Must-see restaurants in Georgia

  • Wyld

    Savannah

    Hidden along an estuary of the Savannah marshlands, this laid-back, local favorite features a seasonal, New American menu with a heavy seafood emphasis…

  • Octopus Bar

    Atlanta

    Leave your hang-ups at the hotel – this is punk-rock dining – and get to know what's good at this unsigned indoor-outdoor patio dive nuanced with…

  • Dish Dive

    Atlanta

    Located in a teeny house near some railroad tracks, Dish Dive is cooler than you and it doesn't care. Anyone is welcome here, and the food – fresh,…

  • Gunshow

    Atlanta

    Celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie's innovative and unorthodox Gunshow is an explosively good night out. Guests choose between a dozen or so smallish dishes,…

  • Husk Savannah

    Savannah

    After acclaimed success with Charleston, Nashville and Greenville locations, celebrity-chef Sean Brock brings Husk's hyperlocal, agriculturally driven…

  • B's Cracklin' BBQ

    Savannah

    This is very good barbecue. Pit-master Bryan Furman left his job as a welder to raise his own hogs and source local ingredients for homemade sides. The…

  • Waffle House

    Atlanta

    To say Waffle House is an Atlanta institution is an insult to Waffle House – this quintessential greasy-spoon diner is…everything! And while there are a…

  • Staplehouse

    Atlanta

    The hottest table in Atlanta and the darling du jour of Southern foodies, Staplehouse dishes up innovative, seasonal New American cuisine. Small to medium…

  • Optimist

    Atlanta

    In a short space, we could never do this Westside sustainable-seafood mecca justice. In a word, astonishing! Start with crispy calamari with salsa matcha…

  • Bacchanalia

    Atlanta

    Considered one of the top restaurants in the city, Bacchanalia's menu changes daily, and you may choose from multiple dishes for each of the four courses…

  • Desta Ethiopian Kitchen

    Atlanta

    It's worth a trip to the burbs for this authentic Ethiopian – there's a wait list before noon – where vibrant dishes like tibs (saucy sautéed meat or fish…

  • Marcel

    Atlanta

    Ford Fry's French-style, boxing-themed steakhouse serves unquestionably expensive, unequivocally transcendent cuts of beef from hormone-free, purebred…

  • BoccaLupo

    Atlanta

    There is so much to love about this dark, candlelit Italian-Southern comfort-food haunt led by Mario Batali–trained chef Bruce Logue, but perhaps none…

  • Local11Ten

    Savannah

    Upscale, sustainable, local and fresh: these elements help create an elegant, well-run restaurant that's one of Savannah's best. Start with a blue-crab…

  • Cooks & Soldiers

    Atlanta

    A game-changing Westside choice, this Basque-inspired hot spot specializes in pintxos (Basque-style tapas) and wood-fired asadas (grills) designed to…

  • Ria's Bluebird

    Atlanta

    Ria's makes a big deal about being the kind of business that accepts people of all races, religions and sexual orientations, and supports causes that…

  • Miller Union

    Atlanta

    Credit to Miller Union – it takes its farm-to-table locavore ethos seriously. The result is exceedingly delicious Southern-inspired fare: farm egg baked…

  • Fox Brothers

    Atlanta

    At this longtime Atlanta classic, set in Inman Park, ribs are scorched and smoked perfectly with a hint of charcoal crust on the outside and tender on the…

  • Frog Hollow Tavern

    Georgia

    Chef Sean Wight's attention to local bounty completely transformed Augusta's dining scene at this classy tavern. The regionally focused dishes include…

  • Busy Bee Café

    Atlanta

    Politicians, police officers, urbanites and hungry miscreants, along with celebrities (it's had pop-ins by MLK Jr, Obama and OutKast), all converge over…

  • The Grey

    Savannah

    A wonderfully retro makeover of the 1960s Greyhound Bus Terminal gives us one of Savannah's culinary darlings, where chef Mashama Bailey's 'Port City…

  • Sisters of the New South

    Savannah

    This laid-back cafe beloved of locals serves up Southern soul-food favorites for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The red-velvet cake is among the best we've…

  • Leon's Full Service

    Atlanta

    Leon's can come across as a bit pretentious, but the gorgeous concrete bar and open floor plan spilling out of a former service station and on to a groovy…

  • Federal

    Atlanta

    Atlanta staple chef Shaun Doty has returned to his kitchen roots at this glam bistro serving everything from a $16 burger to high-end cast-iron steaks (…

  • Mrs Wilkes Dining Room

    Savannah

    The line outside can begin as early as 8am at this first-come, first-served Southern comfort-food institution. Once the lunch bell rings and you are…

  • Local Pizzaiolo

    Atlanta

    The first of four Atlanta locations for the fiercely traditional (and Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana–certified) Neapolitan pizza from four-time…

  • Vortex

    Atlanta

    An age-21-and-up joint cluttered with Americana memorabilia, the godfather of Atlanta burger joints is where alterna-hipsters mingle alongside Texas…

  • Krog Street Market

    Atlanta

    This mixed-use complex of hip retail outlets and restaurants is one of the latest anchors of Atlanta's hip and continually gentrifying Inman Park…

  • Olde Pink House

    Savannah

    Classic Southern food done upscale in one of Savannah's most consistently great restaurants. Our favorite appetizer is the Southern sushi: shrimp and…

  • General Muir

    Atlanta

    Decorated with B&W photography and New York–style subway tiling, the General Muir does Jewish deli par excellence. Bagels, latkes (potato pancakes),…

  • Collins Quarter

    Savannah

    If you have ever talked coffee with an Australian, you know they are particularly fussy about their java. This wildly popular newcomer is Australian-owned…

  • Little Duck

    Savannah

    Classic diner fare gets reimagined in this bright, airy, art deco-inspired space. We love its dedicated grilled-cheese menu, where you can scale up the…

  • Ponce City Market

    Atlanta

    A mixed-use complex housed inside the historic former Sears, Roebuck and Co headquarters in Atlanta, the largest brick structure in the Southeast. Over 20…

  • Northern China Eatery

    Atlanta

    We love a restaurant with an unambiguous name – and cuisine. At the Eatery, you'll find real-deal northern Chinese cuisine from a Tianjin chef: spicy beef…

  • Crab Shack

    Savannah

    This hidden favorite slings bountiful peel-and-eat seafood platters in a multishack complex along an alligator lagoon. Tables have a hole in the center…

  • Treylor Park

    Savannah

    All the hip young things pack into this 'Treylor Park,' which revels in a retro-chic, Airstream aesthetic. The food? Southern classics simply done well:…

  • Empire State South

    Atlanta

    This rustic-hip Midtown bistro serves imaginative New Southern fare and it does not disappoint, be it at breakfast ($8 to $11) or throughout the remains…

  • Iberian Pig

    Atlanta

    Located smack dab in central Decatur, the Pig serves (surprise, surprise!) a full slate of Spanish cured meat, cheese and tapas, including marinated lamb…

  • Daddy D'z

    Atlanta

    A juke joint of a barbecue shack, consistently voted one of the top in town, with a central location. From the graffiti murals on the red, white and blue…

  • Sweet Spice

    Savannah

    This easygoing Jamaican spot, about 4.5 miles southeast of downtown, is a welcome break from all the American and Southern fare you get around here. A…