In a tiny wooden house off a Marietta road is biscuit heaven. They're bafflingly light given their sturdiness and are ideal for scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and American cheese. Read more.
Try the breakfast combo. There are scrambled eggs you can scoop up with injera bread; some chechebsa (flatbread seasoned with hot berbere spices); and kinche, cracked grains with olive oil. Read more.
The almond croissants are impossibly flaky and creamy in the middle from a spread of bourbon-infused frangipane, and they also benefit from a spritz of bourbon syrup. Read more.
Try the Ultimate Pancake. The only thing fluffier than the scrambled eggs is the flapjack it’s wrapped in. The local sausage and smoked bacon complement the Vermont maple syrup beautifully. Read more.
The cinnamon apple fritter triggers memories rooted so deep, it’s as though the recipe were written into the human genome. The jumble of cinnamon-laced dough is fried to a molasses color and glazed. Read more.
Inside the sweet, cloud-like pastry (think Hawaiian roll, but better) are layers of salty ham, white American cheese, and plenty of black pepper. Get it, savor it. Read more.
The Hot Brown starts with a sturdy slice of challah and piles on house-roasted turkey breast and sliced tomato until it’s the size of a youth football, then it's blanketed with Mornay sauce. Read more.
The best shake is an ode to Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal: vanilla ice cream infused with butterscotch, cinnamon, and brown sugar. It's topped with whipped cream and cereal squares for good measure. Read more.
The chicken cordon BLY sandwich is a mind-boggling example of decadence piled on top of decadence that somehow manages to stay on the right side of over-the-top. Read more.
Need a little hangover relief? A fried chicken breast atop a huge biscuit smothered in sausage gravy might do the trick. Opt for topping it with a fried egg to add the luscious trickle of runny yolk. Read more.
Their cult menu item, a warm bowl of sticky toffee pudding, is a textbook example of decadence. The dense piece of sponge cake is covered in warm, buttery caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Read more.
To understand the chocolate chip whoopie pie, imagine a cloud of sweet buttercream nestled between puffy discs of chocolate-chocolate chip cookie cake. This Buckhead spot beckons like a siren's song. Read more.
The cake shake is literally a milk shake with an entire cupcake blended in. Whether you go for the chocolate-chocolate chip, red velvet, or flavor of the week, it's enough to make you drool. Read more.
The Opera cake features layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, decadent bittersweet ganache, and luscious espresso buttercream, mingling beneath a sheet of glossy chocolate glaze. Read more.
Sweet, salty, and tangy sensations meld together in the popcorn ice cream sundae. The velvety swirl is accented by the crunch of Cracker Jacks. Plus, check the scenic view of the Chattahoochee. Read more.
The outrageously good ice cream sandwiches feature a thick layer of homemade ice cream, sandwiched by chewy slabs of either blondies or brownies, and then wrapped in parchment paper like a sweet gift. Read more.
If the sippable chocolate were any thicker, you’d have to chew it. They won’t give up the secret mix, but the peppery Aztec spice that’s dusted across the top mellows the bittersweet chocolate. Read more.
The coconut macaroons are made with just a few ingredients, and they up the ante by partially dipping each on in dark chocolate. A bite through the crisp shell melts into a buttery-chewy experience. Read more.
For an inventive trio, go for the curry, clove, and turmeric Milk Chocolate Bombay; the graham cracker and smoked almond 7-layer bar; and Yazoo Sue loaded with almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pecans. Read more.
Like the bronze afternoon sun it resembles in its round ceramic dish, the crème brûlée at Kimball House is all about warmth. And vanilla. No chilly custard at Kimball House. Read more.
The Cremolatta, overflowing with ruby-red strawberries, succulent grapes, bananas, melon, and papaya, is the most decadent option. It's sweet, tart, crisp, and chewy. Read more.
Best BBQ, a stall inside the Great Wall Supermarket, stuffs two to three shrimp in each of its har gow, making these dumplings the sweetest, meatiest around. Read more.
The goat meat in the chivo taco is slow-cooked with chilies, tomatoes, and secret spices until it's fall-apart tender. Add a little cilantro, onion, and green salsa, and that hangover is gone. Read more.
The golden oolong bubble tea is possibly the most nuanced flavor ever. The secret to the perfect boba pearls is the honey coating, brushed on just after the bubbles have cooked and cooled. Read more.
Don’t rest until you find the counter peddling fresh-baked pirozhki. The turnovers look a lot like the typical dinner roll, but these golden beauties are stuffed with savory meats and vegetables. Read more.
The pabellon arepa features a cornmeal patty packed with shredded beef and fried plantains, topped with Venezuelan cheese, organic black beans, and cilantro sauce, and arrives hot off the grill. Read more.
