All The Stars From The MICHELIN Guide Atlanta 2024

New One Stars

O by Brush
Cuisine: Sushi-Japanese

Brush Sushi is located in a swish shopping center with the likes of Rolex and Dior, but step inside this stylish space to discover O by Brush, a separate omakase counter helmed by Chef Jason Liang. The extensive procession will begin with several starters before moving into nigiri such as beautifully rich shima aji, warayaki sawara that is hay smoked over coals then sliced and filled with rice, and anago tempura temaki finished over binchotan coals. A tasting of dry-aged hirame and kanpachi is a delightful surprise, as is the tamago tasting, featuring the classic style alongside a tender, cake-like version. The wide-ranging sake selection, also available by the glass or carafe, is the perfect complement.

Omakase Table
Cuisine: Sushi-Japanese

Here at this serious counter-focused setting, find Chef Leonard Yu and his small team presiding over a multicourse experience that leans traditional while offering a nice balance of variety and seasonality. A smattering of otsumami begin the evening on a strong note with shaved Waygu beef lightly poached in sukiyaki sauce with a quail egg. The chef's signature dish, uni gohan with otoro, is decadent, while corn potage delivers an impressive depth of flavor. Meanwhile, nigiri showcases character without any flash: Kawahagi is topped with flash-frozen liver paste that melts on the tongue, while sharkskin sole with engawa is given a fantastic sear. Not to be outshined, vanilla ice cream is taken to new heights with the addition of aged shoyu.

Spring
Cuisine: Contemporary

Find your way to this small but well-appointed restaurant in Marietta where exposed brick and a vaulted ceiling done in dark wood create an endearing charm. Chef Brian So oversees a tightly edited, contemporary American menu with a strong focus on seasonality. Skillful but simple cooking is the dictum here, where ingredients speak for themselves, and plates are stunning without ever being showy. The house-made sourdough with garlic chive butter is delicious, but don't fill up, as the pan-seared wild king salmon topped with Hollandaise sauce and trout roe is equally appealing. A maple-glazed cruller with sliced almonds in an amaretto crème anglaise is a bold and distinctive dessert, and the wine list is especially impressive.

Staplehouse
Cuisine: Contemporary

Open two nights a week for dinner (Friday-Saturday) and located in the Old Fourth Ward, Staplehouse promises a convivial evening of conversation and talented cooking. An open kitchen, exposed brick, and a high ceiling lend a rustic/industrial vibe to this charmingly attended-to place. Here, a contemporary tasting menu flips the script with a hearty, far-from-fussy offering. You won't find foie gras or caviar here, but you will discover a cabbage course that sings with character and flavor. A thick slice of grilled sirloin steak with a crispy morel mushroom is sided by a wedge of grilled gem lettuce with tiny florets of sprouting cauliflower. Finally, a citrus tart with honeycomb candy is spot on.

One Stars

Atlas
Cuisine: American

When the night calls for a grand celebration, few places fit quite like Atlas. Snuggled inside the posh St. Regis Atlanta, this restaurant is impossibly elegant. Fine art graces the walls—it's home to The Lewis Collection and its works by Japanese-born painter and printmaker Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita—but it's not just the artwork that impresses. Order à la carte from this seasonal American menu with European influences or celebrate with the tasting menu for dishes like tender lobster plated with smoked paprika butter sauce and heirloom summer squash, and poached halibut composed with a trio of beet preparations. Wagyu beef from Australia is a decadent end to the savory courses. Impressive cocktails, a cheese cart and whimsical desserts complete the well-rounded experience.

Hayakawa
Cuisine: Japanese

A local legend for his Japanese cuisine on Buford Highway, Chef Atsushi Hayakawa has begun a new chapter in West Midtown. Located in a sparkling office structure, the slick lair hosts a mere handful of diners per seating. His stage is a backdrop of dark-streaked stone and a silken wood counter; and the use of a microphone to banter with guests amplifies Hayakawa's buoyant personality.

The meal is a procession of small courses and hews toward the structure of kaiseki. After items such as an appetizer trio with clear fish soup, scallop sashimi with miso-mustard sauce and simmered monkfish, it's time for sushi. The chef crafts nigiri from imported fish that needs little embellishment and is amply sized in the tradition of Hokkaido style in deference to the chef's hometown.

Lazy Betty
Cuisine: Contemporary

Now located in midtown, Chef Ron Hsu and Chef/co-owner Aaron Phillips oversee a contemporary tasting menu with clever combinations that highlight regional ingredients. The tuna roll is a stunner, made with feuille de brick and filled with lemon, crème fraîche, and wrapped in paper-thin sheets of bluefin tuna. Cod, poached in a ham hock broth, rests atop fava bean and zucchini succotash with a green tomato relish for an especially flavorful plate, while crown-roasted duck with a caramelized miso sauce is another strong savory course. Finished with a blackberry banyuls reduction at the table, it's a beautiful dish. Lemon panna cotta, surrounded by mint granita and covered with a coconut foam is a refreshing finale.

Mujō
Cuisine: Japanese

Located in West Midtown, Mujō is an intimate setting with a moody elegance. A U-shaped counter crafted of Southern cypress pops in this square room with dark walls and low lighting. This is the domain of Chef J. Trent Harris and his skilled team who make all feel well cared for. Here, tradition has been replaced with a rollicking good time, where the always-surprising interpretation of omakase begins with an array of zensai like a morsel of Florida cobia grilled over binchotan, dressed with a red miso sauce and some local pattypan squash. After some cooked bites, it's time for the raw. Nigiri needs little to impress, while supplemental dishes offer the likes of Hokkaido hair crab, tosazu and mozuku. Regulars know dessert isn't an afterthought; so save room.

One Star Green Star

Bacchanalia
Cuisine: American

Dark wood, a black industrial ceiling set with a constellation of Edison bulbs, and brown leather banquettes give Bacchanalia a handsome sophistication, yet there's nothing too precious about this longstanding spot. The multicourse prix fixe involves a bit of flair, with some dishes arriving on carts or nestled inside glass cloches, and the cheese course is a wonderful surprise. Rather than an expected slice, the team presents a clever take with a crumbly oat date cake and a dot of black garlic sauce surrounded by rings of parmesan. Chilled lobster in a ponzu sauce with bright English peas and horseradish oil is also memorable but it may just be the delicate grapefruit soufflé garnished with spicy pistachio crumble and rose crème anglaise that takes the cake.

Green Star

The Chastain
Cuisine: American

Set on the verdant edges of Chastain Park and surrounded by trees, this restaurant feels like a modern oasis with charming details (think butterscotch leather booths, exposed brick elements and gas lamps). The setting is stunning, reminding one of a restored carriage house, but Chef Christopher Grossman's seasonally focused American menu with Southern nods is a solid match. Pasta dishes, also available as half portions, are a perfect start. English pea agnolotti with Georgian sweet shrimp, asparagus and spring onions in a beurre blanc sets the meal off on the right foot, while pan-roasted red snapper with grilled asparagus, a roasted half spring onion and green garlic chimichurri is a delicious follow up.

Hero image: Brandon Amato / Omakase Table
Thumb image: Claire Maureen / Spring