Table Talk: The best dishes of 2025
Dec. 30 — Happy Tuesday! Welcome to the table, friends.
Today, Sarra Sedghi and I share the 42 dishes we couldn’t stop thinking about from a year’s worth of dining in Atlanta. Look for my weekly restaurant recommendations for “The Move” to return on Jan. 6.
Later this week, we’ll round up some of the saddest closures of 2025 and provide a glimpse into the future with the most anticipated restaurant openings expected in the upcoming year.
👀 Before I dive into this evening’s “Family Meal,” however, I need to deliver some late-breaking restaurant closure news. Look for more details on those closures below.
Also, ICYMI earlier in December, here are the top ten food and dining stories of 2025, which centered on budget-friendly menus, Your DeKalb Farmers Market, Michelin, The Colonnade’s loyal regulars, and big restaurant openings.
Cheers!
🍸 Beth
Four Recent Restaurant Closures
🐟 Bully Boy
Old Fourth Ward
Japanese seafood and sushi restaurant Bully Boy, backed by Concentrics Restaurant Group, owners of neighboring Two Urban Licks, will close after service on New Year’s Eve.
Bully Boy opened in 2018 along the Eastside Beltline, replacing another Concentrics restaurant: Nexto, a ramen restaurant led by Chef Mihoko Obunai.
“This was not an easy decision. Restaurants are deeply personal, and Bully Boy held a meaningful place for its team, its regulars, and the broader community that discovered it. The support and loyalty shown over the years is something the team is incredibly proud of and grateful for,” owner Bob Amick wrote in a Dec. 26 Instagram post.
Bully Boy closed for more than a year during the height of the pandemic, reopening in 2021 with a new Japanese kaiseki-inspired menu. The menu had previously focused on East Coast seafood dishes.
🇬🇷 The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros
Brookhaven
The Greek Pizzeria and Gyros closed last week after four years at the Skyland Shopping Center on Clairmont Road in Brookhaven. The Greek restaurant and pizzeria was owned by Johnny Gianoulidis, who also owns ParkGrounds coffee shop in Reynoldstown and Kafenio Greek diner in Avondale Estates.
🍝 Davio’s Northern Italian Restaurant
Buckhead
Davio’s Northern Italian Restaurant closed right before Christmas after 15 years at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead, Tomorrow’s News Today reported. The company website no longer lists the Atlanta location, and Google lists the restaurant as “permanently closed.”
🇪🇸 Bulla Gastrobar
Midtown
The Midtown location of Spanish restaurant chain Bulla Gastrobar closed last week after eight years on 11th Street, Atlanta News First reported. A statement provided to Queen City News in Charlotte, another location that closed in December, indicates financial trouble may be behind the sudden closure of the Atlanta location.
“This decision was difficult; this location is no longer financially viable, and the closure comes as we navigate challenging economic conditions that have significantly impacted its ability to operate,” a statement regarding the closure of the Charlotte location read.
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Top Dishes of 2025
😋 Each month, Sarra Sedghi and I share our favorite restaurant dishes from dining on the clock, along with a few restaurant discoveries and cool pop-ups to put on your radar.
In 2025, that translated to 42 recommended dishes and drinks to try, which we’ve compiled into a handy map. Expect everything from tamales huevos rancheros, paella, and tuna crudo, to manoushe, oysters, and green chili corn pudding on this list.
➡️ Read more about our 42 favorite dishes of 2025 here.
➡️ If you know somebody who would like to receive our dining newsletters, “Family Meal” (Tuesdays) and “Side Dish” (Thursdays), please have them subscribe at this page.⬅️