They say too many cooks spoil the broth. At Last Dance, four chefs (all co-owners) prove the opposite, creating what co-owner Kathryn Fitzgerald calls “a blissful entanglement.” Opened in the former Rising Son space, the room seduces first: a disco ball overhead, a mirrored bar, velvet-and-chrome seating under moody paintings, and hand-sewn fabric covering sconces and chandeliers.
Start with the martini plate ($21), which comes with its namesake cocktail and a snacking tray of olives, nuts, and cheese, built for lingering over executive chef Joshua Fryer’s menu. Pairings click in ways you don’t expect. Cold, spicy okra tossed in chili crisp. Smashed potatoes in bright Peruvian herb sauce. Pastry chef Chris Marconi’s house hot dog bun cradling a Fripper’s dog ($12) with creamed roe, arriving on a silver tray. Don’t miss the bronzed roast chicken ($25) with gyoza sauce or the whole fish in Caribbean sofrito, both shareable. End with an ice cream sandwich—on one visit, mixed-berry ice cream from co-owner Patrick Daugherty’s garden, with basil ice cream inside blondies.
Stable Comfort Food and Cocktails offers Southern classics in the former Steak & Grace space in Dunwoody Village, as part of Dash Hospitality Group’s “Funwoody” collection of restaurants. Horseshoes and framed Southern sayings such as “Bless your heart” line the walls, giving the dining room a cozy and equestrian feel. Start with the bread board, featuring a flaky buttermilk biscuit and sweet cornbread served with apricot-pepper jelly and sorghum butter; crispy black-eyed pea falafel fritters, accompanied by sweet potato puree; and buttermilk fried chicken, matched with smashed potatoes and gravy. Finish with the seasonal fruit cobbler, in which warm peaches meet a thyme-spiced biscuit crumble and vanilla ice cream. Cocktails include the Funwoody Water, spiked with peach-infused Old Fourth Distillery vodka. The ATL Sazerac balances citrus notes with peach bitters and an absinthe spritz.
Ruby Chow’s, the Old Fourth Ward Asian-fusion restaurant known for its bao, shoyu tamago, and moody décor, is expanding to the Westside. Slated to open near Monday Night Brewing on Trabert Avenue in summer 2027, the larger location will serve Ruby Chow’s signatures alongside dishes created exclusively for the Westside.
“We see this area as a hidden gem. The building is not directly visible to the main street. That’s on brand for who we are: a destination you’re hungry for,” says partner and general manager Brian Seo. “We’re excited to grow the restaurant and bring it to a new part of Atlanta.”
Guy Wong and Mike Blum (The Real Chow Baby, Le Fat, Ton Ton) opened Ruby Chow’s across from Ponce City Market a month before the Covid-19 pandemic began, naming the restaurant for a notable West Coast political activist and restaurateur. After getting its start largely through takeout, Ruby Chow’s has spent the past six years building a following for its bao, sushi, pan-Asian tapas, and cocktails.
Korean American chef Phillip An now leads the culinary team, drawing inspiration from his heritage and travels. At
Char siu seabass
the Westside location, he’ll serve Ruby Chow’s staples such as shaking beef, basil chicken, and cacio e pepe, along with the popular shoyu tamago, a carryover from Blum and Wong’s now-closed Miso Izakaya.
“Our food is perfect for sharing,” Seo says. “The fusion element is where we can be whimsical and put a spin on the cuisine.”
Menu items will continue to change quarterly, and about 20 percent of the Westside dishes will be exclusive to that location. The larger space will also include a chef’s table for as many as 12 guests, where An will test new dishes through multicourse tasting menus booked in advance. Ruby Chow’s also plans to host ticketed events and celebrations, including Lunar New Year parties.
Purple Rain cocktail
Courtesy of Chava Productions
Only 30 to 40 percent of the cocktails from the Old Fourth Ward location will carry over to the Westside. Seo, who leads the bar program, says the new restaurant will give him more room to experiment. He’s currently developing drinks with ingredients such as pandan, ginger, and gochujang. The beverage menu will also include beer, sake, and what Seo describes as “nuanced” wines.
