10 Atlanta Restaurants That Will Make You Want to Move into Their Kitchen

Atlanta is famous for opulent Southern cuisine and indulgent seafood. While many of these things tend to make it onto the plate in Atlanta, they’re far from the only food served in this great city. Atlantans know how to eat, and that goes for recognizing amazing food in all its forms. If you’re considering what Atlanta brings to the table (pun intended), consider these 10 restaurants that will make you want to skip house-hunting and settle down right in their kitchens.

1. Taqueria Del Sol 

These restaurants are scattered around the city, which prompts many newcomers to write them off as a trendy chain location. While they are trendy and there are multiple locations, it’s much harder to ignore the long lines they boast across the board. Why all the hype? Taqueria Del Sol has amazing Mexican food coupled with fantastic, not classically Mexican specials. You can load up for a fixed price and enjoy yourself all over the city.

2. Cakes & Ale 

Don’t let the name fool you: this isn’t a pub! You can get creative fusion plates here year around, but the menu rotates to reflect what’s in season. There is a connected bakery for your dessert needs, however. With surprising touches to some of these dishes (which range from whole roasted fish to a light medley of seasonal, locally grown vegetables) you can always count on flavor coming to the party.

3. The Optimist 

The glass is always half full at a restaurant that specializes in craft cocktails. It would be equally true to say the world is your oyster: in fact, they have an extensive oyster bar to back it up! When you’re looking for a place to indulge in classic coastal Southern seafood, this is the place to go.

4. Restaurant Eugene 

If you want a deliciously high class introduction to farm-to-table eating, this is the restaurant to go to. Classically Southern, award winning, and featuring a menu that changes daily, this is the place to go for the height of succulent seasonable food. They offer a 5 course menu for $85, but you can also order a la carte if you don’t want to go all out for the huge meal.

5. Bacchanalia 

$85 is something of a going rate in Atlanta, because this restaurant also offers a 5 course, pre-fixed menu for that price. This award winning restaurant is set in a trendy location, but only seats 90; reservations are best gotten early if you want to eat in this refined and gorgeous restaurant. Some of the food even comes from the chefs’ farm, so you know that you’re getting the highest quality ingredients for the price.

6. Marcel

This restaurant has a beef Wellington so good you have to give the restaurant 24 hours’ notice to prepare it. This is a classic, upscale steakhouse that draws on French ideas and Continent cooking to deliver mouthwatering savory dishes.

7. Tavernpointe

This restaurant’s sleek looks are mirrored in its cuisine. Traditional American dishes are paired with unexpected flavor profiles to create something out of this world. You can enjoy Latin American inspired twists on classic dishes and more in an upscale, beautiful location featuring indoor and outdoor dining.

8. MF Sushi Atlanta

Most restaurants in Atlanta at least nod at Southern cuisine, but MF Sushi Atlanta stands out. While there used to be two of these in Atlanta, they both recently closed. MF Sushi Atlanta is back with a $75 chef’s menu and an Inman Park location that is sending lots of attention their way.

9. Le Fat

This Westside Vietnamese restaurant comes from a chef famous for bringing classic Japanese dishes to Atlanta. Specializing in the best Pho around, this restaurant also offers complimentary valet parking to the right of the location—perfect for busy nights out in Westside.

10. Cooks & Soldiers

Looking for fun drinks, super flavorful food, and the hottest new trend in Atlanta? Cooks & Soldiers is Spanish food that blends high-end with rustic. The atmosphere is lively and the food? Simply to die for, and a break from the common flavors in the city.