Peachtree Street's high-rise corridor between downtown and Buckhead. Empire State South, Cooks and Soldiers and Atlanta Symphony adjacent rooms anchor dinner.
Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta opened 1945 and runs Southern Sunday dinner classics in a four-dining-room compound on Ponce de Leon, with the same recipes.
Signature: Fried chicken, Pot likker and cornbread, Peach cobbler
Order: Pot likker with a side of cornbread, then fried chicken with three sides.
Tip: Order the pot likker as a starter; it comes free with cornbread. No reservations Monday through Thursday lunch; OpenTable for dinner and weekends.
Poor Calvin's in Midtown Atlanta opened 2010 with chef Calvin Phan's mash-up of Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese plates. Kitchen leans asian fusion.
Signature: Lobster pad Thai, Crispy whole snapper, Black pepper steak
Order: Lobster pad Thai, the dish that put Calvin Phan on the city's map.
Tip: Cash and card. Reservations on OpenTable; Saturday night books a week ahead. Casual atmosphere despite the price.
Frank Gordy's North Avenue drive-in in Atlanta opened 1928 and remains among the largest drive-in restaurants in the world by daily volume, with chili dogs.
Signature: Chili dog, Onion rings, Frosted Orange
Order: Two chili dogs (called Naked Dogs Walking), an order of onion rings and a Frosted Orange.
Tip: Walk-up counter inside; carhop service paused. Order in Varsity slang for the full experience: 'two dogs walking' = two hot dogs to go.
Fellini's Pizza in Atlanta has run New York-style slices and 18-inch pies out of nine locations since 1985, with the original Ponce de Leon shop the cult.
Signature: New York-style slice, Pepperoni pizza
Order: Two pepperoni slices and a beer; cheap, fast and good.
Tip: Open until 02:00 weekends; the Ponce location stays the latest. Cash and card.
The Varsity at North Avenue in downtown Atlanta since 1928 runs chili dogs, onion rings and Frosted Orange at a drive-in counter format. Located in Midtown.
Try: Chili dog with onion rings
Tip: Order in Varsity slang: 'two dogs walking' = two hot dogs to go. The onion rings and Frosted Orange are the standard upsell.
Atlanta Food and Wine Festival runs four days each September in Atlanta with Southern-focused chef stations, wine tastings, dinners and seminars.
Tip: The Grand Tasting tent is the festival's anchor; chef dinners across the city require separate tickets and book a month out.
Taste of Atlanta runs two days each October in Atlanta with over 80 restaurant tasting stations, chef demos and live music. Held since 2002.
Tip: Buy tasting tickets in advance for a discount. The chef-stage demos are the under-the-radar draw; VIP gets early entry.
Atlanta Greek Festival runs four days each October at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Atlanta with souvlaki, baklava, dancing and church tours.
Tip: Souvlaki and gyro plates run heaviest at lunch; baklava and pastry sales run all weekend. Parking gets tight by 18:00.
The Cook's Warehouse cooking school in Atlanta runs more than 800 classes a year out of its Ansley Mall kitchens, covering pasta to pho.
Tip: Hands-on classes pair you in teams of three to five, so book with a friend or expect to share a station.
R. Thomas Deluxe Grill in Atlanta is the Midtown organic late-night room: free-range burgers, vegan bowls, an outdoor patio of yard ornaments since 1985.
Try: Free-range burgers, vegan bowls, blue-green-algae smoothies
Tip: Cuts off at 05:00 Wednesday through Saturday now, not 24-hour anymore. Yard ornament patio is the move on warm nights.
Smith's Olde Bar at Piedmont and Monroe has run live music since 1994 with a downstairs sports bar, an upstairs Atlanta Room stage, a covered patio and seven nights of local and touring acts.
Tip: Upstairs Atlanta Room is the main music room; downstairs is the cheaper bar with pool and food. Cover applies for ticketed shows only.
JoJo's Well-regarded inside Politan Row at Colony Square is the Midtown cocktail room with cathedral ceilings, an all-vinyl soundtrack and a brooding, romantic feel for late-night classic cocktails.
Tip: Walk-in or Resy reservation. The bar runs through Politan Row; vinyl selectors swap nightly, cocktails skew classic-with-a-twist.
Bulldogs at 893 Peachtree has been the Black gay anchor of Midtown Atlanta since the late 1970s, with a back patio, weekend DJs and a regular roster that has held the corner for more than 40 years.
Tip: No cover most nights, $3 to $5 on weekend headliners. Cash bar; weekends pack from 23:00 onward.
Blake's on the Park, established 1988 on 10th Street steps from Piedmont Park and the Rainbow Crosswalk, runs nightly drag from the front window stage and a packed cocktail patio in summer.
Tip: Hours run 17:00-03:00 weekdays; weekends open earlier at 14:00. The window stage drag set kicks off most nights at 22:00.
The Heretic on Cheshire Bridge is the Atlanta leather, bear and circuit-party club with a labyrinthine layout, outdoor deck, leather shop and circuit-week residencies during Bear Pride and Atlanta Pride.
Tip: No cover before 23:00. Bear Pride takes over in April, Pride circuit weekend in October; leather shop runs Friday and Saturday.
My Sister's Room, the country's longest-running lesbian bar at 28 years and counting, anchors Crescent Avenue with drag, burlesque, karaoke and comedy across two floors of the former Publico space.
Tip: Cover varies by event; weekend drag shows ticket via the venue site. Outdoor patio runs late on weekend nights.