As at the original, the décor will pair rich colors and warm lighting with an overall sense of maximalism. The Westside BeltLine runs beside the restaurant, though plans for outdoor dining are still under discussion.
“We want to be a happy place and bring people together,” Seo says.
Best known for his work at Bacchanalia and Abattoir, chef Tyler Williams spent the better half of the last decade cooking more casual fare: first at a pizza joint in North Georgia, then as part-owner of The Café at Scottsdale Farms, where avocado toast reigned supreme. Now sober, Williams is returning to fine dining. He’s launching a pop-up series called Boujetto (bougie + ghetto) in which he’ll serve themed, multi-course dinners at various locations in the Atlanta suburbs. The ultimate goal, he says, is to find a full-time home for it.
“Everyone knows me as in Alpharetta as a coffee shop avocado toast guy. I want to establish that I have more to share,” he explains. “It’s about high-end taste with humble beginnings—like Converse and caviar.”
The first dinner will be held October 11 in Alpharetta. (The exact location details are revealed after ticket purchase.) It will be a 12-course foundational French dinner called Ratatouille for $175 per person, with a maximum of 16 guests. Attendees are invited to bring their own beverages. For pairings, Williams suggests visiting Fermented wine boutique prior to the event, where they sell pours and bottles of the wines that best pair with his menu.
“I don’t want it to be a stodgy tasting menu, but I want a proper environment where you can have fun,” Williams says. “It’ll be fluid, imperfect, but also elegant and thoughtful. It’s about sharing my soul with other souls.”
A sample of Williams’s cooking: Shropshire blue, hibiscus leaf, purpled plum, and flax crackers
Photo by Caity Hill
Future dinners include Amazian Omakase inspired by Charleston raw bars and Japanese street food, and Roy G. Biv with courses matching the colors of the rainbow. Others may be seasonal or holiday driven.
“I love a good theme,” Williams says. “The right thing for the right moment is my mantra.”
Once he finds a permanent home for Boujetto, he plans to offer relaxed Sunday dinners where he’ll cook using only ingredients found at farmers markets. These more accessible meals will cost $35 per person.
Steak doesn’t come only as a seared single cut. Atlanta’s diverse restaurants feature countless takes on steak that incorporate all manner of preparations and accompaniments. Here are a few of our favorite international specialties:
Lomo saltado Tio Lucho’s (Peruvian), Poncey-Highland Chef Arnaldo Castillo’s lomo saltado is coated with baking soda and egg whites, stir-fried with red onions, then simmered in lomo sauce (a blend of soy sauce, seasonings, and Peruvian chili pepper paste) and tomatoes. It’s served over crispy fries.
Sega tibs Ruki’s Kitchen (Ethiopian), Peoplestown Inside Terminal South’s food hall, Ruki’s Kitchen begins preparing its sega tibs by marinating sirloin steak for 24 hours. Chef Ali Lemma then sautees it and finishes it with niter kibbeh (an Ethiopian ghee). The meat is served with injera or basmati rice.
Beef bulgogi Bene Korean BBQ (Korean), Lindbergh/Morosgo Bene’s bulgogi is cooked by marinating beef with soy sauce, fresh pears, garlic, onion, ginger, and sesame oil. The dish comes with steamed rice and Korean banchan (side dishes such as pickled radish slices); the beef can be wrapped in rice paper or lettuce (the latter is called ssam).
Big beef nilaga Estrellita (Filipino), Grant Park To prepare his nilaga, chef Walter Cortado chargrills and then simmers short ribs with cabbage, potatoes, sweet plantains, garlic, green onions, and fresh crushed peppercorn. He serves it with patis (a Filipino fish sauce).
Arrachera Casi Cielo (Mexican), Sandy Springs and Old Fourth Ward Arrachera is a skirt steak, cooked here in a charcoal-fired Josper oven-grill hybrid. It’s topped with sauteed onions, chimichurri, and salsa macha, a spicy Mexican condiment. The dish also comes with avocado, onions, tomatoes, roasted potatoes, and cotija cheese.
