The chef team (who helped put One Flew South on the map) made their grand return to Atlanta with Southern National, which joins a collection of new shops and restaurants in the historic Summerhill community. The kitchen blends the nostalgia of soul staples with enjoyable newness like the field peas that get a salty-sweet assist from miso sauce. While you get the same caramelly flavors of yams, their loaded sweet potato takes an exciting turn with ground lamb and creamy curry yogurt.

Local Green, which sits on the edge of West End in Vine City, is leading the health movement in a food desert. The small, brightly colored space has only a few tables, so it mostly functions as a takeout spot. We love showing our appreciation for early 2000s Georgia rappers with the Bubba Sparxxx, packed with tangy BBQ jackfruit that pulls off the consistency of pulled pork. We also dig the salmon sliders, which are enhanced by a slightly sweet bun and citrusy herbal sauce.

With two Gocha Breakfast Bars, a tapas spot, and a Midtown hair salon, it’s clear that celeb hairstylist and restaurateur Gocha Hawkins has plenty of drive. You'll need to channel some of that same vigor to beat the weekend crowds down to her popular diners. But it’s not that we wouldn’t wait at the Cascade location for delicious gulf shrimp and flounder over jalapeño grits. We’d just rather eat the dish than be stuck dreaming about it in a line outside.

Opened in the late ’40s and a safe space for Dr. King in the ’60s, this undisputed ATL icon near the AUC has been run by the Gates family since the early ’80s. Over that time, there have been a few recurring rumbles about Busy Bee. The (closed-until-further-notice) dining room is too tight. The Saturday take-out line does stretch to Conyers. Yes, your bill will run $50 for two people. Still, no matter how many times we’ve complained under our breath we’ve never left unhappy.

Running things in the airport since 2008, the Asian and Southern fusion restaurant has long had people reconfiguring their flight schedules for a taste of their internationally-famous dishes. Their new location on the BeltLine gives Atlantans a pass (without a boarding pass) to pop in for their popular sushi rolls, cold noodle salad, and first-class service and to swap the luggage-wielding Hartsfield travelers for the rollerbladers whipping by on the trail outside.

Opened in 2020 by two Morris Brown College alums, Breakfast At Barney’s quickly became the city’s premier brunch haunt. All-day breakfast options coupled with an upbeat day club vibe proved irresistible. But it’s really the menu of palate-pleasing items, which range from buttery, gold leaf-dressed pancakes to the barbecue salmon, that seal the deal.

Atlanta has its share of celebrity chef-driven restaurants. If you’re looking to impress a tourist with the city’s southern soul, head to LowCountry Steak from Chef G. Garvin (a born-and-bred Atlantan). The upscale Midtown restaurant gives you all the steakhouse favorites in addition to regional classics like Georgia shrimp and grits. These well-seasoned, creamy grits should serve as the definitive gospel, converting non-believers to grit fans one order at a time.

Twisted Soul in West Midtown is the first restaurant brainchild from acclaimed Atlanta chef Deborah VanTrece, who fuses soul food classics with International flavors. We like to think of VanTrece like that wedding DJ who has an affinity for mixing those crowd-favorite soul tunes with interesting genres. Who knew Anita Baker and Imagine Dragons meshed well together? She did, and apparently also knew her hoisin-glazed oxtails or fried chicken with sweet potato chutney would hit the spot.

After the success of their College Park eateries (Virgil’s and Breakfast Boys), restaurateurs and power couple Juan and Gee Smalls opened their second Virgil’s location in West Midtown. Inspired by Gee’s Gullah Geechee roots, the menu celebrates the coastal Carolina/Georgia culture with highly-seasoned dishes like she-crab soup and shrimp and grits. Aside from the food, which we really like, their West Midtown patio is the perfect post-work retreat to unwind.

With hanging black-and-white images of civil rights pillars who are actual former patrons and the O’Jays’ “For the Love of Money” coming through the speakers, this Castleberry Hills classic now helmed by the family of trailblazing businessman Herman J. Russell paints a soul-soothing scene. But just when you start to settle into your catfish, candied yams, and cornbread, a Snoop Dogg song comes on. And wait, is that really a robot dropping off the plates? Yep, it sure is.

Despite opening in 2020 when the entire restaurant industry was absorbing heavy blows, Apt 4B came out swinging—and bopping with a DJ booth setup near the entrance and a treasure trove of vinyl R&B and Hip-Hop throwbacks. In addition to the party energy, Apt 4B’s menu of Caribbean and Georgia soul food fusions like oxtail hummus and tamarind glazed short rib has also managed a firm hold on the attention of Atlanta’s scene-seeking crowds.

This plant-based burger chain’s vegan cheese-drenched takeover seemed to have happened all of a sudden, extending to new locations in New York and Alabama. While we’re thrilled we have several new ways to pull up for some Sloppy Toppy (it’s the name of the burger, chill), Atlantans still fondly reminisce on those three-hour waits outside the Slutty Vegan food truck in 2018. And since owner Pinky Cole is a Clark Atlanta alum, the city treats her like a hometown hero.

Husband and wife team Clarence and Donnica Boston are credited for bringing the first Black-owned brewery to Georgia with this East Atlanta Village location (their second is in East Lake). The brewery is combined with an oyster bar, giving patrons the unmatchable experience of slurping down great craft beer and a variety of oysters simultaneously. Try out their Collardfeller oysters, a Southern twist on the traditional Rockefeller with smoked turkey and collard greens.

For a restaurant to go from an after-church-lets-out stop in the ’80s to getting shouted out on Goodie Mob’s 1995 classic song “Soul Food,” it must have been great. For that same place to be relevant 25-plus years later, it must be timeless. Cascade’s all-day-dining destination is all of the above. Nary a person—not Cee-Lo Green, not your aunt Jean, nobody—will ever categorize the food here as greasy or salty.