Accolades continue to roll in for the nearly year-old Staplehouse restaurant in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward. This month Bon Appetit magazine named it the best new restaurant in America, ranking it atop its 10-best list.
In doing so, Bon Appetit wrote: “The story of how Staplehouse came to be will tear you apart. But after you eat here, it will build you back up. Welcome to the best new restaurant of 2016.”
Others making the list, in descending order: Bad Saint, a Filipino restaurant in Washington, D.C.; Lord Stanley (casual European) in San Francisco; Morcilla, a Spanish restaurant in Pittsburgh; Baroo (Korean-American) in Los Angeles; South Philly Barbacoa (slow-cooked Mexican) in Philadelphia; Oberlin, an American wine bar in Providence, R.I.; Wildair (small plates and wine) in New York City; Buxton Hall (barbecue) in Asheville, N.C.; and N7 (casual French food and cocktails) in New Orleans.
Staplehouse was, and is, the dream of husband-and-wife Ryan and Jen Hidinger, who, in 2009 began a series of private supper club events. Their dream of a brick-and-mortar eatery was put on hold in December 2012 when Ryan was diagnosed with terminal gallbladder cancer.
Friends and Atlanta’s restaurant family rallied around the couple, raising money for medical expenses and reviving the Staplehouse dream. Ryan died in January 2014; Staplehouse opened in September 2015.
Staplehouse describes itself as a casual neighborhood restaurant, with a menu that changes regularly — by season, by the mood of the kitchen and by what farmers have available. It’s a for-profit subsidiary of The Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that serves those in need in metro Atlanta’s restaurant community.
Walk-ins are always welcome at the bar (spots fill up quickly), but if you want a table inside the restaurant, it has no openings until October. Very few patio reservations remain for September as well.
Among its many honors, Staplehouse was one of five finalists for this year’s James Beard Foundation’s best new restaurant award. You’ll find it at 541 Edgewood Ave. SE. Reservations can be made online HERE. Information at 404.524.5005.
