The General Muir in Atlanta runs a daily New York deli brunch at Emory Point: house-cured pastrami, smoked-fish boards, matzoh ball soup, real bagels.
Must order: Bagel with smoked trout dip and the matzoh ball soup.
Tip: Order a half-dozen bagels to take home; the everything bagel is what Atlanta's bagel critics measure other shops against.
Address: 1540 Avenue Pl B-230, Atlanta, GA 30329
Ria's Bluebird in Atlanta is the Grant Park diner that defined the city's brunch shorthand: buttermilk pancakes, tempeh gravy, ten-table queue.
Order: Buttermilk pancakes and country-fried tempeh with white pepper gravy.
Tip: Wednesdays are closed and weekends queue out the door by 09:30; come solo or sit at the counter to skip the worst of the wait.
Home Grown is Reynoldstown's Michelin-recommended Atlanta brunch diner: comfy chicken biscuits, steak hash, knotty pine booths, no reservations.
Order: Comfy Chicken Biscuit, plus a side of the cheese grits.
Tip: Michelin-recommended diner that closes after lunch. Aim for 08:00 on weekends or expect a 60-minute wait.
Folk Art in Atlanta's Inman Park has been the brunch corner for sticky bun pancakes and sweet potato beignets since 2013, brick walls and vintage decor.
Order: Sticky bun pancakes and the sweet potato beignets.
Tip: Complimentary valet on Saturday and Sunday makes the Highland Avenue parking issue go away.
Murphy's has anchored Atlanta brunch in Virginia Highland for 45 years: crab cake benedict, fluffy pancakes, an award-winning wine cellar attached.
Order: Crab cake benedict and the complimentary biscuits with jam.
Tip: Heated outdoor patio runs October through April, so winter brunch outdoors is genuinely usable.
Toast on Lenox is Atlanta's high-glam Buckhead brunch destination: lobster sweet potato waffles, Biscoff french toast, gold-and-green dining room.
Order: Lobster sweet potato waffles and the Biscoff french toast.
Tip: Black-owned, woman-owned Buckhead room; reserve a week ahead for Sunday brunch or expect a 45-minute wait.
Southern National in Atlanta's Summerhill runs Sunday brunch only: Duane Nutter's beignets, fried chicken biscuit and short rib hash with champagne flights.
Order: Beignets with coffee-toffee sauce and the fried chicken biscuit.
Tip: Chef Duane Nutter cooks Sundays only for brunch, so the room turns over the after-church crowd by 13:30. Reserve the 12:30 slot.
