JCT Kitchen & Bar

Only stopped for drinks but found the bar a wonderful place to relax and enjoy some funky tunes and a delicious libation. We will be back to try some of the bar eats next time we are in that part of town.

Three reasons you should go:
1. food: truffle fries! fried chicken! even the apple butter for the bread…
2. the atmosphere. beautiful décor.
3. service is always great
will always be my favorite spot in ATL.
gj JCT ;)

The real star of this visit is our server. We had excellent and very knowledgeable service at our dinner last night — Thank you LaChrist!
We were a party of five and coming out of a work day with our clients. JCT has a good selection of cocktails, and great choices for bourbon. I started with a Sweater Weather martini which was very good.
For appetizers, we ordered the deviled eggs, steak tartare, Angry mussels, and a banging cheese plate with their homemade crackers. My favorites were the mussels and the cheese plate. The mussels were super fresh and the cheese selection was unexpected — many different and great tasting cheeses.
I had the shrimp and grits for my main course and it was one of the best dishes on the menu. Perfectly cooked and full of flavor.

Service was great, and organized. Restaurant had a nice décor, just my chicken and dumplings were so salty. I needed like three water bottles to eat it, other than that the dumplings were delish. Also, the deviled eggs were a great appatizer.

We decided to make JCT Kitchen the spot for our one year wedding anniversary dinner. YAY!
My wife had already visited here with coworkers several times and she had some very nice things to say about it each time. One time, she brought me home a doggy bag of JCT’s famous fried chicken and collards – it was delicious even the next day after sitting in the fridge. So when she suggested we visit JCT for such a special occasion, I was down.
JCT is really upscale, farm-​to-​table, highly sophisticated Southern food. «Oh they fancy huh?» Yeah. We got a pretty nice waitress who was knowledgable about the menu, recommended various items and drinks to us and was happy to answer any questions we had. Most of our questions surrounded the cocktail menu because they were all of the seasonal variety and while they sounded quite clever, it helped hearing an insider’s opinion.
COCKTAILS: I ordered the figgy pudding: fig-​infused bourbon, poached figs, brown sugar syrup and aromatic bitters. It was yummy! My wife had two drinks called: Fireside Chat and Reindeer Games and she enjoyed them both. The waitress let us taste a warm cocktail called Mull it Over and even though it wasn’t for us, it was nice to sample it. After the cocktail I ordered a basic Merlot. Drinks were $ 9 – 12 each
APPS: We ordered their «Angry Mussels» which is the second most expensive app on their menu at $ 14.00 which is pretty hefty for an app. House bacon, serano chile and onion and toast…“for soppin” the menu says. Well, the mussels were pretty good, not great. I felt like they could’ve used a squeeze or two of lemon over them. And that whole «soppin» thing was impossible since they came with hardly any «juice». Now, my wife did say that the mussels had more juice when she had them before so it may have been a fluke. $ 7 – 15 each.
ENTREES: I looked over their menu for a while but in the end I just HAD to go with the same dish I had in that doggy bag — the fried chicken. It didn’t disappoint the second time around either. They give you a large chicken breast, a thigh and a drumstick with a side of collards. Now, I’m not a white meat fan because I find white meat is usually dry but not this chicken – it is very moist and flavorful with a crispy, crunchy outside and a juicy center. It’s everything you want fried chicken to be. Also, I’m not a big collard greens fan but these collards are SO good-​the best I’ve ever had. They’re kinda citrusy and salty and buttery. Mmm… My wife had a humongous pork chop with apples and a side of mac and cheese. The pork chop was pretty good, the mac and cheese was just okay for me. $ 18 – 30 a plate Sides: $ 4 – 8 each
DESSERT: It was really sweet that they stuck candles in our desserts to honor our celebration. :) My wife had the Rum-​soaked coconut cake. I’d heard rave reviews on Unilocal about this. It tasted… good. Strangely, I only tasted a hint of rum. When you say, «rum-​soaked» I was expecting nothing but rum. It tasted more like dulce de leche which is good, just not rum-​soaked. I had the JCT sundae which was toasted marshmallow ice cream with a gingerbread brownie, cookie crumbles and whipped cream. Gingerbread doesn’t first come to mind when I think of sundaes but I enjoyed the taste of this sundae. The only thing I didn’t like was the fact that the brownie was REALLY hard. I literally had to stab it with my spoon like I was chipping ice, so it was very tough to eat. I’m not sure if that’s usually how it is or if mine got overcooked by accident. $ 7 each
AMBIANCE: The restaurant is very swanky and beautiful inside with romantic lighting perfect for a intimate dinner. They also have a huge patio that I bet would make a great summertime night out or a cool setting for a party. We were seated in the back of the restaurant where there is a long, leather half-​booth with tables in front of it. I didn’t really care for the location since we were on a romantic date to celebrate our anniversary and we were VERY close to the other patrons seated in the same area, almost uncomfortably so. We were literally inches away from our fellow diners, almost as if we were seated at their table! It was very intimate, it’s just that I didn’t want to be intimate with the people beside me, just my wife LOL.
SERVICE: I already mentioned that our waitress was nice. However, I thought the food took WAY too long to be served. I believe we started timing between courses and we waited at one point 25−30mins at times. I could understand this on a particularly busy night but it was a Tuesday and not crowded at all. I was a bit surprised.
Overall, JCT had highs and lows for me. I probably wouldn’t return for another celebratory evening but I’d probably come back again for a nice night out with friends.

