Every neighborhood needs a Madeira Park. Situated in the former Highland Inn space in Atlanta’s Poncey-Highland, the restaurant is built for both everyday and celebratory hangs where stellar food and wine are the stars of the table.
Conceptualized by the team behind Miller Union—James Beard award-winning chef Steven Satterfield, general manager and co-owner Neal McCarthy, and sommelier Tim Willard—the space was gutted to make way for a lengthy bar along one wall and indoor seating that ranges from banquettes to high-tops, making for cool sightlines throughout the space—all the better for viewing a historic map muralled along the back wall. But before you get inside, you’ll walk past the covered patio that feels like the same kind of casual third space hang you’d find at a Parisian bistro—neighbors, visitors, and friends pulling out chairs, noshing and sipping, or gazing at passersby.
The team here puts wine front and center while crafting dishes that beg for dynamic pairings. There’s an extensive by-the-glass list that changes often but might range from a sparkling Chablis to a Stolpman Vineyards syrah, with “house” options as well as a reserve selection so that you can dip in wherever your taste levels and budget want to land. Not sure where to start? The team talks about wine in a way that will get you comfortable—it’s more about what you like to drink than what they want you to drink, so don’t be afraid to ask for suggestions or to see what they’re excited about pouring right now.
Divided into Snacks, Plates, and Sweets, the concise menu offers just enough heft to keep a table full of people happy without inducing decision fatigue. Start with raw oysters, a Frenchy eight-minute egg, or hummus with crudite and flatbread, then grab an order (or two) of pommes frites, which are some of the best in the South thanks to a multistep method that includes a quick blanch, a flash freeze, and a deep fry; the accompanying herby aioli will disappear as quickly as the fries. (You know they’re good when a platter of them arrives at nearly every table in the room.) Though the menu changes with the season, you might find a chicory salad with fall fruit, blue cheese, and candied pecans that’s full and hearty; gnocchi with squash fonduta and roasted mushrooms that are pillow-y balls of comfort; or a crispy pork belly offset with zippy pickled greens. It’s hard to go wrong, especially when there are expert pairings to go with each.
