Chef Steven Satterfield's modern Southern room in West Midtown, Atlanta opened 2009 and won James Beard Best Chef Southeast in 2017 for produce-driven cooking.
Must order: The farm egg with grits and roasted vegetables, then whatever fish the kitchen has that night.
Tip: Lunch service is the quieter seat. The bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Address: 999 Brady Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Bones steakhouse in Buckhead, Atlanta opened 1979 and remains the city's classic white-tablecloth chophouse with Wine Spectator Grand Award wine list and dry-aged beef.
Order: The dry-aged bone-in ribeye plus the Lobster Savannah seafood supplement.
Tip: Jackets preferred. Closed Sundays. Reservations a week ahead on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Chef Gerry Klaskala's Buckhead institution in Atlanta opened 2000 and runs a slow-cooked New American menu of braised meats and seasonal plates. Closed Sundays.
Order: The slow-braised short rib; the chef's tasting on Fridays and Saturdays.
Tip: The lounge bar takes walk-ins with the full menu; OpenTable for reservations.
Staplehouse in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2015 inside a converted carriage house. Runs a chef's tasting under the nonprofit Giving Kitchen umbrella; profits reinvested.
Order: The chef's tasting menu; the menu rotates with the seasons.
Tip: Profits fund The Giving Kitchen, supporting Atlanta hospitality workers in crisis. Reservations on Tock 30 days out.
Chef Linton Hopkins' Peachtree Road room in Buckhead, Atlanta opened 2004 and runs a refined Southern tasting menu. James Beard Best Chef Southeast 2012.
Order: The seasonal tasting menu with grain courses from Anson Mills.
Tip: Holeman and Finch Public House, next door, is the casual sibling; their burger is the cult spillover.
Chef Fuyuhiko Ito's modern Japanese counter in Buckhead, Atlanta opened 2013 with sushi, robata and wagyu. Long the city's polished sushi destination before Mujo arrived.
Order: Sushi omakase at the counter; the miso black cod from the kitchen.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable. Dress smart casual; the room runs Buckhead-elegant.
Kimball House in Decatur, Atlanta opened 2013 inside a converted 19th-century train station, with the city's deepest oyster selection and a James Beard nominated bar.
Order: Two dozen oysters and the absinthe drip service.
Tip: Reservations on Resy; the bar takes walk-ins until late. Sunday happy hour 17:00 to 18:30 is the under-the-radar bargain.
