The AJC’s 10 best new restaurants of 2025

Over the past year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics reviewed and rated more than 30 new restaurants, visiting many more in the process. Ten of these stood out, each one for its own reasons.

The first five of our 10 best new restaurants of 2025 may look familiar; all were featured in the Atlanta 50, our fall dining guide listing the metro area’s best dining experiences. But the latter five restaurants opened later, not in time to be considered for the Atlanta 50.

Unsurprisingly, this end-of-year list features mostly experienced chefs and restaurateurs, many of whom have already found success with other restaurants. But the later entries include new restaurant owners, exciting talents like Birdie Niyomkun of Tipsy Thaiger and chef Tamara Hewitt of Peckish.

A few other restaurants received excellent AJC reviews over the past year but did not qualify as new in 2025. Aria and Nakato both underwent major changes but remained in their buildings and kept their concepts largely intact. In contrast, Krog Bar Coal Fired Pizza changed its location and cuisine after a long absence from the dining scene.

Another restaurant worthy of attention is Mother’s Best, the downtown Decatur fried chicken restaurant that opened in December 2024. Though it didn’t receive a starred review, the well-run little restaurant was the most casual establishment to earn a spot in the Atlanta 50 and one of former editor Ligaya Figueras’ favorites.

Similarly, the highly acclaimed restaurant Avize received a 3-star review from Figueras near the end of last year. The AJC later recognized Avize as the No. 10 restaurant on the Atlanta 50.

Read on for the AJC’s 10 best new restaurants of 2025, in order of their review date:

Lucky Star launched a cocktail omakase with the theme of "dinner." (Courtesy of ChingYao Wang)

Lucky Star

The Taiwanese comfort-food restaurant from chef Jason Liang packs personality and sophistication into a small, windowless space in the Star Metals building in West Midtown. Since the restaurant received a 3-star review in March, it has added a cocktail omakase program and expanded service to include brunch. Humble dishes like beef noodle soup and soft-boiled tea eggs become star menu items at this intimate, stylish cafe.

1055 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 678-994-6016, luckystaratl.com

Kegani (horsehair crab) from Hokkaido with nama uni and keluga caviar layered over strips of cucumber and a rice vinegar gelee. Garnished with viola flowers. (Courtesy of Brandon Amato/Ryokou)

Ryokou

Ryokou offers one of the most unique dinner services in Atlanta — a true omakase-style tasting menu without a narrow focus on sushi. Diners are bound to learn something about Japanese cuisine thanks to dishes plucked from all across the Land of the Rising Sun. Dedicated, detail-oriented staff offer an incredibly high level of service in a 10-seat room that feels exclusive and tucked away. Though sushi is not the draw at Ryokou, a standout moment highlighted in April’s 3-star review involved three slices of tuna cut from the same fish, a course that helps diners truly taste the difference between lean and fatty toro.

565 Northside Drive SW, Atlanta. 470-403-9018, ryokouatl.com

Madeira Park

One of the most universally beloved new openings of 2025, Madeira Park placed No. 9 in the Atlanta 50 amid a spate of national media attention. Rather than shrinking from the hype, Madeira Park has continued to deliver elegant plates of food and an interesting, highly curated wine selection. This is the first new restaurant from Miller Union chef and owner Steven Satterfield in more than a decade, and it appears to have staying power with the talented chef Ollie Honderd helming the kitchen. April’s 3-star review described how Madeira Park fits a variety of moods, transforming from a quiet, intimate afternoon wine bar into an energetic nighttime social scene over the course of an evening.

640 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-228-2058, madeiraparkatl.com

The food at Yuji has a wide range of prices, from the $10 carrot ginger salad (which is big enough to be an entree if you choose to add a protein) to the 10-ounce umami wagyu steak at $300. (Courtesy of Xzavier Nanthavongsa/Yuji Modern Japanese)

Yuji Modern Japanese

Set in an enviable location overlooking one of the busiest sections of the Atlanta Beltline, the AJC’s 3-star review of Yuji in May noted that the restaurant probably didn’t need to be good to succeed. Yet the stylish Japanese restaurant, created by Alex Kinjo, doesn’t take its customers for granted. A cool concrete bar at the exterior beckons Beltline walkers to socialize over a beverage, while the beautifully decorated interior sets an inviting scene for more serious dinners. Yuji offers food at a variety of price points, from luxurious sushi spreads and decadent wagyu beef to a remarkable vegetarian beet dish.

667 Auburn Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-228-2257, nstagram.com/yujiatlanta

Excellent osetra caviar at Fawn Wine & Amaro is paired with root vegetables such as salsify and a radish puree. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

Fawn Wine + Amaro

Sister restaurant to chef and owner Terry Koval’s consistently excellent Decatur Square mainstay The Deer & the Dove, Fawn opened nearby with an audacious, seafood-centric menu. The more casual, no-reservations wine bar captured most of the praise in a 3-star review published in May, but the tasting menu experience remains one of metro Atlanta’s most interactive chef’s counters. Koval and bar manager Matt Watkins placed tight restrictions on their vision for the restaurant — seafood, volcanic wines and amaro — that has allowed their creativity to shine.

119 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-748-4937, fawnwineamaro.com

Truth Be Told begins each meal with a selection of amuse-bouches, such as a recent honeydew melon and gelee pairing. (Courtesy of Lauren Lynn/Truth Be Told)

Truth Be Told

In vibrant downtown Roswell, Truth Be Told might be one of the best fine-dining deals in metro Atlanta. With a unique tasting menu format and highly technical cooking style, a seven-course dinner here felt like a value at $115, the price when the AJC’s 3-star review was published in September. Executive chef Matt Marcus spares no effort when it comes to sourcing his ingredients, many of which are grown on the restaurant’s own farm. The cooking is equally painstaking, with dishes that include elements like Caesar salad dressing frozen Dippin’ Dots-style in liquid nitrogen or gelee set in a honeydew melon “rind.”

1104 Canton St., Roswell. 470-663-6791, tbtlounge.com

The interior of Elise at the Woodruff Arts Center. (Courtesy of Elise)

Elise

One of the most beautiful new restaurants to open in metro Atlanta in recent years, Elise is a wonderful culinary complement to the Woodruff Arts Center. The sophisticated fine-dining restaurant from chef and owner Craig Richards feels timeless in both design and cuisine. October’s 3-star review noted how Richards plays to his strengths on a menu that features a selection of pastas and a few excellent (if very expensive) steaks. Elise is a great place to grab a drink after touring the High Museum of Art or for dinner before a show at the Alliance Theatre; the thread of creativity feels unbroken between the restaurant and the fine art venues that surround it.

1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-540-7572, elise-atl.com

Krog Bar has opened in Peachtree Hills with coal-fired pizza, sandwiches, salads and cocktails. (Courtesy of Krog Bar)

Krog Bar Coal Fired Pizza

A passion project from one of Atlanta’s most well-known restaurateurs, Kevin Rathbun’s resurrection of Krog Bar as a pizzeria in Peachtree Hills is an unqualified success. The restaurant specializes in New Haven-style pizza baked in one of the few coal-fired ovens in the metro area, and the pies are clearly some of the best in town. Rathbun was reflective when he spoke to the AJC for October’s 2-star review; he said he loves having a family-friendly restaurant and the opportunity to feed kids, a customer segment that doesn’t often patronize his other restaurants, KR SteakBar and Kevin Rathbun Steak.

349 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-301-7146, krsteakbar.com/krog-bar-coal-fired-pizza

Birdie Niyomkun created the cocktail menu with a range of savory and sweet drinks featuring Thai flavors. (Courtesy of Tispy Thaiger)