Best 24-hour Restaurant

For all the debauchery and bleary-eyed clubbing that ordering a plate of hash browns at 4 a.m. entails, THE MAJESTIC is the only place to … »more

Best Appetizers and Best Pizza

Appetizers are a transcendental experience at FRITTI. Anyone who has ever ordered the funghi fritti (fried mushrooms) knows what we’re talking about. Just thinking about … »more

Best Bakery

Katharine Krasnow’s BREAD GARDEN is not the biggest bakery in town. But it’s been our favorite since it opened and instantly transferred 15 pounds of … »more

Best Bar Food

Fattening, messy, burger-centric: These are all the things good bar food should be about. And it’s exactly what THE EARL dishes out while some of … »more

Best Barbecue

The folks at SWALLOW AT THE HOLLOW may not be purists, but that’s the reason we crave their ’cue. The chopped pork, scrumptious without any … »more

Best Biscuits

PASTRIES A GO-GO has located to sunnier digs across the street from its original location on Ponce, and now the weekend breakfast line ripples even … »more

Best Breakfast

Going out to breakfast should be relaxing, not cutthroat. RADIAL CAFE is one of the few places left in Atlanta where jockeying for a table … »more

Best Burger

Diehard burger fiends in the know agree that the best versions of this most American of all meals can be had at U.S. CAFE EXPRESS. … »more

Best Burrito

Though some might still say there is no such thing as a good burrito in Atlanta, others get on I-85 and head south to MATILDA … »more

Best Carryout and Best Cookies

After peeking through half-covered windows for months, we were giddy to finally traipse through the gleaming take-out expansion of STAR PROVISIONS, nicknamed Provisions to Go. … »more

Best Cheap Eats

Got a hankering for a giant bowl of brothy seafood noodles? How about some soy-lacquered duck that melts in your mouth? The FOOD COURT AT … »more

Best Chef and Best Resaurant When Someone Else is Paying

Hey, why didn’t anyone tell us before that there’s a picture of GUENTER SEEGER in the dictionary next to the word “genius”? Not that we’re … »more

Best Chinese Barbecue

If barbecue isn’t something you’ve ever associated with Chinese cuisine, it’s time you became initiated. There’s no smoky, sweet sauces or traditional sides (other than … »more

Best Coffeehouse

It’s a rare coffeehouse in Atlanta that serves an A-plus cup of java and features ambiance that wasn’t ordered from a corporate headquarters. But JOE’S … »more

Best Comfort Food

A woman we know going through a tough divorce swears the chicken potpie at WHAT A CROCK! saved her sanity. Indeed, the super-rich, flaky-crusted pies … »more

Best Cuban

We lost our chance at the Pulitzer for investigative reporting when we announced earlier this year, quite wrongly, that LAS PALMERAS had closed. For once, … »more

Best Cupcakes

Cupcakes are springing up on more and more menus these days, but the best of the bunch can be found off Howell Mill at WEST … »more

Best Deli

The perennial complaint of New York transplants is the lack of a good deli in the Atlanta area. Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner changed that … »more

Best Desserts

Since the day chef/owner Gerry Klaskala’s ARIA opened, his secret weapon has been pastry chef Kathryn King. Her sweets have an unerring sense of harmony … »more

Best Dim Sum

With Canton House just emerging from renovation and Oriental Pearl transformed into a buffet, it might seem that CHINA DELIGHT would win the dim sum … »more

Best Expense Account Lunch

How can you tell where the power brokers dine? Check out a restaurant’s parking lot around noon. If the cheapest car on the blacktop is … »more

Best Falafel

Although its name has changed and the interior has undergone a much-needed redecoration, ALI’S MEDITERRANEAN is still a one-man operation run by owner Fakhir Ali. … »more

Best French and Best Wine List

“Will you trust me?” master sommelier Philippe Buttin often inquires of intrepid wine adventurers at JOËL. If you give the nod, Buttin will slip away … »more

Best French Fries

French fries are hot right now, have you noticed? And not just at the city’s burgeoning burger joints: Every serious eatery around seems to be … »more

Best Fried Catfish

Few foods evoke a flood of memories in a Southerner as much as fried catfish. At GERALDINE’S FISH & GRITS, this flaky-tender favorite is delicately … »more

