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 through three ownership changes.
Signature dishes: Fried chicken, Pot likker and cornbread, Peach cobbler
Must order: Pot likker with a side of cornbread, then fried chicken with three sides.
Tip: Order the pot likker as a starter; it comes free with cornbread. No reservations Monday through Thursday lunch; OpenTable for dinner and weekends.
Address: 224 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
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 campuses.
Signature: Fried chicken, Oxtails, Collard greens
Order: Fried chicken with two sides; the oxtails on lunch special when available.
Tip: Cash and card. Lunch and early dinner only Tuesday to Sunday; line forms before noon weekends.
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 and Mondays.
Signature: Braised short rib, Tasting menu
Order: The slow-braised short rib; the chef's tasting on Friday and Saturday.
Tip: Reservations on OpenTable; the lounge bar takes walk-ins with the full menu.
Hugo's Oyster Bar in Roswell, north of Atlanta, runs a daily oyster selection, raw bar plates and Gulf-leaning seafood in a converted converted historic Roswell building.
Signature: Oysters, Crab cakes, Lobster roll
Order: A dozen oysters across the daily selection plus the crab cakes.
Tip: Happy hour 16:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Friday runs half-price oysters; reservations on OpenTable for dinner.
Chef Linton Hopkins' Peachtree Road room in Buckhead, Atlanta opened 2004 and runs a refined Southern tasting menu with farm-driven cooking. James Beard Best Chef Southeast 2012.
Signature: Tasting menu, Heirloom grains
Order: The seasonal tasting menu with the Anne Quatrano grain pairings.
Tip: Reservations on Resy. Holeman and Finch Public House, next door, is the casual sibling; their burger is the cult spillover.
Ford Fry's West Midtown steakhouse in Atlanta opened 2017 and is a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick. Pre-war Paris referenced in the room, dry-aged beef on the menu.
Signature: Dry-aged steaks, Pommes Anna
Order: The dry-aged ribeye, pommes Anna and a Martini.
Tip: The lounge takes walk-ins with the full menu. Reservations on Resy; weekend bookings fill ten days out.
Yet Tuh on Old Chamblee Tucker Road in Doraville, Atlanta is the corridor's canonical Korean barbecue room since 2008, with charcoal-grill tabletop service and twelve banchan.
Signature: Charcoal-grill galbi, Banchan spread, Soondubu jjigae
Order: Galbi (marinated short rib) cooked at the table, with the full banchan service.
Tip: Reservations recommended on weekends. The charcoal-grill (sutpul) is the upgrade over gas tables; ask at booking.
