Gypsy Kitchen, the Southern Gentleman to bring Mediterranean, gastropub vibes to Buckhead Atlanta

Randy Lewis will lead culinary efforts at both restaurants
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Gypsy Kitchen exterior rendering

Photo courtesy of OliverMcMillan

Come September, Buckhead Atlanta, the massive mixed-use development, will add two more restaurants to its burgeoning dining scene. Backed by JP Piemonte and Chris Hadermann—the duo behind Tin Lizzy’s, the Big Ketch, and Milton’s Cuisine and Cocktails—Gypsy Kitchen and the Southern Gentleman will share a 10,000-square-foot space and an executive chef, Randy Lewis, who comes from California where he worked as a culinary director at various wineries. “I was looking to get back to the South—my parents are here,” he says. “I love what’s going on here with the food scene.”

Gypsy Kitchen

A Spanish-inspired restaurant, Lewis says Gypsy Ktichen will offer “very traditional food with a modern twist.” He adds that the “gypsiness” will come from influences from Morocco and the Mediterranean.

“I wouldn’t call it a tapas restaurant, but we’ll have shared plates, as well as starters, entrees, and some larger format dishes, such as steaks or whole fish,” he says.

Options may include grilled bread with dark chocolate and almond nutella and dried chorizo on top; “cigars” with Serrano ham, Spanish blue cheese, and dates; and Spanish garlic shrimp with a poached egg yolk and crispy potatoes. There will be a play on gazpacho made with cherry tomatoes, a local trout wrapped in ham and served with salsa, and some salads. Paella and suckling pig will be available for parties of six to eight who booked 24 to 48 hours in advance.

At the indoor and outdoor bars, drinks include Old World Spanish wines, select Spanish beers, plus some microbrews, sangrias, and cocktails that play on Spanish influences. “Gin and tonics are very popular in Spain right now, so we’ll have our own section of those on the menu,” Lewis says. “We’ll also have a sherry cart with madeira to wheel around the dining room.”

Gypsy Kitchen will be decorated in Baroque style with a lot of woods, tile work, and rich leathers. It will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and feature a large patio for drinking and dining.

The Southern Gentleman

No word yet on the chef de cuisine for this Southern gastropub next door. The menu, though, will change based on local and seasonal ingredients, when possible.

“It’s a new Southern approach to gastropub cuisine. I’m trying to make it more vegetable-driven,” Lewis says.

Bar snacks will include bourbon caramel crackling corn, pimento cheese puffs, and Hoppin John Boudin balls. There will be local cheeses and meats, a play on chicken and waffles made with chicken liver mousse and sorghum syrup, and she-crab soup with sherry crab tapioca pudding. Pickled shrimp with green strawberries and fresh cheese will come on a H&F Bread Co. everything bagel.

With seersucker curtains, a white and blue color scheme, and some wood and brass, “it won’t be as male-driven as your typical gastropub,” Lewis says. There will, however, be a large bar in the center of the dining room, high-top tables, and booths, plus two semi-private rooms.

The bar program will focus on classic Southern cocktails: mint juleps, sazeracs, bourbons, and some barrel aging. Beers will be local, and the wines will be of the New World variety.

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