Ryokou, a new restaurant from Omakase Table owner and chef Leonard Yu and chef Paul Gutting, opens today in Atlanta’s Adair Park neighborhood.
Located at 565 Northside Drive in the Abrams Fixtures mixed-use development, Ryokou features a tasting menu of small plates “that pays tribute to the culinary traditions of cities and prefectures from across Japan,” according to a press release.
“Our goal is to provide an experience and understanding of food from across Japan, from the northern area, known for its crab, scallop shellfish, and other seafood, down to the southern island of Kyushu, which is famous for its wagyu beef,” Yu said in a prepared statement.
The eight-course menu will change frequently, but dishes on the opening menu including awabi kimo, steamed, thin-sliced abalone served over rice mixed with abalone liver; kegani nigiri topped with horsehair crab from Hokkaido prefecture; and smoked wagyu beef from Kyushu, smoked Japanese-style.
Desserts will use Japanese ingredients, while the beverage menu will highlight sake and also offer wine and cocktails. Sake pairings will be available with each course.
The 10-seat space will feature a contemporary design.
“The idea is to take our guests on a culinary journey and introduce them to new dishes, flavors, and techniques,” Yu said. “And I want Ryokou to be a little more fun—we’re still traditional, but not that traditional.”
Ryokou will be Yu’s second restaurant, joining Omakase Table, which opened in west Midtown in 2023. The eatery, which started out as a pop-up, was awarded one Michelin star in October. A second location in set to open in Buckhead in the coming weeks.
Situated just off the Westside Beltline, Abrams Fixtures offers 33 residential lofts, over 8,000 square feet of restaurant and 50,000 square feet of loft space for commercial and retail use.
565 Northside Drive, Atlanta. 347-977-7229, ryokouatl.com
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Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee
Credit: Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee
Michelin Guide-recommended Middle Eastern restaurant Delbar is set to open its third location Monday, Nov. 18 in Buckhead.
Located at 3060 Peachtree Road NW in the former King + Duke space, the Buckhead restaurant will join Delbar locations in Inman Park and Alpharetta.
Delbar Buckhead will be open daily for dinner and will serve weekend brunch, with lunch launching next month.
The menu, developed by owner Faras Kargar, culinary director Jonathan Rohland and Buckhead chef de cuisine Jordan Melrose, will feature favorites from the other Delbar locations including spreads like hummus garnished with crispy chickpea & sumac; honey harissa chicken with kohlrabi pear slaw and pickled onions; and sabzi polo with scallions, parsley, cilantro and fenugreek basmati rice.
New dishes include lamb and baghali tahchin with lamb shoulder, fava bean, egg, yogurt, onion and basmati rice and roasted carrot salad with rainbow carrots, ras el hanout, pickled raisins, candied pistachio and Bulgarian feta.
The brunch menu features savory dishes like shroom peynirli pide with oyster mushrooms, fried onion and kasseri cheese and the Turkish-style breakfast platter with labneh, halvah, feta cheese, radish, jam, honeycomb, dates, fruit, butter, soft boiled egg, sarshir, Nutella, fresh herbs, olives, raw vegetable and walnuts.
New dessert dishes include tahini and honey soft serve ice cream and Persian tea flan.
The Buckhead location features new cocktails with two different menus available at the indoor and outdoor bars. The drinks, centered around Middle Eastern flavors, will incorporate ingredients and spices imported from Iran including barberries, cardamom, Persian dried lime and sour cherries. The beverage list also features draft beer, Mediterranean natural wines and sharbats, nonalcoholic drinks made from fruit and flowers.
The 6,000-square-foot restaurant is inspired by the countryside in Iran where owner Faras Kargar’s grandmother resides and features 16-foot ceilings, light, earth-toned walls, antique textiles, natural finishes, rustic wooden touches and greenery. Seating is available in the main dining room and interior bar, as well as There is a main dining room and indoor bar as well as a covered outdoor patio and bar that will host live entertainment on weekends. A hidden private dining room seats up to 16 people, and a mezzanine private event space overlooking the dining room seats up to 40 people.
Delbar “is a love letter to the influential dishes that shaped Kargar’s youth and the women in his life who instilled in him a deep appreciation for Middle Eastern cooking,” according to a press release.
