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    TRACE

    3.2 (72 reviews)
    ModerateSouthern

    TRACE Photos

    TRACE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Trendy
    Upscale
    Classy

    Recommended Reviews - TRACE

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    Colleen B.

    TRACE is located inside the W hotel. I was staying there so my friend and I stopped in for drinks at the bar before we headed out to dinner. It was 5:30 on a Friday so the bar area was half full so it was easy to grab a seat at the bar. It's pretty, very posh. We were welcomed and received a menu quickly upon sitting down but then it took a while to get water and place our order. Once we did place our order it was a another good amount of time before we received our drinks. I wasn't impressed with customer service here as it was slow and the few people working the bar just exuded "I would rather be anywhere else except here." To me, that just speaks volumes to me when the staff isn't excited to be there... then why should I be? When the drinks arrived, I was very underwhelmed. Everything stood out on the menu, however, when we actually tasted everything, nothing stood out. I was extremely underwhelmed.

    You haven't experienced the best of the ATL until you've been treated like an old friend by Erika.
    Dave W.

    It's not often I go out of my way to write a revue but if you find yourself at The W please do yourself a favor and visit Erika at Trace. It's such a pleasure for a weary traveler to be be treated like family and at home. Thank you.

    Chocolate Torte.
    Michelle T.

    Trace has replaced Spice Market in the W Hotel. I was there for a food crawl and was treated to, Turkey Meatloaf, Grilled Chicken Wing and a Chocolate Torte. The specialty cocktail was Fall Harvest. Trace brings you fresh ingredients from local markets. The meatloaf is made with turkey, bacon, cranberry and a bacon demi. Anything with bacon listed twice in the ingredients list should be awesome right? I found the meatloaf to just be eh The grilled chicken wing was eh as well. It was a chicken wing. But let me tell you about the Chocolate Torte. I am eating in now. Slow bite by delicious slow bite. Trace says is flour less. That works for me because its delicious. I love chocolate and this torte is awesome. The drink Fall Harvest made with Hendricks gin, Cointeau and apple rosemary puree. Gin will make you sin, but this drink will make you wish you could hear the waves crashing when you close your eyes. Nice, light and so refreshing. Trace is a cool spot. I would recommend it for desert and drinks. The bar is large, the ambiance is sexy and the staff was pleasant.

    Bones picked out from the turkey sandwich
    Sheila P.

    Came here with my husband who dined for lunch. He ordered a turkey sandwich with chips and a soda. Service was good. Food was not. He picked out a few bones from his sandwich. Why would you serve a sandwich with bones? That was not something we would expect. Thankfully he chews well. Not to mention it wasn't even tasty. We won't be coming back.

    Grass fed rib eye
    Laila K.

    I'm glad I stumbled into here from my room. I thought it would just be a quick mediocre place. Boy was I wrong! I sat at the bar and the service was great. Robert the bartender is great!! Very accommodating and nice with a spunk that makes it fun. I had the grass fed rib eye. It was delicious. Perfectly grilled. I asked to replace the fries with broccoli and it was accommodated. No fuss. They have a great wine list. Not too many wines, but quality wines. The chocolate mousse cake is out of this world! Yummy!

    Great desserts!
    Patricia M.

    Eaten & drank here a few times. From great southern customer service to awesome tasteful food. Will continue to come here. The best fried chicken, trout & desserts! Highly recommend the fried chicken & deviled eggs!

    Shrimp and Grits from the brunch menu
    Derek R.

    I was at the W Hotel in Midtown for the NOH8 photo shoot and I was a volunteer so it wasn't exactly like I could just say, "Toodaloo! Going on a lunch break!" I ordered my food to go from Trace and the server delivered it downstairs for me. When I ordered, I really wish someone had told me how much the delivery charge was...because when I was given the check, my eyes widened a bit lol. I ordered the shrimp and grits that cost 17 bucks, a bottle of Coke that costs I have no clue how much (my bill didn't show it either) and the total came out to...something like 32 dollars and some cents. I was surrounded by people at the time and didn't have time to look at the receipts with a microscope but all I saw was 32 something dollars for brunch without an explanation what I was charged for. I tipped the waitress because I didn't want to blame her for what the hotel restaurant receipts didn't show. I know it's the W Hotel, I went in prepared to spend money but I just felt a bit blind sided.

