Southern Fried Chicken: Atlanta Style

My favorite meal in Atlanta was my first meal. An early and long flight meant I didn’t want to wander too far from my hotel to have dinner.

I discovered Sway which is a restaurant inside the Hyatt Regency, which is where I was staying in Downtown Atlanta. I made my same day Open Table reservation and was set to go.


I perused the menu online already, so when I sat down, I immediately ordered the buttermilk fried chicken. The meal came with four pieces of chicken: a drumstick, wing, breast, and thigh. The meal was beautifully presented in an iron skillet and topped with two sprigs of rosemary. Buttermilk really changed the consistency of the fried chicken giving it a much crispier, crustier batter.


I requested hot sauce and my waiter gave me peach hot sauce. I became intrigued since we are in Georgia after all. For fried chicken, I usually add a few dabs. The peach hot sauce was a perfect combination of sweet and spicy and was so good I used several tablespoons. To be honest, the four pieces of chicken varied in size so much that I think the smallest piece, the wing was slightly overcooked. Ignoring the wing, the rest of the fried chicken was juicy and one of the best I have had.


My fried chicken came with whipped potatoes in a separate iron skillet and the gravy came out in its own gravy boat. The whipped potatoes and gravy were wonderful. It was creamy, buttery goodness. I had to stop myself from eating it all. My gravy loving friends would’ve been disappointed in me if they saw the amount of gravy still left in the boat.

Sway was a great start to some great meals in Atlanta.