The Lawrence

Ask for Edgar — he is going to remind you what having a top-​notch server meet your every request without being overly gushing and intrusive and yet always-​there with just what you need. We enjoyed several appetizers, mains, drinks and desserts and especially recommend the deviled eggs with shrimp and roe, the mushroom soup with crème fraiche and banana beignets. The only tiny downside was the valet sign out front beckoning — we wait for about 5 and then noticed a free spot on the end, so just self-​parked right out front after hours. The 80s sound track was also very much appreciated and the overall vibe of the place is just pure fun. The service is what really puts this into the 5 star category. We will be back soon for more. Cheers!

The service was impeccable, second to none. Edgar was perhaps the best waiter I’ve had the pleasure to experience. He asked the right questions and took an item off our a bill, that I didn’t like. It was something unfamiliar to me and delectable to our neighboring table. All other items were superb, mushroom soup, Caesar salad, deviled eggs w/​shrimp cocktail, beignets, lady Lawrence cocktail. Will definitely go back to try the burger and deviled eggs with smoked trout. I’m working at a show at America’s Mart and will be recommending the Lawrence to customers tomorrow.

Great burger and great drinks. Perfect place for a couple of guys looking for a good scene; and perfect for ladies looking for a hip spot with something for everyone.
There is a decent menu but the burger is just a cut above the rest. Because honestly, the rest is good, but there are just better places in Atlanta for the food.
But the real «tip»” for this place is that the mixology here is tops, and almost all of the drinks were very good. So come here for the drinks, and the scene.

After working the party I was in Atlanta to work, my co-​worker and I decided to grab a quick cocktail. We had an hour till The Lawrence closed, so we decided to give it a shot. Because it was later on a Tuesday, the entire crowd was sitting at the bar and that was even starting to dwindle.
So as you can already tell, this is a review of their cocktails and ambience. The place was really nice. You could tell it was upscale, but comfortable. The bartender was extremely nice and conversational. Not so much to take over our conversation, but a perfect amount of input on what he was over-​hearing. That is a true art you can’t teach through mixology. But he actually mastered that side of it too. I first ordered a special drink off of their menu that sounded up my alley. Not sure what it was, but it was delicious. The second drink I told him that I love bourbon and was in the mood for something with mint… and he ran with it. Gave me my first Kentucky Corpse and it was AMAZING! Perfectly crafted cocktail.
I know if I am in Atlanta and looking for a good cocktail, this will be one of my first stops.

This hurts me to write this. While I’ve only lived back in the ATL for a year, this was my worst dining experience here. Where to start? The Lawrence had nice reviews and apparently is a great brunch spot. Maybe it was an off day… an extremely off day. Maybe our waiter was just awful. I’m not sure. You read and decide.
First, my wife and I came here for brunch on a Saturday. As noted above the reviews were all outstanding and I was taking her to a show at the Fox. We were seated immediately, as we had a reservation. We enter the joint and it’s a cool place. Interesting build-​out, good music. We’re excited.
First issue-​they had us in the most crowded section of the restaurant near all the families with small children. These people knew one another and obviously all intended to sit together so why they put us there, I’m still unsure. In addition, there were several available seats at the other end of the restaurant. Many minutes later, the restaurant asked if we may want to be sat somewhere else. Not at all! A guy was asking me if he could put his diaper bag near me and a stroller knocked me in the legs. We’re parents-​to-​be, so I was sympathetic, but when it was time to go, we were both ready for a change of scenery!
We ordered drinks, an Old Fashioned and a «Mocktail», for my wife. This took almost 30 minutes. I flagged the waiter down since all he did was look at us and walk past us. He apologized and told us they only had one bartender on staff-​keep in mind this was a beautiful Saturday morning with a holiday parade going on a block away. Whatever. The drinks come eventually. They were good, but I just kept thinking, «After everything I’ve read, it has to get better. The food must be outstanding»
My wife ordered the Shrimp and Grits, I ordered the Brisket Hash. My Hash comes. I take a few bites. Cold. Grossly cold. Also, they were supposed to come with onions and peppers. I counted two peppers and maybe four onions. My wife’s shrimp comes-it’s fish! Trout to be exact! We flag the waiter down again. I first tell him my food is cold. He replied, «Ugh. I know. Sorry. Everything came out cold yesterday too.» What? Why are you telling me this? He offers me something else, but we were in a hurry at this point and this place is not in any rush. «Hey man, «I exclaim, «what’s up with the Fish and Grits?»
He then tells my wife she ordered the «Fish and grits». No, no. No, she didn’t. «I ordered Shrimp and Grits,» my wife nicely said. We looked at him funny and then he gives us an odd stare. He goes back to the kitchen and we find the menu. «Shrimp and Grits», it reads. After several minutes, the waiter comes back and says, «Well, I knew you weren’t crazy, but I didn’t want to say anything when you placed your order!!» Thanks bro. Why? As it turns out, all of the menus were misprinted. In addition, my wife’s food was also cold and apparently, the fish had no seasoning either. She also had a salad which she said was bland. It’s pretty bad to screw up a salad.
The chef comes over. He was apologetic and offered us anything else. He was very nice and looked somewhat embarrassed. He offered me a drink on the house, which I accepted with thanks. I told him I was no longer hungry and my wife said she was fine. The waiter comes back and I ordered a beer while my wife was finishing up. This is a bottled beer-​again, this takes 15 minutes or so. The waiter comes back and pours the beer, rendering it flat and with no head. Whatever. Just bring us the check.
The check comes and the Lawrence thankfully comped my hash, as well as my beer. They didn’t do anything about the fish situation, so that was a little odd, especially since my wife didn’t finish her meal. I don’t know. I wish this place well and I’m certain my review will be the odd one in this sea of glowing critiques. It’s just Unilocal,after all, right? However, I do hope they read this and do better in the future.