    Ambiance is everything
    Nathalie L.

    Ambiance is great for two. Very intimate yet hip environment. The food.....not so much. Overpriced, over the counter taste.

    Pimento Mac and cheese
    Annie L.

    Trace is located at the W hotel in Midtown. FYI, you can get your valet validated here for up to 3 hours. Winning! Food was spectacular and prepared all with my modifications (no butter, no seasoning, etc). Still very, very tasty even with lack of the usual preparation of the food. Drinks are served up strong. Service is even better. I was there with good company so I may be slightly biased (both times) but I'd recommend TRACE to anyone seeking a chill but classy environment.

    Cheesecake!
    Stephanie F.

    I think sometimes hotel restaurants get unfairly rated. But, let me just say that this one is awesome!! We're here on a Monday night and the service is amazing and the food was really good! All very fresh and plated perfectly. We had the specials and the gluten-free cheesecake. Very impressed. Wongail was a great server!!

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    11 years ago

    Sat at the bar. Got good service and the burger was very good. They have a good selection of food single malt Scotches too.

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    12 years ago

    Great chicken and waffles app. Totally awful hush puppies. Cocktail sucked, IPA was great. Very hot and cold place.

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    10 years ago

    Great ambiance and the food tastes great. I also love that they validate parking. The portions are a little smaller but the taste is great.

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    12 years ago

    Food is fine. Service is awful. Breakfast is an hour and a half at least - 80% of which you're just waiting.

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    11 years ago

    Food was fantastic! The goat cheese appetizer was delicious and the rib eye was out of this world!

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    Southern Kitchen & Grill

    Southern Kitchen & Grill

    4.3
    (358 reviews)
    9.6 mi
    $$

    Southern Kitchen and Grill is strictly a pickup spot--there's no indoor seating, though you're…read morewelcome to eat outside in the front if you'd like. While I know many come for the food, I personally make the 25-minute drive for one thing: the Sweet Potato Cheesecake. Or at least, I used to. Lately, it seems like something has changed in the process. The cheesecake hasn't been setting properly, and the cream cheese isn't fully blended into the sweet potato, leaving noticeable chunks. The flavor, once rich and decadent, has also diminished, making me question if it's still worth the trip. That said, I've heard the rest of the food is still solid, so if you're craving Southern comfort food, it may still be worth checking out. But for me, unless the cheesecake returns to its former glory, I might have to sit this one out.

    I went to this place for an event and these scammers charged me 85 dollar for 3 drinks. And it…read morewasn't just me a few people I spoke too about the over payment said the same thing tried talking to the owner and she was in on it to a big money grab because now apparently the place is out of business. This business doesn't even show up on Google The table next to me ordered some food and sent it back because that food looked horrible. If you read this stay away and watch your wallet because they broke and they need your money to keep the light on. And I hope the owner gets this personally. I hope you kept your day job

    Photos
    Ribs are jaw dropping good.
    Ribs are jaw dropping good.
    Apple pie cheesecake
    Apple pie cheesecake
    Fried catfish, mac n cheese, mixed collard+turnip greens with turkey.

