First Look: Steamhouse Lounge in Midtown

Located in a 100-year-old house in Midtown, Steamhouse Lounge, the laid-back seafood spot and rowdy bar that was a Buckhead mainstay for 22 years, is back and better than ever. In its first week open, it’s already packed with regulars and those Midtown-ites who’ve recently stumbled upon it and recognized its charm.

But those who loved the old spot just the way it was need not worry: co-owner Sam Weyman brought everything he could from the old joint—from the pictures on the walls and the oyster bar down to the doors and toilets! Cheap? Maybe, but it certainly conveys the same casual, Key West-style Steamhouse Lounge is loved for.

Beachy charm: The outside of the two-level building, once a boarding house, is painted red and a bright, but light blue. A large old oak tree provides shade on the wraparound porch, and a palm tree and outdoor bar complete the patio dining downstairs. Inside, the walls are painted a natural green, and Weyman provided some small blue fish decals as accents. Black and white fishing photos add decoration, too.

There are multiple rooms, three bars and multi-sized tables and booths. There is no hostess, so patrons wander around until they find a seat of their liking, or just park themselves at a bar and make friends. It’s a loud, high-energy destination; not for the dainty. The majority of the patrons wear jeans and are in their 20s and 30s (at least on Friday night), but people up into their 70s can be spotted, as well.

Booze & grub: As the name dictates, the theme is seafood; but unlike at the old location where everything was either steamed or served cold, the new restaurant has a fryer and a grill, too. So, in addition to old favorites like the steamed seafood skillet—shrimp, crab legs and oysters with corn on the cob and potatoes—Steamhouse Lounge offers fried seafood, plus burgers, grilled cheese, quesadillas and more.

Oysters are their specialty—hence the raw bar—but the fish dishes are great, too. Try the grouper sandwich; the fish is so soft you barely have to chew. Wash it down with one of the many beer choices; order a glass of wine if you’re feeling classy (but you might be at the wrong establishment!); or choose a specialty drink like the Goombay Goombay. A mix of Cruzan coconut rum and orange, pineapple and lime juices, topped with 151, it tastes like something you’d drink in the Bahamas—fruity and potent! Girly girls may prefer the key lime martini, a delicious, sweet combination of Stoli Vanil, Licor 43 and lime juice, rimmed with a graham cracker crust that tastes just like the pie.

The rundown: Owned and operated by the NNNW Corp., the same guys responsible for Vickery’s, Fontaine’s, The Depot and Highland Tap, Steamhouse Lounge has all of its fish together.

“This is not a [gourmet] cuisine-driven restaurant,” Weyman says. “This is real simple. … It’s really kind of a drinking pub.”

With ice-cold beer; a beachy, casual setting and great grub, Steamhouse Lounge is the perfect place for summer fun. Bring your friends—it’s open 364 days a year!

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