New metro Atlanta hotels come with stylish dining

Rooftops, courtyards, terraces and underground are settings for restaurants, bars
The Betty at Kimpton Sylvan Hotel is meant to evoke the feel of a 1950s supper club. Courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Hotel

The Betty at Kimpton Sylvan Hotel is meant to evoke the feel of a 1950s supper club. Courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Hotel

From Alpharetta to Midtown, new hotels are arriving, and with them come dining options galore. Here’s a look at some of these new food and beverage operations.

Kimpton Sylvan Hotel

Open since late winter, this Buckhead boutique hotel is home to three restaurants. The marquee spot is the Betty, whose swanky design is intended to evoke the feel of a 1950s supper club. The food pays homage to mid-century continental menus, while the cocktails skew toward boozy classics.

Among the offerings at Willow Bar at Kimpton Sylvan Hotel are, clockwise from top left: the Cyprus gin and tonic, Willow cocktail, charred cauliflower and cucumber avocado,  beets and feta, and hummus. Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Chris Hunt

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Credit: Chris Hunt

Tucked in back is Willow Bar, where a 6,300-square-foot courtyard holds clusters of tables and soft lounge seating, surrounded by lush foliage. Here, a concise plant-forward menu includes finger food and shareables, while the drink list focuses on biodynamic wines and botanically driven cocktails.

When the sun goes down, the hotel’s ninth-floor rooftop lounge, St. Julep, lights up, with drinks and bar snacks, such as corn dogs and sliders, to match the casual vibe.

374 E. Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta. 877-984-6548, thesylvanhotel.com.

Located in the heart of Midtown, Epicurean Atlanta is a culinary-driven hotel whose every detail is shaped by food and drink. Ligaya Figueras/ligaya.figueras@ajc.com

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

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Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Epicurean Atlanta

Located at the hotel’s entrance is Reverence, which serves a new American menu and has wine as the focus of its beverages. Seating options include a bar in the main dining room, a lounge and a two-level patio overlooking West Peachtree Street.

On the ground level of the office tower, opposite the hotel, is the Office Bar. Conceived as a sophisticated sports bar, it opens daily at 11 a.m., with a selection of bites for grazing and health-minded salads and bowls. A full bar boasts more than 100 whiskies.

Epicurean Atlanta's cantina-style restaurant Aerial is perched on the terrace that connects the three towers of the 3.5-acre mixed-use development in Midtown. Ligaya Figueras/ligaya.figueras@ajc.com

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

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Credit: Ligaya Figueras

A third eatery, Aerial, brings Latin tapas and a cantina vibe to the sky terrace.

1117 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta. 833-248-1670, epicureanhotelatlanta.com.

AC Hotel Atlanta Perimeter Center

Situated across the street from Perimeter Mall, this 156-room hotel is home to AC Kitchen and AC Lounge. The former offers traditional breakfast fare, while the latter is open in the evening for drinks and small plates, served inside or on a 40-seat patio. Coming in early October is Bar Peri, a 4,000-square-foot restaurant on the rooftop.

40 Perimeter Center Place, Dunwoody. 404-267-5190, marriott.com/hotels/travel/atlao-ac-hotel-atlanta-perimeter.

The interior of Drawbar, at the Bellyard Hotel in west Midtown, has high, industrial ceilings and plenty of elbow room. Ligaya Figueras/ligaya.figueras@ajc.com

Credit: Ligaya Figueras

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Credit: Ligaya Figueras

Bellyard Hotel

At Drawbar, located inside the Bellyard Hotel, floor-to-ceiling windows and a flora-filled terrace offer an impressive, unimpeded view of the Midtown skyline.

The terrace at Drawbar offers a view of Midtown Atlanta. Courtesy of Caleb Jones Photography

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The menu focuses on shared plates — such as pimento cheese arancini on a bed of chow chow, beer-battered zucchini chips, and Coca-Cola short-rib toast — with the majority of the ingredients sourced from Georgia growers and producers. The casual fare is highly pairable, with an approachable selection of wine, beer and cocktails.

