Eat in Candler Park and East Atlanta Village (east-atlanta-village), Atlanta

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee ★ 4.2

Land of a Thousand Hills in East Atlanta Village, Atlanta runs a cafe and roaster sourcing Rwandan beans through a fair-trade direct programme since 2005.

Signature drink: Rwandan single-origin

Tip: The EAV patio is dog-friendly. Retail beans sold by the bag; ask about Rwandan harvest releases.

Hodgepodge Coffeehouse ★ 4.2

Hodgepodge Coffeehouse in East Atlanta Village, Atlanta runs a community-centred cafe with Counter Culture beans, breakfast burritos and rotating local art on the walls.

Signature drink: Latte

Tip: Cash and card. The patio fills up at weekends; weekday mornings are work-friendly. Open mic occasional evenings.

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee ★ 4.2

Land of a Thousand Hills sources Rwandan beans through a fair-trade direct programme since 2005 and runs a cafe and roaster in East Atlanta Village, Atlanta.

Tip: Subscription ships nationally. Rwandan harvest releases land in November; ask staff about post-harvest cuppings.

Sources from: Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo

How they serve: Drip, Espresso, Whole bean retail, Subscription

Argosy ★ 4.3

Argosy in East Atlanta Village, Atlanta runs a beer-and-cocktail bar with wood-fired pizza and snacks in a converted bowling-alley space since 2012.

Signature drink: Beer-and-cocktail program

Food: Pizza, snacks, sandwiches

Tip: Patio is dog-friendly. The Beer Boards run rotating local taps. Weekend brunch service Saturday and Sunday.

Octopus Bar ★ 4.7

Octopus Bar is Atlanta's industry-only after-service room on the So Ba patio in East Atlanta: small plates from 22:30 Monday to Saturday, no marquee.

Order: Salt and pepper Georgia shrimp and the lobster cream pasta.

Why locals love it: Industry-only secret: the back patio of So Ba Vietnamese turns into Atlanta's best post-shift kitchen at 22:30 Monday through Saturday. No sign on the gate.

Tip: Queue at 22:00 to be in the first seating; the menu is small-plates, the wine list runs from Bandol to Etna.

Argosy ★ 4.2

Argosy in Atlanta's East Atlanta Village hides a wood-fired pizza kitchen behind a 41-tap bar: saisons, farmhouse ales, late-night pies, a patio out back.

Order: Wood-fired pizza of the night and a saison from the rotating tap list.

Why locals love it: East Atlanta Village bar with 41 rotating taps and a pizza program that's better than the bar conceit suggests; the patio is the secret seat.

Tip: Order the wood-fired sausage pizza and a tap pour of an Athens or West Georgia farmhouse ale. Kitchen runs late.

Octopus Bar ★ 4.7

Octopus Bar in Atlanta is the East Atlanta after-service room: a 22:30 to 02:30 small-plates kitchen on the So Ba patio, So Ba owner Nhan Le's late shift.

Try: Salt and pepper Georgia shrimp, uni sashimi, lobster cream pasta

Tip: Doors open at 22:30 sharp. The industry crowd queues the patio of So Ba by 22:00 on Fridays; bring a book.

OK Yaki ★ 4.4

OK Yaki in Atlanta's East Atlanta Village is the late-night Osaka griddle: okonomiyaki, yakisoba, Japanese street snacks until 01:00 on weekends.

Try: Osaka-style okonomiyaki, yakisoba, Japanese street snacks

Tip: Walk-in only and the room is small. Wedge yourself in at the counter and order the pork belly okonomiyaki.