Opened last spring at the Battery Atlanta, in the shadow of the Braves’ new stadium, the Garden & Gun Club is our take on the perfect Southern bar. It’s intimate and full of touches Southerners will appreciate (including host stands made with Charleston, South Carolina, ironwork), with food and drinks that reflect the region’s ingredients and history while also putting a spin on tradition.
You’ll of course find a range of Southern classics on the cocktail list (to date our Proper Old-Fashioned has been ordered 4,237 times), along with originals such as the Rabbit Will Run, a bourbon, vermouth, and spiced-pear combo. To devise the menu, we partnered with the James Beard Award–winning chef Mike Lata of Charleston’s FIG and the Ordinary, and like the drinks, the food blends staples we love with dishes that surprise. Sample Southern oysters from the raw bar or start off with an order of boiled peanuts or a Benton’s country ham plate with biscuits. Should you need something more substantial, try the turkey neck gumbo with Carolina Gold rice, or Korean short ribs over grits, or just go for a burger with comeback sauce.
We like to think of it as the magazine brought to life, but most of all, it’s a celebration of the South and the pleasures that come from slowing down and sharing a drink or a bite with friends old and new. Don’t take our word for it, though. Swing by if you’re in the neighborhood.
