Ladybird in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta sits on the Beltline with a summer-camp-themed kitchen and a wide patio. Cast-iron cornbread, smores and burgers run the menu.
Signature dishes: Cast-iron cornbread, Fried chicken sandwich, Smores
Must order: Cast-iron cornbread with honey butter, then the fried chicken sandwich.
Tip: The patio is the Beltline's largest; runs dog-friendly. Brunch on weekends is busy; reservations on Resy.
Address: 684 John Wesley Dobbs Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Ria Pell's Memorial Drive diner in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2000 across from Oakland Cemetery with the city's cult buttermilk pancakes and Southern brunch plates.
Signature: Buttermilk pancakes, Shrimp and grits
Order: Buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon, then shrimp and grits the second visit.
Tip: No reservations; line forms by 09:00 on weekends. Walking distance from Oakland Cemetery and Cabbagetown.
Brick Store Pub in Decatur Square, Atlanta opened 1997 with a Belgian beer focus and pub menu. The upstairs Belgian Bar runs the rare brews; James Beard Outstanding Bar finalist.
Signature: Belgian moules frites, Burger, Beer cheese fondue
Order: Moules frites in Belgian saison, with a Cantillon or Dupont on tap.
Tip: Upstairs Belgian Bar runs rare Belgian beers; downstairs is the casual pub. Reservations on the front bar only.
Leon's Full Service in Decatur, Atlanta opened 2010 inside a converted gas station with a pommes frites bar, a serious cocktail programme and an American gastropub menu.
Signature: Pommes frites, Burger, Cocktail program
Order: Pommes frites with three dipping sauces; the burger; a snappy classic cocktail.
Tip: The patio sits on Ponce de Leon. Reservations on Resy; the bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Chef Todd Ginsberg's West Midtown room in Atlanta runs the city's most-debated burger: the double-stack with American cheese on a Martin's potato bun, since 2009.
Signature: Stack burger, Beet salad
Order: The Bocado Stack Burger.
Tip: Reservations on Resy. Closed Sundays. Patio sits on Howell Mill.
Ria Pell's Memorial Drive diner in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2000 across from Oakland Cemetery with the city's cult buttermilk pancakes and Southern brunch plates.
Signature: Buttermilk pancakes, Shrimp and grits
Order: Buttermilk pancakes with a side of bacon, then shrimp and grits the second visit.
Tip: No reservations; line forms by 09:00 on weekends. Walking distance from Oakland Cemetery and Cabbagetown.
Home Grown on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown, Atlanta runs a Southern diner with the cult Comfy Chicken Biscuit and country-fried steak since 2011.
Signature: Comfy chicken biscuit, Country fried steak
Order: The Comfy Chicken Biscuit (fried chicken on a biscuit with sausage gravy).
Tip: No reservations; the line builds by 09:30 weekends. Cash and card.
Shaun Doty's rotisserie chicken counter in Morningside, Atlanta runs free-range and antibiotic-free birds with seasonal vegetable sides since 2012.
Signature: Rotisserie chicken, Roasted vegetables
Order: A quarter rotisserie chicken with two seasonal vegetable sides.
Tip: Counter ordering. The chicken-pot-pie at lunch is the under-the-radar pick. Family takeaway packs feed four.