I really enjoy this restaurant. I often come here for lunch with my parents when i am home for the holidays.
I love the mushrooms and the deviled eggs to start.
I love the grilled chicken sandwich. The fried chicken sandwich is excellent too.
The fried oyster or more recently, fried clam sandwich is excellent.
I would trust most anything here.
Thanks!
Rob

JCT Kitchen and Bar renewed my faith in finding delicious food in Atlanta. JCT does not have a huge, expansive menu but the few things they have, they do an excellent job with them. The atmosphere is very homely with dim lighting for an intimate setting but still have the feel of being at your local diner. Our party of four came here for dinner on New Years Day, and we had an excellent experience.
For appetizers, we ordered deviled eggs, mussels, and crispy oysters. The deviled eggs were good but it would have been nice if the eggs were warm and had a dash of paprika on top. The mussels were decent but it was the broth of the dish that was delicious, serving as an excellent dipping sauce for the bread. Finally, the crispy oysters were perfect. The fluffy breading with the salty, briny flavors of the oysters mélange into a perfect bite.
As for the entrees, our group of four ordered three different dishes: Shrimp and Grits, Fried Chicken with Collard Greens, and Chicken and Dumplings
Shrimp and Grits = Amazing! Probably your best choice for dinner. Classic southern food and probably some of the best grits we had tasted.
Fried Chicken with Collard Greens — The dish was great overall. The collard greens were on mark and the breading on the chicken was excellent. I especially enjoyed the house hot sauce. While it was very vinegar-​based sauce, it complimented the fried chicken very nicely.
Chicken and Dumplings — Though, I did not taste too much of this dish, the pieces I had of the chicken and dumplings were prepared very well and were very tasty.
As for sides, we ordered some mac and cheese, cornbread muffins, and garlicky green beans. The mac and cheese was on mark, both cheese and well-​prepared. The cornbread muffins were okay, i.e. good but nothing to really rave about here. The garlicky green beans were decent. I love garlic and my only compliment with this dish was there not enough of it on the plate.
Finally, the ladies in our group ordered Poinsettia cocktails, which was interesting taste, especially with that orangecello, but probably not something I would order because it was fairly sweet.
Overall, JCT Kitchen and Bar was excellent both in terms of food and price. I will be most definitely be looking forward to visiting this restaurant again on my trip back to Atlanta.

