Atlanta Guide: Spring 2024

Updated: April 2024

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⭐️ = New addition

Table of Contents

• ☕️ Coffee
• 🍺 Breweries
• 🥃 Drinks and Cocktails
• 🥞 Breakfast/Brunch
• 🍴 Restaurants
• 🌞 Wholesome Things
• 🏨 🛏 Hotels and Accommodations
• 🎭 Event Spaces and Concert Venues
• 🏞 Hikes, Bikes, and Nature

Other Excellent Atlanta Resources

☕️ The Atlanta Coffee Shops Blog

🍜 125 things to Eat on Buford Highway

🗞️ Rough Draft Atlanta

• After shelving plans to open a cafe and pivoting to roasting and wholesale during the pandemic, Portrait Coffee has finally debuted its gorgeous shop inside the Lottie Watkins building in Atlanta’s historic West End. In addition to roasting and serving the public, Portrait also plans to use its new space to host education events and free cuppings.
• Atlanta Magazine: Portrait Coffee is building on a West End legacy

⭐️ The Reading Room

• The Reading Room, which debuted in the heart of Decatur back in late February, marks a celebratory return of coffee and gathering to 429 Church St, which formerly housed Java Monkey until its closure due to a fire more than five years ago. The Reading Room, similar to many other cafes that have debuted across town over the past few years, serves coffee in the morning before transitioning to wine and cocktails in the evening hours.
• Yelp Link

Peoples Town Coffee Co-Owners Alexandra Brigham, Zach Thoren and Andy Bibliowicz.

• I consider Inman Park as close to a perfect neighborhood as one can find in a city like Atlanta. It’s walkable, filled with history and culture, covered in greenspace, and central to just about every other in-town neighborhood. What the heart of Inman Park has long been missing, however; is a coffee shop that matches the energy and creative spirit of the neighborhood.
• Finally, in 2024 Harbor has debuted its permanent location, and by all accounts, the neighborhood has welcomed Harbor with nothing but open arms (and wallets).

• Bellwood Coffee teams up with the Victorian for a plant and coffee lover's paradise in the heart of East Atlanta Village
• Yelp Link

• Daily Chew opened in 2021 as an all-day cafe serving Atlanta-based Tanbrown Coffee and an expansive menu of rotisserie items, pita sandwiches, and bowls inspired by owner Julia Kesler Imerman’s South-African Jewish heritage.
• Daily Chew is open every day from 8:00 am - 3:00 PM.
• Yelp Link

⭐️ Stereo – Like so many, I was devastated when West Midtown’s Little Trouble shuttered late last year. However, for those of us who enjoyed the dark, futuristic, techno vibes of Little Trouble, the Victory team has recently launched Stereo ATL, a first-of-its-kind daytime coffee shop and evening listening bar in Inman Park (at least for Atlanta).

I have long been fascinated by the listening bar concept after experiencing a few in Brooklyn, and I’m thrilled that we finally have one of our own in Atlanta. Note that seating at Stereo is quite limited and the place fills up quickly on weekends.

⭐️ Burle’s Bar – Atlanta has long lacked a sufficient number of both true cocktail dens and plant shops, and so what’s smarter than combining the two? Nothing. Burle’s is a new cocktail bar tucked inside the Victorian’s new gorgeous flagship shop anchoring the 505 N Angier office project. In addition to serving some of the best cocktails in town, Burle’s also hosts live DJs and weekly Tuesday night live jazz music.

The best way to stay on top of all the happenings at Burle’s is by following them on Instagram.

⭐️ The Little Tart Bakeshop After Dark – The days of Octane Coffee (RIP) sharing a building with Little Tart in Grant Park literally feel like a lifetime ago at this point. For those craving some sweet nostalgia of simpler times, Little Tart, which now occupies the entirety of the former Octane space, has begun offering cocktail, wine, and bar snacks from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.

• Neighborhood: Grant Park

Whoopsies – Whoopsies opened last along Moreland Avenue as a beautiful yet unpretentious cocktail den and restaurant from a team affiliated with EAV’s Octopus Bar.

• Neighborhood: Reynoldstown

Mambo Zombi – Georgia Beer Garden may be no more, but its recently-debuted Day of the Dead themed upstairs cocktail den is still very much open for business. Expect an eclectic cocktail list that includes a variety of modern classics in addition to an assortment of NA options as well.

• Neighborhood: Edgewood Avenue/Sweet Auburn

Dad’s – Dad’s opened a few years back in the space formerly occupied by Diesel Filling Station in the heart of Virginia Highland. Unsurprisingly considering the ownership group’s other project (Little Spirit in Inman Park), Dad’s offers a design-driven cocktail experience combined with a menu of comfort foods like waffle fries, burgers, pizza, and sandwiches.

• Neighborhood: Virginia Highland

The Waiting Room – Now open above Bon Ton, The Waiting Room offers 1970s lounge vibes with live music and DJs on weekends.