1 Interlock Ave. NW, Atlanta. 404-806-8333, bellyardhotel.com.

The Hamilton

Dining possibilities here include Carrie’s Conservatory, which serves Southern breakfast, lunch and dinner indoors, and on a covered patio; Fulton’s Public House, a dinner-only destination; and Roaring Social, a lower-level speakeasy with an eight-lane bowling alley.

35 Milton Ave., Alpharetta. 770-777-1820, thehamiltonalpharetta.com.

Atlanta chef Archna Becker developed the menu for the restaurant at Holiday Inn and Suites in Chamblee. Chris Hunt for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Chris Hunt

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Credit: Chris Hunt

Holiday Inn & Suites Atlanta N — Chamblee Dunwoody

Chamblee will see rooftop action when the Holiday Inn and Suites opens in mid-to-late October. Located on the fifth floor, Spice & Sky includes a restaurant, bar, lounge and outdoor patio.

The menu, developed by Atlanta chef Archna Becker (Tandoori Pizza and Wing Co., Bhojanic Market), culls flavors from Indian, Middle Eastern, Asian and other international cuisines. Vegan and gluten-free options also will be part of the mix. Spice & Sky initially will offer breakfast and dinner, with weekend brunch and weekday lunch coming later.

4401 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Chamblee. 678-380-3700, ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/chamblee/atlcm/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-HI-_-US-_-ATLCM#

Mrs. P's Kitchen and Bar at the Wylie Hotel serves full menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Courtesy of Wylie Hotel

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Wylie Hotel

The Wylie’s signature restaurant, Mrs. P’s Bar & Kitchen, serves full menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was inspired by Mrs. P’s Tea Room, considered the first LGBTQ-friendly bar in Atlanta and the 100-year-old building’s original basement occupant.

The breakfast menu includes avocado tartine and breakfast tacos, with weekend brunch dishes such as steak tartar and almond croissant French toast. For lunch, look for seasonal offerings, including Moroccan watermelon salad and red beans and rice arancini; for dinner, expect dishes such as okra devils on horseback and barbecue lamb lollipops.

And, don’t miss Mrs. P’s take on boiled peanuts — the dish the original Mrs. P’s was known for — with kombu, chili, orange and pepper.

551 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 877-684-5023, wyliehotel.com.

Courtyard Atlanta Midtown and Element Atlanta Midtown

The dual-brand Courtyard and Element is slated to open in October. It will be home to the Ponce Room Bar & Kitchen, which will serve Southern food and custom cocktails.

640 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. courtyardelementatlanta.com.

This is an artist's rendering of the Dirty Rascal, to be located at the Thompson Buckhead. Courtesy of Thompson Buckhead

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Thompson Buckhead

Shooting for a November opening, the Thompson Buckhead tapped two well-known Atlanta chefs — Todd Ginsberg (General Muir, Wood’s Chapel BBQ, Yalla, Fred’s Meat & Bread) and Executive Chef Josh Hopkins (formerly of Empire State South) — to oversee its lobby-level restaurant, Dirty Rascal. The modern Italian-American menu will include king crab scampi, tortellini Bolognese and Dirty Rascal’s version of steak Florentine. The cocktail list will feature drinks such as the Dirty Rascal, the restaurant’s version of a dirty martini, made with gin, vodka, vermentino and herbed olive oil.

In addition, the hotel’s rooftop will become home this winter to private club Tessarae, from the team behind Singapore’s famed 1880 Club. Accessible to members and guests staying in Thompson Buckhead suites, Tessarae will hold guest-chef dinners, and will have a beverage program created by Atlanta native Joe Alessandroni, who built several bar programs in Asia and served as head bartender at Rickhouse in San Francisco.

415 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 234-567-8910, hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/georgia/thompson-buckhead/atlth.

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