In January, Rough Draft debuted a new dining series called “The Regulars” to explore what it means to be a frequent restaurant patron. Throughout 2024, we introduced you to everyday Atlantans and local characters who have found a sense of belonging and community at restaurants and bars around town.
Below are the restaurants recommended by Atlanta regulars featured in the 2024 series, along with their favorite dishes and drinks.
Expect more stories on restaurant regulars in 2025. Want to recommend a restaurant regular for the 2025 series? Send an email to beth@roughdraftatlanta.com with details for consideration.
Gil Frank
Le Bon Nosh, Buckhead
French native and Atlanta author Gil Frank’s go-to coffee order at Le Bon Nosh is a punchy four shots of espresso. You’ll likely catch Frank writing away at the French-style bistro in his daily uniform – all-black clothing with a black beret. When Le Bon Nosh opened in 2021, Frank immediately fell in love with the restaurant’s high ceilings, friendly baristas, and excellent coffee and started coming on weekday mornings to write.
Amy Hightower, Lisa Stroud, and Jen Bhagia-Lewis
Apres Diem, Midtown
Among the regulars at Apres Diem at Midtown Promenade are best friends Amy Hightower and Lisa Stroud. They met in elementary school and have shared a post-work meal at the bar at Apres Diem every Monday for the past eight years. Hightower and Stroud always order dirty martinis with plenty of olives, but their food orders vary. Jen Bhagia-Lewis also frequents Apres Diem on Monday nights while her daughter attends ballet classes nearby. She enjoys the Caesar salad with anchovies and a glass of Malbec and the conversations with other bar regulars, including Hightower and Stroud.
Andre Blanchard
Lucian Books & Wine, Buckhead
For restaurant regular Andre Blanchard, dining out is more than just eating good food. It’s about forging relationships with other regulars and supporting restaurants he loves. Blanchard dines at Lucian for lunch or dinner several times a month, seated at the bar in a corner spot nearest the kitchen. A meal might include briny oysters, whipped ricotta with chestnuts and bright citrus fruits, and a confit-style duck leg with borlotti beans and sugarloaf endive. You might also spy Blanchard at Staplehouse on Edgewood, at Whoopsie’s on Moreland, and the bar at Aria in Buckhead.
Joseph Watkins
Life Bistro, Sylvan Hills
Joseph Watkins stops into vegan restaurant Life Bistro six days a week to order his usual: seafood rasta pasta. The spicy alfredo-like pasta dish comes tossed with mango salsa, chimichurri, and “shrimp” made from konjac, an Asian root vegetable with a meat-like texture. The restaurant is run by his childhood friend, Chef Issa Prescott. Watkins appreciates the reasonable price points at Life Bistro—$17 for a hefty portion allows for leftovers or to share with his kids when they return home from school.
Archel Bernard
Desta Ethiopian, Briarcliff Road and Marietta Boulevard
Atlanta fashion designer Archel Bernard became a regular at Desta Ethiopian Kitchen in 2019, where she often gathers with family and friends to share large platters of lamb and salmon tibs with awaze (spicy pepper sauce), vegetables, and miser (red lentils). A tibs platter with nine ounces of meat plus a starch and a side at Desta starts at $13.49 for sharing family-style. Bernard can comfortably treat ten people to cocktails and a hearty meal for less than $100.
Lee Fidler
Taqueria Del Sol, Decatur
Personal trainer and running coach Lee Fidler typically leads the line on Saturdays at Taqueria Del Sol in Decatur, where he’s been a regular since 2002. Fidler’s usual order: guacamole and salsa, plus a Memphis taco, turnip greens, coleslaw, and a sweet tea with lime. Sometimes, he’ll change his order to the special taco or blue plate special. He loves dining on Saturdays, as frequent customers and weekly regulars like himself have become a little community at Taqueria Del Sol.
Toni Williams
NFA Burger, Dunwoody
North Decatur resident Toni Williams has been a regular at NFA “Not Fooling Around” Burger since owner Billy Kramer launched his first pop-up in 2018. Williams, a food and lifestyle content creator who goes by the moniker Blasian Bon Vivant online, now travels 15 miles from her home to grab burgers here and to support Kramer and his NFA employees. Williams sticks the Billy’s Classic burger: two smash-style patties topped with American cheese, French mustard, pickles, and signature “sassy sauce” served on a Martin’s potato roll. She pairs her burger with a side of sassy tots.
Late-Night Regulars
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill, Brookwood Hills
In a city where most restaurant kitchens stop serving food by 10 p.m., R. Thomas has become a haven for late-night regulars like Albert Loman, Shelby Ware, and Jack Adams. An actor splitting his time between Los Angeles and Atlanta, Loman tends to order the chargrilled lemon-pepper chicken wings and the portobello mushroom linguine. For health-conscious Adams, it’s typically the grilled vegetable and raw hummus plate. While Ware – a former vegan – favors the meatless “meatloaf” for a late-night dinner. Founder Richard Thomas passed away in 2016. However, the family-owned restaurant carries on his legacy through unpretentious service, affordability, and caring for his three tropical birds still in residence just outside the front door.
Bob Lederman
McDaniel’s QN2, Sandy Springs
When family-owned McDaniel’s QN2 (formerly a Slope’s BBQ franchise) opened in 2002, Sandy Springs resident Bob Lederman was the first customer in line. Now retired from Delta Air Lines, Lederman stops into the restaurant several times a month to order his usual tray: barbecue beef brisket on Texas toast with mac and cheese and coleslaw on the side. Lederman has been the restaurant’s first customer three times over the last 22 years, including in 2016 after it reopened following a fire, and again in 2022 when the brothers rebranded from Slope’s BBQ to McDaniel’s QN2 due to the expiration of the franchise’s contract.