Made a reservation for a Saturday night at 7:30pm for my birthday dinner. We were seated immediately.
Our experience was excellent here. We ordered:
1. Angry mussels– The broth was amazing. Soak it with the grilled bread they provide. Mussels were a great size and did not have a seafood-​y after taste.
2. Cornbread muffins– Loved the honey glaze on top of the cornbread. I only had a taste, but everyone at the table enjoyed it.
3. Seared duck breast with squash purée, chanterelle mushrooms and brussel sprouts– This was one of the chef’s specials of the night. I absolutely loved it. The duck was so soft and cooked perfectly at medium rare. The only bad thing I would say is that there wasn’t that much duck, about 4 – 5 slices.
4. Apple pie dessert– I enjoy apple pies with fresh, tart, crisp apples, and they definitely delivered on that. It came with a candle and a happy birthday chocolate as well!
Our server was extremely sweet and served us very well!
I would definitely come back here!

The Angry mussels are outstanding. They include a thick broth of butter, hot Serrano peppers, and bacon. You can see my photo for a close up of the sauce contents. They also do a great job getting the perfect crunch in the bread.
We also had the fried chicken and shrimp and grits. Both entrees were delicious, but not mind blowing. I also tried the green salad with shrimp which had a nice crisp dressing and would satisfy someone avoiding gluten and dairy. The collards weren’t as flavorful, as I expected.
However, this place comes with a price — I ate lunch here twice in one week with different friends. The first lunch for two (including a glass of wine & dessert) came to $ 72. The second lunch was $ 54.
And we asked them to plate the dessert separately for 2, and the slice of the cake was still huge. It was somewhat off-​putting. This place isn’t holding back on the fat, sugar and gluten.
Also, on both occasions, we arrived to lunch without a reservation and were asked if we had one. Upon saying no, we were told that there would be a 20 minute wait, but we didn’t wait more than 10 minutes either time.

The good news: the parmesan truffle fries are delicious. Some of the tastier fries that I’ve had.
The ok: the chicken and dumplings is good. The chicken was nicely cooked and the dumplings are tasty. The veggie accompaniment wasn’t quite to my taste though that’s more a matter of personal preference.
The disappointing: the shrimp and grits, while not bad, definitely didn’t measure up to the fries. The shrimp was fresh, but there wasn’t much to the dish in terms of seasoning beyond the natural flavor of it, and it doesn’t stand up to other versions that I’ve had.
I would go back, but I’m not in a hurry to do so.

southern cooking has gotta be one of the best cooking. The restaurant is welcoming from the moment you drive up as vallet is speedy and welcoming. The food is absolutely amazing. We started with the angry mussels and crispy oysters. I had to break the low-​carb diet and had to dip one piece of freshly grilled bread into the soup. It was unbelievable! My entrée was the trout and it was superb. It was perfectly seasoned and was accompanied by amazing vegetables. The service was at the proper speed. I didn’t feel rushed and had the perfect amount and frequency of visits. The dessert menu looked great. I didn’t have any though.

I went here for the first time with my good friend; their fries are absolutely AMAZING and I finished all of them. I ordered one of their salads – the one with the pecans – and it wasn’t good at all. It was overdressed and the greens were soggy. The drinks were spectacular though and it’s in a really nice location.
I’ll definitely go back but I’ll be really careful with the next meal I order.

Great overall experience!
This place was packed on a Wednesday which is impressive! I love the location near the tracks with great views of the skyline. I sat outside but it doesn’t look like there’s a bad seat in the house. The food was fantastic and the service was phenomenal. I choose to sit outside near a heater that wasn’t cooperating so the busser switched out the heater so I wouldn’t be cold – awesome! Next, I was helped by two awesome bartenders. They recommended drinks and menu items, checked in enough times to make me feel secure but not so often that I felt smothered
I had the deviled eggs, burger with truffle fries and vanishing act cocktail. Great experience I will definitely be back.

