The Downwind Restaurant and Lounge

Mack is a fantastic chef here. We tried the fried lemon pie and it was awesome. Great ambience too. Thanks for a great meal.

The Downwind Restaurant is one of the more unique restaurants in Atlanta. It is located at Peachtree DeKalb Airport in Chamblee. You basically sit right next to runway of the Airport, and the little private planes pull up right next to you when they park. You also can sit back and watch the planes take off and land. It is a great atmosphere. The food is great, and very reasonably priced. It is standard American Fare. If you are looking to go to a place with a fun atmosphere this is it.

Took my Military Son to the Downwind for their Burgers. OMG slap your momma good! It was hot, filling and cooked to perfection. My only issue. No baked potato — or Sweet potato fries so I opted for coleslaw. It was «ok». Stick with regular beer though. The craft beer was horrid. Bud Light on the second round worked best. Cheers!

I have been to the Downwind on a few occasions and decided to take the family there when my son was in town. I really liked the food when I went two weeks ago so was looking forward to a good meal. It was terrible this time. We ordered appetizers which were brought on paper plates… ok I know it’s not a white cloth place. But the sauces and dip were brought in small plates and we asked for more, and it took a while for the Tomato sauce and the fish got cold. So then Dinner came, we had the same… no sauce/​gravy, everything was dry and it was on par with bad cafeteria food. I was so disappointed. The family thought I was crazy for bringing them there and I am quite upset. The waiter was ok, but disengaged at best.
I read a review that stated he thought the Chef and Owner left… I felt the same way. Perhaps the place was sold or the owner went on a vacation because the difference from last night and two weeks ago was night and day. Very upsetting.

One of the better Cheeseburgers and fries in town. Lunch or dinner with a view. Great place to bring the younguns on Saturday though perhaps a bit pricier than a Happy Meal. I do enjoy the little bit of a step back in time feel of the place has and the good olé fashioned bar. Someday I should sit and linger over a Whiskey Sour. Bet they make a good one. The staff is always personable and engaged. Oh and here is a tip for the aviation enthusiast, when you leave, go all the way to the end of the hall and turn left. There are some windows looking down into the attached hanger. At the end of that hall there is another set of stairs leading to a door to the parking lot.

My date and I went here both for the 1^st time on a Friday night where they advertise «date night» no kids after 7:00. We heard the patio was good it we were completely dissatisfied (4 tables on the patio). The crowd average age is 60 there were some kids there already and more when were asked to leave. Yes, asked to leave… we decided it wasn’t our crowd and was going to have a drink and watch the planes. A family of 4 came in so the waitress came over and asked us to leave so they could have the table. I was ½ into my beer and didn’t even feel the need to finish it. When we paid she took her tip from us instead of leaving it on the table until we left. I felt it was rude. Won’t be coming back and won’t recommend.

2.5
Dirty feel (completely gray wet wipe when cleaning a high hair AFTER they «cleaned» it with cleaning solution). Carpet on the floor. So much grime. Everywhere.
Meh food. Do not do not do not get the panko crusted sole sandwich. Unless super greasy fishy tasting overpriced deep fried fish sticks are your thing. Just no.
The all natural burger is crossed off on the menu. Husband got the regular burger. No complaint from him.
Wish I would’ve had a salad. Those looked decent.
Left so very disappointed. And went home to eat. Because I couldn’t finish my food. Big waste of time and money.
UPDATE: was contacted by someone who I am assuming was a manager who filled me in on the restaurant’s most recent health score rating, which is a 92. Which is good. I did appreciate the contact and that someone is paying attention to feedback. So they can have the 3 stars instead of 2 since for me the experience was between the two. So hopefully they’ll have a chance to take a look at the cleanliness of the high chairs, maybe rework the sole sandwich, and go from there. A little bit of care and attention has softened me a bit. We will see if the next visit is better.

Great views of the airplane runway. Food was just ok. Great place to bring kids to watch the airplanes take off and land. They appeared to have a full bar as well along with outdoor seating.

Family friendly place

Lovely view of the runway, laid back atmosphere. Nothing super fancy here, but a nice place to go for a burger, fish n’ chips, a few Greek specialities and an unusual atmosphere.

Great place that we always go when here. Service to match. Today we had catfish filet special. One blackened and another plain. Great. I had apple pie with ice cream first and it was very good. Their inhouse made dessert, bread pudding maybe, was gone already. Would have been fun to try. Nice sitting area inside or out.

Very friendly server, great food, Amazing view airport runway! Must come back with my friends and family

Consistently good food, especially their homemade soups. Very friendly servers. It’s a no-​frills place to hang out and have delicios eats and cocktails if that suits your fancy. It’s also a great place to bring the kids – they love watching the planes and there is a nice playground right outside for after your meal.

We LOVE The Downwind! What a fun place to go! As you probably have seen in other reviews, this restaurant is located ON PDK Airport. They have a lovely little balcony that lets you watch the planes take-​off and land about as close as anyone can be. It’s a great place for a date, especially on Friday night, when it’s adults only. The atmosphere is rather warn and casual, but it’s a welcome change from the stuffy uppity restaurants of Brookhaven.
The food at downwind is a mixed bag, but almost always positive. I have had some excellent food, specifically the Grouper Reuben, BLT, and their Cordon Bleu (it was a special). Some things are less impressive, but still tasty — such as their burgers and spinach dip appetizer. Prices are really good for the area and a good value for the amount of food you get. Draught Beer selection is pretty weak. They used to have at least one solid IPA, but now has been reverted to the common light beers. But overall, the experience is always delightful at the Downwind.
If you are the type of person that doesn’t need fancy or ‘elevated’ food, the Downwind is an excellent choice for unwinding after a hard week while providing a unique dining environment.
Pros:
Great location, Good-​to-​excellent food, Not fancy/​uppity, good prices, Adults only ‘date night’ on Fridays.
Cons:
Food quality can vary, Atmosphere is a bit old with semi-​working A/​C, weak draught beer selection.

