Bones Restaurant — Restaurant in Atlanta

I've heard really great recommendations about Bones and tried hard to like it.

Appetizer Grilled Octopus: We all love octopus in general but this dish fell flat. It was lackluster. Boring. We couldn't taste that it was grilled at all. Even the lemon didn't help to brighten the dish. Wagyu Carpaccio: The meat does melt in your mouth. The point of this dish is to highlight the wagyu which it seemed to do.

Salad & Soup Lobster Bisque: my friend said it was way too salty. She couldn't finish it. Bones Salad: I was disappointed by this salad. Bibb lettuce is delicious and goes from crunchy to flat pretty quickly. About half of my lettuce was already flat. The salad was definitely light enough to have before a meal though.

Entrees Dry-aged bone-in ribeye: the 3 of us all wanted different temperatures: rare, medium rare, and medium. The waiter specifically told us that they tended to cook their steaks on the rarer side of that so assume the temperature is one step down. Based on that information, we all bumped our meat temperatures up one level. Well our meat comes out and they're all cooked exactly to the temperature that we ordered rather than what we actually wanted. We shouldn't have listened to the waiter at all. My friend got her steak herb crusted but it was ridiculously salty. I got my charred which was an excellent suggestion by the waiter this time.

Sides Hashbrowns: this came HIGHLY recommended but it was such a let down. We didn't understand the hype about out. WaHo makes better hashbrowns. Broccoli - nothing phenomenal about this. Just basic broccoli which we were fine with. Mac N Cheese - I was disappointed by the quantity? I felt like we got shafted because half of our bowl was empty. Our also had about 2 small slices of bacon. It really just tasted like Penne tossed in a bit of cream sauce.

Cocktails The Weekend & The Manhattan: both were very good and refreshing. The drinks came out super quick.

Service The wait staff is incredibly attentive. Our waters never reached the half way mark before they were refilled. They weren't super friendly which is weird for the South but I guess they were all strictly business. The food pacing was just a tad to quick for us. I would've loved just 2 or 3 minutes between each course. I literally was chewing on my last piece of lettuce then my entree appeared. My friend was still halfway through her salad at that point too.

Cost: Our meal came out to around $450 for the 3 of us total.

Overall: Bones was just Ok. Nothing spectacular besides the price. There are other Steakhouses in Atlanta where the food has more flavor and the environment is a bit...

As a long term patron of Bones, it pains me to leave this review. Tonight’s experience ruined Bones for us and I’m not sure we will return.

When walking in, there were three young men wearing t-shirts (band shirts) and long pants, the hostess (rightly) explained to them they were not dressed appropriately and helped them find a collared shirt from the closet and seated them without further incident. My wife and I then approached the host stand, my wife dressed in a nice dress and I was in a nice cashmere sweater, dark jeans, and boots. I was told my attire did not meet the dress code and we could be seated at the bar where the dress code is more “lax”. I explained I had worn similar outfits to Bones in the past and was a long term patron. She went to “ask for approval” to seat us and came back huffing and puffing saying they would make an exception this time but lectured me on my attire the entire way to the table. Honestly, we should have left at this point, but being long term patrons, I knew the food would make up for the hostess’s attitude and rudeness.

We were seated at the farthest table away from the entrance in the wine cellar - probably so I wouldn’t embarrass the other patrons - and the service was not up to Bones standards. Service was slow, not personalized, timing was not great, and we sat numerous times with empty plates waiting for the waiter to come back.

The steak was also raw in the middle. We were only able to eat the end pieces. the server never came to check on us and after sitting for over 20 minutes with an empty plate waiting for a server to come by, someone finally came to ask if we would like a box to which I remarked “the steak was a bit underdone, but yes, at this point box it up and my dog will eat it.” I would’ve expected an apology or offer to reheat the steak, but nothing. I quickly put the credit card on the table to signal we were ready to go and honestly that was the quickest part of the service.

It will be a long time before I am ready to give my money to Bones again. I have never been so embarrassed at a restaurant and have never experienced this poor of service at Bones. There were numerous empty tables when we left and there were guests in untucked golf shirts, jeans, sneakers and women in spaghetti strap tops - I’m glad these guests meet Bones expectations but a dressy cashmere sweater in October does not. Not sure what has happened to Bones, but this is not the level of service or treatment I would expect. Photo of raw steak brought home...

Went to Bones for our one-year wedding anniversary, and the experience was truly exceptional. From the moment we pulled up, the complimentary valet was quick and attentive, and the ambiance walking in immediately set the tone—warm, elegant, and inviting.

We had a reservation and were seated promptly. The staff surprised us with anniversary confetti on the table and a complimentary slice of ice cream cake—possibly the best ice cream cake I’ve ever had! The plates were even chilled to keep it from melting too fast. It’s thoughtful touches like these that show how much they care about their guests. At one point I asked where the restroom was, and instead of just pointing, the server kindly asked, “Are you ready to be shown?”—such a sweet, classy gesture.

Our drinks came out quickly, and the pacing of the meal was perfect. Nothing felt rushed or cold. We ordered the mac and cheese and the French onion soup—both absolutely divine. Even though the restaurant was busy, the service remained attentive, seamless, and genuinely warm.

I want to give a special shout-out to the AMAZING staff: Alex, Ben, Jesus, and Monroe. They made us feel so welcome and taken care of—every interaction was kind, timely, and personable. Their hospitality truly made the evening feel elevated and unforgettable.

We were seated in a dimly lit area with soft jazz playing in the background, which made the atmosphere feel cozy and intimate.

A few small critiques: – Live music (like a pianist or soft jazz band) could elevate the ambiance even more and help balance out the crowd noise. – I ordered my steak medium well (yes, I’m that person!) but it came out a bit more rare than expected. That said, the flavor was incredible—tender, well-seasoned, and not too salty. I still devoured it. – The bread was amazing, but the butter portion was very small considering the size of the boule. We had to ask for more (which they brought right away), but a slightly more generous serving would be appreciated upfront.

I also had a club soda and a Georgia Mule—strong, in the best way. The drinks were perfectly made.

Overall, my husband and I had one of the best dining experiences we’ve ever shared. Bones made our anniversary feel incredibly special, and we’re seriously considering making this our go-to spot for future...