This place was pretty nice on the inside. I went here on a date and the atmosphere was pretty nice. The only thing I wished was that they have a more private seating. I could pretty much hear the conversations the guests next to me was having.
For the appetizer, I ordered the
— Crispy Oysters
Dinner, my date and I ordered
— Shrimp & Grits
— Meat & Potatoes
The food was pretty good, the oysters itself, kind of thought it would be a bigger portions. It was good but it wasn’t really shareable in my opinion. My date likes her shrimp and grits. It looked appealing as well. My meat and potatoes was ok, not the best steak I had but it was enjoyable. Out waitress was on point taking care of us making sure we had everything we needed. She had a lot of great information about each food and recommendations. I wasn’t really in the mood to drink but they had a next selection of drinks. If you want to take someone special here for an occasion, I would recommend JCT Kitchen.

Massive wine list.
Indoor outdoor seating.
Cloth napkins.
Bar upstairs.
Tiny bar up front.
Lots of mirrors.
Plenty of mussels for $ 11.
Service slow (long wait to order, didn’t ask if wanted something to drink, took Reisling order but didn’t ask what type).
Free parking.
Individual coffee carafes.
Cape Codish/​Martha Stewart design.
Good lunch hours.
Free Lemonheads.
Salmon sandwich on buttery toasted bread was deelish.
Parmesan shoe fries topped with fresh parmesan shaving.
Sweet tea very generic with bad after taste.
Overall minus the service I’ll visit again.

I found this place to be good, but lackluster compared with the restaurant group’s other properties. To be honest it seemed like slightly above average American food, and lacks the wow factor you taste at JCT’s sister restaurants — The Optimist and St Cecilia (we are big fans of these restaurants which is why we tried out JCT).
Review of things we ordered:
1) Oysters — not as tasty or as fresh tasting as the ones at The Optimist
2) Deviled Eggs — not particularly special
3) Iceberg wedge — again very typical wedge — the sauce or toppings weren’t particularly special. Simply not a commodity grade salad.
4) Shrimp and Grits — not bad — the grits were very cheesy but would be better with some jalapeño, the shrimp were good. Overall good but now wow.
5) Desserts — not a strong point here.

Melanie chose the Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad for her entrée and I went with the Shrimp & Grits. We decided that we wanted to try the Deviled Eggs as an appetizer and you cannot go wrong with this selection. This is a dish that I have only recently begun to enjoy but compared to the others that I’ve tried, the JCT Deviled Eggs seemed so much more creamier than anything else I’ve tasted. Topping each deviled egg with ham really puts it over the top and was the perfect, light appetizer to get our meal off to a great start.
JCT Kitchen has a style that is both elegant and casual, in a warm and inviting atmosphere. There’s a bar upstairs, while the main dining area downstairs has a large indoor seating area and an interior garden patio area perfect for cooler days or nice evenings. There is ample parking available and valet parking is also provided. If you need to take a left onto Howell Mill Road when you’re leaving, take the Huff Road exit so you can use the stoplight for safety.
Westside Provisions District has a bunch of shops and restaurants and its great to just walk around and explore before or after your meal. There are plenty of information pods scattered about to help you find things you’re looking for or if you are directionally challenged. After dinner, you might want to check out Jeni’s Ice Cream and then sit and enjoy it in the large community style seating area.
When our meal arrived, we were both stunned by the presentation of the entrées. It looked almost too good to eat, but we were too hungry to think like that! Melanie’s Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad was fresh and crunchy, while the dressing was rich and creamy. She really enjoyed the crispy fried strips of Vidalia onions covering the salad and we talked about how normally she doesn’t like fried onion bits but she said these were just awesome.
I was really wowed by the Shrimp & Grits. It’s a little ironic because you think to yourself, «this is such a simple meal» but then JCT Kitchen adds the little details that really make this dish pop! The shrimp were prepared and seasoned perfectly. I’m not sure what exactly they did to make those shrimp spectacular, but I am on a mission to find out! The other seasonal things that I noticed added to this dish were the asparagus and diced tomatoes. All of these flavors came together in this dish and made that «simple» meal noteworthy.
JCT Kitchen is exemplary. It is perfection in casual, upscale dining that combines a superbly welcoming and comfortable atmosphere with spectacular food and top-​notch service. JCT Kitchen is a sure bet for an awesome meal. Guten appetit!

