Southern Belle, chef Joey Ward’s popular dining destination in Atlanta’s Poncey-Highland neighborhood, created quite a splash when it opened in fall of 2019, featuring creative Southern takes on international flavors. And now, beginning Thursday, July 13, the restaurant is bringing back its original concept, which the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hailed as a “fresh and modern” approach in its three-star review.
“We’re very excited to return to the original format for Southern Belle, in all its glory,” Ward says. “It’s what we wanted the restaurant to be from the beginning and one that opened to great critical and guest reviews. It’s always been our goal to get back to that casual, high-energy vibe with both the menu and the service, and we can’t wait for our guests to have that experience once again with us.”
In contrast to the current tasting menu, a concept carried over from Georgia Boy (the hidden, speakeasy-style room hidden inside the restaurant), the relaunched Southern Belle will offer an a la carte menu of shareable dishes showcasing international flavors and made with local ingredients presented in a style and setting that Ward calls “authentically Atlanta.” One example that celebrates these local ingredients is the cold smoked pork belly with chili garlic crisp, Georgia peaches and Coca-Cola reduced with Chinese black vinegar.
“Our dishes are designed to be enjoyed among friends, but they’re still made with the same ingredients and the same level of craft and attention as the tasting menu,” he says. “The idea is for Southern Belle to be a place where you can get together with a few close friends and enjoy a quick bite before a movie at the Plaza Theatre or take your time and enjoy a series of dishes one after the other.”
This creative-casual approach also is reflected in a new cocktail-forward beverage program, a central feature of which is the new “in-flight cocktail service” with house-bottled craft cocktails in travel-size glass bottles presented tableside via the restaurant’s decommissioned Delta Air Lines beverage cart.
“Each bottle is a half cocktail, and the plan is to offer curated ‘flights’ of three half-cocktails using seasonal ingredients,” Ward says. “We’re starting with Wheel’s Up, an early summer take on the Negroni made with strawberry-infused Camus cognac, Cocchi Torino, La Quintinye Blanc, and Campari that comes with a Biscoff cookie like you’d get on a Delta flight.”
This new-old version of Southern Belle is overseen by a new management team made up of veteran Belles, led by general manager Emily Levy. “Emily has been with Southern Belle as long as I have,” Ward says. “She started as a server on our very first day and has worked her way through all the front-of-house positions to assistant general manager and now general manager. We’re thrilled to watch her grow with the company.”
Levy is joined by assistant general manager Amanda Sharpton, who was most recently head server; beverage director Toki Sears, charged with “innovating the cocktail menu and driving it forward,” and sommelier Ellen Belden.
The current tasting menu will be in place through the end of the month, and Southern Belle will be closed the first week of July, reopening with its new menu on July 13. Southern Belle is open Thursday through Saturday, 5-9:30 p.m. Reservations are accepted via southernbelleatl.com. Walk-ins also are welcome.
ABOUT SOUTHERN BELLE
Southern Belle is chef Joey Ward’s critically acclaimed restaurant in Atlanta’s Poncey-Highland neighborhood. Opened in the fall of 2019, Southern Belle is a place for friends to gather and experience true Southern hospitality. The restaurant features a menu of shareable plates comprised of locally sourced ingredients presented with Ward’s trademark culinary whimsy. The menu celebrates the community of people and farms who produce the amazing ingredients as well as the multi-cultural culinary influences of modern Atlanta. Southern Belle also offers seasonally inspired craft cocktails and expertly composed wine pairings by its resident sommelier. Southern Belle is connected through a secret passageway to Ward’s second restaurant Georgia Boy, a multi-course chef’s table experience.