These palm-sized half-moons come bathed in a mercifully mild chili sauce. Each delicate dumpling skin contains a meatball-esque center of savory pork filling that bursts with natural juiciness. Read more.
“Taiwanese Chicken Nugget” is code for stupidly addictive popcorn chicken. The most prominent flavor comes from Chinese five-spice powder, and they're cooked to order and served with wooden skewers. Read more.
Wrapped up in a steamed banana leaf, the roasted chicken leg features thyme, chili pepper, and what might be the best sticky rice in the world. Read more.
After rub and brown sugar are massaged onto the St. Louis-style ribs, the racks are smoked over hickory wood until the bones are easy to pull apart. Go ahead, lick your fingers in public. Read more.
If you go with the three-course Peking duck dinner, a server will carve the roast duck tableside. Next come the pillowy, white steamed buns in which you stuff slices of this crispy-skinned bird. Read more.
In the bulgogi nachos, tender beef is scattered over a bed of tortilla chips, loaded with jalapeños, cheese, black olives, corn, and lettuce, and topped off with a generous dousing of spicy gochujang. Read more.
The beauty of the Cantonese-style pork is not its lustrous red exterior, but instead, its versatility. Enjoy slices over white rice, plunged into broth with noodles and bok choy, or by the pound. Read more.
Whether you attack the Fryinstein corndog with a fork and knife or give it the Renaissance-Fair-turkey-leg treatment, cracking the corny, caramel-colored coating takes a little muscle. Read more.
This friendly café has been serving up crunchy, juicy, fried-chicken ecstasy since 1947. The birds soak in a secret marinade before getting a light toss in flour and a bath in hot peanut oil. Read more.
Before you reach for a bottle of barbecue sauce, taste the meat solo. The hickory-scented slabs are strikingly tender, tantalizingly smoky, and plenty good all on their own. Read more.
Fresh thyme and rosemary complement the already robust flavor of thick-cut beef chunks in the Steak and Stout pie. A subtle onion and mushroom combo confirms it: this pie is comfort-food central. Read more.
The hulking chuletón (a bone-in rib-eye for two) does the traditional Spanish steak dish proud. Weighing in at 2.2 pounds, it’s slowly cooked on the restaurant’s impressive wood-fire grill. Read more.
The stellar riff on classic chicken parmesan has twirls of handmade pasta, cream in which Parmesan rinds were steeped, and braised collard greens folded in. Oh, and a boneless fried chicken breast. Read more.
The hand-rolled couscous with lamb has 'comfort food' written all over it: fall-apart braised meat, stewed carrots and turnips, and savory sauce. Read more.
Each towering hunk of pork in the confit of suckling pig is slow-cooked in its own fat, then deep-fried 'til golden. Read more.
If Chinese fried rice and Indian lamb curry hooked up, the lamb biryani would be their love child. Saffron tints the yellow rice, while the cilantro-flecked lamb hums with cinnamon and cardamom. Read more.
Falafel and shawarma here are exemplary, but the lesser-known lamb on hummus should not be missed. Spiced with oriental peppers, the ground lamb rests on hummus with olive oil, parsley, and pine nuts. Read more.
The vegan lunch buffet is packed with ingredients that you probably wouldn’t prepare at home. There’s typically a veggie burger, salads packed with antioxidant rich vegetables, and a soup. Read more.
The cauliflower-eggplant bánh mì is served on a crusty roll and includes cilantro, jalapeńo, pickled carrots, daikon, and spicy chili-lime mayo. It's the tastiest vegetarian sandwich around. Read more.
Start with the house-recommended Layla’s Falafel (with spicy zhug, hummus, pickled cabbage, fennel, labne, bitter greens, and tahini) then add or subtract as you see fit on later visits. Read more.
Lava-hot bowls of tofu stew arrive bubbling at your table, fresh on the heels of plates of banchan that easily stoke the taste buds. Crack open the raw egg and let it cook in the hot broth. Read more.
Japche, a heaping bowl of veggies and noodles made of sweet potatoes, is practically Southern by default, but this Korean Southern fusion is subtle and sublime. Read more.
Ottolenghi eggplant kati looks almost too beautiful to eat. A halved eggplant is scored, seasoned with the restaurant’s house blend of garam masala, and baked until it forms a caramelized crust. Read more.
It may be a meat mecca, but the "Our Study in Vegetables" is game-changer. The cornucopia of vegetables and cooking methods (roasting, pureeing, frying) is provocative, satisfying, and delectable. Read more.
