Atlanta Restaurants Honor Memorial Day Weekend with Star-Spangled Specials May 22-25

Travels, festivals, memorial celebrations -- Atlanta restaurants post hours to accommodate your Memorial Day weekend plans.

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland stays open late on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (past midnight) and will serve lunch and dinner during regular hours on Monday.

All Bantam + Biddy locations will be open over the holiday weekend with all-natural poultry and regional fare -- can’t get more American than this!

Casual Chick-a-Biddy in Atlantic Station will be open as usual for weekend brunch plus lunch and dinner on all three days of the holiday weekend.

HOBNOB Neighborhood Tavern will open at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, doing their duty to serve their regular lunch menu and tossing in a few brunchy items to boot.

Stop by Kabob Land for pita and hummus, tabouli salad or wraps and plates bearing slow-roasted lamb, shawarma (gyro) and charbroiled meat, chicken, veggie or salmon kabobs. Dine in or order and go to be a holiday picnic hero. The Buckhead eatery honors regular hours across the weekend.

Ormsby’s on Atlanta’s Westside keeps Sunday’s party rolling past the usual midnight hour until 3 a.m. Monday morning, then stays opens as usual on Monday from 11:30 a.m.-3 a.m.

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown fires up its Nicky’s Week fundraiser on Memorial Day Monday and keeps the special menu rolling through May 31. Regular hours prevail throughout the weekend.

On Memorial Day, all three Ray’s Restaurants -- Ray’s in the City, Ray’s on the River and Ray’s at Killer Creek -- will be open from noon until 9 p.m. and will offer double points for all Dining Club members. Additionally, active duty military and veterans -- and one guest -- will receive a 20 percent discount at all three Ray’s Restaurants on Monday, May 25.

Brunch spreads over all three days of the holiday weekend at 10th & Piedmont. The Midtown restaurant will extend its Saturday-Sunday brunch menu to Memorial Day and will open early at 10 a.m. to welcome Monday brunchers.

Willy’s Mexicana Grill locations will be open over the weekend with the exception of Willy’s in Peachtree Center, AT&T Center, AT&T Lindbergh and at Georgia State. Take Willy’s wrapped-to-order burritos along on your weekend adventures.

RA Sushi Sends Taste Buds on Vacation with Tropical Pairings

The recent Atlanta weather has left everyone yearning for a warm, sandy vacation. Travel plans, bag packing and an overnight stay won't be necessary to take yourself, and your appetite, on a Caribbean getaway. With RA Sushi Bar Restaurant's Tropical Pairing from August 1 - September 30, calling a cab to Midtown is all the planning you'll need. RA Sushi's combinations of cocktails and entrees will take your taste buds straight to a beach. Flavors of fresh lime and sweet coconut shine in the Coco Kanpai cocktail, especially paired with a plate of spicy shrimp, pineapple, peppers and jalapeno. Ditch the swim trunks and leave the sunscreen behind, a trip to paradise is just down the road! 

Appetizing Aperture

Watermelons are rolling into RA Sushi Bar Restaurant for their refreshing cocktail and entrée pairing ($18). Watermelon kiwi shrimp piles shrimp atop layers of watermelon, kiwi, orange slices and lychee ($10). For the ultimate match try the watermelon margarita, an exotic fusion of Patron Silver tequila and Cointreau orange liqueur with fresh watermelon, lime juice and just a dash of Grand Marnier ($8).

Feed Your Mind (And Stomach) With Father's Day Ideas

Digging for ways to show the old man you care on Father’s Day? Well, look no longer! There are plenty of ways to celebrate, no matter what dad dabbles in. Any grill master will love preparing his favorite meats with John Wayne rubs and charcoals from Fire & Flavor. But, if he’s more into cold brews, treat him to a day at Der Biergarten. He’ll be all smiles with a Stein Club membership. Don’t worry, ensuring dad doesn’t go hungry is easy since RA Sushi Bar, Old Vinings Inn and Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar are cooking up manly specials for dad all day.

Margaritapalooza

 

The only thing I like better than a good margarita is a whole day devoted to drinking them! And amigos, that day is this Sunday! In the off chance that you need a suggestion for sipping, we've got you covered:

Atkins Park Restaurant & Bar in Virginia-Highland is offering a special Cinco de Mayo menu featuring four different entrées. Pozole rojo is a chile-braised pork and hominy stew garnished with cilantro, cabbage, radish and queso anejo. Chiles rellenos burst open with Oaxaca cheese, roasted tomato salsa, crema and refried black beans. Taquitos de pollo boast shredded chicken and are joined by jalapeño slaw, queso anejo, crema and salsa verde. Their own classic Huachinango a la Veracruzana, a.k.a. snapper Veracruz, tops pan-roasted snapper with tomatoes, olives, capers and jalapeños and comes with saffron rice.