Wagyu menchi katsu sando Koshu Club (Japanese), Buckhead Chef J. Trent Harris prepares menchi katsu by breading ground A5 and American wagyu beef in panko and frying it. The cutlet is served on Japanese milk bread with house tonkatsu sauce, Dijon, mayo, and pickled cucumber.
When you want steak but your wallet disagrees, don’t fret. Steak frites (steak and fries) is a hearty, budget-friendly order. So, too, are steak cuts like top sirloin—often paired with a classic sauce or side.
At the luxe lair that is Kevin Rathbun Steak in Inman Park, the steak frites plate ($40) includes an eight-ounce cut of Rangers Valley wagyu hanger steak from New South Wales, Australia, topped with black-garlic Bordelaise and red-wine shallot butter and served with herbed frites. In Adair Park, the Zodiac-inspired speakeasy Seventh House offers a steak frites special ($40) with a small Caesar salad and a martini on Wednesdays. Eight-ounce, dry-aged cuts are served with fries and garlic aioli. Downtown, Ted’s Montana Grill specializes in all-American bison steak. The eight-ounce Ted’s filet is $47 and comes with two sides—we couldn’t resist the salt-and-pepper onion rings. On Edgewood Avenue, the fun and funky Marcus Bar & Grille offers steak frites ($46) made with Chatel Farms strip loin and BBQ-spiced fries. Chef Gary Caldwell’s green-peppercorn sauce incorporates demi-glace and heavy cream. The 57th Fighter Group is always a good time for enjoying views of the runway action at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. The menu’s affordable steak options ($38–$40) include New York strip, rib eye, and filets; all come with a side. Oak Steakhouse in Alpharetta does steak frites ($43) with seven ounces of carved beef tenderloin, fresh chimichurri sauce, and extra-crispy tallow fries. Head to The Colonnade on Cheshire Bridge Road for our go-to Bombay Sapphire gin martini ($16). For steak, there’s the rib eye ($38–$40), a 16-ounce cut of Angus beef with sauteed onions. Two sides with the order, check.
Steak and martinis are a classic duo, but Atlanta’s steakhouses go above and beyond to deliver unique spirit experiences. Here is a sampling of inventive libations to try.
Clark’s Martini ($22), Clark’s Steakhouse, Buckhead
This new restaurant’s namesake martini takes you abroad, thanks to dry Nolet’s gin from Holland cut by orange bitters. Bring yourself back home by pairing it with the Georgia Vidalia onion soup ($16).
The Java Jewel ($17), Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, Alpharetta
This gem shines bright with a chocolate-orange twist on the classic espresso martini.
Dirty “Coldest in Town” ($15), New York Prime, Buckhead
No one likes a tepid martini: Try this landmark’s salty, blue cheese–forward variety that’s as icy as it sounds. Coming in early? Six distinct martinis, including this one, are available for $10 every day during “martini hour,” from 4 to 6 p.m.
Perfectly Mr. Pickles ($18), Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Downtown
Don’t let the name fool you: This “pickle” martini is more citrus than brine. It’s named after Mr. Pickles, the rescue pitbull at Pacific Northwest Gin.
Parker’s Martini($14), Parker’s on Ponce, Decatur Culture is the name of the game at Parker’s. Served up, its Hangar One vodka martini comes with olives stuffed with a black truffle–infused blue cheese filling that matches perfectly with its signature month-aged Kansas City strip ($92).
Il Premio Martini Service ($23), Il Premio, Old Fourth Ward
Start with a wagyu beef tartare appetizer and the attention-grabbing martini service, in which your tailored martini of choice is prepared tableside and finished with beads of rich olive oil.
Few pairings have the pull of steak and eggs, a humble diner classic that simply lets seared beef, runny yolks, and a lick of smoke do what they do best.
