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mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich
Last thread got pruned, but I really enjoy keeping up with the local dining scene and a poster or two requested the thread be restarted - so, here we go. I won't claim for any of this to be comprehensive, but on the flip side I'll be updating the OP with your content, so feel free to chime in.

05/11/2013 EDIT: this OP is out of date. Just gander at this list instead, it's pretty good. http://atlanta.eater.com/archives/2013/04/09/the-38-essential-atlanta-restaurants-april-13.php


:siren: (sort of) Recent News & Happenings : :siren:
  • Sunday alcohol sales! - God be praised, we are finally free of the insanity of not being able to buy a bottle of wine on Sunday. I'm sure everyone knows about this by now, but you've only been able to buy in the City of Atlanta proper since Jan 1st, 2012, so it counts as recent for us people who never leave the perimeter.
  • Taqueria Tsunami - continues its slow decent into madness. Only open inside of the last 6 months, this ill-named, poorly located (ex-toulouse) 'asian taco' start up reeks of hilarity and desperation - with even a scoutmob leaving the place pretty empty. enjoy a chuckle while you can...
  • Hachiguchi Junior - My favorite ITP japanese/sushi joint outside of MF's sphere of ridiculousness finally has its liquor license back, all is right with the world. They were on a rollercoaster wave of unsurity re:openness for the better part of a year, but they seem to be going strong every time I've been in the last few months.
  • Richard Blais announces new restaurant - to be named "the spence", around 75 5th Street. Still doesn't sound like a return to his pre-tv-star heyday of restaurants like Element or Blais, but a step in the right direction away from dumb burger and hotdog joints. which, check out HD1 if you didn't know it existed.

Recommended Restaurants Around Town :

Buckhead/Midtown

Hachiguchi Junior - My favorite ITP japanese/sushi joint. Usually superb fish quality (I'm picky), and a large variety of traditional non-sushi Japanese dishes make this stand out head and shoulders above most other places in the city. closed :(

Holeman & Finch Public House - The 'smaller plates' southern-food gastropub(?) concept from James Beard nominee/ award winner Linton Hopkins. Amazing, not to be missed.

Buford Highway-ish

Panahar - In a city where Indian can be hit or miss unless you're out east of Emory, Panahar is a gem of bangladeshi/indian cuisine. Cheap, and BYOB, no corkage fee. Amazingly friendly service, superb flavors up in this place.

Poncey Highlandy CandleryInmanParky

[s]Super Pan Latino Sandwich Shop - 'Latin' inspired sandwich shop on N.Highland with odd hours, but loving amazing food. My god, order the pork belly buns. Today. Go. closed :(

Outside The Perimeter (dragonland)

restaurants don't exist here

Decatur

Cakes & Ale - Modern American cuisine with expensive and very small dishes. Consensus is "we're not impressed with their food", but they get almost universal acclaim. Worth a shot if you're in decatur. We guess.

Brickstore Pub - Pretty much hands down the best bar in Atlanta, in my opinion. Beer list a mile long, really solid pub style food.

Iberian Pig - Modern Spanish style tapas, great quality, friendly chef. Less 'American' than most places - they even have jamon iberico!! (a must try if you haven't before)

Emory/North East Atlanta
Little Bangkok - (one of the) Best Thai restaurants in the Atlanta area. Mammon Loves You recommends the spicy seafood soup and pad thai. Shady neighborhood (Cheshire bridge) and difficult parking :(

Sprig - Modern American and convenient for those of us who live northeast of Atlanta. Mammon Loves You had the duck breast which was 'perfect' and the chocolate tart with black pepper ice cream which was 'out of this world.'

Zyka - Amazing Indian fast food. Cheap as chips, greasy as heck, but flavors are stellar. Like, out of this world, in my professional opinion. Also a crazy tacky dining room. No alcohol.