Few foods are as enticing as melted cheese. It’s salty, gooey, buttery, and comforting. Bocado's grilled cheese sandwich uses Jack, comte, and fromage blanc; paired with a thick tomato bisque. Read more.
Order menu item B3, and say yes to spicy. Cubes of gently fried, chewy-in-a-good-way tofu come bathed in rust-colored peanut sauce and served over slick vermicelli noodles. Read more.
It’s shocking how much soggy, crumbly veggie burgers pale in comparison to the meatless black bean burger. A bite through the crust somehow yields a robust, earthy, almost-meaty experience. Read more.
The pizza here is made with dough aged just long enough to form a thin, crispy crust with bubbles and air pockets, yet sturdy enough to withstand the herby red sauce and stretchy mozzarella cheese. Read more.
Try the pad kee mow. Charred after a tumble in a hot wok, wide rice noodles are tossed with broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, basil, and a choice of chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. Read more.
Start with the benchmark-setting margherita di bufala, but explore the rest of the menu, too. If a margherita pie and a New York pie had a baby, the Nana’s would be the result. Read more.
The short rib agnolotti is intense. The thick but delicate little purses of pasta contain braised short rib, cooked in red wine and chicken stock before being ground and mixed with Parmesan cheese. Read more.
Although it does have the requisite hunks of pineapple and Canadian bacon, what sets the Mai Pai apart from average Hawaiian pizza is the signature spicy red pepper sauce. Read more.
The flawless chow kway teow features a jumble of wide, flat rice noodles, tender squid and shrimp, and egg, all stir-fried with soy sauce and chile in a hot wok. Read more.
Chef Bruce Logue uses no fewer than 20 yolks from local, farm-raised eggs in every batch of his glorious tagliatelle. Combined with mushrooms and Tuscan kale kimchi, the dish is almost ethereal. Read more.
Anchored by that chewy, New Jersey-style thin crust, the Grandma pie is topped with garlic, slightly sweet marinara, fresh mozzarella and pecorino cheeses, and a pop of fresh basil. Read more.
The signature carbonara is one of the few perennially available dishes on the menu. Bucatini with heavy cream, garlic, and shallots is finished with a fresh egg yolk and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Read more.
The strozzapreti alla salsiccia comes bathed in a bold-looking tomato and meat sauce fortified with garlic, white wine, sage, and a touch of cream. Read more.
If all salads were as addictive as the chopped salad here, the lunch line would be a healthier, happier place. It has crisp romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fennel salami, and smoked provolone. Read more.
The vegetable crudités resembles a spectacular, heaping sundae made with delicious-looking vegetables instead of multicolored ice cream scoops. It comes with a tzatziki and a black olive dip. Read more.
Celery usually has a supporting role, whether in a basket of hot wings or chopped up as mirepoix, but in this One Eared Stag staple, celery is the star. It's tossed in a punchy peanut vinaigrette. Read more.
The smoked trout salad features silky lettuces, punched up with lemony-mustard vinaigrette and citrus crème fraîche. It'll leave you satisfied and refreshed. Read more.
The BBQ pork bánh mì, served on baguettes, are packed to the brim with sweet pickled daikon and carrots, a dollop of creamy aioli, and jalapeños and Sriracha should you dare to go “all the way.” Read more.
The secret behind the shrimp po’ boys is the shrimp; plump Georgia white shrimp, fried until crisp, but still tender. Add some Cajun mayo, and it might be better than the Louisiana counterpart. Read more.
The house-baked hoagie rolls set the foundation for a parade of provolone, mortadella, salami, and porchetta rubbed with chiles, fennel, and orange zest. This Italian sandwich is glorious. Read more.
The chefs take gochujang-marinated, hickory-smoked pork rib meat and place it over a potato bun with a pile of funky kimchi cole slaw in their Korean BBQ sandwich. It's sweet, smoky, and sassy. Read more.
The Beast on Yeast puts slow-cooked pot roast on butter-glazed rolls, and the result is a comfy, familiar experience. Add some zing with horseradish sauce, and wash it down with a Jack & Coke slushie. Read more.
In the cheese steak, the sliced meat is grilled until it forms those crispy edges. Along with some grilled onions, the sandwich is draped with melted American cheese, all on a "proper roll." Read more.
Although the proteins are ever-changing, you can count on a drizzle of Yummy Sauce in every taco, although the sauce’s ingredients are ever-changing, too. Feeling adventurous? Try an offal taco. Read more.
The Dirty Bird bao features crispy and moist fried chicken cutlet tucked into steamed buns that are firm on the outside and soft on the inside. The spicy wasabi aioli tops it all off. Read more.
