Bookshop and Wine Bar Lucian Makes Its Debut in Buckhead

Bookshop and wine bar Lucian Books and Wine, owned by former Cover Books founder Katie Barringer and Atlanta sommelier Jordan Smelt (Cakes and Ale, Bread and Butterfly), opened this week at Modera Buckhead on the corner of Peachtree and Pharr roads.

Named for British painter Lucian Freud (Barringer’s favorite artist), Lucian specializes in selling books centered around art, architecture and design, food, and culture in its shop, and carries nearly 250 wines by the bottle and 15 wines by the glass, all carefully curated by Smelt. Wines on Lucian’s by-the-glass list rotate quarterly. Look for aperitifs and digestifs on the menu, too, along with a selection of classic cocktails, including the Gibson.

Chef Brian Hendrickson, who worked with Smelt at Cakes and Ale, creates food easily paired with Lucian’s Old World and European-leaning wine list. Expect lighter dishes, like seasonal oysters, salads, and a Scotch egg, served throughout the day into the late afternoon, with more substantial, shareable entrees, such as black bass with kohlrabi and mushroom broth and an omelette topped with caviar and creme fraiche, in the evenings.

Barringer and Smelt plan to eventually begin offering a special takeout option on Fridays and Saturdays called “At Home with Lucian”, which comes with a book from the shop.

Check out the opening food menu for Lucian:

Open for retail shopping, food, and wine Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Dinner service begins at 4 p.m. Cashless. Parking available at the Modera deck. Lucian validates parking for up to two hours. Accessible via MARTA bus route 110 along Peachtree Road.

3005 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. lucianbooksandwine.com. Table reservations highly encouraged. Bar is first come, first served.

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