Southerners have always been big on style, but gone are the days when going out to dinner automatically meant wearing a collared shirt, if not a jacket, for men. At these seven restaurants around the South, though, the dress code of yesteryear still reigns.
High Hampton Resort
Cashiers, North Carolina
Once required, jackets are merely requested at this historic property’s formal restaurants, the Dining Room and Halsted House. But most guests opt to wear one, and general manager Luke Callaghan has occasionally had to turn away underdressed diners. “If you show up in your Nike-branded T-shirt and you’re right next to somebody where it’s a special occasion for them and they’re wearing their Sunday best, it’s just not the same experience,” he explains.
Galatoire’s Restaurant
New Orleans
“At Galatoire’s, the jacket requirement is part of preserving the sense of occasion that has defined dining here for generations,” says Melvin Rodrigue, CEO of the 121-year-old French-Creole institution on Bourbon Street. Men must don jackets all day on Sunday and after 5:00 p.m. any other day, though the restaurant has loaners if you show up without one. Long pants are also required, although the newer dining room next door, Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak, allows shorts between April 1 and Labor Day.
House of Cards
Nashville
Opened in 2017, this downtown Nashville spot serves up craft cocktails, steaks, a cigar menu, and a side of magic tricks. With its dimly lit interior and red velvet curtains, it feels a bit like an exclusive club, with a strictly enforced dress code to match. “We believe elevated surroundings, exceptional entertainment, and a polished guest environment all work together to create a truly memorable and magical night out,” says Bill Miller, founder and CEO, of his decision to require jackets and collared button-up shirts for men.
The Inn on Biltmore Estate
Asheville
Patrons are treated to sweeping views of the Blue Ridge mountains at this landmark inn’s Dining Room, where every male over eight years old is expected to wear a collared button-down shirt and long pants. “There’s a particular Southern courtesy in dressing for dinner,” says Charles Thompson, vice president of resort experience. “It signals to your hosts and your companions that the evening matters.”
Atlas Restaurant
Atlanta
Atlas is the only Forbes Five-Star Restaurant in Georgia, but it could double as a gallery with its rotating displays of fine art. Guests are encouraged to dress for the rarefied environment (as well as the Michelin-starred tasting menu) with elevated attire like sport coats, button-downs, and dresses. And while denim is permitted, you could get turned away if you’re sporting a ballcap, flip-flops, tank tops, or ripped jeans.
The Gasparilla Inn
Boca Grande, Florida
This 113-year-old property enforces a longstanding dress code, with some exceptions for the Florida heat. Men are required to wear dress slacks, never jeans, in the airy, white-tableclothed dining room famed for fresh seafood and Key lime pie, but they can skip the jacket during the hottest months. And long pants are di rigueur in the resort’s common areas except in June, July, and August, when shorts are allowed. (The inn closes down in August and September.)
Sea Island Resort
Sea Island, Georgia
Not all of the fifteen restaurants at this Golden Isles resort enforce a dress code, but the Georgian Room’s main dining room, the green-and-plaid-clad hideaway inside the Cloister, and Colt & Allison, a classic steakhouse overlooking their Plantation golf course, require jackets for men. “There’s something meaningful about walking into a dining room where everyone has decided the evening is worth dressing up for,” says director of marketing Drew Mailloux. Dinner is a comparatively casual affair next to the resort’s long-running bingo nights, held in the Cloister ballroom and requiring evening wear.
