Long recognized for traditional Southern cooking and comfort food, Atlanta is also becoming known for the wide variety of fine restaurants, neighborhood joints and ethnic eateries located throughout the city. For oh-so-Southern dishes like deep fried chicken and sweet fried corn, try Mary Mac's Tea Room, where you'll share the dining room with locals who've been eating there since 1945. The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead or Bacchanalia's four-course meals offer dining that is truly world-class. For a romantic evening, book dinner in The Abbey, a restored 1915 church; Anthony's, a 1797 antebellum plantation set in the city confines; or Canoe, situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River.
To view the city skyline while savoring a meal, enjoy roof-top dining at the Sun Dial at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, Nikolai's Roof at the Atlanta Hilton or the Hyatt Regency's Polaris Room. If it's foreign fare you're after, sample Moroccan food at Imperial Fez; upscale Italian at the long-established La Grotta, located in the bottom of a Buckhead apartment building; or Tamarind for Thai cuisine. Fogo de Chao is the city's first Brazilian churrascaria; Kyma offers up the flavors of Greece; and a chanteuse sings with your supper at South of France.
To spot local celebrities, try the Buckhead Diner, but to see Hollywood stars you'll have to shell out the bucks at BluePointe. For a little out-of-the-ordinary ambience, check out 57th Fighter Group, a WWI-style restaurant next to Peachtree-DeKalb Airport; Café Tu Tu Tango, set in an artist's loft; or Agatha's A Taste of Mystery, where diners take part in a murder mystery during dinner.
Whether you're in the mood for an exquisite dinner or a dose of local culture, you can find your flavor in Atlanta's culinary scene. But those who know the city best direct visitors to The Varsity, the world's largest drive-in and, since 1928, the place with the best chilidogs and onion rings around.
The following brief list includes addresses and phone numbers for the restaurants we've mentioned as well as some of Atlanta's other well-known eating establishments. Be sure to call ahead to check times, make reservations where needed and confirm prices.
57th Fighter Group
Watch the planes take off as you dine in this nostalgic WWI setting next to Peachtree-DeKalb Airport.
3829 Clairmont Rd. (Decatur)
770/457-7277
The Abbey
The “monks” serve dinner in this restored 1915 church, and there's harp music, too.
163 Ponce de Leon Ave.
404/876-8532
Agatha's A Taste of Mystery
Decide who done it at this fun and funky mystery dinner theater.
693 Peachtree St.
404/875-1610
Anis
French bistro in a cozy house
2974 Grandview Ave.
404/233-9889
Anthony's
Surf and turf, souffles and flambes in an antebellum mansion
3109 Piedmont Rd.
404/262-7379
Aria
Contemporary American cuisine in an all-white room
490 E. Paces Ferry Rd.
404/233-7673
Atlanta Fish Market
Fresh fish and lots of choices. You'll know it by the giant copper fish outside.
264 Pharr Rd.
404/262-3165
Bacchanalia
Real gourmet in a renovated meat-packing plant
1198 Howell Mill Rd.
404/365-0410
BluePointe
The hottest place to see and be seen
3455 Peachtree Rd.
404/237-9070
Bone's
Charbroiled steaks and cheesy grits fritters
3130 Piedmont Rd.
404/237-2663
Buckhead Diner
Good food, good service and people-watching galore at this upscale diner
3073 Piedmont Rd.
404/262-3336
Canoe
A continental menu and a gorgeous setting on the Chattahoochee River
4199 Paces Ferry Rd. (Vinings)
770/432-2663
Cheesecake Factory
More than 50 different cheesecakes and desserts. Dinner menu, too.
3024 Peachtree Rd.
404/816-2555
Chops
Prime steaks and fine wines in Buckhead
70 W. Paces Ferry Rd.
404/262-2675
City Grill
Varied menu in an elegant setting
50 Hurt Plaza
404/524-2489
Dante's Down the Hatch
A longtime tourist favorite with fondue, a boat and a moat
3380 Peachtree Rd.
404/266-1600
The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead
A memorable dining experience at this top-rated restaurant
3434 Peachtree Rd.
404/240-7035
ESPN Zone
Popular, noisy, crowded sports bar
3030 Peachtree Rd.
404/682-3776
Fogo de Chao
Skewers of meat are sliced to order and never quit coming at this Brazilian churrascaria.
3101 Piedmont Rd.
404/255-7277
Imperial Fez
Five courses of Moroccan, Moroccan and more Moroccan, complete with belly dancers
2288 Peachtree Rd.
404/351-0870
Kyma
The flavors of Greece at your table
3085 Piedmont Rd.
404/262-0702
La Grotta
Upscale Italian in the bottom of a Buckhead apartment building
2637 Peachtree Rd.
404/231-1368
Mary Mac's Tea Room
Old-fashioned, Southern cooking in big rooms with formica tables
224 Ponce de Leon Ave.
404/876-1800
Nava
Southwest dining and multi-level decor to match
3060 Peachtree Rd.
404/240-1984
Nikolai's Roof at the Atlanta Hilton
French and Russian specialties with a great view
255 Courtland St.
404/221-6362
Pano's and Paul's
A super lounge and famous fried lobster tails
1232 W. Paces Ferry Rd.
404/261-3662
The Polaris Room at the Hyatt Regency
A room with a view atop the hotel
265 Peachtree St.
404/577-1234
South of France
Authentic French country cuisine accompanied by a chanteuse
2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd. (Northeast)
404/766-9688
Sun Dial at the Westin Peachtree Plaza
Steaks and seafood in a revolving restaurant 72 stories up
210 Peachtree St.
404/589-7506
Tamarind
Sophisticated Thai in this Midtown hideaway
80 14th St.
404/873-4888
Three Dollar Cafe
Wings and beer, sports and more beer
3002 Peachtree Rd.
404/266-8667
The Varsity
Burgers and dogs, which locals request with pimiento cheese. They come “naked” (plain), “in the garden” (lettuce and tomato) or “walkin” (to go).
61 North Ave.
404/881-1706
The Vortex Bar and Grill
Pub food with BIG burgers
878 Peachtree Rd.
404/875-1667
Watershed
Once a service station, now a hip venue for regional cuisine
406 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. (Decatur)
404/378-4900
Woodfire Grill
A California wine country menu in Atlanta
1782 Cheshire Bridge Rd. (Northeast)
404/347-9055
