The Palm Atlanta

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Hundred Years of Treating Guests Like Family

The Palm has been one of America's most enduring dining institutions since 1926, when Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi arrived from Parma, Italy and opened their first restaurant on Second Avenue in New York City. The name itself carries a piece of that story: "Parma" was misheard and registered as "Palm" because of their thick Italian accents, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Atlanta location, set inside the Westin Buckhead on Peachtree Road, carries that same century-old philosophy forward — treat guests like family, serve great food, and always exceed expectations.

Four Generations, One Standard

What started as a neighborhood Italian gathering place evolved quickly. When a customer once requested a steak, John Ganzi ran up Second Avenue to a butcher and cooked it to order on the spot. That instinct — responsive, generous, uncompromising — defined the restaurant from the start. The second generation added a two-pound lobster to the menu, creating the Surf 'n' Turf combination the Palm became famous for. By the third generation, a four-pound whole lobster had joined the lineup, and new locations were opening at the request of figures like then-UN Ambassador George Bush Sr. The Italian roots never faded; they simply grew into something distinctly American.

Buckhead's Take on an American Classic

The Palm Atlanta is part of a thoughtful national expansion that has honored the original New York blueprint at every step. The Italian-American sensibility — generous portions, prime ingredients, a room that feels lived-in rather than performative — translates naturally to Buckhead, one of Atlanta's most storied dining neighborhoods. Wine Spectator recognized the Palm with its Award of Excellence, a distinction that reflects the seriousness with which the restaurant approaches its cellar, well suited to pairing with prime beef and the kitchen's signature lobster preparations.

A Room That Remembers You

The Palm's walls are famously lined with caricatures of regulars and celebrities — a tradition that turns the dining room into something closer to a social archive than a backdrop. The atmosphere is authentic and a little quirky, as the restaurant itself puts it: "the family you want to visit again and again." Whether the occasion is a business lunch, a private celebration, or simply dinner with people who matter, the Italian-American hospitality that Pio and John brought from Parma nearly a century ago remains the animating spirit of every table.