At Reynoldstown’s Home grown, local provenance leads, pairing a 12-ounce New York strip from Augusta’s Chatel Farms with two eggs served over creamy grits and the restaurant’s notable scratch-made buttermilk biscuit. The Breakfast Boys in College Park leans into bold flavor with a coffee-rubbed New York strip and two eggs, a buttery croissant, and your pick of breakfast potatoes, velvet-smooth grits, or watermelon salad. Under the neon shine of Marietta Diner, comfort comes smothered: A golden, breaded cube steak is slathered in rich country gravy and served with eggs, bread or biscuit, and your choice of home-style sides. Midtown’s Brasserie Margot adds French-leaning refinement to the plate with top-tier 1855 Black Angus sirloin, one cage-free egg fixed to your liking, and impossibly crisp breakfast potatoes. On Buford Highway, Kamayan ATL delivers a savory Filipino punch at Sunday brunch with its flavor-packed bistek silog, layering citrus-soy braised sirloin strips with aromatic garlic rice and sunny, crisp-edged fried eggs. Pure Quill Superette in Edgewood brings cowboy swagger to the table with the fine marbling of a Denver steak resting on fries with two eggs and a whipped drizzle of Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and tempered yolk. In Kirkwood, Dead End Drinks pays homage to Ron Swanson with a feast: a tender 10-ounce hanger steak, three eggs, four crisp bacon strips, buttery grits or potato hash, and a one-ounce pour of Lagavulin Scotch.
Luella has, as the kids call it, a vibe. Situated in the manor-style building on Roswell Road that previously housed the Ivy—where 20-somethings sipped cocktails and danced to Whitney Houston remixes—the Buckhead steakhouse carries that buzzy energy forward. (The Ivy’s former owners, brothers Jamey and Benjie Shirah, now run Luella.) The circular, Mad Men–esque bar has been packed every evening since the restaurant’s late-2025 opening, welcoming a well-heeled crowd that skews about 20 years older than the Ivy’s devotees. In the adjacent open dining room, Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” thumps in the dimly lit space.
Executive chef Stuart Rogers takes a “something for everyone” approach: Pastas! Sushi! Steaks! This much variety can often lead to diluted quality, but so far, Luella has managed to avoid that pitfall. The burrata spreads like butter on toasted bread drizzled with pesto and truffle honey. The fan-favorite Caesar salad lives up to its hype, complete with edible cured lemons that add zesty sweetness and a dusting of parmesan “snow.” Luella’s akaushi wagyu New York strip is a steakhouse rarity, but the showstopper is the tender, eight-ounce rib eye spinalis al limon, brushed with a mouth-tingling lemon-chili sauce. Still feeling the vibe after dinner? Landmark dance club Johnny’s Hideaway is down the street.
To fully appreciate Atlanta steakhouses, you must visit Bones. For nearly 50 years, its burgundy awning on Piedmont Road has signaled the way to an oasis of civilized indulgence. The restaurant serves Atlanta families, business diners, celebrities, and fussy journalists, including former Atlanta magazine food editor and restaurant critic Bill Addison, who made it his last restaurant meal before moving out of state for his next gig.
Upon entering, the faintest whisper of gin and vermouth hangs in the air as you straighten your button-down collar or adjust dipping décolletage (dress code, check). On the way to the host stand, you’ll pass a lounge area and a clubby bar on a raised platform (a stoic and decorative pair of hunting hounds stand guard). Nearby walls are lined with caricatures of regulars and a few notable Atlantans, such as Hank Aaron.
Uniformed servers are attentive to the nth degree; a stray morsel from the complimentary boule loaf doesn’t stand a chance against their vigilant crumb scrapers. Each of the stars on your attendant’s jacket indicates five years of service. The reigning server is John Wenger, with eight stars and 41 years to his credit.
Tried-and-true starters and sides include the signature Bones salad (Bibb lettuce, Stilton crumbles, green apple slices, toasted pistachios, and house vinaigrette), lobster bisque, hash browns with sour cream, sauteed spinach, and truffle-butter mashed potatoes. The deft preparation of some half-dozen steak selections—from bone-in filets and porterhouses to Japanese Wagyu A5 New York strips—remains constant and worthy of respect.
Last Dance
This article appears in our October 2026 issue.
Stable Comfort Food and Cocktails
