Nick Leahy returns to Brookwood Hills to open The Usual

Chef-partner previously operated Saltyard in same neighborhood
Dishes from the menu of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

Credit: The Usual

Dishes from the menu of The Usual.

The Usual, from two Atlanta restaurant industry veterans, is set to open Feb. 15 in Atlanta’s Brookwood Hills neighborhood.

Located on the ground level of the Arya Peachtree building at 1777 Peachtree St. NE, The Usual comes from Nick Leahy, who previously owned and operated Saltwood in the same neighborhood, and David Abes of restaurant consulting group Dash Hospitality.

Dishes from the menu of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

The restaurant offers a food and beverage menu that’s “a step up from traditional tavern fare,” according to a press release.

Abes and Leahy first worked together on opening Leahy’s French eatery Aix, which later turned into Nick’s Westside. The pair also collaborated on a variety of concepts at the Village at Dunwoody including Bar (n) Booze (n) Bites.

Dishes from the menu of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

Jason Hall, who served as the sous chef at Saltyard, will oversee The Usual’s kitchen as executive chef. The menu will include starters like loaded pub fries and crispy hot pickle spears with hot sauce aioli; salads including The Usual Tavern Salad with local lettuces, kale and seasonal vegetables and Za’atar vinaigrette; and sandwiches like The Usual Burger with spicy cheddar, fried shallots, and comeback sauce.

Main courses include smoked short rib with pimento cheese grit cake, jus and Vidalia onion jam; steak frites; and strip steak. The menu also features a selection of sides, desserts and a kids menu.

Matt Gibbons, who serves as general manager and beverage director at Leahy’s restaurant Nick’s Westside, will also be the beverage director for The Usual.

Dishes from the menu of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

The craft cocktail list includes “classics with a twist” such as the Arya Spritz, vodka with strawberry-tarragon syrup and the Usual Old Fashioned made with apple and vanilla-infused bourbon, sorghum, angostura and barrel-aged bitters.

The beverage program will also offer a variety of beer and wine.

Drinks from the menu of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

The Usual’s 3,500-square-foot space, designed by Amy Price of Starling Studio, features a mural on the rear wall that’s an homage to the building’s namesake, Arya Stark from the television show “Game of Thrones.”

Other design elements include “light warm woods and touches of black steel,” with a rear wall of booths with “back-lit cherry wood panels routed with morse code.”

The Usual’s main dining room will have seating for about 100, with the outdoor patio accomodating about 30 guests. A private event space at the back of the restaurant will have seating for about 14.

Opening hours will be 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 5-9 p.m. Sundays, with online ordering and lunch to be added soon.

1777 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-343-1541, theusualatl.com/

The interior of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

The interior of The Usual.

Credit: The Usual

icon to expand image

Credit: The Usual

Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter

Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.