Southbound

Reviews 10

AN

Andrew Eggleston

I am always in search of "Legit" spots and Southbound is legit. What is legit? Everyone has different perspective but for me it is the big three. Service, Atmosphere. and Taste. Southbound has all three! I saw it by accident running errands, what caught my was 4 Green Eggs smoking away outside. Yes Sir, I am stopping there! It was off hours around 2:30 PM EST, but was still met by a hostess with a big smile (Service), Went to the bar and saw immediately that the selection of beer and wine was with fine not to mention an excellent bourbon selection. Original exposed red brick as far as the eye can see and copper kettle chandeliers...........not to mention in the 45 minutes I was here I heard Waylon, Cash, Conway, CDB, and Williams Jr..........atmosphere check! Taste..... oh taste again B-I-N-G-O spells Bingo. The Tomato Bisque was creamy with just enough peppah to make it Interesting and the Hot Chicken open faced on Texas toast was the perfect mix of spice and savory. This is a spot I will visit time and time again!

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Jennifer Trent

Southbound is a fantastic gem of a restaurant in Chamblee. The great atmosphere draws you in as soon as you pull up to the restaurant. If the weathers nice, enjoy the patio or sitting on the 2nd story balcony. If its not, enjoy the industrial rustic feel inside. You win before you even get to the food. Whats good here? Everything. Start with a delicious cocktail. Then enjoy octopus, fried green tomatoes, or pimento cheese. You can never go wrong with their short rib, but everything is always delicious. Thursday nights they have live music upstairs with full service, and the talent has been excellent. Brunch is also worth a visit on the weekends. They have Valet parking on Fridays and Saturdays, but theres always parking available which is a nice perk. You could also easily walk here from the Chamblee Marta staton. Many of the items on their menu are gluten free, or can be made that way. Excellent service, atmosphere and food make this one of my go to restaurants in the city.

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Adam Dorfman

Thanks to the people at Southbound in Chamblee for making dining out safe for people with food allergies! As someone with a gluten/soy/dairy intolerance who travels heavily (and therefore spends lots of time hammering servers with questions about shared surfaces/cooking methods/cross-contamination), its such a relief to find a place where you know youll be taken care of. A few points: 1. The food is straight delicious. Great quality ingredients from responsible sources that just taste amazing. 2. Everything is clearly labeled! They know their stuff and will tell you a quick yes or no on every ingredient in every item. 3. They have a dedicated gluten-free fryer. That means I can bring my kids (and self) in for french fries without concern. 4. Killer cocktails. 5. Great service. 6. Involved, passionate ownership and management! We will be back.

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CL

clay catinella

Very weak food and cocktails. This is the third and last chance im giving them to do dinner well. Kids grilled cheese and chicken fingers very bland...poorly grilled bread and barely melted cheese; chicken tasted like flour. Fried okra, pimento cheese, kale and grain salad, and fried catfish and grits for the adults. Pimento cheese was too spicy to eat, not sure why since it had green tomato chutney and bacon jam. Again, batter on okra had no seasoning and okra under cooked. Catfish and salad were palatable but the overall poor food and service overshadowed anything decent. Either folks in Chamblee dont know what a decent restaurant experience is like or we happen to go when they were executing at a very low level. Shame too since its a beautiful restaurant in an area with very few similar options.

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CH

Chi Christine

My review on this place is mixed based on two key components. Food is B+ but the culture of the staff could be a bit more cohesive. The food was great. The bone-in short rib was PHENOMENAL and my cocktail was AMAZING! However, upon first entry, one hostess was very cold and the other was downright rude, looking me up & down and rolling her eyes for NO REASON... they made my Caucasian mother and I feel very uneasy upon entering. There was definitely a different response & interaction between visually homogeneous parties. IN CONTRAST, our server Karl, and the self-proclaimed wine geek Maggie, were kind and sweet and definitely made up for the initial lack thereof. Ill definitely go back at least one more time simply because of the food... hope my second visit it better than my first.

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AL

Alex Russ

5 stars for food. Everything we had was absolutely fantastic. The Pimento Cheese Spread, Shrimp and Grits, everything. Major props to whoever is working back in the kitchen. Where they lose points is the service was subpar at best. We waited 20-25 mins to get our bottle of wine, and when we ordered a couple of glasses of wine at the end of the night, that honestly took another 15-20 mins. The same went for the dessert as well. We really felt like the servers had forgotten about us all night. We watched two other tables sit down after us, get their food and drinks, pay their bill, and leave before we did. One of those tables had 8+ people. Again, food was amazing, but the service kind of stunk. If I had them again, Id probably rather do carry-out.

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SE

Selden Deemer

My wife and I ate at Southbound for the 5th time last night. The place just keeps getting better. The only drawback is that since its in a converted factory building with bare brick walls, it can be noisy downstairs. The upstairs dining room is much quieter, but open only Thursday-Saturday. Among the small plates, the wood grilled octopus with potatoes, green tomatoes, and creme fraiche is especially worth noting. We werent quite prepared for the entire tentacle that was served, but once we got over the visual shock, it was tender enough to cut with a fork, and the flavors of each component of the dish were extraordinary. Highly recommended, but be prepared for how it looks!

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IA

Ian Douglass

One word - amazing. Local. Farm-fresh ingredients and top-notch cooking all combine to make this Chamblee spot a must. They rotate their menu seasonally which works out nicely for us as we dont get to visit them all too often with two little ones. Southbound does a great job keeping thier menu fresh and most importantly having a well stocked bar and draft menu. Last visit I thoroughly enjoyed the vegetable plate which had lentils, roasted carrots, brussels sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes and cornbread. It was delicious and Id absolutely get it again. You really cant go wrong ordering anything off their menu and looking forward to going back hopefully before summer :-)

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LA

Laura Matthews

I hesitate to recommend a place where you already cant get a weekend table; however Southbound is just that great! The bone-in Short Rib will become an Atlanta signature dish! The restaurant has the vibe and energy of a trendy Westside spot. The build-out is fabulous without seeming trendy and contrived, rather it is casual and welcoming. It may become one of the great bars and gathering spots in town, but that would be overlooking the food. Go for the scene, but youll be amazed by the food and the experience! The Chamblee location is a great halfway spot for the ITP crowd to meet the Johns Creek crowd.

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Nicholas Lemaster

Great menu that changes year round. Very upscale Southern feel and a cool rustic merchantile factory. Small plates for a more tapas style (but dont be fooled, the portioned are HUGE) or more traditional entrees (again, huge portion, especially for the price). Nice cocktail, beer, and wine selection that rotates fairly often. Live music on many nights, very blue grass southern jazz feel. Staff are all incredibly friendly and accommodating. Good stop for drinks and a date night. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area.

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