Fill up on brisket, coleslaw, collard greens, and crinkle cut fries from Atlanta’s Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q. Nicholas Widener for Insider I moved to Atlanta several years ago and have eaten at many of the city’s historic and new restaurants.
Whether you’re looking for BBQ or pad thai, these top 13 restaurants are worth a reservation. Visit Insider’s hub for travel guides, tips, and recommendations. Some cities are known for distinct types of cuisine, such as Cajun and Creole in New Orleans or red-sauce Italian in New York.
I’ve heard naysayers argue that Atlanta’s food doesn’t have a clear identity, that many of our offerings originated elsewhere or are ubiquitous in the South. But I’d argue that’s not necessarily a bad thing. To me, the food of Atlanta is indicative of the ever-expanding melting pot of the city — limitless and unbounded.
The chefs and makers of Atlanta combine the wealth of their global backgrounds and experiences with local resources to create a rich culinary tradition that’s founded less on signature dishes and more on innovation, evolution, and adaptation. In a city so diverse, made up increasingly of folks originally from elsewhere, the repertoire and variety of food continues to grow. From massive food halls that serve as incubators and outposts to historic icons, farm-to-table fine dining, and Buford Highway’s miles of Asian and Latin cuisines, there’s little you can’t find to satisfy in the A.
Here are some of my favorite spots that prove just that. Central Food Hall at Ponce City MarketPonce City Market has 39 different food stands serving a variety of cuisines. Nicholas Widener for InsiderFood-hall hopping in Atlanta is an vacation itinerary by itself.
My go-to for guests is the Central Food Hall in Ponce City Market. Its midtown location makes it a great spot for a lunchtime break, and it features 39 eateries across two floors, plus a rooftop with an admission fee. It’s the only place you can get the oft-awarded cocktails from Biltong Bar now that its Buckhead location has closed, and I can’t resist grabbing a few pieces of Hop’s Chicken or a Cubano from chef Hector Santiago’s El Super Pan.
From the food hall’s bakeries to ramen stations, fine dining to trendy bars, it’s impossible to leave hungry. Paschal’sWhile Paschal’s is famous for its fried-chicken recipe, the original location of this soul-food restaurant — just around the corner from its current industrial-cool building in the Castleberry Hill arts district — was even better known as a meeting place for civil-rights activists in the 1960s and ’70s, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The owners, Robert and James Paschal, also bailed out and fed Black college students arrested for civil disobedience in the 1960s, making them legends beyond their cooking. Go for comfort-food favorites like fried catfish, mac and cheese, collard greens, and peach cobbler. You’ll be able to taste the history behind them, surrounded by black-and-white photos of the civil-rights movement.
If you flew in and ran out of time to secure a reservation during your visit, don’t fret too hard: There are a few outposts in Hartsfield-Jackson Airport for a last chance to eat at this still family-operated legend. Not bad for what started as a 30-seat luncheonette serving food cooked at the brothers’ home and brought in by taxi. Busy Bee CafeMartin Luther King Jr.
was known to eat at the historic Busy Bee Cafe. Nicholas Widener for InsiderFounded by Lucy Jackson in 1947 and then sold to outside buyers, this cafe is was revitalized in the 1980s by Tracey Gates, who made it her mission to bring back the original menu standards. This historic restaurant in downtown Atlanta was recently dubbed a James Beard Classic.
It was another favorite of the man whose name now graces the street the cafe is on: Martin Luther King Jr. His go-to order — one that plenty of current Atlantans share — was the ham hocks. Today its most popular dishes include the smothered pork chops, cornbread dressing, baked chicken, black-eyed peas, and collard greens.
At the top of the list, though, is the fried chicken, a recent addition that’s Gates’ grandmother’s recipe. Fox Bros. Bar-B-QFox Bros.
Bar-B-Q serves Texas-style brisket with a medley of sides. Nicholas Widener for InsiderOwned by two brothers, this barbecue joint in Candler Park opened in 2007 and quickly became a city legend that now has two other locations. Get there early to order generously, as “sold out” means sold out.
