wendell Brock, Rebecca Cha, Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Angela Hansberger, Hope S. Philbrick
PHOTOS: Madelynne Grace, Erik Meadows
