Atlanta restaurants can be found in great numbers in this progressive and fast-growing city in the Deep South. Although the population of Atlanta is less than 600,000, the combined metropolitan area is the ninth largest in the entire country with nearly 6 million. Upwards of 40 million people visit the city every year, so there is a great need for plenty of accommodations, restaurants, business facilities, and shopping centers. The best restaurants in Atlanta are dispersed throughout its various neighborhoods, from Midtown to Buckhead, East Atlanta to Little Five Points. There are plenty of downtown Atlanta restaurants as well as a nice selection in each of the towns and suburbs located in the greater metropolitan area.

Atlanta restaurants and the contents of their menus represent the wide diversity of people who work and live in the area. Atlanta is an international business hub with a huge presence of multinational blue-chip companies. AT&T, Coca Cola, and Delta Air Lines are all headquartered in Atlanta, and 75 percent of the Fortune 1000 companies in the world have a presence of some kind in the area. As such, there is a need to cater to the tastes of businesspeople from around the world, along with travelers on vacations. When you combine this with the multi-ethnic heritage of the city itself, the result is a dynamic blend of culinary practices that comprise the best restaurants in Atlanta.

You will come across Atlanta fine dining in the downtown areas as well as affluent parts of town such as Peachtree Battle, Chastain Park, and Peachtree Hills. Many of these neighborhoods have been around for a long time but have been gentrified in recent decades as the city of Atlanta has skyrocketed in population and growth along with most of the rest of the United States sunbelt. Depending on what you are in the mood to eat, you can find just about anything in the city of Atlanta.

Atlanta Map

Traditional southern cuisine, oftentimes referred to as “soul food,” is a big draw for people looking to get a taste of authentic southern cooking and cuisine. Downtown Atlanta restaurants in places such as the Old Fourth Ward, Cabbagetown, and Edgewood give people the opportunity to taste the best in traditional Atlanta cooking, from fried okra and boiled cabbage, to succulent fried chicken and collared greens. Most of these establishments offer amazing food at even more amazing prices. Ask around as you are getting to know the city and find out what the locals think of the best places to get authentic Atlanta soul food. Atlanta restaurants run the gamut from simple soul food vendors to some of the best fine-dining establishments in the South.

Not all of the best restaurants in Atlanta are located downtown, so work with the concierge at your hotel, or ask around for suggestions on interesting places in the outlying areas of the city. Downtown Atlanta restaurants offer a wide range of appealing culinary traditions from Asian and Indian to Italian and Greek, Deep South soul food to experimental international dishes. Finding the right place for you should not be a long-lasting problem.