Communitas Hospitality restaurants -- Gilbert's Cafe & Bar,Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern and 10th & Piedmont -- have all gone hook, line and cinco for fish tacos and are wrapping up tilapia, cilantro, red onion, lettuce and chipotle mayo for $3 each. Add a $5 margarita for that Baja feel.

Party in or out at The Original El Taco in Virginia-Highland. The cantina celebrates the "hola!" weekend long with $4 pineapple-infused tequila shots, $12 buckets of Dos Equis, $12 El Jimador margaritas and $7 Dos Equis lager drafts in 22-ounce souvenir cups. For margarita connoisseurs, El Taco mixes up Reales margaritas with Partida Blanco Tequila and O'rangville Grand Fine Orange Liqueur along with house-made sour, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. The La Rosalita starts with El Jimador Reposado and adds fresh grapefruit and lime juices plus sweet agave nectar. Pick up Cinco-To-Go packs for a fiesta at your casa. Each pack feeds eight to 10 hungry gringos, and you'll find mucho more info here.

Ban the basic margarita for the holiday and try out a novel rendition (see more on our Pinterest board). Cactus pear juice tempers the tequila in Bantam + Biddy's cactus pear margarita. For a cinco de-tini celebration, Ecco strains a potion of Herradura Blanco Tequila, lime juice and a squeeze of blood orange juice into a chilled martini glass. Hearth Pizza Tavernoffers two on-the-rocks versions: a spicy jalapeño margarita with Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila and the St. Rita, a nectar of St. Germain and Tequila Blanco. Say "Sensei Ole!" at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown to order their high-power Asian-Tex-Mex-fusion margarita featuring Don Julio 70^th Anniversary Tequila, Canton Ginger Liqueur and Cointreau. Margaritas are hot stuff at Seven Lamps where a sous vide margarita mellows a mix of Reposado Tequila, lime zest and juice, agave nectar and cayenne in a sous vide for 48 hours, and "Going Back to Cali" blends jalapeño-infused tequila, Shrub & Co. grapefruit shrub and SweetWater IPA in a sea salt-rimmed glass. Visit Uncle Julio's for the restaurant's signature drink, the Swirl, layering a chilling blend of frozen margarita with homemade frozen sangria.  

Salud!

Can Your Bracket Hack It? Big RA Sushi Showdown Pits Man vs. Sushi

It's live, uncut RA Sushi Tootsy Maki roll action, and it's all going down at RA Sushi Bar Restaurant's third Sushi Showdown on Sunday, April 7 from 3-6 p.m. With eyes fixed on the uncut Tootsy Maki rolls set before them, two heats of 12 competitors will race the three-minute clock and each other to see who can put down the most sushi and move up the brackets. Three competitors from each heat will advance to the Championship Sushi Showdown where they'll vie to devour as many Tootsy Maki rolls as they can in five minutes. The consummate winner takes home a "RA Sushi for a Year" package containing 12 $50 RA Sushi gift certificates. RA Sushi gift certificates of $100, $50 and $25 go respectively to second, third and fourth place winners. All participants receive a complimentary appetizer or lunch card and a RA Sushi sweatband. Fans partake in the action as well, scoring Throwdown and Tokyo Tussle sushi rolls ($6-$7) and powerful drink specials such as Free Throw Bombs ($5), Kirin and Kirin Light ($5) plus sake ($1), Half Court Bombs of Red Bull with a shot of fruity vodka or Jägermeister ($6), or the Rim "RA"cker, a Skyy Vodka and Red Bull cocktail ($7). Flying Fish Lounge specials kick in Sundays at 8 p.m. Whether you're competing or eating and drinking, give RA Sushi your best shot.

Rise and Shine for Easter Brunch, Lunch, Dinner and More

 

Easter springs up early this year on Sunday, March 31. We have a sunny list of Easter feasts for you to choose from. Hop down our list to find the golden egg that's right for you and be sure to make your reservation soon. We wish everyone a Happy Easter!

Roswell residents have plenty to eat this Easter. From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Aqua blue is serving up everyone's favorites for brunch, including a carving station with roasted strip loin and bone-in ham, entrée station, shrimp cocktails, salad, assorted sushi, smoked salmon, breakfast and omelet station and desserts. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are available for $15 for any thirsty guests. Adults eat for $29.95, children 4-12 for $9.95 and children under 4 eat free. Reservations: 770-643-8886

The cluck at Bantam + Biddy in Ansley Mall is about an Easter Sunday feast featuring corned Brasstown ham and gravy, stewed organic black-eyed peas, braised collard greens, Anson Mills grits and sweet potato pie for $20. Bottomless bloody marys and mimosas are poured until 4 p.m. for $10. Regular and special menus are available from 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; brunch is available until 3 p.m.

