Atlanta: Great Food in a Great City

The secret is out! Atlanta is a great city for people who like to eat … or like to explore. When I first moved to Atlanta, people told me, “Atlanta is a nice place to visit, but a great place to live.” They were right. Atlanta is full of great, unique neighborhoods with wonderful restaurants and shops. The food of Atlanta is not only innovative and exciting, but also significantly less expensive than in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco. This article serves only as an “appetizer” of all the exclusive dining experiences that Atlanta has to offer.

In Midtown Atlanta, one should try Empire State South for a southern dining experience, the Flying Biscuit for great breakfasts, Zocolo for Mexican food, The Lawrence for great cocktails and a lively atmosphere; the Vortex Bar and Grill for burgers (beef and nonbeef) and beer; Tabla for sophisticated Indian food; and Ecco for innovative southern cooking.

The “West Side” is a lively and up-and-coming area of Atlanta that is home to some exciting restaurants. There is a range of amazing places to eat! Bacchanalia leads the list and is probably the best restaurant in Atlanta with an innovative pre fix menu, Miller Union serves interesting food in a casual atmosphere, Bone Lick BBQ serves good southern BBQ in a casual atmosphere, while Cooks & Soldiers serves intriguing Spanish-inspired food. Le Fat is an interesting Vietnamese restaurant, Yeah! Burger is a wonderful burger place that uses farm-to-table ingredients. The Optimist is a great seafood restaurant, and Antico Pizza is the best pizza place in town; it is first-come, first-serve casual dining.

Buckhead and Vinings are where many of the “truly rich” (not me) people in Atlanta live, and this area is home to some wonderful “spurgle” restaurants: Canoe in Vinings is a beautiful, romantic restaurant with great food situated on the Chattahoochee river, Kyma is a great Greek and seafood restaurant in Buckhead, the Buckhead Diner is a retro space serving upscale American fare, Holeman & Finch is a wonderful gastropub, Aria is an elegant fine dining experience, as is Atlas in the St. Regis Hotel. Restaurant Eugene is another amazing, fine dining experience, King and Duke features innovative wood-fired food, and Umi has tremendous sushi. One cannot talk about Buckhead dining without mentioning Bones and Chops —these are two of the finest steak places in Atlanta. Don’t miss St. Cecilia for seafood!

There are so many great restaurants and wonderful neighborhoods in Atlanta that we could devote this entire issue of Psychiatric News to nothing else, but I do want to list a few other unique dining experiences. Restaurants not to miss include 4th & Swift in the old 4th Ward, any of Kevin Rathbun’s restaurants in the city, any of Ford Fry’s restaurants, Soto Soto (my favorite Italian restaurant) and Fritti (the sister restaurant) for great pizza, and Wisteria, a charming southern restaurant. However, true culinary experiences unique to Atlanta are the “market” spaces that include many outstanding food stalls/small restaurants. The Sweet Auburn Market gives one a feel for a true Atlanta experience and is a great place for lunch, while the Krog Street Market is one of the two epicenters of exciting casual dining in Atlanta, the other being the newly opened Ponce City Market. Both of these newer dining experiences are home to a series of unique and interesting food stalls and restaurants and are well worth the trip!

One last thought: if you are adventurous and have a car, Buford Highway is home to a wonderful amalgamation of small international restaurants that serve authentic Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Mexican, Salvadoran, Korean, and Ethiopian dishes.

I hope you enjoy our great city, but bring your workout clothes! ■