<placeholder for more restaurants> - I'll be adding a list of places I couldn't live without as I find time. I'll for sure be happy to add any of your suggestions to the OP too, assuming you aren't like 'houstons is my favorite fancy restaurant!!!! :) :)' or I happen to strongly disagree or something. Just gimme a name, URL, and short description (sort of in format above) of why you think they're best of Atlanta.

mindphlux fucked around with this message at 01:28 on May 12, 2013

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mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich
Woah, in the like 5 minutes since I posted this thread, I already found a couple interesting ATL food related items I hadn't yet heard about. Apparently there are TEDx Atlanta talks, and both Linton Hopkins and Hugh Acheson have given presentations. Haven't watched them yet, but hell yeah.

http://tedxatlanta.com/videos/03152011-creativity/linton-hopkins/

http://tedxatlanta.com/videos/09132011-balance/hugh-acheson/

Hutla
Jun 5, 2004

It's mechanical
Hankook Taqueria: Korean tacos, super cheap and delicious, unreachable without a car
http://www.hankooktaqueria.com/about.html

You can add me to the hordes of fans of Holeman & Finch. I live in Chicago now and think H&F is better than Longman & Eagle. If they still have it, get the Pig: Nose to Tail

ulmont
Sep 15, 2010

IF I EVER MISS VOTING IN AN ELECTION (EVEN AMERICAN IDOL) ,OR HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS, PLEASE TAKE AWAY MY FRANCHISE

mindphlux posted:

Hachiguchi Junior - My favorite ITP japanese/sushi joint outside of MF's sphere of ridiculousness finally has its liquor license back, all is right with the world. They were on a rollercoaster wave of unsurity re:openness for the better part of a year, but they seem to be going strong every time I've been in the last few months.

What do you think of Rain (Japanese / Thai off of Cheshire Bridge and Lindbergh / La Vista)? I love getting a sashimi appetizer combined with a curry...
http://rainatlantaga.com/

Mammon Loves You
Feb 13, 2011
Eater.com put out a list of 38 Essential Atlanta Restaurants. The ones on the list I've been to were:

Cakes & Ale - Modern American cuisine with expensive and very small dishes. I wasn't too impressed for the cost of dining.

Little Bangkok - Best Thai food in the Atlanta area. The spicy seafood soup and pad thai are amazing. Shady neighborhood and difficult parking :(

Other good restaurants I've been to recently:

Cafe 640 - Their website calls them eclectic cuisine. I really enjoyed the fresh made from scratch pasta and they've got a good beer selection. Right next to HD1 which is also awesome in ways that Flip Burger is not.

Iberian Pig - Modern Spanish tapas, if I'm going to spend $5-10 for each plate with a couple bites of food I better be blown away by the quality and this place did not disappoint.

Sprig - Modern American and convenient for those of us who live northeast of Atlanta. I had the duck breast which was perfect and the chocolate tart with black pepper ice cream is out of this world.

I'm hoping to try Cardamom Hill and Sun In My Belly Supperclub in the next few weeks so I'll check back in on them.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich
Awesome, thanks! I'll add those to the main post. Haven't been to cafe 640, I'll have to try it. I had a couple pretty mediocre meals at cakes and ale, but it gets pretty much universal acclaim, so I'll definitely include it.

I was like 'uhhh' to little bangkok thinking it was just some random thai place, until I realized which place it was. yes, that place actually does completely own. I'm a bit hesitant when people recommend "thai" food, but I was pretty surprised by how good everything I had there was.


ulmont posted:

What do you think of Rain (Japanese / Thai off of Cheshire Bridge and Lindbergh / La Vista)? I love getting a sashimi appetizer combined with a curry...
http://rainatlantaga.com/

Is it good? I really shy away from combo sushi & generic asian places, just because in my experience they don't do either well. (thai coon, anyone?) A co-worker of mine recommended Rain, but just haven't ever made it in.

ulmont
Sep 15, 2010

IF I EVER MISS VOTING IN AN ELECTION (EVEN AMERICAN IDOL) ,OR HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS, PLEASE TAKE AWAY MY FRANCHISE

mindphlux posted:

Is it good? I really shy away from combo sushi & generic asian places, just because in my experience they don't do either well. (thai coon, anyone?) A co-worker of mine recommended Rain, but just haven't ever made it in.

My wife and I like it, but it's possible I don't know what I'm talking about, which is why I was curious to get a second opinion (and calibrate whether I have to try out
Hachiguchi Junior or not).

confonnit
Sep 28, 2001

Hutla posted:

You can add me to the hordes of fans of Holeman & Finch. I live in Chicago now and think H&F is better than Longman & Eagle. If they still have it, get the Pig: Nose to Tail

:hfive:
What's up fellow Atlanta - Chicago transplant. The only restaurant in Atlanta I miss is Holeman and Finch, I was planning on going when I was in town for Thanksgiving but I couldn't find the time.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

ulmont posted:

My wife and I like it, but it's possible I don't know what I'm talking about, which is why I was curious to get a second opinion (and calibrate whether I have to try out Hachiguchi Junior or not).