This place is a little outside the regular midtown restaurant area, which makes it a little easier to get a table on a weekend night. They have a hipster vibe, but the food and cocktails are good. The reasonable price makes everything all right!

So this summer my dad, my cat, and my dog road tripped from California to Florida just for funsies (kidding, I got a job there and had to move). Our last stop on our epic road trip was midtown Atlanta. We needed dinner and SERIOUS drinks within walking distance of our hotel (Loews — also excellent) and I stumbled across The Lawrence so we tried it out.
It was delightful. The food was fresh and creative. The craft cocktails were freaking spectacular and our lovely waiter worked with our requests and the bartender’s suggestions to make us some really 3,000 mile drive worthy bourbon based beverages. The resty has just a touch of a hipster vibe, but in a cool diverse way, not an annoying snobby way, and we sat out on the veranda in the lovely soft evening air. I wish my exhausted brain could remember more details about what we ate and drank there but suffice it to say that if I am ever in Atlanta again I will certainly be going back for seconds!
TL;DR — I drove all the way across America and this was by far the best meal of the entire journey. Go eat here!

I’ve been meaning to come here for years — and was finally able to stop by for a drink. Just like any other craft cocktail place — they specialize in creative, tasty drinks. I did not try any food — so this review is strictly referring to my experience sitting at the bar. The service started out well — but the bartender disappeared for 10 minutes when we were trying to pay our check and go to the show we were attending. I’m sure that was a one-​off thing, but where did she go?

This is one of top 3 spots in town.
As far as food goes, I don’t think I’ve ever had anything bad here and I eat here a lot. You can never go wrong with the steak no matter what the set up is.
The Atmosphere here is excellent.
The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is the service. It’s always okay but I’ve never had anyone spectacular wait on us, plus no matter who it is, it always takes forever. Not sure why.
My last note is more of a suggestion for the restaurant, I get that you want to be seasonal and change is great but you guys need to let some of the good ones hang out for longer than a few days! (And possibly bring back the jack and Coke cake pleaseeeee)

Excellent place to come for drinks. I didn’t have an opportunity to eat here, but made a good judgement to avoid the crowd/​stampede of attendees coming from Music Midtown and decided to come for some cocktails. If you are a craft cocktail lover, this is a great spot.
RUSTIC. The bar has library style lamps, warm undertones and friendly bartenders.
BALANCED. There was a good balance of restaurant/​bar without one overwhelming the other. I could see this being a great place to come grab dinner in the future.
HERBS AND BOOZE, WHAT ELSE YOU WANT? Not that type of herbs! They do have mint, rosemary, sage and a few other freshly picked herbs at the bar for cocktails. My personal favorite was El Hefe (see picture). It wasn’t too sweet or too sour, overall very well balanced and unique drink.

