Photo by Will Pryce
Courtesy of the Americano
The latest in a series of Buckhead hotel restaurants to open (following Dirty Rascal in the Thompson Buckhead and the Betty in the Kimpton Sylvan), the Americano is now serving dinner nightly in the InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta. Led by celebrity chef Scott Conant—known for his Food Network appearances and two James Beard Awards—the Americano is a modern Italian steakhouse. The initial location opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2020, and now Conant is bringing its crowd favorites to Atlanta.
“Atlanta is a market I’ve always wanted to venture into. There’s a lot of opportunity to have a concentration of people come to your restaurant” he says.
The Americano Atlanta is similar to the original in both menu and design.
“I’m of the mind, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. It’s a great Italian restaurant with an amazing steak component on the menu,” he says. “I didn’t want to limit myself to steak or Italian. It’s a mashup of both.”
Courtesy of the Americano
Courtesy of the Americano
Popular dishes include pasta al pomodoro, polenta cremosa with truffles, and Hamachi crudo, braised Wagyu beef cheeks, and of course, steak. “These are not classical Italian dishes—they’re interpreted from the principles of Italian cuisine,” Conant explains. “The spirit of Italian cuisine has some soulfulness to the food, some inherent gracious hospitality.”
The restaurant will eventually serve an abbreviated version of the menu with a focus on salads for lunch, and a “traditional hotel breakfast” menu in an area of the space known as the Café in the mornings.
In the evenings, a condensed version of the Scottsdale cocktail menu created by Chris Cuestas is available, along with 120 Italian and American wines, including at least 12 by the glass. Select local and imported beers are available, too.
Courtesy of the Americano
Courtesy of the Americano
Modern sculptural art by Peter Deise and unique, wire lighting fixtures set the scene for diners to relax in crescent-shaped booths or mingle at butcher block tables in the main room. On the patio, cushioned wicker chairs and stone-topped tables provide a comfortable place to enjoy fresh air.
“I like to figure out what makes customers happy,” Conant says.
He’ll be in the restaurant this week and then back and forth between his other businesses in the future.
Check out the menu below (tap to enlarge)