Well, maybe I'll have to give it a try sometime!

As far as hachiguchi jr, it's a completely different beast, unless you try very hard to make it "A Sushi Restaurant" (basically ignoring their entire non-sushi menu). They have stuff like takoyaki, gomadare tofu, fried chicken skin in ponzu, tons of vinegar dishes, salt grilled fish, all kinds of cold and hot noodles (ten zaru udon is a favorite of mine - a pile of ice cold udon with a tempura shrimp, green onion, and dipping sauce), yams, et cetera. most of the time I don't even look at their nigiri/maki list - you should for sure check it out!



edit: I just made myself hungry =/

Hutla
Jun 5, 2004

It's mechanical

confonnit posted:

:hfive:
What's up fellow Atlanta - Chicago transplant. The only restaurant in Atlanta I miss is Holeman and Finch, I was planning on going when I was in town for Thanksgiving but I couldn't find the time.

I had exactly the same plan over Christmas, but my H&F buddy was out of town.

I did, however, get some Fresh Air BBQ out by Athens.

godzirraRAWR
Sep 11, 2003

godzirra will trample your scrotum
HD1 is a joke. $10 hotdogs that take upwards of 20mins to get to your table does NOT make me happy. Especially when you can get a chilidog from the Varsity in negative 5 seconds for pennies.

Stalizard
Aug 11, 2006

Have I got a headache!
Don't forget that we have the Best Pizza in America.

Mammon Loves You
Feb 13, 2011
Sorry for the confusion, Sprig is actually ITP at Lavista and Oak Grove. I should have said "in northeast Atlanta" instead "northeast of Atlanta".

For someone actually OTP northeast I recommend Zapata in downtown Norcross for their molcajete or crepas poblanas. Their website isn't working for me right now but I linked it anyway.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

godzirraRAWR posted:

HD1 is a joke. $10 hotdogs that take upwards of 20mins to get to your table does NOT make me happy. Especially when you can get a chilidog from the Varsity in negative 5 seconds for pennies.

Yeah, I'm not really sold either, despite being a long time pre celeb Blais fan. My wait was pretty bad too, though 10 bucks isnt the end of the world.

I thought flip was gimmicky (but also good as) heck - but I think that's about my limit for over priced gussied up 'normal people' food. I get it Blais, Atlanta wasn't ready for you, and all your early restaurants failed. But I was, goddamnit. loving give me back Element already and shove your hot dog bullshit in a blender. Goddamn.

signalnoise
Mar 7, 2008

i was told my old av was distracting
Have any of you guys ever been to the Grindhouse Burgers fancypants tuesday thing? Is it worth anything?

AHugeDickhead
Dec 8, 2008

signalnoise posted:

Have any of you guys ever been to the Grindhouse Burgers fancypants tuesday thing? Is it worth anything?

I find it very hard to go anywhere other than The Vortex for a burger. I always think I'm going to be disappointed wherever I go so I just end up at The Vortex. However, a friend recently visited Flip and had good things to say so I might actually give it a go.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

RHIN0002 posted:

I find it very hard to go anywhere other than The Vortex for a burger. I always think I'm going to be disappointed wherever I go so I just end up at The Vortex. However, a friend recently visited Flip and had good things to say so I might actually give it a go.

what the gently caress :gonk:


lol vortex burgers arent even good son, and who wants soggy ore-ida tater tots too


flip is where its at for non-traditional burgers, but grindhouse and farm burger are both very respectable traditional burger places - I think I like grindhouse a bit more if I'm going for like a straight up bacon cheeseburger, and farm burger if I'm feeling more bluecheese and caramelized onion with bone marrow.

of course h&f burger tops them all imho - but probably only because of the cute girl who seems to always be working the grill, and her heavy handed use of salt.


but I guess all that's just, like, my opinion man

AHugeDickhead
Dec 8, 2008
I have never had a better burger than a Vortex burger. With that being said, I have never been to any other establishments that are renowned for burgers. I suppose I'm still a "noob" when it comes to burgers. Also, my tots are never soggy. YMMV.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

RHIN0002 posted:

I have never had a better burger than a Vortex burger. With that being said, I have never been to any other establishments that are renowned for burgers. I suppose I'm still a "noob" when it comes to burgers. Also, my tots are never soggy. YMMV.

I'm just trollin, vortex burgers are ok. :) but, really, I think most of these new fangled 'burger joints' outclass vortex handily, so yeah you should for sure give them a try.

what is this
Sep 11, 2001

it is a lemur
Vortex burgers are "OK."