Came here this past Saturday for lunch and ordered:
Cornbread Muffins: Skip it. 4 small pieces with jalapeño butter. Cornbread was on the dry side.
Angry Mussels: I’ve ordered this the last couple of times I’ve been here and it’s a dish everyone enjoys! It does get a little messy, but it’s definitely worth a try. Slop the juice of the mussel broth with the grilled bread and it’s almost better than eating the mussels. Did I mention there’s little bits and pieces of smoked ham in the broth? Amazing!
Pork Belly Sandwich: Thick pieces of Pork Belly with enough meat and not just all fat. Good flavor w/​a southern twist… it wasn’t the typical Asian flavor/​toppings.
Chicken and Dumplings: Skip it. It’s way too salty and heavy. I would stick with the Shrimp and Grits or the Fried Chicken over this entrée if wanting a filling meal.
Service is ok. They are a busy restaurant… no matter what time you go! Service will be a hit or miss, but for the most part the servers are friendly and nice… they’re just juggling a lot of tables!

All I kept hearing about was the fried chicken. Got it for lunch with mac & cheese and honestly I wasn’t sure what the big deal was about.
Place has plenty of parking. That should never be an issue. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Service is fantastic! The place is decorated beautifully.
I was told the fried chicken is one of the best and that you have to come early to be able to get it. It even says on the menu come early.
So I got that and it was a good portion of both mac & cheese and fried chicken. A breast, leg, and thigh. But honestly I wasn’t impressed by either. What made it worse was the $ 4 up charge to substitute collard greens for mac & cheese. That’s a little much.
It just tasted like regular fried chicken. The breading resembled that of a Hungry Man Frozen Dinner. The mac and cheese was a bit salty too.
I’d like to come back here and try their other stuff but fried chicken is not one of them. South City Kitchen has this place beat by a mile when it comes to that.

JCT always manages to impress me whenever I have the opportunity to dine here. :D
Parking — there’s a plethora of spots. They also have valet. I never use Valet but I’m sure if you’re busy/​running late, valet would be a nice option.
Space and Environment — I’ve never fully ventured JCT’s inside ground, but I’m pretty sure they get booked quickly & make the most of their tables. I made reservations 3 weeks in advance. I got lucky when I saw a Friday 7:30 open; I snagged it! As for environment, it’s definitely busy and a little loud, but that’s not a bad thing! JCT is a great place for social events (I had my work anniversary lunch here), large party dinners (saw birthday dinner), and casual dinners (with friends and S.O.s). I even saw a nice formal dinner between families (Maybe parents meeting parents, hah).
Service — I’ve had great servers here. Making sure our glasses were filled & helping us with any questions we had. As for pre-​dinner services — I got a call the day before from JCT to confirm my dinner reservation. It is the norm for all higher end restaurants, but I still appreciate the formalities.
Food —
The ONLY thing I wish my most recent server did: I ordered the steak hangar as my entrée, and I guess I didn’t read the entire dish… well, I got a great steak hanger and a huge amount of fries. My table ordered the Parmesan Truffle Fries (which is A LOT) as an app, so… as you can see, I had more than enough fries. I guess I kind of wish my server would have mentioned «hey, this comes with fries… since you got fries as an app, would you like to switch side items?». Probably my mistake not to have read the entire menu, but eh — a reminder would have been nice. (Not the server’s fault!)
Parmesan Truffle Fries — Nom, So delicious and comes in excellent portions. We were a table of 3 and could not finish it! I’d get this if your table was 4+ people. Tasted very good. Wish I could have ate more, but my entrée was already in front of me!
Corn Bread Muffins — I liked this, but… I didn’t love it. I think I’d stick with the Parmesan Truffle Fries. I’ve had Corn Bread Muffins before and JCT… they do an OK job with it. Sorry!
Steak Hanger — This satisfied my hunger. I was craving this for awhile and so I was stoked to get it. It was done just the way I wanted it. The fries that came with it– so many of them. But it was great regardless. :) The steak was super good & juicy & filled me up. But I have a small stomach, so… I was happy with the portions.