I go to town on the ribs but have been known to steal bites of the Texas-style brisket and smoked chicken from friends. I’m equally obsessed with the Fox-a-Roni, gooey mac and cheese topped with sweet Brunswick stew. The fried pickles and smothered tater tots are always great fun for the table, as is the novelty of the Frito pie, served in a little Fritos bag.
And get a double order of the Brussels sprouts, which are fried and tossed in a special barbecue vinaigrette with feta; there are few better ways to get your greens. Nan Thai Fine DiningNan Thai Fine Dining serves upscale dishes including lamb shank and fried lobster tail pad thai. Nicholas Widener for InsiderNan Thai Fine Dining, a family-owned-and-operated upscale Thai restaurant, is, in my opinion, one of Buckhead’s crown jewels.
Run by Nan Niyomkul, a Bangkok native and Manhattan restaurant veteran, the restaurant offers dramatic signature dishes such as whole red snapper, fried-lobster-tail pad thai, and lamb shank that have contributed to its 15-year streak as an AAA Four Diamond award winner. Don’t miss the chau muang rose-shaped dumplings — this surprisingly sweet and unique appetizer once reserved for Thai royalty wowed me. It’s dishes like these, impeccable service, and refined décor (even its bathrooms have won renown) that earned it a nod from the Thai royal government in the form of the Thai Select Signature certification.
BonesBones serves seafood as well as top cuts of steak. Nicholas Widener for InsiderZagat rated Bones the nation’s best steakhouse in 2019, and Atlantans have long named it the top choice for chops. But it’s not just the excellence of cuts like A4 Japanese wagyu, dry- and wet-aged steaks, and live lobsters flown in daily that have made it so beloved since 1979.
Expect thoughtful surprises like hot, fresh-baked loaves of bread, after-dinner mints, and bone-shaped shortbread cookies adorably labeled “for humans. ” Recently, I was delighted to find confetti at the table when I took my boyfriend there for his birthday, and even more so when the staff brought out a generous complimentary slice of Mile High Pie. Add in free valet parking and reasonable prices for a restaurant of this caliber, and you can tell why it’s one of my and many other Atlantans’ go-tos for celebrations.
Nikolai’s RoofIf you’re staying in the downtown hotel district and in search of a long, decadent experience, this restaurant on the 30th floor of the Hilton Atlanta is it. For over 40 years this stalwart has impressed with its French-Russian cuisine. Nikolai’s is undeniably posh, with caviar service and a collection of over 900 wines.
The menu is highly seasonal and creative, incorporating fish and game from the region and limited-time ingredients like pink-lady strawberries or ramps at their peak. I recommend checking out the signature house infused vodkas, which you can order by the flight to enjoy with your meal. BacchanaliaBacchanalia serves a pre-fixe menu with farm-to-table ingredients.
Nicholas Widener for InsiderIf you’re a foodie, you probably know about Bacchanalia, the farm-to-table restaurant run by chef-owners and James Beard Award winners Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison, with much of the entirely organic menu sourced from their nearby farm, Summerland. The location in Blandtown shares a space with their gourmet market and café, Star Provisions, and exudes industrial-meets-chic design with metal and stone accents lit by bare Edison bulbs. The $110 four-course prix fixe menu is nonnegotiable unless you sit at the bar.
Add seafood specialties or caviar service if you’re feeling extra fancy. Otherwise, expect New American with innovative takes like turbot with asparagus, chervil, and caviar; agnolotti with goat cheese, leek, sunchoke, and hazelnut; cheese selections such as Pierre Robert with truffle honey; and peach, ginger, and granola soufflé. CanoeCanoe serves brunch, lunch, and dinner, with unique ingredients like kangaroo.
Nicholas Widener for InsiderIn Atlanta’s bustling center, it can be easy to forget the city is set in a rolling forest with a curving river. Canoe reminds you of that fact, and it’s well worth the few minutes’ drive to visit this seasonal fine-dining restaurant’s waterfront location on the banks of the Chattahoochee. I find its well-manicured walkways and gardens romantic and the height of contemporary Southern gentility, but the food is so good, I often forget to look any farther than my plate.
