Spring and summer in Atlanta saw many new restaurants hit the scene, kicking off with a handful of hotly anticipated dining establishments making debuts in May. Even more eagerly awaited restaurants followed in June, July, and August.
Senior Editor Beth McKibben, who oversees food and dining for Rough Draft, spent the spring and summer dining at new restaurants throughout the Atlanta area. Below, she offers her top picks for the quarter.
Look for Beth’s best new restaurants guide for the fall to drop in mid-November, ahead of her final list of best new restaurants of 2024 in December.
Commune
Opened May 2024
6 Olive Street, Avondale Estates
Owned by Zopi Kristjanson and music producer and DJ Chris Devoe, Commune brought Avondale Estates a true listening room experience at the emerging Olive and Pine development. But it also brought the small city east of Atlanta a stellar wine bar with top-notch food. Led in the kitchen by Chef Autumn Jade, expect everything from seasonal salads and crudos to carbonara tossed with guanciale and red snapper in tomato-sesame gravy. Don’t skip bread, pastries, or dessert from Miranda Vick, including the coconut brioche or the Basque cheesecake. The wine list, curated by sommelier Steven Grubbs, bounces between familiar and esoteric, with approachable prices per glass ranging from $9 to $22. Reservations highly suggested.
What to Eat: Commune serves a small but seasonally driven menu that changes weekly.
What to Drink: Wine. Ask your server to suggest pairings.
Service and Vibe: Friendly, super knowledgable staff eager to guide your food and wine choices without being pushy. Expect an intimate, relaxed atmosphere conducive to quiet conversation and listening to music. Follow on Instagram for the music schedule.
Related Link: Music takes center stage at these Atlanta bars and restaurants
Miss Conduck
Opened May 2024
357 Edgewood Avenue, Sweet Auburn
Owned by Emily James and LaToya Franklyn, the mother-daughter duo transformed the former Noni’s restaurant and bar space on Edgewood into a festive multi-functional spot for dining, drinking, and socializing. Serving what James and Franklyn describe as a fusion of Caribbean dishes rooted in traditional Trinidadian cuisine, expect a menu of doubles, roti, Jamaican curry goat, and pholourie. Sampler platters of oxtails, goat, and chicken come with sides like rice and peas, pikliz, fried plantains, and steamed cabbage.
What to Eat: Try the doubles (mixture of curried chickpeas, chutney, and tamarind sauce sandwiched between two Trinidadian flatbreads), jerk chicken rasta pasta, and brown stew oxtails. Order sides of curry chana (chicken peas) and potatoes and macaroni pie.
What to Drink: Rum punch. Strong and not overly sweet.
Service and Vibe: Expect friendly service with wait staff prepared to explain the menu to those unfamiliar with certain dishes in a lively, colorful, music-driven atmosphere.
Nàdair
Opened May 2024
1123 Zonolite Road, Woodland Hills
Gunshow chef Kevin Gillespie opened Nàdair (nuh-DARE from the Scots Gaelic phrase “dòigh nàdair” or “the way of nature”) as a restaurant continuing the cooking he became known for years ago at Woodfire Grill. Nodding to his Scottish roots and his love for live-fire cooking, Gillespie describes the food served at Nàdair as having a sort of “rustic elegance.” The chef had a big space, and big shoes to fill, when he took over the former Floataway Cafe space from James Beard award-winning chef Anne Quatrano. But Gillespie has found his joy in Nàdair, where he’s leading a kitchen again (in a kilt) and breathing new life into the hallowed restaurant space on Zonolite. Reservations required.
What to Eat: Nàdair offers a three-course tasting menu for $89 and a six-course tasting menu for $175, both with an amuse bouche and interludes of palate cleansers. Standout dishes include Scottish cheese dumplings; grilled scallops and peach-braised pork belly; and wood-grilled wagyu beef culotte.
What to Drink: Wine for dinner, which can include pairings. For cocktails, try the Old Fashioned riff made with curry- and cardamom-infused bourbon or the martini with London dry gin and manzanilla sherry.
Service and Vibe: Refined yet laid-back service. Set in an industrial space lifted by natural light, muted greens, and warm wood tones. While you’ll spy plaid accents, including the carpeting, Nàdair isn’t dripping in tartans.
Nicky’s Undefeated
Opened May 2024
2316 Main Street, Tucker
Nicky’s Undefeated, owned by Philadelphia and South Jersey natives Michael Lo and Walt Gebelein, opened earlier this summer along Tucker’s main drag. Here, Lo and Gebelein keep the menu simple, serving Philly-style cheesesteaks, hoagies, and Jersey-style pizza, with water ice for dessert. While having only opened over the summer, Nicky’s Undefeated has already struck a chord with Tucker residents.
What to Eat: The Italian (all the deli meats) dressed Philly style with lettuce, tomatoes, salt and pepper, oregano, oil and red wine vinegar on a seeded roll or the chicken parmesan Rocky Balboa sandwich on a seeded roll. Order crinkle fries with a side of cheese whiz and cherry or pina colada water ice for dessert.
Service and Vibe: Service is fast and friendly, but the restaurant can get busy at peak times like lunch, especially on the weekends. Order at the counter.