This review is primarily based on cocktails. We did have the bacon mac and cheese, which was ok, but mostly came here for drinks. The bar area is not very large and was pretty crowded on the Friday night we went, but there are plenty of tables and some decent outdoor seating.
I ordered the Lady Lawrence, because it was the signature cocktail… it was delicious, so I ordered it again… and again… and again… If you are going to The Lawrence, it is definitely something you want try.
The servers were really nice and pretty fun as well. The Lawrence is a pretty nice bar in a very nice neighborhood. I definitely recommend it for drinks if you are wandering through Midtown.

Went in on a Saturday afternoon for brunch. Not sure what else was going on but traffic wasn’t bad and there were definitely a lot more street parking than expected. Either way, it was awesome not having to drive up and down just to find parking.
My friends and I ordered their bottomless mimosa (Runs from 11:00AM-2:30PM on Saturdays and sadly, the elder wood mimosa doesn’t count), two breakfast plates (one subbed for their farm omelette), grits and French toast.
Our waitress was attentive and replenished our carafe of mimosa almost every time. The vanilla syrup for the French toast is very good and not so heavy. Their farm omelette was absolutely delish! It has mushrooms, arugula, red peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Downfalls would definitely be parking and during our visit, our waitress had to clock out since her shift was over and we were welcomed to sit there as long as we want, but no one seemed to pay much attention to us afterwards. Which I get, but we still had another hour or so for their bottomless mimosas and ran out of water a couple of times.

A friend and I visited to redeem my voucher deal of $ 20 for $ 40 of food and drink. Super cool since alot of the vouchers exclude drinks. We made a reservation for a Sunday night, but it wasn’t necessary cause it was not busy at all.
I ordered a cocktail– Swedish cherry blossom ($ 11 wow). It was great. My friend didn’t want alcohol that evening and opted for a house orange soda ($ 4), which she liked, as well. She ordered the turkey burger– it was calling her name cause it had pineapple. She really liked it. I ordered the steak frites, that was also quite good. We shared a side of creamed corn and, oh boy, was that amazing.
I would totally try this place out again.

Great restaurant in midtown Atlanta! Free valet parking across the street at Wells Fargo. The outdoor seating is very cute, with string lights and several small tables. The décor inside is inviting and interesting. Delicious food – try the bay scallop ceviche as an appetizer and the strawberry gin cocktail was so refreshing!

The Lawrence is my favorite place to eat and drink before a show at the Fox, and it is also quickly becoming one of my favorite overall places in Midtown. Whether an expertly crafted cocktail at the bar, a small bite, or a full dinner, the Lawrence fires on all cylinders. Despite the excellent food and drinks, it’s also entirely possible to walk in at 7pm on a Friday without a reservation and easily grab a table or a bar stool. Midtown atmosphere and quality without the pretension — I like it.
The Lawrence is located on Juniper Street, so it also feels slightly removed from the craziness of Peachtree. This is a quieter, more refined Midtown feel, and they even offer complimentary valet in the bank parking lot across the street.
Their menu changes frequently, and it never seems to match the version online, so don’t get your heart set on anything you see there. The good news is, it’s pretty difficult to go wrong with food here. I’ve never had anything less than «okay,» and a few menu items rise to «OMG» levels. Those OMG items, for me, would include the lamb ribs, oysters Rockefeller, duck confit, and beef tartare. All of these are labeled as starters or snacks, but the portions are quite generous (for example, five giant oysters on big pieces of toast come in a single oysters Rockefeller order), so they make a fine entrée.
The bar program here is top notch too, with a varied cocktail menu that ranges from house favorites (the Lady Lawrence is a must try if you like sweeter vodka drinks) to seasonal renditions. They also have an impressive selection of wines by the glass, including lots of sparkling options in case your occasion calls for a glass of bubbly.
Whether you need a romantic but low key spot for a date, a convenient location for a pre-​Fox dinner, or someplace for happy hour with friends, the Lawrence certainly offers an angle to fit your need.

