40 editor picks in Atlanta.
40 mid-range places in Atlanta, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good restaurants in Atlanta, with real cooking and no surprise on the bill. All Atlanta food.
Portrait Coffee in West End, Atlanta opened its flagship cafe and roastery in 2023 as a Black-owned third-wave roaster sourcing directly from farmers.
TipWhole bean retail on the cafe counter. The Westside Beltline trail runs past the front door; subscription ships nationally.
Paschal's in Atlanta has served soul food since 1947, when brothers Robert and James Paschal opened on Hunter Street. Located in Downtown. Priced at $$.
OrderFried chicken plate with collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams.
TipThe current Castleberry Hill location since 2002 expanded with a banquet space; the original Hunter Street site is preserved at Clark Atlanta.
Busy Bee Cafe in Atlanta opened 1947 on MLK Drive and won the James Beard America's Classics Award in 2022 for its decades of soul food service near the AUC.
OrderFried chicken with two sides; the oxtails on lunch special when available.
TipCash and card. Lunch and early dinner only Tuesday to Sunday; line forms before noon weekends.
Brash Coffee in Atlanta roasts in-house since 2018 with a tight single-origin menu. Open daily 07:00-17:00. At 3275 Peachtree Rd NE Suite C5.
TipWhole bean retail at both cafes. The flat white is the most precise in the city. Roasted weekly on Tuesdays.
Octopus Bar in Atlanta is the East Atlanta after-service room: a 22:30-02:30 small-plates kitchen on the So Ba patio, So Ba owner Nhan Le's late shift.
OrderSalt and pepper Georgia shrimp, uni sashimi, lobster cream pasta
TipDoors open at 22:30 sharp. The industry crowd queues the patio of So Ba by 22:00 on Fridays; bring a book.
Octopus Bar is Atlanta's industry-only after-service room on the So Ba patio in East Atlanta: small plates from 22:30 Monday to Saturday, no marquee.
OrderSalt and pepper Georgia shrimp and the lobster cream pasta.
TipQueue at 22:00 to be in the first seating; the menu is small-plates, the wine list runs from Bandol to Etna.
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.
OrderPot likker with a side of cornbread, then fried chicken with three sides.
TipOrder the pot likker as a starter; it comes free with cornbread. No reservations Monday through Thursday lunch; OpenTable for dinner and weekends.
Heirloom Market BBQ in Atlanta merges Korean and Southern BBQ since 2010: gochujang-marinated pulled pork, brisket and the Korean pork sandwich on a steamed.
OrderThe Spicy Korean Pork sandwich; the brisket Brunswick stew is the secondary play.
TipCash and card. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Get there early; the brisket runs out by 14:00 most weekends.
Spiller Park Coffee in Atlanta roasts its own beans since 2016 from a partnership including chef Hugh Acheson. The honey latte is the cult menu item.
TipCounter ordering at PCM and Toco Hills. Roasted beans sold for retail; the Burundi single-origin runs strongest in summer.
Creature Comforts Brewing in Athens, an hour east of Atlanta, opened 2014 and supplies the Atlanta market with Tropicalia IPA. At 271 W Hancock Ave.
TipDistribution covers Atlanta well; the brewery is in Athens (a day-trip drive). Tropicalia IPA on draft is the canonical Atlanta-served pour.
Buena Gente Cuban Bakery in Decatur is the four-day-a-week sleeper next to Community Q: lechon Cubanos from 11:00, croquetas and colada coffee from open.
OrderCubano on house-pressed bread with a colada coffee.
TipSandwiches at 11:00, croquetas and Cuban coffee from 08:00 Thu-Fri and 09:00 Sat-Sun. Closed Mon-Wed; tip jar is cash only.
Southern National in Atlanta's Summerhill runs Sunday brunch only: Duane Nutter's beignets, fried chicken biscuit and short rib hash with champagne flights.
OrderBeignets with coffee-toffee sauce and the fried chicken biscuit.
TipChef Duane Nutter cooks Sundays only for brunch, so the room turns over the after-church crowd by 13:30. Reserve the 12:30 slot.
Fox Bros Bar-B-Q on DeKalb Avenue in Atlanta has run Texas-style smoked brisket and pork since 2007. Located in Candler Park. Kitchen leans texas-style bbq.