• Neighborhood: Little Five Points

MJQ Concourse – When you pull up to MJQ for the first time, you’ll likely assume you’re in the wrong place. Don’t be fooled by the shack-looking exterior in the middle of a parking lot. MJQ is the type of night club that only Atlanta could pull off.

529 – An East Atlanta Village staple, 529 operates as both a dive bar and an intimate concert venue

• Neighborhood: East Atlanta Village

S.O.S Tiki Bar – S.O.S shares a wall with Victory Sandwich Bar’s Decatur location, but that is where the similarities end. With its unique tiki vibe and the largest rum selection in Georgia, S.O.S certainly makes the most of its small size.

• Neighborhood: Decatur

Colette is open 8:00 am - 1:00 PM Wednesday to Friday and 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Saturday and Sunday

⭐️ B-Side – I adore B-Side and almost always include it at the top of my list of best bagels in Atlanta.

⭐️ The Daily – Charleston’s the Daily opened in West Midtown in early 2022 to great fanfare, and each time I go back I’m reminded why. The team has also just opened its second Atlanta location inside the old Proof Bakery shop in Inman Park and now it’s third along Northside Pkwy in Buckhead

• Yelp Link

⭐️ Daily Chew – The Daily Chew is far more than a coffee shop, which is why it finally deserves its own section here. Julia Kesler Imerman and her staff serve some of the most delicious brunch and lunch food in the entire city inside a gorgeous and welcoming space tucked away an off-the-beaten Piedmont Heights street. I cannot more highly recommend a visit.

Candler Park Market – Candler Park Market is the closest thing Atlanta has to an NYC bodega. Expect everything from an all-day deli to a diverse selection of beer and wine and everything in between.

Home Grown – The definition of a no-frills Southern breakfast experience. There's a reason Home Grown has maintained a 4.5 star Yelp rating after 1600+ reviews.

• Yelp Link

⭐️ The Little Hippo – The team behind award-winning East Lake gastropub Poor Hendrix recently debuted The Little Hippo in the heart of Avondale Estates (a neighborhood I have been trying to spend a lot more time exploring of late). The Little Hippo offers a counter service model with ample seating under both a covered patio and an expansive backyard. The restaurant serves mostly hot and cold sandwiches as well as soups and salads and an assortment of wines, beers, and cocktails.

• Neighborhood: Avondale Estates

⭐️ Rwby – Occupying the same space and operated by the same team behind long-time Juniper Street staple The Lawrence comes Rwby, an all-day Modern American bar and restaurant that owners Darren Carr and Eric Simpkins call ‘mature and sophisticated, yet laidback and relaxed.’

• Neighborhood: Midtown

⭐️ La Semilla – As a meat eater lover, I am often skeptical of this new crop of trendy, plant-based restaurants often found as the anchor tenant of one of the countless boxy, bland apartment buildings found in our country’s most popular neighborhoods. Thankfully, La Semilla is absolutely not this.

As cliche as it sounds, the creativity and inventiveness by which La Semilla embeds an animal-free ethos into a cuisine as meat-heavy as Cuban truly does make La Semilla feel like a restaurant for everyone.

• Neighborhood: Reynoldstown

“A short sentence on the menu mentions the restaurant’s plant-based food, but your eyes may skip right over it to focus on delightful items such as queso, empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, and tamales.”

Christianne Lauterbach reviewing La Semilla in Atlanta Magazine

⭐ So So Fed – As one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in North America, Atlanta has no shortage of incredible Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese restaurants: many of which I chronicle in this very guide. Yet when it comes to the slightly less conventional Asian cuisines, you do have to look a little bit harder (especially inside the Perimeter). Thankfully, for the past few years, Atlanta has been graced with the presence of Laotian pop-up So So Fed (name cleverly inspired by Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def record label). I first discovered So So Fed when they popped up inside former Grant Park cafe Full Commission (RIP), but for the past year, So So Fed has found a more appropriate home inside East Atlanta Japanese okonomiyaki restaurant Ok Yaki (itself a former pop-up) on Sunday and Monday evenings.

• Neighborhood: East Atlanta

So So Fed reminds me a bit of Talat Market—equally as poised, original, and bound for success. I want to shout hooray for Laos, the “land of a million elephants” and terrific, funky cuisine. Christiane Lauterbach for Atlanta Magazine

Fishmonger – I don’t want to plagiarize from the Eater Atlanta article that I’ve linked below, but Fishmonger really is just what the Atlanta seafood scene needed. When I think of an Atlanta fish market, I’m immediately reminded of the drab Atlanta Fish Market on Pharr Road that I frequented as a kid. Fishmonger is not that, and that is very much a good thing.

• Neighborhood: Poncey Highland, Kirkwood, and West Midtown

Antico Pizza and Gio's Chicken – You can pretty much draw a straight line to connect Giovanni Di Palma’s opening of Antico in 2009 on what used to be a sleepy corner of Home Park to the kickstarting of Atlanta’s Great Pizza Awakening through the 2010s, ultimately making Atlanta one of the best pizza towns in America. And while I am certainly biased, I legitimately have yet to find better pizza anywhere in the world than right off Georgia Tech's campus.