Pure Quill Superette
Opened June 2024
1366 Memorial Drive, Edgewood
Rising Son and Whoopsie’s owner Hudson Rouse has another hit on his hands with Pure Quill Superette in Edgewood. Walk into this neighborhood market to purchase everything from local produce and meat to candy, pantry items, and all-natural cologne and bug spray. Pure Quill takes its name from a song by Pinto Bennett and the Famous Motel Cowboys. Ranchers and cowboys coined the term “pure quill” decades ago to describe something or someone as “authentic” or the “real deal”.
Open for breakfast in the morning, followed by lunch, look for the tight menu to showcase Rouse’s respect for local farmers. Most ingredients come from his farm or from small farms within 100 miles of Pure Quill. Try the generously sized sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit in the morning with coffee or an espresso. At lunch, order specials of steak and eggs, fried chicken, and sandwiches like the chicken and bologna club. Grab some freshly made soft-serve ice cream on your way out.
What to Eat: Try the fried tofu and kimchi rice bowl, fried chicken sandwich, or the pimento cheese burger. Don’t skip the daily specials or sides like fried okra, crowder peas, and seriously crispy fries.
What to Drink: Beer and wine available.
Service and Vibe: Friendly, low-key casual. Think of Pure Quill as one of those roadside counter-service gems or restaurants inside gas stations you discover in your travels.
Note: Pure Quill hosts Long Snake wine bar every Wednesday and Thursday night.
Gene’s
Opened July 2024
2371 Hosea L Williams Drive, East Lake
Avery Cottrell took his wildly popular Viet-Cajun barbecue pop-up Gene’s permanent in East Lake this summer, transforming it into the neighborhood restaurant of his dreams. Named and branded after his chubby orange and white cat, Gene’s combines Cottrell’s love for smoking meats with classic dishes from seafood shacks he grew up around in Louisiana. Expect trays of barbecue ladened with boudin, pulled pork, sticky ribs caramelized in fish sauce, brisket, and chili-brined chicken skewers with sides of Vietnamese-style smashed cucumbers, beef tallow refried beans, and potato salad dressed in green goddess sauce. At the bar, look for dive bar cocktails, frozen concoctions, and Jell-O shots created by veteran Atlanta barman Miles Macquarrie.
What to Eat: Start with chili vinegar-marinated blue crab claws, boudin egg rolls, or smoked fish dip. For your meal, opt for the barbecue combo plate with a choice of two or three meats and two sides. For sandwiches, try the smoked brisket cheesesteak with house-made cheese whiz. Dessert features Biscoff banana pudding.
What to Drink: Anything frozen, including a Bushwacker and zero-proof Genesicle mixing coconut milk with orange and vanilla. It can be made boozy. The Tulsi Tonic features local Murrell’s Row gin, lime cordial, Faccia Brutto Centerbe herbal liqueur, and tonic water.
Service and Vibe: Fun and lively, but fast and attentive. Gene’s is a visual smorgasbord that includes flea market finds and collectibles like punk rock flyers and vintage toys as decor. Don’t be surprised if you have to wait in line outside before ordering, especially during peak dining hours. Order upon entering the restaurant and take a seat. For faster service, sit at the bar.
Elektra
Opened July 2024
Forth Hotel, 800 Rankin Street, 4th Floor, Old Fourth Ward
Located on the fourth floor beside the pool at the new Forth Hotel, Elektra serves a Mediterranean-inspired dinner menu, starting at 5 p.m., that includes mezze, kebabs, grilled dishes, and whole fish. The restaurant is also open for breakfast daily. While hotel restaurants haven’t always resonated with locals, Elektra appears to be bucking that trend with its food, vibe, and service hitting all the right notes for Atlantans. Reservations suggested.
What to Eat: In the morning, try the olive oil pancakes with labneh or breakfast hummus with soft-boiled egg, kale, and quinoa. At dinner, start off with mezze platter, followed by an entree of harissa chicken or lamb shoulder.
What to Drink: The Coastal Spritz is refreshing, made with Lillet Blanc, St. Germain, and Giffard Pamplemousse topped off with blanc de blanc and soda. Martini lovers looking to stray from their usual order should try the Elektra made with pot-distilled Gin Mare, Chareau Aloe Liqueur, and Cocchi Americano.
Service and Vibe: Service can lag a bit at times, but servers are eager to please, friendly, and professional. A casual yet upscale vibe comes wrapped in a bright and airy setting with a lively atmosphere overlooking the patio and pool.
Mascogo Tacos
Opened August 2024
910 West College Avenue, Decatur
El Tesoro owners Alan Raines and Samantha Eaves recently turned over the Tortuga y Chango space in Decatur to the mezcal bar’s lone chef-in-residence, Craig Headspeth. The chef and his popular pop-up, Mascogo Tacos, now occupy the entire space where Headspeth serves up plates of mole negro de pollo and fantastic tacos. That includes Headspeth’s signature taco: marinated grilled nopales or cactus.
What to Eat: A $12 trio of grilled nopales, pollo vulcan, and al pastor tacos. Try the mole negro de pollo, too. For Sunday brunch, consider the chorizo hash with lard-fried potatoes.
What to Drink: Daily agua fresca that can be made boozy by request.
Service and Vibe: Friendly, low-key service. For faster service, sit at the bar. Mascogo Tacos is also a great takeout option for nearby residents or for picnicking in the park.
