Atlanta Travel Guide
What to Eat in Atlanta
What to eat in Atlanta and where to find it — Southern classics, the international corridor of Buford Highway, the BeltLine food halls and the city's homegrown favorites.
Atlanta is one of the great eating cities of the South, and it has been getting better for years. It has deep roots in Southern and soul cooking, a vast immigrant food scene along its suburban corridors, a generation of ambitious chefs that brought the Michelin Guide to the city in 2023, and a set of homegrown institutions — from Coca-Cola to Chick-fil-A to Waffle House — that the whole country knows. The challenge is that the best food is scattered across neighborhoods. Here is how to eat well on a short visit. Restaurants change often, so check current hours before you go.
Southern and soul food first. Start with the classics. Mary Mac's Tea Room on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown has served fried chicken, vegetables and cornbread since the 1940s, and it remains the most famous place in the city for a traditional Southern meal — order the pot likker and cornbread and expect friendly ceremony. On the west side, long-running soul food restaurants serve fried chicken, smothered pork chops, collard greens, macaroni and cheese and peach cobbler to lines of regulars; ask locals for their current favorite. The meat-and-three format — a protein with three vegetable sides — is everywhere, and the vegetables, many of them cooked with pork, are the point. Leave room for peach cobbler and banana pudding.
The Varsity and other institutions. The Varsity, near Georgia Tech on North Avenue, has been serving chili dogs, onion rings and frosted orange drinks since 1928, with counter staff shouting What'll ya have? at the crowds; it is less about the food than the experience. Waffle House was founded in 1955 in Avondale Estates, just east of Atlanta, and its yellow signs are a regional landmark — a late-night waffle and hashbrowns scattered, smothered and covered is a rite of passage. Chick-fil-A was born in the Atlanta suburbs, and the College Football Hall of Fame carries its name. And Coca-Cola, of course, is the drink of the city; the World of Coca-Cola's tasting room is the place to try it in a hundred variations.
Lemon pepper wings. Atlanta's signature bar food is the lemon pepper wing, often ordered wet, meaning tossed in butter or sauce after the dry seasoning. The city's wing spots, many of them small takeout joints, are fiercely debated, and the dish has become a point of civic pride celebrated in hip-hop and on television. Order a mix of lemon pepper and hot, and do as the locals do.
Buford Highway: the world on one road. North-east of the city, Buford Highway is a long, unglamorous suburban corridor lined with strip malls, and it is one of the best places to eat in the South. Waves of immigrants from Mexico, Central America, Vietnam, China, Korea and many other countries opened restaurants, bakeries and markets here, and the result is an extraordinary concentration of authentic, inexpensive food: Vietnamese pho and banh mi, Sichuan and Cantonese cooking, Korean barbecue and fried chicken, Mexican tacos and tortas, Salvadoran pupusas and much more. Go with a group, order widely, and plan to hop between several places; a car or rideshare is essential, as distances are long and sidewalks are poor. Guided food tours of the corridor are a good option for first-timers.
Food halls on the BeltLine. For variety in one place, Ponce City Market's Central Food Hall is the easiest choice, with dozens of counters selling everything from Southern comfort food to ramen, tacos, burgers and ice cream, and patios facing the BeltLine. Krog Street Market, near the south end of the Eastside Trail in Inman Park, is a smaller, more relaxed food hall in an old industrial building. Downtown, the former CNN Center has reopened as The Center with a new food hall and a large central bar. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market near the King historic district is a historic municipal market with food stalls among the produce and butcher counters.
Fine dining. Atlanta's top restaurants cluster in Buckhead, Midtown, the Westside and the eastside neighborhoods. Atlas, in the St. Regis in Buckhead, holds a Michelin star; Tiny Lou's in Hotel Clermont is Michelin-recommended; and the Michelin Guide's Atlanta selection is the best starting point for a special-occasion meal. Book well ahead for weekends, and look at the Westside Provisions District and Inman Park for clusters of highly regarded independent restaurants.
Drinks. Atlanta is a rooftop city, and the best ones — The Roof at Ponce City Market, the Clermont rooftop, the High Note at the Moxy in Midtown and the bars of Midtown's towers — are the place for sunset. The city also has a strong craft beer scene, with breweries in the Westside and along the BeltLine.
Practical tips. Weekend brunch is a serious institution in Atlanta and lines can be long; book or arrive early. Many neighborhood restaurants are closed one or two days a week, typically early in the week, so check before you go. Tip as you would elsewhere in the United States. And go hungry: Southern portions are generous, and the best way to eat in Atlanta is to try a little of everything.