Definitely enjoyed our dinner tonight! We were seated quickly, service was great and our food was great– we have 5 burgers with different top is and sides and our server got every order perfect. The live music was fun and not intrusive.
One note– and this is no fault of the restaurants, just a note to visitors due to the location! During our meal a plane fueled up and obviously the smell can waft toward the restaurant– it’s expected when you’re at the airport! But I guess I’ve never been close to plane fuel because I was suddenly hit with the most painful headache of my life and it didn’t go away until we left the restaurant unfortunately. Also happened to my brother-​in-​law who was with us. Again, absolutely no fault of the restaurant! But just something to be aware of if you’re sensitive to things like that.

What a great hidden gem! Okay maybe it’s not hidden and I’m just oblivious, but I’d never been before. I’ve been to 57^th Fighter Club (love) several times, but this was my first trip to Downwind.
It’s on the second floor in a building at PDK. I probably would have never found it on my own, but thankfully that’s what friends are for. Downwind definitely has a kind of mom and pop feeling to it. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was a carpeted floor. Maybe it’s just me, but I always get creeped out by carpeted restaurants. I mean how do you really get that spilled ketchup cleaned up? But I digress…
Thankfully for my carpeted restaurant phobia, we sat on the patio. Their patio ROCKS. It’s simple and to the point — wooden deck with some white rope lights and plastic tables and chairs. The view, however, is bar none awesome. I was like a kid in a candy store just watching all of the planes take off and land.
Our server was friendly and attentive. My buffalo chicken sandwich was simple and to the point and also incredibly satisfying. My partner in crime had a burger that he raved about. In a city with so many fancy schmancy trendy restaurants, sometimes it’s nice just to get some classic American food at a reasonable price.
Consider me a fan and a soon to be regular of Downwind. My one tip though: bug spray. Lots of bug spray. Maybe it was a freak occurrence, but I am convinced PDK is a mosquito breeding ground. On top of an awesome dinner, I had 10+ mosquito bites to commemorate the evening.

Neat place to hang out for a beer or margarita! The open deck is awesome and you get great views of planes as the come in for landings. I’ve been here on a number of occasions and have always had good service. This is mostly traditional American fare (I believe grilled hamburgers ARE, right?) — I’ve had several and they’ve all been your good, basic meat-​on-​a-​bun so no complaints. I see this is less a destination spot and more of a casual hang-​out for after work drinks — with that in mind the food is much better than most typical sports bars — since I don’t do sports watching the planes is much more appealing to me.
There’s that perfect time right when the sun goes down that adds a bit of magic. Have a beer just before and get your cocktail ready for just that moment in time and you’ll see what I mean.

I had high hopes for this place, but really, we would have been better off going to 5 Guys.
Long day of running around on a Saturday, so I wanted a beer to go with my burger and fries. I grab all 6 of my girls and go to a place that I’ve read so much about, but never tried.
I had no trouble finding the place. Take Clairmont to the PDK main entrance, and follow the signs. Yes, the restaurant is listed on the main signs, along with everything else in the airport. Not sure why others couldn’t see them.
Parked in the lot, enjoyed the view of the planes and read about the history of the site. So far, so good. Into the building and follow the signs to the restaurant. The building is more airport than restaurant, but again, hats what I expected.
The problems start when I get to the restaurant itself. Signs everywhere instructing me on how to behave properly. No seating until your party is complete. No switching tables. 6% penalty for paying with plastic. Seriously?
The place was half empty, but our server looked quite harried. Service itself wasn’t bad.
For a place that Unilocalers report to be kid friendly, that prides itself on its burgers, I was disappointed that the smallest burger they offer is ½ pound. Lots of wasted food on plates, both adults and kids.
3 draft beer selections. They did have Goose Island IPA and Yuengling, which is pretty good.
Most of us ordered burgers, based on the reviews and their in-​house advertisements. I have to say, mine was dry, and the bun quite drab. Fries were not worth the calories, either.
All in all, I’m not impressed. Next time I want to unwind while I watch the planes, I will grab a bag of 5 Guys and sneak a flask onto the playground.

Had the All Natural burger with Swiss which was excellent. Wifey had the fish and chips and they were very good too. Generous portions.
Fun watching the planes take off too.

I am going to crap all over this review just like I did when I got home after eating there that horrid seemingly pleasant evening.
I ordered a country fried steak. My friend had fish and chips. I don’t know which of the items consumed poisoned me, it boils down to two options (since I ate nothing else): 1. The coleslaw I ate some of, since my friend did not eat it, because it was more like «Mayo Salad», or 2. the mysterious tasting gravy atop my super dead-​full country fried steak. Let’s just say, I went to bed at midnight (4 hours after this dinner), and upon my eyes opening at 6:45 am, I felt like what I imagine Jared Leto’ character felt in Requiem for a Dream. I continued to have a craptastic day, where my body required that I just continue to sleep, drink fluids and blow the toilet. This internal deceit followed thru to Monday evening.
The only reason to be here *(this is my 3^rd visit) is to watch the planes go by. Do not eat there, just booze up (on something like a bottle beer). Do not let these fools serve you anything else. Fuck their water.
Yes, I have eaten here two other times, and although the food did not cause me illness, it did cause me regret.