I love the Lawrence. I felt it a dressy attire restaurant. I think it’s great for a romantic dinner. They have tea candles on table and the room is dimly lit. Super upscale. I only wish my trout plate was bigger. More salad would’ve been great
I also ordered the Lady Lawrence. It was kind of minty but really good. Still had some great fruit flavors.
For my appetizer I got the duck confit. Man, was that good. So juicy and lightly fried. I can’t tell you what the sauce was but it added even more flavor. It was served on a bed of black eyed peas (I don’t like peas so I can’t give you an unbiased opinion)
THE TROUT!!! Easily one of my top five. Served over arugula and tomatoes. It was seasoned and cooked perfectly. More salad. And I got the bacon mac and cheese. It was good I just wish it wasn’t so thick more creamy.
I took the quail legs and lamb ribs home. The quail was good, also served over peas or lima beans. The ribs were a little to fatty for me. Big serving for an appetizer.
My waiter was pretty amazing too.

This place has some charm and I have been wanting to eat here for a while. I love that at night you can see the patio lit up like a romantic setting. The inside décor is rustic and modern, very comfortable. They also offer Open Table reservations which is a plus in my book.
I came here with my brunch date to give it a try. We all agreed that their coffee was superb.
Breakfast plate– it’s your basic eggs and sausage breakfast. My friend loved the sausage, I thought it was just ok.
Hash– I got the has that comes with potatoes and 2 eggs on top. It was very good. The hash is perfectly seasoned and the potatoes where grilled just right.
We also got Mimosas ($ 8) and they also offer bottomless for $ 15. I might come back for those next time.
Overall this place is great for brunch or date night. The meals are hit or miss which is why I give it 3 stars for now but I’ll update this again when I return for more.

I recently visited The Lawrence to celebrate my birthday. Even though there was a torrential downpour outside, the ambiance and food was outstanding!
I ordered the Lady Lawrence cocktail, which is a combination of lavender mint tea vodka, ginger, lime and soda. Since I’m a big fan of ginger anything, I loved the drink and ended up ordering two.
For dinner, I opted for the steak with chimmichurri sauce with a side of frites and smoke aioli. I’m not a huge red meat fan, but for whatever reason, the steak was calling my name. I was not disappointed with my choice. There were a few pieces that were a little rarer than I like (I ordered it medium-​well which I know is an atrocity for chefs everywhere), but the meat was incredibly flavorful. I would highly recommend it to red meat lovers in Atlanta.
To finish up, my table split the spiced chocolate cake – not my favorite chocolate cake in Atlanta, but I’m not a huge sweets fan anyway and I don’t typically order dessert with dinner.
I look forward to visiting The Lawrence again and checking out another dish!

I was really excited to go to this restaurant for the first time for a birthday dinner. Parking was interesting. Luckily I arrived early because I couldn’t find parking anywhere! I circled the area twice until I pulled over and decided to call the restaurant and inquire about parking. The nice woman on the phone told me there’s complimentary valet parking across the street from the restaurant in the Wells Fargo area. I finally circled again and found it but nobody was there besides one car. All of a sudden, a man slowly comes out of his car to my car and takes my key. If I hadn’t called in, I would have no idea this restaurant had valet parking or who this man was taking my key. Why was he sitting in his car?
I entered the restaurant and got seated right away since we had a reservation for 5. When our party arrived, the waitress got our drink order and left. When she came back, I asked her «If I want to sub the frites (fries) for Cauliflower?». She told me she would find out. Granted the Cauliflower and frites are the same price of $ 5 on the Sides menu. She said they’d have to upcharge me because it was a change from the original entrée. She wasn’t the nicest person. I couldn’t understand this concept since they have the same value.
I ordered the Steak Well done with cauliflower. In fact, everyone at our table ordered the same steak with fritesbut mine was the only one being cooked well done with cauliflower. Mine came out last, I cut it open, and it was bleeding. How can the steak bleed if you ask for it to be well done? I returned it to our server who brought it out again and it was cooked a bit more. It tasted delicious! If it had come out like this from the beginning, I’d be one happy camper.
Our friend got a free birthday dessert and the server came around with a bunch of forks in her hand and only left one on the table. Of course, we all had to ask for a fork after she left and came back. If we want one bite, we should be allowed to do so and not with the same fork. Not sure if the waitress was having a bad day or her attitude was like that all the time. I loved the environment and the restaurant was cute itself, but I’m not sure I’d go back.

