Delbar’s Latest Act in Buckhead Proves That Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

Pulling Up Is a Breeze.

Following the welcome cue of ample parking at the Alpharetta location, the new Buckhead Delbar also makes it easy to arrive at your table on time. After a quick loop around the restaurant’s façade, you’ll turn the corner to find plentiful self-parking in the Buckhead Plaza deck with entrances at both 3050 and 3060 Peachtree Road, NW. Parking is validated for two hours, but a social dining experience such as Delbar’s makes a good case for valet parking at $10, which ends up a cost-saver should you linger.

Custom Lighting and Ceramics Evoke North Africa and The Levantine.

Entering the restaurant, it’s impossible not to gaze admiringly at the dining room’s beautiful interior, adorned with noteworthy accents specific to the new Buckhead location. Custom arches inspired by Middle Eastern architecture and Moroccan fountains hint at the evocative desert courtyard feel its predecessors also share, while tiles and water features by Moroccan importer Marrakech Connection channel the atmosphere of North Africa.

Meanwhile, custom lighting by Iranian artist Marjan Rad sets the different dining and lounge areas aglow at different levels of brightness, separating each space and creating distinct moods. These fixtures illuminate ceramic wall décor by Turkish artist Lori Ceramic and millwork by Iranian-owned company Cabinets by Design. Finally, fabrics by Iranian designer Natasha Baradaran add warmth, movement, and vibrancy to the space.

The Bar May Have The Best Views in The House.

Immediately after the entrance, to the left is a long bar that extends into an even longer view of the semi-open kitchen, giving every passerby a preview of the show to come. The bar stools are inviting, but even more so is the cozy living room-meets-coffee shop setup of the upholstered loveseats and chairs directly across. This area offers full service and nearly unobstructed views of the kitchen, making them among the best in the house.

While there, order a Back Home Beer, a Persian brand based in New York, or special cocktails such as the gin-based Spice Trade with benedictine, clove, and lemon, or the Dubai Drift, a wintry drink with apple brandy, ginger, and maple. Look for imported ingredients and spices that speak to Delbar’s roots, like fresh barberries, Persian dried lime, sour cherries, and cardamom for other creations specific to the restaurant’s beverage program. You’ll find these, too, in the Sharbats & Zero Proof section of the drink menu, where fruit and florals inspire refreshment.

Clever Design Makes Each Area Feels Unique.

A series of flowing dining rooms create capsule experiences, but perhaps the best of theses are the enclosed patio and sunroom, plus the mezzanine.

The patio sparkles warmly under dramatic chandeliers and the lights of the city street just beyond the oversized windows. It’s all at once urbane and sophisticated, but also tropical with indoor-outdoor elements, including plentiful greenery and wide-cut wooden chairs with generous armrests that wouldn’t be amiss in an elegant hotel courtyard. Natural materials such as stone for the tables, comfortable with soft wedge-cut edges, emphasize that transportive feeling even more.

But up half a flight of stairs, the unique mezzanine offers something a little cozier. Here, Middle Eastern dining, group meals and shared plates are the norm, which makes conviviality a given, and peals of laughter ripple throughout the space. In this room, up to 40 people can have a more quiet, intimate experience above the bustle – the mark of every Delbar thus far.

Meanwhile, an even more private option is a hidden room for exclusive bookings that seats up to 16.

To look forward to: The new covered outdoor patio space is large and in development, but it won’t be long before live entertainment is offered in there, along with a full bar that wouldn’t look out of place at a high-end beach club. A second, different cocktail menu will be offered here when it opens.

The Menu Pulls From Delbar’s Hits, Plus Dishes Exclusive to Buckhead.

While Kargar remains heavily involved in this latest act, as does his culinary director Jonathan Rohland, the Buckhead location puts Jordan Melrose on the line as its Chef de Cuisine. Together, they’ve put together brunch and dinner menus that include quintessential Delbar dishes such as hummus with pulled za’taar-seasoned lamb; herb-packed sabzi polo; juicy koobideh kabob; smoked Chilean bass with saffron honey; burnt honey lamb ribs with pistachio and onion dukkah; and whole roasted char-grilled cauliflower with spicy tahina, zhoug, and mint.

However, this menu also pulls dishes that previously only appeared at the Inman Park or Alpharetta locations, plus exclusive plates that are (for now) limited only to Buckhead. For example, the lamb and baghali tahchin, a “Greens & Grains” selection that includes egg, yogurt, fava beans, and lamb shoulder with basmati rice.

Elsewhere, look for the muhumara, a sweet dipper made of slightly smoky roasted pepper and crushed walnuts bound together with honey and pomegranate molasses, and get your first taste of the new soft-roasted acorn squash and smashed fig jam labneh topping option, which gets zhuzhed up with a housemade crunchy chili garlic crisp that adds enough heat and umami to balance out the sweetness of the squash and fig.

Craving meat? The hanger steak kabob and honey harissa chicken are great examples of making proven winners even better. The former’s six generously sliced, tender hanger chunks are marinated in a yogurt enhanced with biber salcasi, the famous Turkish pepper paste, that lightens up the meat with a hint of sweetness. Meanwhile, the chicken offers great balance – it’s smoky, moist, and almost tandoori-ish with a secret heat that creeps up for a spicy kick that helps you appreciate the pickled onions served on the side.

For the last course, new dessert dishes reveal soft serve, specifically in a tahini and honey flavor, that’s topped with sohan crumble and salted caramel and a Persian tea flan that offers plenty of texture and layering. This mic drop of a sweet course incorporates caramel, poached quince, crunchy bubbled sugar, citrus zest, pistachio crumble, and rose petals for a finisher that’s truly inimitable.