Best Fried Chicken

We might as well retire this category — at least until WATERSHED stops offering its Tuesday night fried chicken special (which we pray won’t be … »more

Best FrouFrou Martini

Say aloha to ROY’S HAWAIIAN MARTINI. The heady mix of plain vodka, vanilla vodka and coconut rum is punctuated with a chunk of fresh pineapple … »more

Best Ice Cream

We’re blessed with some irresistible ice cream and gelato shops, but ever since we tasted the rose-petal ice cream at HANK’S last Valentine’s Day, we’ve … »more

Best Indian

No matter how you mispronounce it, MADRAS SARAVANA BHAVAN continues to serve unequalled South Indian cuisine. Yeah, yeah, it’s all vegetarian. But if you eat … »more

Best Intown Beer Selection

The beer list at Decatur’s BRICK STORE PUB is so extensive that you have to download a PDF file to view it online. The outstanding … »more

Best Italian

SOTTO SOTTO has won Critics’ Choice for six years now, but try as we might, we can’t come up with another place that can touch … »more

Best Japanese

A year after the exultant reopening of SOTO JAPANESE RESTAURANT, chef/owner Sotohiro Kosugi recently made another intriguing change to his Japanese fusion format. Mondays, Tuesdays … »more

Best Korean

Several terrific Korean soup shops exist around town, but when we crave Korean barbecue, we head to HAE WOON DAE. Located in a shopping center … »more

Best Local Brew

TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE was first introduced in Athens in April 2002 at the Classic City Brew Fest. Later that year, it won an American … »more

Best Male Actors

No single male performance knocked it out of the park like the CAST OF TAKE ME OUT at Theatre in the Square’s Alley Stage. The … »more

Best Mexican

TAQUERIA LA OAXAQUEÑA serves some of the most soulful Mexican food we’ve ever had the good fortune to shovel in our mouths. The draw may … »more

Best Middle Eastern

At IMPERIAL FEZ, chef/owner Rafih Benjelloun asks you to take off your shoes, lounge on pillows on the floor and eat his multicourse, prix-fixe Moroccan … »more

Best Mojito

As if the Cuban drink-of-the-moment didn’t go down easily enough in its classic mint-and-rum incarnation, the passion fruit mojito at the PARK 75 LOUNGE AND … »more

Best New Restaurant

Govantez Lowndez is a restaurateur who learns from his past. Where his defunct Commune was tucked away in a dark (though admittedly sexy) back corner … »more

Best Overall Restaurant

BACCHANALIA continues to bedazzle as the consummate Atlanta fine dining destination. This town digs a little industrial grit with its foie gras terrine, so we … »more

Best Patio Dining

Thank God someone finally did something interesting with the futuristic Trust Company bank branch that’s been decaying on Monroe for a decade. Local restaurateur Bob … »more

Best Restaurant for a First Date

Candlelight, cozy tables and sultry Latin music make PURA VIDA an especially good choice for a first date. Chicken-stuffed empanadas, cremini mushrooms in chipotle-garlic butter … »more

Best Restaurant to Take Visitors

Eating at TWO URBAN LICKS is as much about the spectacle as it is about the meal. With so much competing for your attention — … »more

Best Sandwich/Sub

There’s so much to love at Midtown’s FABIANO’S ITALIAN DELI, but you can’t do any better than the “#1.” A double-fister of a sandwich, the … »more

Best Seafood

“Where can we go for good seafood?” is the most common restaurant question we field. And we always have the answer: KYMA. The Buckhead Life … »more

Best Signature Cocktail

Poised beneath the Highland Inn, ECLIPSE DI SOL is as equally suited for party couples to launch their evenings as it is for same duos … »more

Best Soul Food

The routine at SON’S PLACE is classic: Grab your tray, pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, and get in line for fried chicken, meatloaf, … »more

Best Southern

When we want the culinary equivalent of old-time religion, we make a beeline up Ga. 400 to chow down at the church of Bill Greenwood. … »more

Best Southwestern

There was a time when if someone mentioned Cabbagetown, you thought of our own little slack-jawed patch of Appalachia in south Atlanta. No more. The … »more

