Atlanta Guide: Spring 2024

Updated: April 2024

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⭐️ = New addition

Table of Contents

Other Excellent Atlanta Resources

☕️ The Atlanta Coffee Shops Blog

🍜 125 things to Eat on Buford Highway

🗞️ Rough Draft Atlanta

⭐️ The Reading Room

Little Tart Bakeshop

⭐️ Peoples Town Coffee Bar

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

⭐️ Mezcla

Le Bon Nosh

East Pole Coffee

The Chastain

Brash Coffee

Larakin

Momo Cafe

⭐️ Daydreamer Coffee

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

Spiller Park Coffee

Con Leche

Daily Dose

PERC Coffee

Kinship + Academy Coffee

• Small in footprint but large in ambition, Academy Coffee sources some of the best beans in the country from an always-changing mix of roasters inside Virginia Highland’s Kinship Butcher & Sundry.
• Website

Kinship Brings a Butchery and Marketplace Combined With a Cafe to Virginia-Highland

Kinship, a combination butcher shop, marketplace, and cafe, opens this fall in the VA-HI building in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. According to the press release, Kinship will also feature a cheese and wine shop and to-go meal boxes.

atlanta.eater.com

PERC Coffee

Radio Roasters

⭐️ Elsewhere Brewing

Inner Voice Brewing

Three Taverns Imaginarium

Sceptre Brewing Arts

Halfway Crooks Beer

Monday Night Brewing

Wild Heaven Beer (Lee + White)

⭐️ 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.

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.

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.

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.

Bon Ton – Bon Ton elegantly blends Vietnamese and Creole influences into one of the vibiest and most energetic bars in the city.

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

Argosy – Argosy opened in the heart of East Atlanta Village over ten years ago and remains the city’s best gastropub.

Banshee – There are many reasons to venture over to East Atlanta Village. Banshee is arguably the most compelling.

Hotel Clermont Rooftop – Undeniably one of the best places in town to drink. The line gets long on the weekend so try to go earlier than later or be prepared to wait. In that case, just grab a seat at the Lobby bar.

Brick Store Pub – Brick Store Pub has featured arguably the best beer selection in Atlanta since opening on the Decatur Square in 1997. Brick Store Pub offers 30 beers on draft as well as a beer cellar featuring over 800 bottles.

Little Spirit – Small craft cocktail den in the heart of Inman Quarter.

Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium – No night out on Edgewood is complete without a visit to Church.

Kimball House – Decatur has an unfair number of cool watering holes and restaurants per capita. Kimball House just rubs salt in the wounds of those who can't call themselves Decatur residents.

Joystick Gamebar – Joystick describes itself as ‘a nerdy dive bar with classic arcade games, tabletop gaming and booze aplenty’ and that is exactly what it is.

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

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.

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

⭐️ 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.

⭐️ 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.

⭐️ 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.’

⭐️ 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.

⭐ 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.

Pollo Primo – Pollo Primo is a gem of a spot just south of East Atlanta Village serving Sinaloan-style chicken. Be sure to arrive well before closing time as they often sell out 45 mins before closing.

BoccaLupo – Atlanta has plenty of incredible options for pasta. BoccaLupo – specifically the squid ink pasta – might just be the best.

• Neighborhood: Inman Park

Yeppa & Co – Yeppa & Co replaced the high profile Buckhead Village space formerly occupied by Biltong Bar last year. Yeppa is the latest offering from the talented team behind other Buckhead Italian staples such as Storico Fresco and the now-shuttered-but-soon-to-be-replaced Storico Vino. The restaurant combines a Formula One themed bar with dishes inspired by the Italian city of Rimini in the heart of the Emilia-Romagn region.

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.

Gigi’s Italian Kitchen – While the entire city mourns the end of Candler Park’s beloved Gato, we can breath a slight breath of fresh air that the space has really just transformed into Gigi’s Italian Kitchen. Gigi’s, which had been popping up at Gato for a year before moving into the space, plans to continue the tradition of hosting pop-ups and other events that cultivate Atlanta’s unique dining scene.

Grindhouse Killer Burgers – Atlanta is fortunate enough to have a few different local burger chains. Grindhouse is, without a doubt, the best one.

Banshee – Mentioned above but need to mention again because their food is truly top notch. Also be sure to check out Screamin' Weenies on the Banshee patio (Friday & Saturday 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM)

Gaja Korean Bar – Gaja is a speakeasy-style Korean spot in an unassuming East Atlanta Village back alley.

The Optimist – Considered 'Atlanta's most essential seafood restaurant' for good reason

Evergreen Butcher and Baker – For most of the week, Evergreen operates as a chic yet unassuming neighborhood butcher shop and bakery adjacent to the Kirkwood police station. However, at 1:00 PM on Sundays, the small storefront transforms into the city’s best burger counter.

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.

Talat Market – I will eat anything Parnass Savang puts in front of me. No questions asked.

Glide Pizza – Glide makes the best pizza slice in town

Victory Sandwich Bar – Quickly becoming an Atlanta institution for late night eats and drink– and now ping pong is back! I'm a regular at the Inman Park location, but the Decatur location is arguably cooler with S.O.S Tiki Bar sharing a wall.

Staplehouse – Staplehouse is, hands-down, my favorite third space in Atlanta. It’s a place I find myself at time and time again purely because it is designed in a way that makes me feel like I’m hanging out in the backyard of a Brooklyn brownstone (it doesn’t help that the food is excellent and the beer selection impressive). Staplehouse is only open Thursday – Sunday, but it really is a place that feels intended for a late-week happy hour or hours-long weekend hangout. I adore Staplehouse and hope it sticks around for years.

El Tesoro – Literally translated to “the treasure”, El Tesoro really is a treasure tucked inside Atlanta’s Edgewood neighborhood. Come for the authentic Mexican food and stay for the 7,000 square foot patio.

a mano – Handmade pasta and other Italian dishes served in a quaint and cozy cottage. I highly recommend coming here for lunch as well.

Barcelona Wine Bar – I know it's not a local spot, but Barcelona is still one of the best spots in town for group dining, a spontaneous date night, or a solo night at the bar. If weekday drink deals are your thing, it’s hard to beat their half-price wine on Mondays.

Octopus Bar – 'The intersection between a local eatery and punk rock fine dining.' Open 10:30 PM - 2:30 AM Tuesday-Saturday in East Atlanta Village, Octopus Bar is Atlanta’s coolest restaurant.

Little's Food Store – I am a massive fan of independent grocers and believe they are essential to city life, and not only is Little's just that, but they also cook up some of the best burgers in town. This place takes "no-frills" to the next level – but that's because Little's is here to serve Cabbagetown with groceries, beer, and burgers and nothing more.

Ponce City Market – Retail, restaurants, office space, housing, and more all under the roof of the South's largest brick building. Happy 10 year anniversary to this piece.

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.

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.