Welcome to DiningOut’s Plate Full of News, your weekly serving of Atlanta’s restaurant, bar, and culinary happenings. From buzzy openings and chef moves to can’t-miss events, menu debuts, and industry news, here’s everything you need to know about the city’s dining scene this week.
The 411
So. Fox, from Pack Hospitality, opened in Virginia-Highland at the start of July, the first permanent full-service restaurant from chef Myles Moody and Rachael Pack, the duo behind Kinship Butcher & Sundry and tasting-menu concept k|n. The neighborhood spot pairs hyper-seasonal, Southern-inspired cuisine with a sommelier-led beverage program. Moody’s menu shifts with local harvests; current highlights include amberjack with badger flame beet, sorghum, and smoked tomato, and grilled beef with Vidalia onions, braised leeks, and marrow.
The newly reimagined JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown has debuted the Ledger, a 360-degree lobby bar designed around playful luxury—think caviar martini service, mini lobster rolls, steak po’boy, oysters on the half shell, crab hush puppies, and tuna tartare.
Y Bar e Ristorante, the newest concept from Y Hospitality (Yeppa & Co., Storico Fresco, Forza Storico, Villa Yeppa), opened in late July in Buckhead Village in the former Storico Vino and Pachengo spaces. Inspired by 1960s Rimini, Italy, the moody, Fellini-sketch-lined room is anchored by a U-shaped bar complemented by a covered patio. The menu, built around founder Stephen Peterson’s hometown recipes, ranges from Burro e Alici and beef tartare to playful signatures like Aunt Becky’s artichoke dip, alongside aperitivo-style cocktails such as the Bruschetta Martini and Negroni Fruttato. Y Bar is open Tuesday-Thursday, 5 p.m. to midnight, and Friday-Saturday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., with 21+ entry after 9 p.m.
After initial soft opening success, the Chai Box Cafe is hosting its official grand opening on Sunday, August 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with free iced chai and Parle-G biscuits, live music, special edition pastries, and giveaways throughout the day. Mayor Andre Dickens will assist with the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, August 7 at 8:30 a.m.
Happenings
Amore e Amore is hosting a one-night-only Ruffino Wine Dinner on Thursday, August 6 at 7 p.m., pairing a five-course menu with Italian wines as part of the Inman Park restaurant’s Under the Sea summer overlay. Ruffino U.S. Ambassador Caterina Velez will guide the pairings, which run from a Prosecco welcome and arugula salad through the restaurant’s signature Pappardelle Sinatra, a lemon sorbetto intermezzo, and a choice of filet mignon or chicken piccata, ending with dessert and Modus Primo Toscana. Tickets are $80 per person.
Whataburger is marking its 76th birthday on National Whataburger Day (Saturday, August 8) with a month of offers at its Georgia locations. Whataburger Rewards members get a Buy One, Get One on that day, plus 76-cent fan-favorite menu items every Wednesday throughout August. The chain is also debuting a Peach State–fitting seasonal pairing: the Summer Peach Whatafresher and Peaches & Cream Shake.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue is celebrating National SPAM Musubi Day on Saturday, August 8, offering one free SPAM musubi per guest at participating Georgia locations from noon to 4 p.m., while supplies last. Now in its sixth year, the event marks the dish’s roots in Hawaii’s local food culture, where grilled SPAM over rice, wrapped in nori, became a signature grab-and-go staple.
Brush Sushi in Buckhead Village is offering a special tuna menu Thursday, August 6 through Sunday, August 9, following sister restaurant O by Brush’s quarterly Tuna Cutting & Tasting on Wednesday, August 5. The à la carte menu is built from the freshly butchered whole tuna, featuring premium preparations like tuna carpaccio, Bluefin trio maki, and tuna Wellington.
St. Julep Rooftop at Kimpton Sylvan is launching Havana Nights on Thursday, August 13, a limited-time pop-up running Thursdays from 7 to 10 p.m. through late October. Each Thursday brings salsa dancing, Latin music, a welcome cocktail, and Bacardi rum tastings. Tickets are $40 via Eventbrite.
Sweet Auburn BBQ’s Bao Night is back on Thursday, August 13, featuring classic bao like brisket, char siu pork, and lemongrass and smoked chicken from 5 p.m. until sold out.
On the Menu
Brasserie Lundi, the Midtown neighborhood brasserie known for classic fare with a European flair, has rolled out a new summer menu built around bright, seasonal ingredients. Standouts include a Niçoise tuna salad, asparagus risotto with summer black truffle, and pappardelle with slow-braised pork ragù. The roasted half-chicken now comes with Brussels sprouts, bacon, and whole-grain mustard au jus, while pan-roasted salmon is paired with a curry emulsion. Also new: the Lundi Lunch Express, which lets guests add a garden salad and drip coffee or iced tea to any lunch entrée for $3.
Mirae, the Japanese- and Korean-influenced Asian fusion restaurant in Brookhaven, has debuted a new seasonal menu inspired by the Korean concept of Yeobaek, or intentional space. The refresh brings 17 new dinner dishes, three desserts, and five new cocktails, including an espresso martini and a chocolate negroni. Highlights include grilled branzino with gochujang emulsion, a scallop-and-amberjack ceviche with leche de tigre, A5 Japanese wagyu-don with yuzu foam, and a matcha crème brûlée finished with fresh strawberries.
Table & Main in Roswell has rolled out a new summer menu from executive chef Woody Back, including crisp fried okra with buttermilk dressing, a cold-smoked bone-in pork chop with field pea salad and grilled peach mostarda, and a Georgia trout BLT with sundried tomato-bacon pesto and candied bacon. Longtime favorites like the fried chicken, shrimp ‘n grits, and T&M Burger remain on the menu at the beloved Canton Street dining room.
