SM44 ATL
Bar & grill · Atlanta ·
Steakhouse classics, seafood, and a members-only cigar lounge.
Steakhouse classics, seafood, and a members-only cigar lounge.
"Steak Market’s over-the-tabletop experience starts with $40 valet parking, a step-and-repeat, and the quintessential clubstaurant bouncer. If your date isn’t moved by all the extraness at the Midtown hotspot, take them inside to see towering aquariums, a perfectly lit wall of liquor bottles, and glass showcases of beef. The juicy Wagyu striploin, dramatically sliced tableside, goes wonderfully with the shareable broccolini and lobster mac. Just about everything here comes with big flavor and bigger price tags—including that ridiculous order of cotton candy ($85) sitting on top of a mannequin's head like Marge Simpson." - nina reeder, juli horsford, demarco williams
"There’s a part of Atlanta that wants to be South Beach soooo bad. Now, when we say “part,” we’re specifically talking about the corner of Juniper and 5th streets, where Steak Market sits—once occupied by Ludacris’s Straits Restaurant. Steak Market’s over-the-tabletop culinary experience starts with $40 valet parking, a step-and-repeat, and the quintessential clubstaurant bouncer. Once inside, your eyes will dart from glass showcases of beef to a perfectly lit wall of liquor bottles. All the while, though, your nose somehow remains focused on the steaks. The juicy Wagyu striploin, which is dramatically sliced tableside, goes wonderfully with the shareable broccolini and lobster mac. Just about everything here comes with big flavor and bigger price tags—yep, even that ridiculous order of cotton candy ($85) sitting on top of a mannequin's head like Marge Simpson. But hey, when in “Miami,” right? photo credit: Foon Fu" - DeMarco Williams
"A 200-seat, multi-level restaurant with a members-only cigar lounge is opening in Midtown in the former Simon’s restaurant space on Juniper Street; called Steak Market, I note it will officially open on Sunday, August 29. Beyond steaks — including one wrapped in gold leaf — the menu will feature seafood and raw-bar selections, whole racks of lamb, and weekend brunch. For beverages, expect a vast wine list, cocktails, and a bar offering a collection of some 300 varieties of scotch and whiskey, and masks are highly suggested." - Beth McKibben
"Opening in early September on Juniper Street in Midtown, a three-level steakhouse called Steak Market aims to deliver a “one-of-a-kind,” “luxury” dining experience with DJs, multiple dining spaces and a bar, plus a members-only cigar lounge. The 200-seat restaurant, owned by Kemal Karsli and Okan Yildirim with Murat Nalcioglu as general manager, takes over the former Simon’s space and will feature a 12-person private dining room on the top level and a bottom-level cigar lounge whose members receive a private locker, private access and hours, and priority reservations with a 10% discount. The menu (pricing currently unavailable) promises the “highest quality” — beef sourced from Georgia farms, gold-grade American Wagyu, certified Australian Wagyu, and certified Japanese Kobe — and some steaks may even be served encased in gold leaf (likely super marked up); the restaurant will also offer seafood and raw-bar selections, weekend brunch, a vast wine list, cocktails, and a bar with roughly 300 varieties of scotch and whiskey. Nalcioglu says they are confident they will recruit the more than 50 staff needed to operate the space and open on time; hours will be daily from 5 p.m., with brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m." - Beth McKibben
"Owned by Simon Guobadia, Simon’s on Juniper Street in Midtown closed permanently after just three years; a press release and a representative said Guobadia did not see a successful path forward because of COVID-19 and its “lasting impact on operations,” though he alluded to possibly opening another Atlanta restaurant in the future. The decision was framed around an inability to provide the true dine-in experience with the current restrictions given the restaurant’s layout, even as the governor’s executive order allowed limited dine-in with numerous safety requirements (including staff masks and a cap of ten patrons per 300 square feet). While Simon’s remained open for takeout and delivery, Guobadia did not apply for emergency funding or seek rent relief from the landlord, but he did pay his 20 hourly and salaried employees for 30 to 60 days when shelter-in-place orders began. The two-story dining room seated around 130 people, and the menu ranged from a crispy chicken sandwich and oysters to grilled salmon and Creole-style oxtails; the venue had replaced rapper Ludacris’ restaurant Straits (before it was renamed Time Restaurant & Lounge)." - Beth McKibben
