Where can you find a 35-pound house cat, a 1,000-gallon Barbie-pink smoker and a 20-foot red alligator? The answer: Gene’s, a restaurant that is the brainchild of Atlanta native Avery Cottrell, who launched it as a barbecue pop-up in 2019.
Gene’s early days were filled with appearances at Kimball House and Inner Voice Brewing and required long hauls from New Orleans, where Cottrell lived with his wife and their daughter. They eventually moved back to Atlanta, where Cottrell juggled life as a pop-up entrepreneur with his day job as a chef at Poor Hendrix.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Gene’s made its debut at its own brick-and-mortar location in late July, with promises of a “weirdo vibe.”
Cottrell and his partners (the folks behind Kimball House, along with John Ward of the Victory Brands restaurant group) have delivered on that promise. The walls and ceiling are covered with a collection of quirky stuff Cottrell has collected — from disco balls, Christmas lights and that monstrous alligator that he got from a junk shop in Florida to a restroom covered in mirrors and another decorated with tarot cards and black-and-white photos of restaurants named Gene’s.
Cottrell’s restaurant, however, is the only one named after his fat cat.
Yet, there is substance behind the casual, playful setting amped up with tunes selected from a free jukebox near the entrance. What started as traditional offset-smoking, Texas-style barbecue has morphed, Cottrell said, into “Gulf Coast barbecue with an eclectic set of ingredients.”
Credit: Avery Cottrell
Credit: Avery Cottrell
Vietnamese-Cajun undertones run throughout the menu, seen in the likes of sticky ribs that get smoked, fried, slickened with a sweet-funky fish caramel sauce and garnished with crumbled peanuts. Melt-in-your-mouth brisket takes a cheesesteak or breakfast egg sandwich on oversized, toasted TGM bread to new, meaty heights.
The sides are as flavor-packed as the proteins. A smashed cucumber salad zings with tangy fish sauce, chile flakes, vinegar and red onions. Creamed esquite features smoky roasted corn kernels that get heft and kick from red pepper cream, lime cream, queso fresco and shakes of Tajin Mexican seasoning. A green goddess dressing makes Gene’s potato salad lighter and brighter than what you get at a typical barbecue joint. Waffle fries seasoned with dehydrated Tabasco mash are addictive on their own and a fine vessel for scooping up smooth tallow beans. Oh, lardy!
“We’re just cooking stuff that we like, and we like stuff from all over the place,” Cottrell said just prior to the restaurant’s opening.
Credit: Mathew Christson
Credit: Mathew Christson
“All over the place” includes a creative chilled seafood nosh of crab claws served in a marinade of chile vinegar, herbs and pickled onions, as well as smoked snapper turned into a dense dip served with “fancy crackers,” aka butter-baked saltines.
It also includes egg rolls stuffed with boudin as an appetizer and thick, creamy banana pudding folded with crumbled Biscoff cookies for dessert. And then there are beignets, shrimp and grits with a swirl of Vietnamese-Cajun butter, plus breakfast tacos and burritos for Sunday brunch.
I was stuffed and satisfied after every visit, leaving with only minor food quibbles: pulled pork overly shredded to a mushy consistency, roasted oysters masked by a heavy-handed pool of the Vietnamese-Cajun butter and cabbage so finely grated that it soaked up all the vinegary dressing, resulting in a slaw without crunch.
I had high hopes for a beverage menu developed by Kimball House co-owner Miles Macquarrie, which includes a selection of 10 mostly classic cocktails and some with beach shack vibes; wines to please the average drinker, as well as those who look for the unusual (orange wine at a barbecue joint?); and canned beers (because the draft system isn’t working). However, cocktails, including a margarita or brunch-time bloody mary, were average at best, despite holding thoughtful spirits and mixers.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Still, the gin-based tulsi tonic was potent, even after the drink had time to dilute; a bouquet of basil offered herbaceous aroma with every sip. Also, the Genesicle perfectly captures the flavors of an orangey Creamsicle in frozen cocktail format, and since it’s available with or without booze, even kids can enjoy this sweet treat that is more dessert than drink.
With counter ordering, good kitchen flow and speedy runners, the tables turn quickly and food comes swiftly, even when every seat is filled. Gene’s has a proactive floor staff that passes out menus and takes drink orders from folks standing in line and offers genuine thanks before you depart.
Those all are reasons why Gene’s has hit the mark with families, couples, solo diners and groups.
My next visit will be with a party of four. Our order will be the Full Send, which brings all the meats and all the sides. It’s $175 and is billed as enough to feed four hungry adults. If Cottrell charged extra to pet his fat cat, I’d probably opt for that, too.
Credit: Avery Cottrell
Credit: Avery Cottrell
GENE’S
2 out of 4 stars (very good)
Food: barbecue with Vietnamese-Cajun influences
Service: friendly and efficient
Noise level: average; above average on weekends
Recommended dishes: marinated crab claws, smoked fish dip, brisket cheesesteak sandwich, smoked mushroom tacos, brisket, ribs, boudin, smashed cucumber salad, tallow beans, green goddess potato salad, waffle fries, Biscoff banana pudding
Vegetarian dishes: smoked mushroom tacos (vegan), creamed esquite, mac and cheese without barbecue crumble topping (upon request), green goddess potato salad, jalapeno slaw, waffle fries
Alcohol: cocktails, wine and canned beer
Price range: $40-$50 per person, not including drinks, tax or gratuity
Hours: 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday brunch
Accessibility: ADA compliant, zero-step entry, no automatic doors
Parking: free lot in rear
Nearest MARTA station: 1 mile from East Lake
Reservations: no
Outdoor dining: covered patio, picnic seating in backyard green space shared with other tenants
Takeout: in-person ordering only
Address: 2371 Hosea L. Williams Drive SE, Atlanta
Website: genesgenesgenes.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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