Restaurants

Southbound

With a railroad, an abandoned grain elevator, and a row of century-old storefronts, downtown Chamblee feels like an archetypal small town. It’s also where owner Dennis Lange—formerly of Yakitori Den Chan and an original cofounder of Five Seasons Brewing Co.—has taken up shop to offer hospitable Southern food framed in a historic two-story building that used to be a Masonic lodge. Mihoko Obunai, a ramen maven who runs lunch service, and dinner chef Ryan Smith (who shares a name with the chef at Staplehouse) load on the bacon and pork belly, but don’t shy away from farm-fresh vegetables either. Rich turnip gratin, silky cold corn soup, and a wood-grilled grouper BLT are afternoon highlights, while the wood-grilled octopus and smoked bone-in short rib with herbed spaetzle are hearty reminders of a perfect summer cookout.