OrderSliced brisket plate with Brunswick stew and a side.
TipCounter ordering; the Beltline-adjacent patio runs dog-friendly. Closed Mondays.
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.
OrderMoules frites in Belgian saison, with a Cantillon or Dupont on tap.
TipUpstairs Belgian Bar runs rare Belgian beers; downstairs is the casual pub. Reservations on the front bar only.
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.
OrderButtermilk pancakes with a side of bacon, then shrimp and grits the second visit.
TipNo reservations; line forms by 09:00 on weekends. Walking distance from Oakland Cemetery and Cabbagetown.
East Pole Coffee in Morningside, Atlanta has roasted single-origin and blends since 2017. The roastery sits behind the cafe; the cortado is the cult order.
TipSubscription ships nationally. Roastery visible from the cafe; tours by appointment. Tight single-origin rotation.
Scofflaw Brewing in West Midtown, Atlanta opened 2015 with a focus on hazy New England IPAs. At 1738 MacArthur Blvd NW. Booking recommended.
TipBasement IPA is the canonical pour; rotating fruited sours run as second pours. Patio is dog-friendly.
El Rey del Taco on Atlanta's Buford Highway runs until 04:30 weekends: housemade tortillas, al pastor with pineapple, agua frescas, no fuss.
OrderAl pastor and carne asada tacos on housemade tortillas
TipOrder at the counter, sit in the diner booths. The al pastor with pineapple is the move; agua frescas rotate daily.
Petit Chou in Atlanta's Cabbagetown runs a French bistro on the southern edge of Memorial Drive: croque madame, brunch quiche, dinner three nights a week.
OrderCroque madame and the rotating quiche of the day.
TipBreakfast and lunch 08:00-15:00 daily are walk-in; dinner Thu-Sat from 18:00. The croque madame and oat milk cappuccino are the move.
Arepa Mia in Avondale Estates runs an Atlanta-area Venezuelan kitchen that's 100 percent gluten-free: pabellon arepas, cachapas, empanadas, all locally.
OrderPabellon arepa with shredded beef, black beans and sweet plantain.
TipClosed Sunday and Monday. The pabellon arepa is the signature order; bring cash for tips at the counter.
Ria's Bluebird in Atlanta is the Grant Park diner that defined the city's brunch shorthand: buttermilk pancakes, tempeh gravy, ten-table queue.
OrderButtermilk pancakes and country-fried tempeh with white pepper gravy.
TipWednesdays 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.
Community Q BBQ in Decatur, Atlanta runs Southern-style smoked pork, brisket and ribs since 2010 with mac and cheese that became a local cult side.
OrderPulled pork plate with mac and cheese and Brunswick stew.
TipClosed Sundays and Mondays. Cash and card. Family meals scale to feed six and travel well.
Fred's Meat and Bread at Krog Street Market in Atlanta opened 2014 with chef Todd Ginsberg's burger and sandwich counter. Located in Inman Park.
OrderThe double cheeseburger or the Cubano sandwich.
TipCounter ordering; pickup at the window. The Bocado burger across town is the spiritual prequel; both run by Ginsberg.
Giovanni Di Palma's West Midtown pizzeria in Atlanta opened 2009 with wood-fired Neapolitan pies certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.
OrderPizza San Gennaro (with sausage and Vesuvius peppers); the Diavola for spice.
TipCommunal tables, no reservations. Wine is BYOB at the original Hemphill location. Buckhead and Decatur sister locations take reservations.
Buford Highway Farmers Market in Doraville, Atlanta houses an international grocery with a 12-stall food court running Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican.
OrderA bowl of pho from the Vietnamese counter, then tacos al pastor from the Mexican stall.
TipGrocery and food court open daily; food stalls run cash and card. Best Saturday morning when stalls are freshest.
OK Yaki in Atlanta's East Atlanta Village is the late-night Osaka griddle: okonomiyaki, yakisoba, Japanese street snacks until 01:00 on weekends.
OrderOsaka-style okonomiyaki, yakisoba, Japanese street snacks
TipWalk-in only and the room is small. Wedge yourself in at the counter and order the pork belly okonomiyaki.