They aren't the best by any measure. Maybe you think The Vortex is the best. Maybe you love L5P or trivia or whatever. Great! Good for you. And if you must have one of their particular toppings combos, then sure. But H&F, farm burger, yeah burger, googie burger, flip, grind house, (and so on) all beat it out of the park as far as burger is concerned. It isn't really even a competition.

Comedy Miss Ann's Snack Bar burger option

Stalizard
Aug 11, 2006

Have I got a headache!
Come on now, how on earth can anybody argue with this:



Sure it takes an hour and a half to get on a slow day, and there's something sorta eerie about sitting in a dining room with ten completely silent strangers for an hour (because you spent the first half hour waiting outside). It doesn't matter that once you get inside the building looks like it's going to collapse, it doesn't matter that you're so worried that Miss Ann will kick you out if you make some kind of mistake so you mumble your order and she asks you to repeat it and you freeze like a deer in the headlights. Totally worth it. Also you get enough burger for like 3 meals.

Mammon Loves You
Feb 13, 2011

signalnoise posted:

Have any of you guys ever been to the Grindhouse Burgers fancypants tuesday thing? Is it worth anything?

I've been to Grindhouse's fancypants Tuesday before and was really disappointed. I wasn't impressed by their burgers and you can't substitute on the special so if it has something you don't like (mushrooms :() you're poo poo out of luck. If I was going to get a burger I'd go to Five Guys. But if your significant other insists on a place with veggie burgers I guess I would go Yeah Burger or Vortex.

cymbalrush
Jul 12, 2008
I'll always love R. Thomas! I remember when the old guy who (I think?) owns the place, took my friend and me into the kitchen to have us sample the fresh orange juice he had just made. :3:

Plus, birds!

what is this
Sep 11, 2001

it is a lemur
I hate R. Thomas, and think it's bad food, overpriced, with worse service. So there you have it: controversy.

Also, inhumane treatment of birds!

13Pandora13
Nov 5, 2008

I've got tiiits that swingle dangle dingle




:colbert: There is absolutely good food outside the perimeter. Kinyobee off of Pleasant Hill is amazing. Worth braving the dragons for. Gwinnett has huge Korean, Bosnian, and varied Hispanic/Latino populations and there's a lot of great hole-in-the-wall restaurants with authentic foods. They're generally cheaper than downtown, parking is easy to find, and the small family-owned atmosphere is awesome. Don't knock outside the perimeter until you've given it a shot.

Since moving back to Atlanta-ish from DC I've been looking for some really great but not really expensive Middle Eastern food. Specifically Palestinian but really anything (Lebanese, Turkish, Persian, whatever). There's a few joints in Decatur (where I used to live) that aren't bad but they're pretty pricey.

cymbalrush
Jul 12, 2008

what is this posted:

I hate R. Thomas, and think it's bad food, overpriced, with worse service. So there you have it: controversy.

Also, inhumane treatment of birds!

I'm not gonna disagree with you about it being relatively overpriced. And the service can definitely range from really bad to great depending on the waiter is, but I absolutely love their smoothies and veggie plates.

What are the best vegetarian friendly places inside the perimeter? I haven't been back to ATL in a year and my friends there don't really have any definite suggestions.

signalnoise
Mar 7, 2008

i was told my old av was distracting

13Pandora13 posted:

:colbert: There is absolutely good food outside the perimeter. Kinyobee

If I'm recommending Japanese outside the perimeter, I'm recommending Bishoku. On Pleasant Hill you also have a better option than Kinyobee in Haru Ichiban, which is in a shopping center at the corner of Pleasant Hill and Satellite Blvd.

AHugeDickhead
Dec 8, 2008
Just got back from Antico Pizza. The pizza was obviously amazing. We ordered a margherita with salsiccia and one with pepperoni. Both were delicious. I really liked the communal dining experience and the byob policy they have, of course I wish I would have known about it before going. It took a few minutes to find a place to sit, but other than that, I'll definitely be going back.

Jonny Quest
Nov 11, 2004

It's (barely) OTP but for Japanese/Sushi you really can't miss Minato in Smyrna. Located in a dark chasm behind/underneath a QuikTrip you feel like you're entering a grotto of mugging and despair. What you get is delicious, fresh sushi in a family-owned/operated restaurant that really can't be beat.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

what is this posted:

I hate R. Thomas, and think it's bad food, overpriced, with worse service. So there you have it: controversy.

