Photograph by Martha Williams
Buckhead has no shortage of restaurants built for spectacle, but few manage to deliver substance with the show. Luella, the new restaurant from brothers Jamey and Benjie Shirah, executes both better than many others in its vicinity. The Roswell Road space has had many lives, first as Carbo’s Cafe, a steakhouse and piano bar for 25 years, then as the brothers’ rowdy sports bar, The Ivy, which closed in 2024. Perhaps it was time to grow up.
The Shirah brothers reopened the space as Luella in late 2025, transforming the game-day hangout into a polished steakhouse with enough personality to stand out in Buckhead. The restaurant spans a lively bar, two dining rooms, and a private dining room. The dining areas resemble a series of European-inspired salons, with oxblood-velvet banquettes, black-and-white tile floors, and hand-painted wallpapers.
While these rooms offer varying levels of noise, the marble bar is where the energy peaks. It’s so consistently packed that finding a seat or place to stand can feel like a small victory. The cocktail menu is ambitious and playful, with flavor combinations that are both unexpected and satisfying. I was especially taken with the togarashi-thyme cocktail ($16), a mix of Japanese togarashi (a savory spice blend), fresh thyme, ginger beer, lime, and tequila blanco. It was crisp, refreshing, and not too sweet. The wine list is overly broad, with selections from around the world that read less like a range and more like a lack of focus. Many of the bottles are marked up very high, some as high as 300 percent more than retail. That’s in line with the overall pricing, where it’s easy to hit $200 for two people, sans alcohol.
Chef Stuart Rogers’s menu is expansive—perhaps too expansive. There are appetizers, oysters, sushi, salads, pastas, seafood, steaks, Wagyu selections, and a long list of sides. For the most part, the kitchen executes the menu well, but it could use some editing. The Wagyu croquettes, with braised beef and molten mozzarella filling ($15), were crisp and indulgent. However, the sushi section seems superfluous, and it’s the weakest part of the experience. The spicy salmon avocado roll ($22) and tuna veil ($23) were the most disappointing. The sushi rolls were gloppy with unnecessary sauces and add-ins, and the tuna veil was draped like a tablecloth over the other ingredients, making it awkward to cut and eat with chopsticks.
Fortunately, the menu regains its footing by the time you reach the salads and pastas. The Caesar salad ($16) is a showstopper, elevated by thin slices of house-preserved lemons that cut through the richness of the dressing and bring brightness to each bite. The spicy lobster rigatoni alla vodka ($45) arrives in a glossy pink sauce that’s sweeter than expected. I had to hunt and peck for lobster, which made the high price hard to justify. The hand-cut pappardelle ($32) is far more successful. Wide ribbons of pasta are coated in a creamy white Bolognese, studded with earthy truffle mushrooms and finished with grated Grana Padano cheese. It’s rich and deeply savory, but so restrained you may finish the whole plate.
Photograph by Martha Williams
Luella is ultimately a steakhouse, and the kitchen seems most confident with its meat offerings. Steaks, such as the 10-ounce New York strip ($69) and 12-ounce bone-in dry-aged New York strip ($74), arrive smoky and perfectly cooked from the wood fire. They are two of the best steaks I have had in Atlanta.
The veal Parmesan ($60) is a textbook example of what the dish should be. The bone-in veal chop remains crisp beneath melted cheese and bright tomato sauce. It’s indulgent but balanced—the sort of plate against which other versions are measured. Spaghetti with meatballs ($32) was nearly flawless. The tender meatballs had the right balance of meat, breadcrumbs, and seasoning, and the spaghetti had enough bite to stand up to the dish’s heft. Unfortunately, the bright red sauce was the weak link—it was just too sweet.
The best pasta dish is actually a side dish. The cacio e pepe ($14) is a benchmark version of the Italian classic, with al dente spaghetti enrobed in a creamy pecorino sauce and just the right amount of toasted black pepper. Another popular side item was the Gouda fries ($15), crunchy, irregularly cut potatoes covered with a cloud of grated cheese. Nearly every table ordered them.
Photograph by Martha Williams
After such rich dishes, dessert may seem optional, but not here. Save room, because pastry chef Danielle Embery is a rising culinary talent to keep an eye on. Oftentimes, carrot cake can be cloying and heavy, but Luella’s version is anything but. The Carrot Cake 2.0 ($16) leans toward savory, with an ethereal swirl of cream-cheese frosting amplified by crushed freeze-dried raspberries. It’s the first dessert servers recommend, with the Bananas Foster Cheesecake ($16) a close second.
Most servers seemed to be trying to provide true fine dining in Buckhead. Our experience was mixed: One server was condescending, while another demonstrated the kind of intuitive hospitality that elevates an experience.
In a neighborhood full of pricey places built to put on a show, Luella not only impresses but also makes you want to return for more. It’s still refining its identity and doesn’t get everything right, but when the kitchen and atmosphere are in sync, Luella delivers.
This article appears in our May 2026 issue.
