Day-by-day eating plans for Atlanta. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Atlanta weekend: the dishes Atlanta invented ★ 4.5
First-time visitor, two days2 days
A weekend built on the things Atlanta cooks better than anywhere: a Buckhead sourdough morning, Korean tofu and Vietnamese banh mi on Buford Highway, a Westside tasting menu, then Reynoldstown brunch and Buford Highway late-night tacos.
Brunch at Home Grown in Reynoldstown by 08:30 to beat the queue. Comfy chicken biscuit, cheese grits.
Afternoon
Walk the Beltline north to Krog Street Market for a Yalla shawarma lunch, then a Spiller Park Coffee filter at Ponce City Market.
Evening
Late tacos at El Rey del Taco on Buford Highway; al pastor with pineapple and an agua fresca, kitchen open Sunday until 02:00.
Buford Highway deep dive: one day on the immigrant corridor ★ 4.7
Return visitor, food-curious, one day1 day
Twelve miles of immigrant kitchens north of the city centre, from Doraville hand-pulled noodles to Chamblee Cambodian to Vietnamese banh mi counters. This is Atlanta's most-honest food day.
Day 1: Friday: Buford Highway, north to south
Morning
Open at LanZhou Ramen for hand-pulled beef noodle soup at 11:30; watch the noodle puller through the kitchen window. Then a $5 sandwich at Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food two doors down.
Afternoon
Drive south on Buford Highway to Crawfish Shack Seafood for a Vietnamese-Cajun seafood boil by the pound. Then a quick stop at Buford Highway Farmers Market for an aimless wander through 100,000 square feet of Asian and Latin groceries.
Evening
Dinner at Naga Bistro in Chamblee for Cambodian prahok ktis and Lao larb; finish at El Rey del Taco for late tacos with house-pressed tortillas, open until 04:30 on Friday.
Atlanta on $40 a day: three days under $15 a meal ★ 4.2
Budget traveller, three days3 days
Three full days of eating well in Atlanta for under $40 a day: banh mi, empanadas, arepas, soul-food counters and the cheapest soup-and-sandwich in Buckhead.
Day 1: Day 1: Westside cheap eats
Morning
Empanadas at Belen de la Cruz, three for a meal at $3.80 each. Coffee from Academy Coffee around the corner.
Afternoon
Hankook Taqueria for the tongdak crispy chicken taco. Then Souper Jenny in Buckhead for soup and a half sandwich under $14.
Evening
Delilah's Everyday Soul inside Chattahoochee Food Works for the seven-cheese mac plus collards. Eat at the Beltline benches outside.
Day 2: Day 2: Virginia Highland, Inman Park and Midtown
Morning
Pielands Sub and Slice in Virginia Highland for a $4 cheese slice and a Snapple. Walk Highland to North Highland for coffee at Aurora Coffee.
Afternoon
Krog Street Market for cheap lunch: Yalla shawarma pita with eggplant ($12) and a Bell Street Burritos to share.
Evening
Dinner at Mary Mac's Tea Room in Midtown for the Southern Special: three meat-and-three sides, free pot likker with cornbread to start.
Day 3: Day 3: Buford Highway value
Morning
Lee's Bakery for a $6 BBQ pork banh mi combo plus coconut bubble tea. Park behind the strip mall.
Afternoon
Quoc Huong Banh Mi Fast Food for two more sandwiches, then Arepa Grill for $11 pabellon arepa and fried churros.
Evening
Maepole in Summerhill for a $14 grain bowl, then late-night El Rey del Taco for a $3 al pastor taco.
Atlanta coffee and bakery crawl ★ 4.3
Coffee lover, one day1 day
A single-day crawl threading Atlanta's specialty coffee anchors with the city's strongest bakeries: Octane Coffee, Spiller Park, Dancing Goats and the BeltLine bakery hits.
Day 1: Day 1: Grant Park coffee, Ponce City bakery, Westside finish
Morning
Open at Octane Coffee Grant Park at 08:00 for a pour-over and pastry. Walk to Spiller Park Coffee Ponce for the second cup with the BeltLine sun.
Afternoon
Lunch at Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall in Old Fourth Ward with the smoked brisket and a coffee at Condesa Coffee.
Evening
Aperitif at Bocado in the Westside with an Old Fashioned. Dinner at Miller Union with the farm-to-table Georgia menu and a glass of natural wine.
Atlanta BBQ and Southern food weekend ★ 4.6
BBQ and Southern food lover, two days2 days
A weekend threading Atlanta's strongest BBQ and Southern tables: Fox Bros BBQ, Heirloom Market BBQ, Busy Bee Cafe, Mary Mac's Tea Room and the Paschal's Sunday gospel brunch.
Day 1: Saturday: meat-and-three lunch, BBQ dinner, late-night bar
Morning
Brunch at Ria's Bluebird in Grant Park with the blueberry pancakes and a coffee.
Afternoon
Lunch at Busy Bee Cafe on Martin Luther King Jr Drive with the fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens. Coffee at Brash Coffee in Buckhead.
Evening
Dinner at Fox Bros BBQ on DeKalb Avenue with brisket, pulled pork and a Sweetwater 420. Nightcap at Brick Store Pub in Decatur.
Day 2: Sunday: gospel brunch, Mary Mac's lunch, Candler Park barbecue
Morning
Gospel brunch at Paschal's on Northside Drive with fried chicken and waffles, choir at 11:00.
Afternoon
Lunch at Mary Mac's Tea Room in Midtown with the Southern Special and free pot likker. Walk Piedmont Park.
Evening
Dinner at Fox Bros Bar-B-Q on DeKalb Avenue in Candler Park for Texas-style brisket and ribs. Nightcap cocktail at Kimball House in Decatur.
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