Tag: Carmel

Our 2023 Best of Atlanta picks for all things beverage-related—here's where you'll find great cocktails, coffee, tea, wine, bitters, and more.

In 2022, when he and his business partners opened the Mexican restaurant El Valle in Midtown, Luis Damian was clear on what he didn’t want for the space: “I didn’t want to open another tequila bar with a theme of sombreros, skeletons, and mariachi that Americans think of when they picture Mexico.”

Two new Mexican spots in Chamblee and Bolton, a soul food restaurant and a sleek Thai spot downtown, and coastal cuisine in Buckhead.

For 25 years, ever since he secured his first cooking position—at Waffle House, no less—Zeb Stevenson wanted to be the chef at his own restaurant. “That was really all I ever set out to do,” he says. In 2019, he achieved his goal, opening Redbird in Westside Provisions District with Ross Jones (formerly of Watershed on Peachtree, where Stevenson was previously executive chef). His “free-spirited,” vegetable-forward approach to cooking attracted diners for four years, even surviving the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in February 2023, Stevenson reluctantly shuttered his life’s dream, noting unsustainable costs of labor and food.

“It started as a love letter to the coast,” Tal Baum says. “It’s light and airy and welcoming. We want to bring you that sensation of liberation and relaxation [you get] when you’re on the coast.”

This year, the BeltLine takes center stage once again, with restaurants and bars popping up along the Eastside Trail, as well as in the West End. We’ll see a balance of quick comfort food spots and fine dining. Popular chefs and restaurateurs like Ford Fry, Linton Hopkins, Tal Baum, and Ron Hsu are back, bringing their creative fare to new locations, while newcomers such as Anthony Spina, Jr., hit the scene.

Our 2022 Best of Atlanta picks for things you can buy—here's where you'll find cool books, plants, home decor, clothing, kids' gear, gifts, and more.

Ever since Jonathan Waxman’s Italian restaurant Brezza Cucina closed at Ponce City Market last year, the cold, industrial-looking space has sat vacant, like a ghost amid an otherwise vibrant food hall. Tal Baum and her Olivia Restaurant Group (Bellina Alimentari, Aziza, and Rina) are set to change that with the opening of Atrium on January 31.

Old names, new restaurants; and pop-ups going permanent—those are the major themes of 2022’s most anticipated restaurants. Here's what to keep an eye out for this year.