ATL Restaurants We Love

Naturally, we love eating out. It wouldn’t make sense to run a restaurant if we didn’t go to restaurants ourselves. Since we don’t have all the time in the world to do so, we tend to find ourselves at our favorite Atlanta restaurants over and over again. So we thought we’d share the love here so you can check them out for yourself! Here’s where we like go on our days off…

(AV=General Manager Anthony, CC=Executive Chef Chad, CK=Creative Director Christina)

Easiest place to get a good drink

AV:  I am not really one for going to bars, I much prefer going to restaurants and sitting at the bar and having a drink and a snack, which usually turns into a meal.   One of my go to’s is Houston’s on Peachtree.  They have a great California wine list and make good classic cocktails.  The service is always stellar and the experience is always consistent.   When I want more of the bar and something a little more creative I hop down to Little Trouble where “summer time clothes” is my go to drink. CK: Anthony and Chad aren’t going to toot their own horn, but Whiskey Bird is one of the best places to get a drink and part of the reason I first fell in love with WB in the first place. Their classic cocktails are strong, balanced, and delicious – my all time favorites are the pina colada and the french 95.

Best bowl of noodle soup 

AV: Jinya and Pho Dai Loi 2 are my go to’s.  Both are quick, delicious and consistent. CC: Nam Phuong for Pho with brisket and Jinya for ramen… I’ve been meaning to also try out Hajime which is very close to Whiskey Bird and on my way into work. CK: I literally go to a different place for every kind of noodle soup. Pho Bac for pho, the Asian Supermarket food court for wonton noodle soup, and Yong He Zhi Jia for beef noodle soup. When it comes to noodle soup, I love it all!

Dive bar

CC: Northside Tavern… that place is always a good time and is a good place to bring guests from out of town. CK: I’m not sure if this is a dive bar per se, but Smith’s Olde Bar is probably the one I’ve frequented the most over the years. It just stays the same, and there’s always a pool table to play on.

Neighborhood classic

AV: BoccaLupo and La Tavola – can’t go wrong with good Italian. CC: I am with Anthony on La Tavola and we like to support other restaurants in our neighborhood when we can get the chance to dine out ourselves!  Great spot. In Brookhaven (where I live) I can always get a good meal at Haven or Valenza as well.  They’ve been around for 10+ years and they are very consistent and have a great neighborhood feel.

Newcomer to watch 

CC: There seems to be a constant stream of new restaurants opening up here in Atlanta and the dining scene is becoming over saturated.  I don’t know if I have one restaurant newcomer to watch per se, but there are still a few places that I’d like to try out such as Talat Market, Masterpiece (touted as the best Chinese in Atlanta), Spring, and Bon Ton. CK: I’m always on the lookout for something to enter my normal rotation, but it’s truly hard to find. Lately it feels like all the new restaurants are a little too trendy or expensive to actually go often. This is a totally biased but true answer – I’m the most excited for Snack Boxe Bistro to open! Aside from the fact that my artwork is hanging in their restaurant, I’m just genuinely excited to learn what Laos food is all about!

What are some of your favorites?