Will these Black-owned restaurants make Atlanta’s Michelin Guide next year?

Handout

Handout

There will always be disagreement when rating, ranking or recommending restaurants, especially in a town like Atlanta where eating is its own form of entertainment. Every year when James Beard Foundation Awards are announced, there are arguments over who should be nominated from Atlanta, and usually who was left out. The same goes for the Michelin Guide, although the fact that inspectors specifically focus on the metro area to consider candidates for inclusion, recommendation and stars means there are more opportunities for more restaurants to be recognized.

Michelin makes its picks by evaluating restaurants based on the quality of their products, harmony of flavors, mastery of cooking techniques, how a chef’s voice and personality are reflected in their cuisine, and consistency. Price and value are reportedly not considered in evaluations of starred restaurants.

That, in theory, should mean more Black-owned restaurants have a chance to shine.

We won’t know until this time next year if Atlanta’s 2025 Michelin Guide looks more inclusive of Black chef talent and restaurant ownership. What we do know is that there are candidates worth watching in the meantime, and since we’ll all get hungry plenty of times before October comes again, several great places wouldn’t surprise us if they were to be invited to next year’s ceremony.

Here are Black-owned restaurants and establishments that have a good shot, and why.

Note of disclosure: Mike Jordan hosted the 2024 Atlanta Michelin Guide ceremony Oct. 28, 2024.

Bread & Butterfly

When Billy and Kristin Allin opened Bread & Butterfly as a Euro-style café and bistro in December 2015, they probably didn’t expect that their Inman Park restaurant would change hands and become Black-owned eight years later. It is now led by chef Demetrius Brown and partner Brandon Blanchard, who began hosting a pop-up event called Heritage Supper Club in the intimate and elegant space before signing agreements to take ownership. Since then, the theme of Bread & Butterfly tells culinary stories of the African Diaspora through classic French dishes, with particular focus on Haitian influence. And in just a year it has become a can’t-miss dining experience for diners of all colors, and a much-harder reservation to snag since The New York Times called it one of the 50 best restaurants in America this year.

Miguel Martinez

Miguel Martinez

Southern National

Duane Nutter and Reginald Washington opened the original location of their globally inspired Southern restaurant in Mobile, Alabama, in 2016, but always planned to bring the globally inspired Southern restaurant to Atlanta, and did just that in June 2023. With additional partners Greg Best and Paul Calvert of Ticonderoga Club, Southern National has continued to draw attention and recognition — including a James Beard Award semifinalist nod this year — for bridging flavors of the Southeast with an appreciation for fine dining without losing our region’s reputation for keeping things comfortable.

Courtesy of the VanTrece Hospitality Group

Courtesy of the VanTrece Hospitality Group

Oreatha’s at the Point

Deborah VanTrece’s flagship restaurant remains popular with diners and dining guides. There are, however, scores of Atlantans who haven’t yet visited her excellent Cascade Heights restaurant, led by Christian “Lucke” Bell, a talented Chicago native who previously served as executive chef at West Midtown Caribbean restaurant and lounge Rock Steady. VanTrece’s knack for eclectic fusion of Southern and worldwide dishes still shows up at Oreatha’s, which is named for her mother, but it’s Bell’s execution and attention to detail that gives Oreatha’s its own identity and its historically Black neighborhood a dining destination capable of continuing multiple legacies while establishing one of its own.

J CASSONI

J CASSONI

Mambo Zombie

If Purgatory were a bar, it would be Mambo Zombie. Led by bartender and partner Kysha Cyrus, whose beverage brilliance has enhanced some of Atlanta’s most celebrated bars for decades, it distinguishes itself from other concept-driven bars — which seem to be arriving more frequently every year in Atlanta — for one simple reason: Cyrus really does make exceptional drinks, and is a favorite not only of cocktail fans but mixologists who understand the craft. It’s a great place to try new, palate-challenging drinks (don’t worry, they’re still delicious), and to contemplate whatever you think is waiting for us on the other side.

Ligaya Figueras

Ligaya Figueras

Humble Mumble

Before it claimed a stall at Coda Collective Food Hall on the campus of Georgia Tech, Humble Mumble was a sandwich pop-up led by Justin Dixon, who previously worked at The Shed and Bully Boy, and also took what seemed like a silly restaurant idea and created a kitchen that demanded respect as the opening executive chef at now-closed Wonderkid. Dixon was early to what is now a sandwich craze sweeping the metro area, and has scores of fans who love his radically yummy “Aquemini” (hot-smoked salmon with farm egg salad, pickled onion and fancy greens), but also appreciate his marketing approach, inspired by Outkast (the restaurant is named for one of the famed Atlanta hip-hop group’s songs) and other figures in hip-hop culture. Dixon also supports other emerging chefs of color as part of the Stolen Goods collective.

Mike Jordan

Mike Jordan

Bryan Furman Barbecue

We’re still waiting for Furman to swing open the doors of his long-awaited new barbecue restaurant, following the closure of B’s Cracklin’ Barbecue due to a devastating fire. Assuming his namesake smokehouse opens in coming months, there’s good reason to believe Michelin’s inspectors will hear about it and stop by to sample the next chapter from a pitmaster considered one of the most talented in the nation. Until the Cobb County smokehouse finalizes its opening date, we’ll just have to assume those award-winning wings, pulled pork plates and brisket slices will be just as great as we’ve come to expect.

Yvonne Zusel

Yvonne Zusel

Sublime Doughnuts

Before a wave of doughnut shops arrived in Atlanta around a decade ago, the stand-alone people’s champ was and continues to be Sublime Doughnuts. Owner and baker Kamal Grant (a recent contestant on Gordon Ramsay’s “Food Stars” reality cooking competition) has been seducing local and visiting sweets-lovers since opening across the street from Georgia Tech’s campus 16 years ago and continues to serve customers 24 hours a day both at his 10th Street flagship and his more-recently opened location in North Druid Hills. It may not be fancy but it certainly could qualify for a recommendation or Bib Gourmand, and there’s no question it is beloved by the community.

Mia Yakel

Mia Yakel

Che Butter Jonez

From a food truck to a Southside brick-and-mortar and now a new Lavista Park location, owners Malik Rhasaan and Detric Fox-Quinlan, an outspoken married couple, have poured themselves into being a community-driven place of dining, with thoughtfully priced menu options ranging from bodega-style breakfasts to the popular lamb smashburger. Their story, despite challenges, has been one of consistent commitment to causes they care about, and their food remains just as admired as its chefs.

Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

Marcus B&G

Marcus Samuelsson’s notoriety alone guarantees attention, yet since opening his Old Fourth Ward dining hangout there has been notable turnover among chefs hired to lead the kitchen. With recent “Chopped” winner Gary Caldwell named executive chef months ago, and Samuelsson’s continued success drawing young Black professionals to the lounge-style dining room for happy hour drinks and weekend brunch feasts, it’s easy to imagine 2025 being a year of breakthrough for the celebrity chef’s vibe-centric Atlanta hot spot.

Jenni Girtman

Jenni Girtman

One Flew South - Beltline

Chef Todd Richards may be from Chicago, but he’s earned O.G. status in Atlanta for leading the kitchens of a long list of esteemed local restaurants, from the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead to Lake & Oak BBQ, which closed in 2022. Richards has also won awards as a cookbook author (he released his second cookbook in February), and is passionate about Black foodways, recipes and soul food history. As executive chef of One Flew South’s only location outside Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, there’s reason to believe the veteran culinarian could surprise those who might mistake his low-key demeanor as a sign that he’s laying low.

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