The fried chicken taco only uses a few ingredients, so as not to overpower the chicken. Lime jalapeño mayo adds a stroke of brightness to each bite of the soft flour tortilla. Plus, they're cheap. Read more.
Their take on a classic Reuben is made with thick chunks of smoked corned beef brisket, but replaces the Russian dressing with a thin schmear of Thousand Island. Read more.
The savory viola panini stuffed with Genoa salami, speck, and mortadella is close to flawless. Between slices of ciabatta, the meats join melted provolone and a smear of salty olive tapenade. Read more.
For Jey Oh, every omakase menu is an emotional undertaking. The skilled Korean sushi chef is so exacting, and his descriptions so entrancing, you can feel the intricacy as much as you can taste it. Read more.
The spicy tuna crispy rice is extraordinary. The rice is lightly fried, then topped with spicy tuna tartare and jalapeño. The fresh fish, crunch, and spice all swirl into a heavenly bite. Read more.
Nowhere else in town will you find such dedication to nigiri. The live scallop, when available, epitomizes chef Nhan Le’s love of serving simple bites that channel the essence of the sea. Read more.
No one in Atlanta serves oysters like these. On any given day, the menu will list 20 or so varieties, impeccably sourced from waters near and far. Hit up oyster happy hour for a bargain. Read more.
Pomfret is known for its flaky, white meat; here, it's dusted with flour, fried, and served with electric-red sambal sauce for an explosion of umami. Read more.
When the platter of Hong Kong-style lobster hits the table, roll up your sleeves and dig in. Don’t be afraid to eat the battered and fried shellfish with your hands, just like peel-and-eat shrimp. Read more.
Cold mesquite-smoked New Zealand Langostinos look like giant shrimp, or tiny lobsters depending on your point of view. They're marinated in olive oil, thyme, and garlic before being smoked. Read more.
Superica, an ode to Tex-Mex, takes a scientific approach to nachos, piling each ingredient on top of thick tortilla chips coated with refried beans and buried in melted cheese. Read more.
Lusca has found a way to improve the trendy avocado toast: Pile sweet Maine rock crab on top. The base is a crusty, house-baked pain au levain, which is then topped with the creamy avocado and crab. Read more.
Whether they’re the intensely tart lemon pepper wings or the saucy buffalo variety, Jamal’s hot wings are fantastically crisp and tender. Read more.
Their brilliant riff on steak tartare replaces raw beef with chunky cured tomato, made possible by molecular gastronomy. A stunning carrot juice orb poses as egg yolk. You'll never miss the beef. Read more.
The Italian-inspired fried rice balls are a perennial fixture at Cakes and Ale. Break one of the bite-sized treats apart and watch pecorino fresco ooze from the center of a panko-crusted rice shell. Read more.
From the sides menu, try the mac & cheese made with sharp cheddar, Gouda, pimento, and spiral pasta; the chili-garlic bok choy; or the butternut squash and Brussels sprouts hash, sautéed in shallots. Read more.
Light, puffy morsels of popped corn are showered in salt and vinegar powder and scooped into heaping bowls, to be enjoyed with one of more than 800 beer choices. Read more.
Hollowed-out jalapeños are filled with cheddar and cream cheese, pulled pork, and spicy barbecue sauce. Then they're battered in seasoned flour and breadcrumbs and fried to order. Read more.
The paper-thin raw beef carpaccio is drizzled with olive oil and a zigzag of garlic aioli, and a salad of tangy balsamic and greens beneath Parmesan flatbread is placed in the center. Read more.
The heaping plate of homemade chips smothered in bleu cheese is hard to miss. It's littered with crumbled cheese and bacon, and finished with chipotle sauce, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Read more.
Craft Izakaya makes the marriage of Japanese and guacamole work. Slices of avocado are wrapped around tuna tartare infused with sesame oil and spicy Sriracha, served with tempura seaweed chips. Read more.
You can customize the tonkotsu ramen filled with pork, bamboo shoots, green onion, and noodles any way you want. Is spice your thing? They'll add chili powder until the broth is red as an apple. Read more.
A bowl of rice-filled, Central American chicken soup is a sure-fire way to lift the spirit and soothe the soul. Each order comes with cilantro, onions, lime, rice, and a basket of thick tortillas. Read more.
Whether you go with simple pho tai with sliced eye of round steak or the everything-goes pho dac biet with chewy tendon, brisket, steak, and tripe, this Buford Highway standby does it right. Read more.
A steaming bowl of beef noodle soup is the ultimate Taiwanese comfort food. Here, hunks of tender, slow-cooked flank steak; plump noodles; pickled mustard greens; and veggies simmer in broth. Read more.
