by Chef Jarrett Stieber
Honestly, my wife and I do a lot of our dining out on Buford Highway, which is
pretty common for people in this industry. Some of our absolute favorites are:
-Northern China Eatery for soup dumplings, all sorts of vegetable dishes and spicy stews
-Yet Tuh for Korean food that isn’t grilled at the table bbq
-Pho Bac for Pho
-Lee’s Bakery for Bahn Mi
-El Taco Veloz for tacos and El Rey Del Taco for tacos after 10 pm or so
Another spot we love that isn’t directly on Buford but fits in the same vein is
Shoya Izakaya, as well as their sister restaurant Ginya. Hiro Endo, who runs their sushi programs, is a total badass and sources some of the highest quality fish in town, yet serves it in a way that doesn’t break the bank to eat.
We also go to Bread and Butterfly often because we can bring our dog,
Fernando, there and still get amazing, healthy food and interesting wines instead
of the usual basic bar food at most place that are dog friendly. I also love Nick
Leahy’s cooking, which is so straightforward and focused. He just opened Aix
and Tin Tin on the Westside and they’re as beautiful of spaces as the food is
delicious! Bocca Lupo is another restaurant that always knocks it out of the park
– Bruce Logue is the real deal. Tiny Lou’s was probably the best meal we had in
the last calendar year, too. Can’t say enough about the food, stellar hospitality
and pastry program… really something special going on there!
One more that hasn’t opened but I’m super excited for is Redbird, Zeb
Stevenson’s forthcoming restaurant. He’s been one of my favorite chefs in town
for a long time and I’m so pumped to see him open his own space and serve
exactly the food he wants to serve.
I supposed I should also mention cocktails while I’m at it… Kimball House andWatchman’s are fantastic, obviously, and Mercedes O’Brien’s drink program at Gunshow is so good words can’t even do it justice. I’ve really liked my drinks at
Little Spirit both times I’ve gone, too!
Catfish Sausage, Tagliatelle, and Gnudi by Chef Jarrett Stieber
After cooking in Atlanta for about ten years, I began running Eat Me Speak Me as a pop up restaurant and speakeasy mostly by accident... one thing led to another and it became a full time job that took on a life of it's own. Now, after six years of running EMSM, I'm finally fortunate enough to be opening my first brick and mortar restaurant, called Little Bear. Be on the lookout!
@eatmespeakme on Instagram and Twitter