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    Fried catfish, mac n cheese, mixed collard+turnip greens with turkey.
    Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

    Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

    4.3
    (5k reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    This rating is long over due as we visited back in March but had to come back and finish this…read morereview. First time visiting Atlanta and had to stop by and try out this highly rated establishment and so happy I made it part of my list. We arrived towards the end of the night with enough time before closing but obviously not realizing there are a few dishes that sell out so keep that in mind. Nevertheless service was stand out once we walked in and were kindly greeted by the host. We then sat down at our table and were then greeted with our server Tiffany. Let me just say we need a Tiffany everywhere, this girl really went above and beyond and truly welcomed us and genuinely was just a pleasure to interact with through out the whole visit. She really wanted to give us the best experience and recommendations for our first visit and let me just say everything was amazing and the service was top tier, such a great place with a great atmosphere, service and amazing food. What more can you ask for. She would def be the reason we visit Atlanta again and go back to eat here.

    Entertaining a tourist from over the ocean who wanted the "diners drive in and dive" experience -…read morethis was the top of her list. As a new Atlanta resident, I'd heard the line was long but food would be good and worth hanging out. We arrived at 430pm on Thursday, no wait, had a pleasant waitress who let us ooh and ahh for a bit before deciding on our choices.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Brisket Chili
    Brisket Chili
    Pork plate with collards and brisket chili. Crackers already added!

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    Pork plate with collards and brisket chili. Crackers already added!
    Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar

    Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar

    3.9
    (644 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Minority-owned & operated

    5/26/26 Reservation 1:30pm. I encourage you to make a reservation if going on a weekend! Weekends…read morehave Sat/Sun brunch. This was the midtown location. I always heard the hype about Virgil's and today I had the pleasure of experiencing it! AFTA Church Plate A+ Slammen SAMMEN A+ Shrimp and Gritz A+ Service A++ I so enjoyed my lunch today with friends. I'll definitely go again

    I went to Virgil's as a party of 4 for brunch on a Sunday. My food was good and everyone else said…read morethat enjoyed their's as well. I also feel like the prices were appropriate for the portion sizes. That was the only positive thing about our visit. Service was EXTREMELY slow, it took 20 minutes for waters. An even longer wait for food followed by another few minutes for hot sauce and lemon slices. For a restaurant with a 2 hour table/validated parking limit I'd expect faster service. Questions about cross contamination with allergens were met with a blank stare and shoulder shrug. The DJ was great but the music was way too loud and made it hard to hear each other. 20% auto grat is included for all checks over $100 according to the menu, but it should say all parties or something similar as it's determined by what the table spends. This was even more annoying considering the lackluster service we received. He did remove the automatic gratuity from my check, but it was only $10 due to a special so I'm sure that was only accommodated since the tip was $2.

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    Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar
    Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar
    Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar

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    South City Kitchen

    South City Kitchen

    4.3
    (1.2k reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    WAS THIS A HIT OR MISS ???…read more It was a HIT I have been dying to try this place out for years and I figured I planned a lunch with a friend so we could spend the afternoon chitchatting and this was the perfect spot. So we were warmly greeted and then taken to a quiet table in the corner that had the whitest tablecloths. It looked rather chic Then we had the best server. She checked on us numerous times, didn't rush us and offered suggestions. She kept our table clear of mayhem from empty plates and glasses. Now the food was delicious. It was so good. The chicken was moist and the outside was crispy. The mashed potatoes melted in my mouth. Plus, we had a slice of 7up cake for dessert. I high recommend this place. They have valet parking that is only $2. Great place to visit. Until next time.

    Location Carries, Great for Clients, Not for Value…read more Location, location, location. That's the story here. This spot earns its 4 stars largely because of the setting and service. Right in the heart of Buckhead with a beautiful view great energy, well-dressed crowd, and a strong place for a work lunch or client meeting. Service was solid, no complaints there. I'll keep it simple the food was good, don't get me wrong. But for the price, it just didn't match up. This is one of those places that works if you're trying to impress clients or enjoy the atmosphere. Strip away the location, and the food-to-price ratio probably lands much lower. Just my take. Overall: 4/5 great setting, just comes at a premium.

    Photos
    Outdoor patio
    Outdoor patio
    Our complementary biscuits and cornbread
    Our complementary biscuits and cornbread
    The southern spread!

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    The southern spread!

    TRACE - southern - Updated August 2026

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