Also, inhumane treatment of birds!

gotta agree with this.

had the worst, most inedible chicken caesar wrap of my life there, for like 12 bucks. tried the rest of my party's dishes, they were uniformly bland.

service was also slow as a snail who has to run home right after stepping out the door because forgot his keys, and then again because he realized he picked up the wrong glasses, and then again because he left the oven on, and then he's like 'gently caress it' because he finally decides just to stay home because he didn't really need that gallon of milk right then anyways

signalnoise posted:

If I'm recommending Japanese outside the perimeter, I'm recommending Bishoku.

oh yeah bishoku is actually really good. there's some place on peachtree industrial too called 'tomato' or something, it's also pretty great. I'll add some OTP places to the op eventually, just gotta work up the effort to compile your guys suggestions.

mindphlux fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jan 17, 2012

godzirraRAWR
Sep 11, 2003

godzirra will trample your scrotum
For Indian Vegetarian, I've been heavily addicted to Vatica in Marietta.

Its thali style, so not really much of a menu to speak of, they just bring out whatever they made that day on these neat little platters. Bonus in that the little crazy indian dude owner is.. well.. batshit insane, but he is always a lot of fun, and will totally cook chickpeas on the side for whenever my gf shows up.

Smyrna has Swapna, which is drat near the best butter chicken I've ever had. Other than their lunch buffet, its rather meh.

FLEXBONER
Apr 27, 2009

Esto es un infierno. Estoy en el infierno.

godzirraRAWR posted:

For Indian Vegetarian, I've been heavily addicted to Vatica in Marietta.

Its thali style, so not really much of a menu to speak of, they just bring out whatever they made that day on these neat little platters. Bonus in that the little crazy indian dude owner is.. well.. batshit insane, but he is always a lot of fun, and will totally cook chickpeas on the side for whenever my gf shows up.

Smyrna has Swapna, which is drat near the best butter chicken I've ever had. Other than their lunch buffet, its rather meh.

Swapna's lunch buffet is indeed awesome.

A couple of friends and I went to Ecco over on Cypress St for the first time last night and spent entirely too much money, but I was impressed by everything we got. Their charcuterie is excellent.

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich
lol what the fuckkk

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/222927/3/HAPEVILLE--Chick-fil-A-to-host-Daddy-Daughter-Date-Night

http://www.daddydaughterdate.com/

what is this
Sep 11, 2001

it is a lemur

:lol: That's amazing.


quote:

This special event encourages fathers and daughters to spend time together at Chick-fil-A, enjoying food, activities and each other.

ExiledTinkerer
Nov 4, 2009
Holy crap that is one step removed from Chick-fil-A hosting whatever the low rent form of a purity ball is.

Why can't they just be cool with the all you can eat chicken strip contests?!

mindphlux
Jan 8, 2004

by R. Guyovich

what is this posted:

:lol: That's amazing.

people are actually defending it in the gws chat thread. must be something about getting old or something that suddenly makes that not seem weird. (on like 5 different levels)

kontona
May 3, 2003

yay! glad to see this thread back.

couple of places i like:

http://www.carverscountrykitchen.com - carver's country kitchen. meat and threes. can only go once every now and then due to artery cloggin -itis inducing goodness.

http://hals.net - hal's. favorite place to get a steak in atlanta.

what's the best joint for fried chicken in atlanta? you would think there would be more renowned places in this town. more often then not i just wind up going to popeyes.

godzirraRAWR
Sep 11, 2003

godzirra will trample your scrotum

kontona posted:

what's the best joint for fried chicken in atlanta? you would think there would be more renowned places in this town. more often then not i just wind up going to popeyes.

Honestly, both of the South City Kitchen locations make fried chicken that reminds me of my grandmother. Its not even that pricy, and their sides are always pretty solid. Its not high gourmet food, just nice comfy southern food done right for the most part.

I would bare handed strangle 100 babies for their shrimp and grits too.

signalnoise
Mar 7, 2008

i was told my old av was distracting
I honestly really enjoy Gladys and Ron's

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Mons Hubris
Aug 29, 2004

fanci flup :)


I only went to Atlanta once on vacation but I will nth the support for Holeman & Finch and Antico. JCT Kitchen was also good, but not as good as those. They have a weird salad with caramel corn in it. I also enjoyed Flip Burger, but I know a lot of people think it's overhyped.

Stay away from Woodfire Grill, I liked Neckbeard Kevin on Top Chef but the tasting menu at least was pretty bad for the price.

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