Some restaurants feed you, and a few make you feel like you’ve been invited home. 🏡
In downtown Atmore, Gather is a couple-owned Southern restaurant where family recipes get a chef’s twist.
Consider this your guide to one of the most talked-about Atmore restaurants in Alabama, and the couple behind it.
How Gather won Atmore’s hearts
Chris and Beth McElhaney sat with their six children and talked about the future. They decided to build a place with no pretense, where nobody worries about which fork to use.
Chris and Beth had married and moved to Charleston, where Chris attended the same culinary school as Emeril Lagasse.
Gather opened its doors in October 2017, and the Atmore crowd took notice quickly.
Chris cooks the food, and Beth develops the “old school” desserts, including pecan pie cheesecake and blueberry cream pie in a jar. 🥧
The pair turned a renovated downtown building into a place where a tie and a pair of flip flops both feel welcome. In 2020, Gather earned the title of Alabama’s Best Beef. 🏆
Local press has called the ribeye the signature dish and best-seller, and guests have raved ever since. That mix of family warmth and serious cooking is why locals treat this spot like their own dining room. ❤️
Food Highlights
- Ship Wreck: Twin beef filets are stacked with crab cakes, Conecuh creamed corn, bacon caramel green beans, and shrimp sauce. 🦀
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The Train Wreck: Two beef fillets come with fried tomato and cheese pimento grits. 🍅
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Grilled Pepsi Pork Tenderloin: The pork is served with sweet potato, seasonal greens, and a red eye gastrique. 🐖
- Heritage Pepsi Pork Chop: Grilled pork chop brined in Pepsi, served with bacon caramel sweet potatoes, brown butter cabbage, and a maple gastrique.
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Un-Smashed BBQ Bacon Burger: An 8-ounce patty is layered with cheddar, bacon, fried jalapeños, house pickles, and BBQ sauce. 🍔
- Ribeye: Seasoned simply and cooked with care, this steak is the best-seller and the dish behind the Best Beef title. 🥩
- Shrimp and Grits: Gather calls this dish a comforting bowl for hungry guests. 🍤
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Fish of the Day: Fresh fish arrives with pimento grits, green beans, and shrimp sauce. 🐟
Atmosphere
Gather sits inside a renovated downtown building that feels cozy and unpretentious. 🕯️ Dress up or dress down, because both fit right in.
Chris and Beth built the room so families and friends could slow down and enjoy time together.
Wine is served by the glass or bottle, and the restaurant hosts wine dinners throughout the year. 🍷
Bottom Line
Visit for Alabama’s Best Beef, inventive Southern classics, Beth’s homemade desserts, a relaxed room where anyone fits in, and a couple who greet guests like family. 🥂 It is Atmore’s warmest table.
Address:
111 W Nashville Ave., Atmore, AL 36502
📞 (251) 303-8080
🕔 Open Tue–Sat, 4 PM–9 PM (lunch Thursdays only, 11 AM–2 PM; closed Sun–Mon)