The executive chef, Matthew Basford, keeps a selection of thoughtfully sourced primary ingredients, such as Bay of Fundy salmon, Springer Mountain chicken, and heritage pork chops, and frequently swaps out their preparation styles, flavor profiles, and accoutrements and sides. For instance, while there’s always kangaroo on the game-heavy menu, depending on the week, it could come with a cocoa-infused reduction with marinated beets or with mole queso and refried lentils. And don’t forget to save room for dessert — the popcorn ice-cream sundae with the housemade “Cracker Jack” is as tasty as it is photogenic, and the flat white, a nod to the chef’s Australian roots and to tiramisu, is one of my favorites.
Café AlsaceThis charming, extra-cozy restaurant has been offering authentic takes on Alsatian French cuisine since Benedicte Cooper opened it in 1997, just two years after she left her native France for the US. Reservations are available only for parties of four or more. Specialties include spaetzle with ham, onions, cream, and cheese; flammkuchen, an Alsatian take on pizza with similar ingredients; and the owner’s favorite chicken paté.
I also suggest trying the beef Wellington, which comes in a salmon version, for something you won’t easily find elsewhere. Double ZeroDouble Zero serves Neapolitan-style pizza and seasonal pasta dishes. Double ZeroIn university-adjacent Emory Village, it’s hard to get a better deal than Double Zero on a Thursday.
That’s pasta night, where a few Thursday-only housemade fresh pastas and rotating seasonal options are available for just $15 a bowl. The rapini e salsiccia — with sausage, broccolini, lemon-honey, and Calabrian chili — is so good that the last time I was there our group kept ordering rounds until the kitchen closed. As fantastic as the fresh pasta is, Double Zero is best known for its blistered Neapolitan-style pizza with old-world pliant crust.
Interestingly, it’s served with a pair of scissors for cutting. The imported oven is visible from the dining room, in case there was any doubt that the pizza is the real deal. Owned by the same folks responsible for Atlanta’s celebrated Cooks & Soldiers and The Iberian Pig, it’s not surprising they go the whole nine yards.
Northern China EateryNorthern China Eatery serves hand-wrapped dumplings with fillings beef with carrot and pork with fennel. Nicholas Widener for InsiderFor fresh dumplings, it’s hard to beat this basement restaurant on Buford Highway. It stands out on the 8-mile stretch of over 100 international restaurants — I think that’s really saying something.
This little restaurant’s big menu offers all-day Chinese breakfast (not to be confused with dim sum, which is Cantonese). Its focus, though, is on traditional dishes from northern China, including Beijing, as well as by-popular-request specialties from other regions, like Shanghai’s lion’s head meatballs and XLB soup dumplings. Jiaozi dumplings are beloved in northern China, and that’s clearly reflected in this cozy sit-down space.
Every time I’ve been, I’ve been treated with a show as the dumplings are deftly wrapped by hand. The classic pork with chive and shrimp is a must. The chicken with corn, the beef and carrot, or the pork with fennel are also good — but if you can’t choose one, order the mix plate with your choice of three, boiled or fried together and served plain.
Pho Hoang LongPho Hoang Long serves pho, vermicelli bowls, rice dishes, and more. Nicholas Widener for InsiderAtlanta is blessed with a sizable Vietnamese population, and this gem is the best place to enjoy this type of cuisine. Hidden in a low-key international strip mall in suburban Marietta, the family-owned-and-operated restaurant is well spaced out.
Sit-down service is available only until late afternoon, and menus are QR-code only. But the portions are generous, the selection is wide, the prices are low, and the flavors are huge. The pho is cooked slow, and the bun is big and refreshing.
Of the signature broken-rice dishes, I always opt for the Chicken Melody, which is incredibly juicy and intensely flavored. My other insider tip is not to be too shy to order Thai here. The recipes were inherited from a Thai family friend who gave the Vietnamese owners their trade secrets when they closed up their own shop.
As if it weren’t hard enough already to narrow down the choices!Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/best-restaurants-where-to-eat-in-atlanta-georgia
