Try This: Marcus Bar & Grille

Atlanta is far from lacking when it comes to Southern food. From family-style offerings where the tables are weighed down by all the classics, reliable take-out spots that have been fixtures for years, to the hole-in-the-wall diner spots that you only know about if Atlanta has been your home since birth. Marcus Bar and Grille is a relatively new kid on the block, having only opened in March 2023. But in those two plus years, award-winning chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson has achieved what many have with more years on their belt: a vibrant and community-driven spot focused on elevating the classics we know and love.

The Atlanta Voice reporter Laura Nwogu visited Marcus Bar and Grille a week after its debut at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. It was her second time at the restaurant, the first visit having only been a small taster of the happy hour menu. On a Wednesday evening, tables were packed, and people flowed in and out of the Old Fourth Ward to eat at the restaurant, where every corner was focused on Atlanta culture and food. 

The Wednesday special included the Golden Bird Tower featuring fried chicken and waffles, deviled eggs topped with caviar, and cornbread. The Dey Know Punch Bowl was the drink special, a bowl of house-made rum punch that looked like summer in a drink and could easily serve 3-4 people. 

However, The Atlanta Voice wanted a fuller taste of the menu. We ordered deviled eggs, roller skate ribs, the B&G seasonal salad, crispy whole wings, miso-glazed salmon, crab mac and cheese, and truffle fries. 

When you hear Southern food, dishes like fried chicken, ribs, and deviled eggs usually come to mind. The roller skate ribs were tender and drenched in a peach barbecue sauce that gave a welcome sweet flavor to the dish, and the crispy whole wings were the right amount of crunchy and spiced, only made better by the combo of the ranch dressing and hot sauce. One of the highlights of the dinner was the B&G seasonal salad. Elevating a salad from OK to great takes the right combination of ingredients, and the smoked tomato, whipped cheese, spiced pecans, and truffle mustard vin did just that. It only excited us more for the main dish, which was the miso-glazed salmon, a dream-worthy creation paired with crab fried rice, green pea puree, and red curry. For a Southern spot, it’s surprising that an Asian-inspired salmon was the star of the show, ready to go toe-to-toe with other salmon dishes in the city. 

Mac and cheese is a hotly debated and critiqued part of Southern food, but the crab mac and cheese passed our test and was a warm delight. We ended the night with truffle fries, a perfect balance of truffle that didn’t overpower what we love about French fries — a golden, crispy, and addictive side dish. 

Marcus Bar and Grille is more than worth a try. 

The restaurant is located at 525 Edgewood Ave SE and is open Tuesday-Sunday.   

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