«Gentlemen! Let’s broaden our minds. Lawrence?» — Batman (1989)
Two words… Story Weather. Lena Horne sang it to please the ears, but The Lawrence definitely mixes this drink to please the palate. Not too sweet, and not too sour — it packs a punch while hitting all the taste buds in just the right spots. As if that wasn’t good enough — my 3 friends and I went to town on the varied menu.
Truly, we just could not decide on what to eat — all the snacks and starters, and even the sides sounded amazing. The entrees also looked pretty good, but we were too enamored by the rest of the menu and decided to just share everything. Our server, Sylvia, said that was a good plan and wrote down just about every menu item for us as we giggled both in delight and at ourselves.
Here is the lowdown:
Snacks:
Pimento Cheese, Pretzel Bread
Cheese Board — Fol Epi, Warm Blue Cheese Spread, Iberico
Starters:
Beet Melody (granola on the side since it had tree nuts)
Oysters Rockafella
Hoppin John Risotto
Duck Confit
Steak Tartare
Denver Lamb Ribs
Sides:
Brussels, Bacon & Apples
Chili-​Basil Cauliflower
Pimento Bacon Mac & Cheese
Everything was delicious. Overall, my least favorite was the Brussels Sprouts — they were over cooked for my tastes, but the flavors were great together. The Cauliflower was amazing — nutty and sour, with nice bite at the end. The mac & cheese was also a winner, but I have had better. I enjoyed the pimento cheese on its own with the pretzel bread — but not enough bread cam with the amount of pimento cheese. The beets were also delicious with a Grand Marnier ice cream and the sharp pepper of arugula. At the end of the day, as great as these items were, I would probably not order them again as other items were better.
Let’s talk about the winners — the cheese board was an excellent assortment and why had no one suggested a warm blue cheese dip before? That’s how it should always be served! I don’t even like blue cheese normally. I was not a big fan of the lavosh crackers served with it — they were overly doughy — so maybe another cracker would be better.
The steak tartare was one of my favorites I have had in town. The horseradish panna cotta, pickles and oil were perfect accompaniments. The risotto was amazing — barley, collards, black eyed peas and bacon, all topped with an egg yolk made me feel like I was eating a dish both sinful and healthy at the same time. It was rich and flavorful.
By far, the top 3 dishes were the lamb, duck and oysters. The duck confit was moist, rich and positively sinful. The mélange of parsnips, carrots and onions were nice and caramelized while the duck quarter on top had crispy skin and succulent meat. The sauce was a perfectly complementary cranberry jus that helped to cut the richness of the fattiness of the duck — I would order this again and a again. The ribs — oh the ribs. I dreamt about eating these ribs again. Glazed with a coca-​cola concoction, it was tough to split these among the four of us as the bones were pulling right out of the meat. Sweet and salty and oh, so succulent. They were divine!
By far, the absolute winner of the night was the oysters. A twist on traditional oysters Rockafeller, these oysters were fried sitting atop a creamed kale on a slice of toasty baguette with a pickled pepper on top. A-​mazing! I was glad that this came with 5 on the board and I got to be the lucky recipient of the «leftover.» I could eat my weight in these things. They were the small oysters, so they were sweet and briny — my favorite.
Overall, I would come back again. The service was excellent. Sylvia was attentive but not in our business. Our waters were constantly filled and when I asked to see a menu to get a photo, she just brought me a copy to keep. The place was pretty empty for early on a Tuesday evening, but it started to fill up as we were paying. Paying the bill was quick and painless and Sylvia made it all very easy.
Parking is simple — they have valet at the Wells Fargo catty-​corner from the restaurant. The guy is there from 530‑1030 (according to him). We walked to the Fox Theatre for a show after dinner and I walked up at 1020 and he was still there — I tipped him a little extra since he was just waiting for me to get my car (I felt bad). He was nice and even though my car was a couple of feet from me, he pulled it around and right to my toes. That was service.