Kargar left his native Iran at 17, eventually landing in Atlanta, where he earned a degree in hospitality from Georgia State University while working at several restaurants, including Rumi’s Kitchen. He opened Delbar in Inman Park in 2020, with a menu featuring dishes like lamb-neck shawarma, trout stuffed with pomegranate, walnuts and herbs, hummus and tahdig.
In addition to Delbar, Kargar also owns food stall Bibi in Ponce City Market, which he opened in late 2022.
3060 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta. 404-738-9302, delbaratl.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
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Persian restaurant Divan, located at 87 15th St. NE, has named Christian Evans as its new chef and culinary director.
Evans began his culinary career at Porsche’s worldwide headquarters opening and also worked in the kitchens at Ritz Carlton Buckhead, Intercontinental Buckhead, St. Regis Bal Harbor and Nine Mile Station.
Divan, which opened in 2004 in Buckhead before moving to its new Midtown location, has also launched Sunday brunch with menu items including shish kebab and eggs, sujuk omelet. sea scallops and quail eggs, and eggs Benedict with lamb chops. Brunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Divan owner Max Lofti also owns the Persian Basket Kitchen & Bar in Johns Creek and online market Persian Basket.
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Gold Bunny Donut is now open at 2131 Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth. The shop serves doughnuts filled with flavors like ube taro cream and Biscoff, as well as coffee and bubble tea.
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Crazy Cuban Sandwich Shop is closing in December at 290 14th St. NW. In a Facebook post, owner Aldo Ramirez, who opened the restaurant in 2010, blamed the drop in business in part on workers who never returned to the office following the pandemic.
The menu offers a variety of Cuban sandwiches and dishes like ropa viejo and vaca frita.
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Mi Barrio Mexican restaurant officially closes today at 571 Memorial Drive SE in Grant Park after 26 years. Read more here.
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Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q will close Sunday, Nov. 17 at 2550 Sandy Plains Road in Marietta, according to a post on Instagram. Several locations in Georgia, including Martinez and Brunswick, remain open.
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Dog-friendly Moondog Grub & Pub is set to open at 5077 Peachtree Road in Chamblee, What Now Atlanta reports. The concept, which comes from the owners of Moondog Growlers in Dunwoody, will feature a full bar and 20 taps of craft beer, a menu of pub fare like wings and burgers, a dog-friendly outdoor patio and private event space, along with live music, events and games.
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Pakistani bakery and cafe Dil Bahar temporarily closed its Norcross location and opened a location at 5825 Glenridge Drive in Sandy Springs, Rough Draft Atlanta reports. The restaurant is owned Azhar and Farah Mehmood, who operate catering company Zafran Kitchen and founded Pakistani restaurant and banquet hall Mughals in 1994.
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Latin restaurant La Caretta has reopened at 1252 Roswell Road in Marietta after being closed for more than a year due to a fire, Marietta Daily Journal reports.
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Bubble tea spot Queen Tea is set to open its third metro Atlanta location at 770 Juniper St. NE in Midtown, What Now Atlanta reports. It will join locations in Kennesaw and Marietta.
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Florida-based brunch chain Keke’s Breakfast Cafe will open in the coming months in Kennesaw in the Kennesaw Walk development on Baker Road, Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. The chain’s menu includes waffles, pancakes, omelets and stuffed French toast. Lunch items include sandwiches and panini, wraps and salads.
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The Wing Guru and Urban Wok have closed in the Town Brookhaven development, Tomorrow’s News Today reports. Jerks Caribbean Grill, from Robert Gayle of Chef Rob’s Cafe & Bar in Sandy Springs, will take over the Urban Wok space.
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The owners of Mushi Ni, which has a stall in the Chattahoochee Food Works food hall, appear to have plans for a second location on Elizabeth Street in Inman Park, Atlanta Business Chronicle reports.
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More restaurant news
Ludacris’ DJ opens Panda Pancakes in Alpharetta
Killer Mike and T.I.’s reimagined Bankhead Seafood reopens
Clark’s Steakhouse to open in Buckhead
Holiday pop-up bars start opening around metro Atlanta
Shake Shack to take over Wahlburgers space at the Battery Atlanta
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