Love Local: Chef Craig Richards Doubles Down on Elevated Dining in Midtown
12/17/25
BY BRIAN CARR
Chef Craig Richards started cooking professionally at age 25. Italian cuisine became his foundation after he joined Lidia Bastianich’s eponymous restaurant in Kansas City, where he learned to “cook within the seasons.”
The timeless qualities he found in Italian food sent Richards to restaurants in New York and even to Italy, where he worked alongside a Michelin-starred chef and took in lessons that went beyond technique. He learned about methods for sourcing ingredients and nuanced regional traditions around Italy, and how to incorporate them into his own dishes.
Today, Richards describes his cooking as “Italian in spirit,” shaped equally by his previous career stops and by two decades of further honing his trade in Atlanta. He now owns not one but two Midtown restaurants that have created a sustained level of buzz for the way they bring together exceptional food and a sharp sense of style. His Lyla Lila was first recognized as a Michelin recommended restaurant in 2023. And the newly opened Elise has rejuvenated the dining experience at the Woodruff Arts Center.
We spoke with Richards recently about his bold contributions to the local culinary scene and his affinity for Midtown. Read more.
Starting Fresh in Atlanta
When Richards arrived in Atlanta in 2005 to apply for a job with Fifth Group restaurants, it was love at first sight. The warm weather, the flowers in bloom, the charm of Atlanta’s intown neighborhoods -- it all clicked for him.
“I knew that I wanted to be in a major market because I think that's where you can do your best work,” Richards said. “It's more competitive, and the diners are more open to more things. It checked all the boxes for me. I just fell in love with Atlanta.”
Taking the Leap as an Atlanta Restaurateur
That feeling about Atlanta became a business decision in 2019, when Richards and business partner Billy Streck opened Lyla Lila in Midtown with a vision to offer something that had not been done before locally. Richards wanted to create a restaurant that could exist comfortably in another dynamic cosmopolitan city like Berlin or Los Angeles, but feel deeply rooted in this neighborhood. Midtown’s walkability and mixed-use identity made the vision more possible.
The restaurant’s name incorporates the names of Richards’ and Streck’s daughters. Pasta is a cornerstone, but the pantry door is wide open with Southern European flavors, global ingredients, and a lightness that fits the city’s warm climate. The menu changes often, giving the kitchen staff more freedom to flex their creativity … and guests more reasons to come back and experience what’s new.
Venerable staples include crispy duck lasagna with a cocoa béchamel and a snapper wrapped in woven squash. There are also unique offerings made on the restaurant’s wood-fired grill, from scallops to roast chicken. The ever popular tiramisu brings a decadent finish. Browse the menu here.
Lyla Lila quickly earned national attention, including James Beard nominations for its wine program – built entirely around organic, biodynamic, low-intervention producers – and a spot on The New York Times’ list of top U.S. restaurants.
But then the world shut down.
Restoring Human Connection through Vinyl Dinners
The pandemic tested everything Richards believed about hospitality. Takeout kept the lights on, barely. But the essence of the restaurant – a busy dining room and kitchen, bustling with city life – was missing. When the doors eventually reopened, he knew Lyla Lila needed something different.
That’s when Vinyl Dinners were born.
Once a week, for nearly two years, Lyla Lila transformed into a rich, multi-sensory experience. A four-course menu. Wine pairings. Full albums played on vinyl, curated from Richards’ personal collection. Each dinner had its own rhythm, its own mood.
“It was about getting people together again,” Richards says. “We’d all been isolated. I just wanted to create connection.”
The idea resonated. Music became part of the meal, not a background feature. Today, Vinyl Dinners happen less frequently – about once a quarter – but they remain part of the mix, expanding recently into Elise with a disco-themed edition that reflects that space’s playful energy.
Doubling Down on Midtown
As Lyla Lila grew in popularity, Richards kept his ear to the ground for new opportunities to expand. And after some searching, he found an opening at a nearby space that was very familiar to him.
According to Richards, he had eaten at the Woodruff Arts Center’s Table 1280 many years ago when Shaun Doty was the chef there, and had always loved the architectural features inside the space. When Richards learned they were looking for a new partner to rejuvenate the campus restaurant, he reached out.
Richards’ Elise presented a fresh opportunity to create something new, and affirmed his belief in Midtown as a place where exceptional dining can flourish. The name draws inspiration from Beethoven’s “Für Elise.”
Situated within one of our nation’s largest arts and cultural destinations that attracts some 800K visitors annually, Elise’s novel approach to French-Italian cuisine gets its cues from the minimalist design of the space itself: bright, elegant, architecturally modern, bold pops of color, decked out with commissioned works of art.
“To me, the space dictates the concept,” Richards said.
The menu at Elise includes house-made pastas and prime steaks, along with raw and cooked seafood dishes. The kitchen bakes bread in-house, to be enjoyed alongside plates of smoked oysters or cacio e pepe risotto. View the menu here.
Elise is delivering on its pursuit of a stellar guest experience with a team developed from within, many of whom moved up from Lyla Lila as the operation grew to nearly 100 employees across both restaurants.
“I firmly believe in promoting from within,” Richards said. “There's constant development happening with people to move to the next level. And I have a really great team around me.”
Counting Down to the FIFA World Cup 2026TM
Richards spends time with an eclectic assortment of hobbies and interests outside of the kitchen, including his love for soccer. And with the FIFA World Cup 2026TM coming to Atlanta, he is excited to invite fans and teams from all over the world to pull up a seat at his table. Richards said that being featured in the Michelin Guide is helpful to raise his restaurant’s visibility because of its international readership.
“We have a long list of world-class things to see and do in Midtown,” Richards said. “Whether it’s restaurants, museums, whatever, that are going to draw people to this part of town, what a great way to showcase our city. And honestly, I can't wait.”
Where City Life and Dining Excellence Meet
Together, Lyla Lila and Elise reflect Midtown Atlanta’s strengths: delivering an authentic balance between big city life and a neighborhood feel, and raising the bar for creativity. Richards has made Midtown the location of choice for his amazing culinary endeavors. But he has also kept human connection and the human experience at the heart of his business.
“I like being around people in a busy restaurant,” Richards said. “That’s when I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Book a Table
Lyla Lila
693 Peachtree Street NE
Elise
1280 Peachtree Street NE