3 fun new Atlanta watering holes with surprising depth

Welcome to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s first Roundup Review, our new format that will highlight a broader range of restaurants with short, easily digestible overviews.

These brief reviews are based on AJC restaurant critic Henri Hollis’ first impressions after a single visit, and there are no star ratings. However, any restaurant featured in a Roundup Review is eligible to be named an AJC Critic’s Pick.

Restaurants must be open for at least a month before the AJC visits them for any kind of review. AJC restaurant critics do not inform restaurants before their visits, they pay for every meal and they never ask for special treatment.

For this first installment, the AJC visited three relatively new drinking establishments around town: Buddy Buddy in Midtown, Close Company in Old Fourth Ward and the Westwood in West View.

Each of these places leads with alcohol; they all have deals on interesting beer-and-shot combinations. But they all serve food, too, and much of it is better than it needs to be, especially considering the well-lubricated clientele. All three of these bars are fun, vibey, cocktail-first establishments that have more depth than the typical watering hole.

The interior of Buddy Buddy is filled with personalized, tongue-in-cheek decor. (Courtesy of Buddy Buddy)

Buddy Buddy (AJC Critic’s Pick)

I don’t plan on handing out AJC Critic’s Picks that often, but Buddy Buddy earned it with its interesting menu, eclectic atmosphere and deeply invested service staff.

Buddy Buddy takes its food and drinks seriously, but not much else. It’s clear from the moment you pass through the doors this is a bar built for having a good time; there’s a smile and a wink behind everything you see.

Funky lighting, old movies playing on a projector and plenty of tongue-in-cheek decorations all send the message that Buddy Buddy is a bar, not a temple to mixology. Different sections of the beverage menu have titles like “down to clown,” with beer and shot combinations; “delicious and nutritious,” a selection of shots to pair with hot broth from a slow cooker on the bar; and “wastebasket,” mixtures of liquor and soda the menu implies are only a little trashy.

The cocktails have glib descriptions but deep, sincere flavor. Described as “tropical and fruity just how your dad likes it,” the Selina Kyle is a complex riff on a pina colada turned purple thanks to the addition of ube, or purple sweet potatoes. One of the martini options, called How Is Shi Though? features kombu-infused Japanese gin, cilantro and sesame oil. Savory cocktails like this sometimes taste like salad dressing, but Buddy Buddy’s version is beautifully balanced and gin-forward.

A plate of pastitsio, or Greek lasagna, with a cocktail called the Repeat Offender to the left. The purple cocktail is called the Selina Kyle. (Braxton Moore, courtesy of Buddy Buddy)

Operating partner Nick Chaivarlis, a veteran of the Atlanta bar scene, said the restaurant developed out of friendships forged in the industry. One of those friends is chef Joshua Moss, who leaned into cooking the home-style Greek menu Chaivarlis first imagined.

“He got mom’s seal of approval,” said Chaivarlis, whose parents are Greek.

The food at Buddy Buddy is approachable and comforting, yet full of sharp seasoning and strong flavors. The menu has some Greek classics like a meze plate, saganaki and lamb chops. But there are lesser-known regional dishes, like skordalia dip (spelled “skorthalia” on the menu), a spread made from potatoes and enough garlic to guarantee the restaurant is a vampire-free zone. Another dish, pastitsio, is labeled as “Greek lasagna” on the menu. It’s a fabulous mixture of heavily spiced tomatoes, beef and lamb, distributed in impressively well-defined layers. There’s a reason it was featured among the AJC’s dishes to try in March, advice I was glad I followed.

The pastitsio, a.k.a. Greek lasagna, at Buddy Buddy. (Braxton Moore, courtesy of Buddy Buddy)

Chaivarlis has assembled an experienced, talented staff who are very comfortable in service. They truly understand the menu, its cocktails and how to answer questions or provide guidance.

Buddy Buddy is an interesting, deeply personal bar and restaurant that also manages to execute well in all the important areas. It has a fun atmosphere, clever menu and top-notch service.

Buddy Buddy. 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. 404-481-5226, buddybuddyatl.com

Open 5 p.m.-midnight Wednesday-Friday, 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday and 3-10 p.m. Sunday

The Super Martini at Close Company in Atlanta. (Luke Beard/Courtesy of Close Company)

Close Company

Death & Co. didn’t grow from a single cocktail bar in New York City into a nationwide hospitality brand by making poor choices. The same probably could not be said about the young, energetic Friday night crowd at the group’s new Atlanta bar, Close Company.

An out-of-town company opening a bar right on the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail might sound like a cynical cash-grab, but Close Company is thoughtful and self-aware enough to feel authentic. Its menu proudly proclaims itself, “Your new favorite chain bar.”