Naga Bistro in Atlanta's Chamblee is the 2025 Lao-Thai-Khmer follow-up from Snackboxe owner Thip Athakhanh: prahok ktis, khao poun and Cambodian small plates.
OrderPrahok ktis with crudite and a bowl of khao poun.
TipOrder the prahok ktis (fermented-fish and pork dip) with crudite; it's the dish Atlanta doesn't have anywhere else.
Crawfish Shack Seafood on Atlanta's Buford Highway hides Vietnamese-Cajun seafood boils in a strip mall: garlic butter crawfish, po boys, no signage.
OrderCrawfish boil in garlic butter by the pound.
TipOrder the crawfish in garlic butter by the pound. Bib provided; closed by 19:00 most nights.
Snackboxe Bistro re-opened in Duluth in 2024 as Atlanta's only full-menu Laotian kitchen: larb gai, khao soi and sticky rice from owner Thip Athakhanh.
OrderLarb gai with sticky rice and khao soi.
TipOrder the larb and the khao soi; share a sticky rice basket. Beer-and-wine only, no liquor.
Home Grown is Reynoldstown's Michelin-recommended Atlanta brunch diner: comfy chicken biscuits, steak hash, knotty pine booths, no reservations.
OrderComfy Chicken Biscuit, plus a side of the cheese grits.
TipMichelin-recommended diner that closes after lunch. Aim for 08:00 on weekends or expect a 60-minute wait.
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.
OrderBagel with smoked trout dip and the matzoh ball soup.
TipOrder a half-dozen bagels to take home; the everything bagel is what Atlanta's bagel critics measure other shops against.
So Kong Dong in Doraville, Atlanta's Buford Highway corridor, runs Korean comfort food: soondubu (silken tofu stew) at clay-pot temperature.
OrderThe soondubu jjigae with seafood or beef. Order an egg on the side; crack it into the bubbling stew.
TipLunch is busy with H Mart shoppers; dinner is quieter. Cash and card; family-friendly with high chairs.
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.
OrderThe Bocado Stack Burger.
TipReservations on Resy. Closed Sundays. Patio sits on Howell Mill.
Home Grown on Memorial Drive in Reynoldstown, Atlanta runs a Southern diner with the cult Comfy Chicken Biscuit and country-fried steak since 2011.
OrderThe Comfy Chicken Biscuit (fried chicken on a biscuit with sausage gravy).
TipNo reservations; the line builds by 09:30 weekends. Cash and card.
Indaco in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta opened 2023 just above the Eastside BeltLine trail with wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, hand-rolled pasta and antipasti.
OrderA wood-fired pie, focaccia with honey butter and the bucatini.
TipPatio runs 45 seats with a built-in bocce court. Reservations on OpenTable; the bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
SweetWater Brewing in Atlanta opened 1997 as the city's first major craft brewery. Located in Armour. At 195 Ottley Dr NE. Booking recommended.
TipLive music on weekends. Brewery tours run Saturday afternoons; food trucks rotate on the patio.
Monday Night Brewing in West Midtown, Atlanta opened 2011 with a tap list rotating IPAs and a barrel-aged stout programme. At 670 Trabert Ave NW.
TipThe Garage on Lee Street runs sours and rare bottles; the Trabert location is the casual taproom. Both have food trucks on weekends.
Round Trip Brewing in Underwood Hills, Atlanta opened 2021 with a German-style focus: pilsners, weissbier and untypical lagers. Located in West Midtown.
TipSunday afternoons run the food trucks on the patio. Beer garden seating is dog-friendly; growler fills for retail.
Reuben's Deli in downtown Atlanta has run a lunch-only Reuben counter inside the Muse's Building for 20 years: yell your order, no dinner, eight tables.
OrderThe Eastsider on rye with a side of half-sour pickle.
TipClosed Sunday. Yell your sandwich order from the doorway, then grab one of the eight tables before the courthouse rush hits at 12:30.
Delilah's Everyday Soul inside Atlanta's Chattahoochee Food Works hall serves the Oprah-praised seven-cheese mac, fried chicken and collards from a counter.
OrderSeven-cheese mac and cheese plus a side of collards.
TipPick up the seven-cheese mac and a side of collards, then take the order to the Westside Beltline benches across the parking lot.
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