Marietta's Chicken and the Egg is providing brunch all day long this Easter Sunday. From 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., the restaurant is offering their regular brunch menu with starters such as crawfish and artichoke bake and pimento cheese. Diners with a sweet tooth can choose bananas Foster French toast or a strawberry waffle. Egg lovers can pick from items like eggs Benedict, "green eggs and ham" or pork belly hash. Reservations: 678-388-8813.

A not-your-mother's Mediterranean-style Easter Sunday brunch is in the plans at Ecco in Midtown from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Choose from a variety of meat and cheese options, one for $4.75, three for $14 or five for $22. Taste-and-share items for the table range from chocolate strudel to mixed olives, and crab fritters with a poached egg and pickled peppers ($4-$13). Appetizers of mixed lettuces, radishes, almonds and tarragon-mustard vinaigrette ($9), grilled red romaine, smoked char, poached eggs and romesco ($14) and potato, leek and chervil soup with poached Georgia shrimp ($9) supplement the wood-fired pizzas, pastas and main dishes, including the San Marzano tomatoes, house-made mozzarella and basil pizza ($13), lasagna with mushroom ragu, béchamel and arugula ($18) and the butcher steak with polenta, asparagus and salsa rosso ($20). Reservations: 404-347-9555.

Sandy Springs dwellers can hop on over to Hearth Pizza Tavern for an Easter meal. Opening at 4 p.m. on Easter day, the restaurant is offering plenty of holiday specials. For more information, call 404-252-5378.

For Passover, Lure Executive Chef David Bradley is making gefilte fish using fresh pollack and Georgia rainbow trout. Enjoy this special dish at the Midtown seafood sensation through April 2. 

Across the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, The Mill Kitchen & Bar invites guests to enjoy an Easter Sunday brunch menu in a farmhouse-style setting. Reservations: 770-817-9345. 

Family-friendly Easter brunching and lunching is in store for Decatur residents at No. 246. Chow on a chicken Parm sandwich, wood-baked ziti and meatballs, mushroom pizza and much more. Children's Easter egg hunts roll out at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. with "waves" for toddlers and adult-free children at each hunt. Lucky locators will win prizes such as a free kids' spaghetti and meatballs plate and more. Reservations: 678-399-8246.

At Olmsted in Midtown, the regular brunch menu and special holiday ham or prime rib entrées will please the Easter Sunday crowd. Starters include lobster bisque, fresh-baked biscuits or the breakfast meat sampler. Mains include a wild mushroom omelette with aged Gruyère, tarragon and fingerling potato hash; brioche French toast with seasonal fruit compote and vanilla bean cream; and eggs Olmsted with poached eggs, toasted English muffin, shaved house-cured Canadian bacon and citrus scallion hollandaise. Wee ones can munch on buttermilk pancakes with a choice of maple, blueberry or banana walnut syrup. Brunch will be served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: 404-443-8431.

After all of the egg hunting and hopping around, grown ups can rabbit trail over to RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Midtown for Sunday night Flying Fish Lounge specials. From 8 p.m. on, choose from more than 35 sushi, appetizer and tapas selections ($2.25-$7.25), plus a wide variety of beer, wine and signature cocktails ($3-$7). Popular Flying Fish Lounge dishes will be served until 11 p.m., and a variety of discounted creative cocktails will be served until midnight.

Bring on the buffet! This Easter, Ray's on the River in Sandy Springs is offering their award-winning Easter buffet from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sunday, March 31. Guests can enjoy assorted breads, a salad bar, omelette station during brunch hours, Virginia ham, prime rib, homemade desserts and plenty more. The buffet is $39.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids ages 5-10. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-955-1187. In Alpharetta, Ray's on the Creek is serving a buffet from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., and the regular menu will be available from 5-9 p.m. Adults can dine for $29.95 and kids ages 5-10 can dine for $14.95. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations: 770-649-0064.

Sunday brunch is always important at South City Kitchen in Midtown and Vinings, and the longtime favorite is serving a three-course prix fixe Easter brunch menu from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. For $32 for adults and $16 for children under 12 (plus tax and gratuity), guests can choose from appetizer options such as house-made pecan granola, fried green tomatoes or a strawberry salad; entrées including buttermilk fried chicken, crab cake hash, BBQ pork Benedict and farmstead vegetables; and dessert of peach cobbler, chocolate velvet Elvis cake or orange buttermilk chess pie. Reservations: 404-873-7358 for the Midtown location; 770-435-0700 for the Vinings location.