• Neighborhood: West Midtown/Home Park

The Kimpton Sylvan Hotel – Buckhead has historically been home to the city’s collection of posh yet largely unremarkable hotels – the Grand Hyatt, the Intercontinental, and formerly the Ritz Carlton to name a few. Opened in 2021, the Kimpton Sylvan bring a breath of fresh air to Atlanta’s most famous neighborhood. The hotel boasts three bars and an incredible restaurant under an ‘unexpected oasis’ in the heart of Buckhead.

The Thompson Buckhead – Newly opened directly across the street from the Sylvan, the Hyatt-owned Thompson is sleek, modern, and gorgeous. Whereas the Sylvan occupies a former art-deco residential tower tucked behind some trees, the Thompson operates out of a fresh, gleaming glass structure that is impossible to miss. The hotel is also home to Todd Ginsberg’s Italian-American eatery Dirty Rascal.

Secluded Intown Treehouse – I’ve been a fairly vocal Airbnb critic online over the past few months for reasons that I think are legitimate and valid. That said, the platform does boast some incredible properties, one of which is the Intown Treehouse in south Buckhead. The treehouse offers three separate areas, each connected by rope-bridges. At the time of writing, the property is booked out for the next 14 months (!!!), so be sure to plan far ahead if you intend on booking.

The Hotel Clermont – Arguably the most famous hotel in the Southeast, the Hotel Clermont is a timeless Atlanta institution well-known by city residents and visitors of all ages. The hotel houses Atlanta’s oldest strip club, the Clermont Lounge as well as French bistro, Tiny Lou’s.

West Midtown

The Bellyard – If I were visiting Atlanta from out-of-town, I would stay at the Bellyard. West Midtown is indisputably home to the highest concentration of good restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops in Atlanta – nearly all of which are accessible on foot right outside the Bellyard.

Kimpton Shane Hotel – The newest addition to the Midtown hotel scene, the Kimpton Shane is centrally location in North Midtown adjacent to the High Museum.

The Eastern – The Eastern debuted inside the Atlanta Dairies development a few years back and has quickly become the city’s most dynamic and exciting space to catch shows, conferences, demo days, and other IRL events. With its proximity to Beltine-favorites Muchaho and Girl Diver along with fellow Dairies tenants Wonderkid, Cold Brew Bar, Three Taverns Imaginarium, and others, the Eastern has helped transform a former derelict wasteland into one of the city’s most electric neighborhoods.

Terminal West – 10+ years later, Terminal West remains the best mid-sized venue in Atlanta. I find that Terminal West often punches above its weight in terms of booking high-profile acts that could likely sell out larger rooms.

Aisle Five – There must be something in the air inside Aisle Five. I will always remember it as the room where I witnessed Big Thief open for both Yuck and Sunflower Bean on their 2016 inaugural tour in front of a crowd of ~75 people. It was just two years later when an up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Phoebe Bridgers performed for a sold out crowd of 330 at Aisle Five on her first headline tour.

Variety Playhouse – After receiving a desperately needed renovation a couple of years ago, Variety Playhouse once again became one of the most desirable places to see a show. Catching a show at Variety is also the best excuse to grab dinner and drinks at L5P staples Porter Beer Bar or Wrecking Bar Brewpub.

It’s no wonder Atlanta has been termed the “city in the forest.” Atlanta’s iconic skyline surrounded by giant trees and rolling hills for miles gives the city a very different look from many other major cities. Some only a few minutes away, some a few hours, but spectacular hikes and nature fills Atlanta and the surrounding cities with a great outdoor escape from the urban life.

Sweetwater Creek State Park:

One of the best hidden oases the city has to offer. Only 15 miles west of Downtown lies a peaceful river to escape for a picnic or a bit of just walking along the water for a few hours. Unfortunately, there is no beach area and swimming isn’t allowed, but there are 15 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, and playgrounds, and, during warmer months, the park rents fishing boats, kayaks, paddle boards, and more.

Blood Mountain:

If you want to go a bit further past Vogel, Blood Mountain is the highest peak on Georgia’s portion of the Appalachian Trail and probably my personal favorite hike in the state. It is truly one of Georgia’s top mountain hikes, with epic mountain views at the top of a short but steep hike up. Pack a lunch, water, and take the Byron Reece Trail (5 miles roundtrip) for one of the most gorgeous views in the state.

Panther Creek Falls:

If you’re looking for some waterfalls close to Atlanta, Panther Creek is the place. Only an hour and a half drive out of the city, this hike is the perfect summertime spot to chill and soak up some seriously beautiful North Georgia beauty. And the 7-mile trail is covered with campsites along the way, making it one of North Georgia’s most popular backpacking trips. If you’re looking for a great day trip, pack some snacks and a bathing suit and hike through the beautiful Chattahoochee Forest to get to one of my personal favorite waterfall hikes.