The drink menu balances a handful of interesting cocktails against the trendy ones demanded by a young, hard-drinking crowd. Champagne Lassi, an alcoholic take on the popular Indian yogurt beverage, had a balanced sweetness and lovely texture, with the yogurt’s creaminess aerated by the prosecco’s bubbles. The Adventure Gimlet — as in, choose your own — lets the customer decide whether to pair celery cordial with gin, tequila or aquavit. The fresh, simple and very cold cocktail is then garnished with a comically long strip of celery.

The interior of Close Company, a new bar from the hospitality group behind famous bar Death & Co. (Luke Beard courtesy of Close Company)

Close Company also serves plenty of options meant to deliver alcohol to the bloodstream with efficiency, like mini martinis “for the crew” priced at $8 per person, beer-and-shot combos and a discounted bucket of Miller High Life pony bottles.

The food at Close Company is limited, but the bar has fun with it. Options include movie theater popcorn, pickles, and a cheddar and jalapeno cheese ball. The centerpiece of the menu is a list of pastry pockets, which are essentially house-made Hot Pockets. The light, puffy pastry and fillings of lemon pepper chicken or banana cream pie make these far better than the freezer-aisle version. Most importantly, they’re heated to a consistent temperature, not the typical Hot Pocket combination of molten lava exterior and iceberg interior.

Close Company serves a limited food menu, which includes house-made versions of Hot Pockets, including a lemon pepper flavor. (Luke Beard, courtesy of Close Company)

The service at Close Company is quick but not overly attentive, and the bartenders do not lack in confidence. Food orders are served out of numbered cubbies by the kitchen, something I didn’t realize on my first visit.

When I ordered food from the bartender, he handed me a buzzer with a screen on it and asked, “Do you know how these work?”

I guess I stared at it a little too long, because he followed up with, “It seems like probably not.”

Of course, I’ve been to a Chili’s before, but most restaurant buzzer systems don’t have a screen. My guy behind the bar explained it would display my cubby number when our food was ready. Cool Gen Z bartender: 1; millennial restaurant critic: 0.

Close Company does have a considerate side, though. The bar offers a solid selection of non-alcoholic beverages, as well as smaller, less expensive cocktails for those choosing to drink a little less.

At the end of the night, Close Company is more of a fun situationship than a deep romance — exactly the type of thing much of the Beltline crowd seems to be looking for.

Close Company. 505 N. Angier Ave. NE, Atlanta. closecompanybar.com

Open 4 p.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday

The Beet Rachel is a vegan take on the classic Reuben sandwich at the Westwood. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

The Westwood

Opened last year in Atlanta’s West View neighborhood, the Westwood is a new nostalgic bar meant to feel like a dive from a bygone era.

The Westwood’s logo and typeface clearly reference the familiar branding of Marlboro cigarettes, and the dedication to faux wood grain inside is impressive even by 1980s standards. Everything about the restaurant and bar emphasizes old-school simplicity.

And yet, there are a few thoughtful cocktails dotting the menu, along with modern options like mocktails and some international flavors. The Westwood might be a vintage-inspired bar, but it’s still welcoming and accessible to today’s modern customer.

The bar’s more complicated-sounding cocktails turned out to have simple, approachable flavor profiles. Dr. Mozley’s Lemon Elixir, a mix of gin and lemon tonic, is a refreshing, high-quality and straightforward drink — a sparkling version of a Tom Collins. The Lavender Spritz makes use of a really tasty, subtle lavender vodka and derives a little complexity from raspberry liqueur, lemon, sparkling rose and bitters. The simply named Red Beer is a bottle of Pacifico with bloody Mary mix, tajin and lime — a faithful version of Mexico’s Michelada that likely would have been difficult to find in Georgia three or four decades ago. All cocktails are $13 or less.

Dr. Mozley's Lemon Elixir is a simple but refreshing cocktail at the Westwood. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

The Westwood has a surprisingly large food menu that’s as solid and straightforward as the beverage list. There are plenty of simple bites, like mozzarella sticks, chicken “tendies,” pretzel bites and the Adult Lunchable, known as a charcuterie board at more expensive restaurants.

There are also a handful of food options that would have been impossible to find in the era romanticized by the Westwood, including the fully vegan Beet Rachel, a beet sandwich based on the classic Reuben. There’s also a falafel sandwich that can also be made vegan.

The drink menu at the Westwood. (Henri Hollis/AJC)

The dishes I tried, like the Beet Rachel and the Chuck Philly sandwich, were made with care. The Philly was particularly hearty, made with the tender, unctuous pot roast that serves as the Westwood’s top-line item.

There is much to admire about the Westwood, but its sheer accessibility might be its best feature. The food and drink prices are approachable, and the bar is open seven days a week from noon until at least midnight. Few restaurants are more committed to serving their neighborhoods.

The Westwood. 1529 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW, Atlanta. 404-748-9370, thewestwoodatl.com