When hotel restaurants are done right, they can be bastions of true hospitality that connect with locals as much as the hotel guests.
More often, they are corporate products developed by huge companies that exist simply to extract maximum profit from a captive audience.
Because they’re backed by such large companies, hotel restaurants often boast expensively outfitted dining rooms and slick marketing, giving them a competitive advantage over independent restaurants without deep pockets. And with many Atlanta hotels refreshing themselves before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it‘s the right time to investigate a few of these recent openings.
I visited Ikara at the Twelve Midtown hotel in Atlantic Station, Jagger Suite at the Moxy Atlanta Downtown and Ashland at the Loews Hotel Atlanta in Midtown. I found one restaurant invested in a chef’s vision, one that went all-out on vibes and one that built a pretty box but forgot to fill it with anything worthwhile.
Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee
Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee
Ikara
The new Indian fine-dining restaurant at the Twelve Midtown hotel in Atlantic Station turned out to be a pleasant surprise, with a beautiful space and, more importantly, powerhouse cooking.
Ikara did not make a great first impression at first sight; though it had been open about a month and a half when I first visited, the grand front entrance was still under construction. The restaurant has clearly not reached its final form yet; it opened with the promise of a prix fixe chef’s tasting menu, which has not yet been introduced.
When that time comes, Ikara may warrant a full-bore restaurant review. The kitchen is led by chef Yugal Sharma, who cooks with real intensity. Ikara may carry a fine-dining label, but that does not translate to diluted, dumbed-down flavors. Sharma manages to find harmony in his dishes while using copious spices, in both amount and variety.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
A vegetarian appetizer called subz ikara seek is a good example; fritters made from grated vegetables, paneer and fruit could easily be bland, but these gain energy from a peppery spice blend and high-heat tandoor cooking.
Malai broccoli takes individual florets on an adventure with a creamy marinade made deeply spicy with green chiles. The marinade adds richness and real heat to a vegetable that could use the excitement.
The fine-dining touches come through in the presentation and some of the luxury ingredients deployed on the menu. A dish called gucchi subz-e-zar bathes morels, a local delicacy, in a lovely clotted cream and green herb gravy. There’s also lobster, crab, lamb and more — the menu is gigantic, ranging far and wide through India’s regional cuisine.
The region-hopping continues in the beverage program, with a cocktail menu themed around India’s train travel and its varied climates. The drinks are thoughtful and nearly as intensely flavored as the food, though not quite as uniformly successful. The pehli baarish is similar to a negroni, though it might be more bitter, while the aamras ritu is like a velvety, refreshing glass of mango lassi with vodka added. Some sweeter drinks, like the pantry car chai, are better a few minutes after they’re served, when the large Ikara-branded ice cube has added some dilution.
Unlike many hotel restaurants, Ikara puts its chef front and center. Sharma has answered the call with truly bold, interesting cooking that’s worth seeking out even if you’re not a guest at the Twelve Midtown.
361 17th St. NW, Atlanta. 678-904-0313, ikararestaurant.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Jagger Suite
The 12-foot-tall, disco-mirrored unicorn sculpture at the heart of Jagger Suite rotates like a lighthouse, signaling safe harbor for anyone who might enjoy the energy and gaudiness of the bottle-service club scene.
More of a bar or lounge than a full-fledged restaurant, Jagger Suite fully commits to the bit as a rooftop hot spot at the Moxy Atlanta Downtown hotel. There’s an actual velvet rope outside the elevator, a full section of the menu dedicated to espresso martini riffs and, of course, the unicorn (its name is Stardust). But its most impressive feature is the view, which overlooks Marietta Street toward Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the new hotel and apartment towers sprouting like weeds in Atlanta’s sports entertainment and convention district.
Jagger Suite’s main departure from stereotypical nightclub culture is a good one — the service is warm, friendly and welcoming rather than aloof and discriminatory. Everything about the restaurant screams that this is a place to have fun.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
And there will be screaming; inside, DJs keep the music pumping at high volume, and patrons frequently jump up to dance in their section when a song change hits the right chord. Blinking lights and dancing servers accompany bottles being delivered to tables.
The cocktails are better than the food, but it’s clear that effort has been put into both. The drink menu has a range of options, including the aforementioned espresso martini lineup. It’s hard to argue with the silver tongue, a traditional gin martini, served dirty and garnished with goat-cheese-stuffed, caviar-topped olives. I also enjoyed a drink called surprise me, a refreshing herbal cocktail that gained some depth from using Hennessy as a base spirit. The black vinyl is probably the most straightforward espresso martini variant, with a welcome touch of citrus from orange oil.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The food options at Jagger Suite are relatively light, but the Szechuan calamari is a good option for anyone who arrives with a real appetite. The dish includes a generous portion of fried calamari coated in a sweet, sticky sauce with a bit of a kick. The tuna cannoli were fresh and fun to eat, though I wished the shells had been a touch crispier. I couldn’t recommend the watermelon and feta salad; the compressed watermelon seemed underripe and the whipped feta was barely there.
But Jagger Suite is not really a place to have a full meal. It’s a place to let off some steam, enjoy the view and vibe with the music while sipping a surprisingly well-crafted cocktail. Best of all, Jagger Suite’s purposeful campiness and congenial service make it easy for nearly anyone to have a good time.
329 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta. 470-961-9998, jaggersuite.com
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Ashland
Hidden on the ground floor of the Loews Hotel in Midtown Atlanta, Ashland is a stereotypical hotel restaurant — impersonal and expensive.
With its luxe menu and subtle signage, Ashland feels more like a case study in brand design than a restaurant. The website, food photography and even the takeout bags are beautiful and highly polished. But those attractive elements quickly faded at my first real contact with the restaurant.
When I arrived for my reservation — apparently the only one during the 6 p.m. hour on a recent Wednesday — it took several minutes for someone to greet me and show me to a table, long enough for me to wonder if it was open. This is a bit of a red flag; if a restaurant only has a few reservations on the books, why would they not be eager to meet their customers at their predetermined arrival time?
Once my dining partner and I were seated, the service was friendly but inconsistent. We first ordered drinks but hadn’t yet decided on food. When the server returned, we ordered three appetizers and three entrees, but a misunderstanding led our server to strike the starters from our tab.
We spent a while wondering why the appetizers were taking so long. When our server next appeared with our entrees, the miscommunication was revealed.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Our meal lasted nearly two hours, but it wasn’t until near the end that my dining partner was asked if she’d like a second drink; she declined and I wasn’t asked at all. I couldn’t help but think that the server was leaving a solid chunk of tip money on the table.
My guest had the Australian wagyu Black Opal skirt steak, which cost $48 for eight ounces — a high price but not inappropriate for a fine piece of beef. The $6 truffle butter add-on was much more questionable, especially when the butter was too cold to fully melt over the steak.
My Georges Bank sea scallops were nicely done, seared hard enough on one side to be cooked through while retaining their tenderness. The biggest surprise was a vegan bolognese, touted as “the pride of our chefs” on the menu. Mushrooms, lentils and walnuts gave the pasta sauce a hearty texture, making for an impressively rich and satisfying dish.
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
The crispy Brussels sprouts, on the other hand, were mostly overcooked, many pieces fried to a tough but crisp texture reminiscent of autumn leaves.
Even without getting any of the appetizers we thought we’d ordered, our meal felt drawn-out and expensive at nearly $200 before tip. I carried the leftovers back to the office in a takeout bag that was so beautiful it could have come from Harrods.
It just wasn’t filled with much to be excited about.
1065 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-745-5000, ashlandatlanta.com
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
