Hotel Dining ATL Style

By Liesl Merkel
Posted November 24, 2021

These splashy new boutique hotel restaurants and bars recently opened, ushering in a new crop of places to hit. Gone are the days of stuffy, white tablecloths and stale peanuts at the bar as these swanky digs deserve an evening (or afternoon) out. A bonus: What do most hotel restaurants have? Breakfast. Add that to your list of early morning indulgences.

Epicurean Atlanta in Midtown 

Reverence

On the ground level is restaurant Reverence with dishes carefully crafted from local ingredients including heritage meats and fresh seafood from farmers across the Southeast. The open kitchen allows guests to watch executive chef Ewart Wardhaugh and his team create seasonal dishes such as steak frites and wild foraged Sapelo Island razor clams ceviche. 

Aerial Kitchen & Bar

Step into a lush garden paved with outdoor lounge seating on the ninth floor terrace. Flavors of South America and Mexico are served through dishes, raw bar selections and drinks as guests indulge in the scenic vistas of the city and an open-air bar. 

Hotel Notes

The new Epicurean Atlanta is specially designed for food lovers. Even the rooms at the Epicurean cater to the food lover with fully stocked pantries, mini bars and food-themed designs. As a bonus, the Epicurean Theatre is a high-tech kitchen classroom, which will have events hosted by chefs and bartenders.
www.epicureanhotelatlanta.com

Bellyard Hotel in West Midtown

Drawbar

Drawbar offers locally sourced and Southern-inspired food created by chef Christina Wai. Come for brunch and the customizable Bloody Mary bar Saturday and Sunday or stop in for a premier craft cocktail later in the day. The new Tailgate Menu is available on certain dates through Jan. 9, 2022 (check website for details) and includes tangy peach cider pulled pork sliders, bacon collard green dip and soft pretzels with beer cheese.
www.bellyardhotel.com/dine/drawbar

Sylvan Kimpton Buckhead

The Betty

Step into old Hollywood glamour when you enter this restaurant gem. The new American menu remembers continental dishes of yesterday, and chef Brandon Chavannes serves his creations in a supper club atmosphere. A 21st century spin on classics includes items like oysters on the half shell with cucumber and rice wine mignonette and larger dishes like Lasagna Rotolo and a lobster and shellfish roast. Classic cocktails such as The Vesper with Ketel One, Bombay Sapphire and Lillet Blanc and The Hemingway Daiquiri complement the offerings.
www.thebettyatl.com

St. Julep

On the hotel’s rooftop deck, weekend DJs spin and guests munch on bar nuts with brown butter and rosemary, lemon pepper ranch popcorn, corn dogs and spiked soft serve while taking in the views from indoor and outdoor seats. No-fuss cocktails wash down all of those snacks.
www.saintjulepatl.com

Wylie Hotel in Midtown 

Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen

This seasonal Southern restaurant is named for the original restaurant: Mrs. P’s Tea Room in the 1950s. It was transformed almost a decade later into Atlanta’s first openly LGTBQ-friendly bar, and now reinvents itself once again. Pick a mealtime (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and order breakfast tacos; red beans and rice arancini for lunch; and BBQ lamb lollipops and okra “devils on horseback” with pancetta and candied jalapeno glaze. Grab a cocktail and indulge in an original Mrs. P’s favorite: boiled peanuts. Try the new update with kombu, chili, orange & pepper.
www.wyliehotel.com

Liesl Merkel is editor of Atlanta Now magazine, the Official Visitors Guide of Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau.