ATLGuide
6 Great Lemon Pepper Drinks & Dishes That Aren't Wings
photo credit: Sarah Newman
Lemon pepper wings are an essential part of the Atlanta food pyramid. And through the years we’ve eaten enough of ‘em that the spice runs through our veins. But sometimes we like to step outside of the wing world, and these six lemon pepper menu items are the next best ‘tings outside of wings. Consider this our official love letter to Atlanta’s favorite spice, in all its forms.
THE SPOTS
Lemon Pepper Wet Pizza
When it comes to great pizza, we're equal opportunity lovers of all the pie styles—Chicago, Detroit, New York, Neapolitan, etc. But we'll admit our bias toward the Atlanta-style pizza. What is Atlanta-style, you ask? The Lemon Pepper Wet pizza, of course. Invented by pop–up Phew’s Pies, the wood-fired pizza features a tangy lemon pepper sauce in place of the traditional marinara. It's topped with mozzarella cheese, shreds of seasoned chicken, and two wings in the center, and it tastes like dipping your crispy pie crust into the perfectly seasoned sauce at the bottom of your wing container. It's the wings and pizza solution rolled into one. Phew’s can be harder to track down than a parking spot at the Midtown Trader Joe’s, but they do make regular appearances at Outrun Brewing and Scofflaw Brewing.
photo credit: Amy Sinclair
Lemon Pepper Chicken Sandwich
We already know chicken and lemon pepper are a match made in heaven, so it’s no shocker that we love this Summerhill spot’s fried chicken sandwich. It’s made with the thigh meat, so it’s juicy and full of flavor, and then it’s drenched in a mixture of lemon pepper seasoning and buffalo sauce. The shredded lettuce, ranch, and pickles help balance out the heat. And a lightly toasted buttery bun provides the perfect bookends for this tasty sandwich. Eating this on their colorful patio overlooking Georgia Ave is as Atlanta as it gets.
photo credit: Sarah Newman
Seafood Boil With Lemon Pepper Sauce
If you have the sudden urge to crack something after emerging from Dante’s little known tenth circle of hell (a.k.a. the Atlantic Station parking deck), go to Angry Crab Shack. While the triple-digit price for the two-person Shack Mixed Bag is steep, one bite of the tender crab legs, potatoes, and corn doused in lemon pepper sauce makes it easier to stomach. And we really like the spicy Trifecta sauce, which is a blend of their lemon pepper, garlic, and Cajun sauces. Add in the loud pop/R&B tunes and their heavy-handed cocktails, and this spot is a fun place to grab dinner with your lemon-pepper-loving friends.
Lemon Pepper Bloody Mary
Saints + Council in Colony Square makes a solid Bloody Mary with all the traditional ingredients, but we’ve taken to it more because we love the lemon pepper salt rim, which reminds us of licking our fingers after polishing off a basket of LP wings. And if you want a breakfast that won’t send you back home for a midday nap, pair the brunch cocktail with the modern American restaurant’s delicious country bread toasts topped with avocado, figs, pickled onions, and a sweet balsamic glaze. Enjoy both on their big outdoor all-seasons patio for a full-on F.I.L.A. moment.
photo credit: Amy Sinclair
Lemon Pepper Chicken Biscuit
Whether you hit the dining room or the adjacent takeout-only entrance, be prepared for a wait at this busy breakfast spot in Inman Park. The payoff for your time is Bomb Biscuit’s lemon pepper chicken biscuit. The fried cutlet is made from thigh meat, so the chicken is juicy and rich. The cutlet breading has a salty, sharp tang that pairs well with the buttery, moist biscuit and sweet pickle slices. After you've savored the last flaky crumb, you'll be ready to crown Bomb and denounce all other chicken biscuits contenders.
photo credit: Courtesy of Zaddy's
Cajun Lemon Pepper Tuna Sub
The citrus, pepper, and fish pairing isn’t some wild exploration. But a bite into the Zaddy’s Cajun lemon pepper tuna sub has us questioning why this lemony tuna excellence isn’t standard on every sub shop menu. It’s a great spiced-up take on an old-school sandwich, and it’s served on big fluffy multigrain bread, with a generous helping of tuna and jerk mayo. It’s also one of the best things on the sandwich menu (and really in the entire Politan Row food hall for that matter).