Best Steaks

BONES. The name says it all. Macho. Old school. Meat. When the primal urge arises to violate your wallet and spend a week’s pay on … »more

Best Sunday Brunch

WATERSHED is, and has been for the past several years, the final word in Sunday brunch. Airy, light-filled and baby-friendly, the dining room hosts families … »more

Best Sushi

Atlantans can throw down on some sushi. We even snap up California rolls at Publix when we’re on the fly. But when it’s time to … »more

Best Taco

Tacos — mini-tacos, no less — are king at EL REY DEL TACO. The hard-to-beat price of around $1 each allows you to munch on … »more

Best Tapas

Hey, do y’all know where the tapas craze originally came from? They were invented by the Spanish as an inexpensive taste to accompany wine. There … »more

Best Thai

The carefully crafted cuisine at sweetly plain TAMARIND has a memorable complexity, even though it’s not giddily garnished with an orchid spray, a la Tamarind’s … »more

Best Traditional Southern Cocktail

The mint julep is mistakenly thought of as genteel, but a poorly poured mint julep can be either too strong or too syrupy. Thankfully, lively … »more

Best Vietnamese

There are dozens of Vietnamese restaurants in our city, including those that cater to gourmet-minded American palates. This year, we have to cite COM VIETNAMESE … »more

Best Waitstaff

The DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON BUCKHEAD may be searching the globe for a new powerhouse chef to helm its kitchen, but that’s no reason … »more

Best-Looking Waitstaff

The gosh-wow handsome brothers who own THOMPSON BROTHERS BARBECUE take your order, chop the saucy pork and ring you up with flawless, heartfelt smiles. Although … »more

Best 24-Hour Restaurant

Best Appetizers

Best Bakery

Best Bar Food (Tie

Best Bar Food (Tie

Best Bar Food (Tie)

Best Barbecue

Best Biscuits

Best Biscuits

Best Breakfast

Best Buffet

Best Burrito

Best Cajun

Best Caribbean

Best Carryout Food

Best Cheap Eats

Best Chef

Best Chinese

Best Coffeehouse

Best Cookies

Best Cuban

Best Cupcakes

Best Deli

Best Desserts

Best Desserts

Best Dim Sum

Best Expense Account Lunch

Best French

Best Fried Catfish

Best Frou Frou Martini

Best Greasy Spoon

Best Grits

Best Hamburger

Best Hamburger

Best Ice Cream

Best Ice Cream

Best Indian

Best Intown Beer Selection

Best Italian

Best Italian

Best Japanese

Best Korean (Tie

Best Korean (Tie

Best Kosher

Best Local Brew

Best Margarita

Best Margarita

Best Meat and Three

Best Mexican

Best Middle Eastern

Best Mojito

Best New Intown Restaurant

Best New OTP Restaurant

Best OTP Beer Selection

Best Overall Restaurant

Best Patio Dining

Best Pizza

Best Pizza

Best Restaurant for a First Date

Best Restaurant for Late Dining

Best Restaurant to Bring the Kids

Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying

Best Sandwich/Sub

Best Seafood

Best Signature Cocktail

Best Signature Cocktail

Best Soul Food

Best Soul Food

Best Southern

Best Southwestern

Best Steaks

Best Sunday Brunch

Best Sushi

Best Tapas

Best Thai

Best Traditional Martini

Best Traditional Martini

Best Vegetarian

Best Vegetarian

Best Veggie Burger

Best Veggie Burger

Best Vietnamese

Best Waitstaff

Best Wine Bar

Best Wine by the Glass

Best Wine List

Best-Looking Waitstaff (Tie

Best-Looking Waitstaff (Tie

Best 24-hour Restaurant

For all the debauchery and bleary-eyed clubbing that ordering a plate of hash browns at 4 a.m. entails, THE MAJESTIC is the only place to … »more

Best 24-Hour Restaurant

Best Appetizers

Best Appetizers and Best Pizza

Appetizers are a transcendental experience at FRITTI. Anyone who has ever ordered the funghi fritti (fried mushrooms) knows what we’re talking about. Just thinking about … »more

Best Bakery

Best Bakery

Katharine Krasnow’s BREAD GARDEN is not the biggest bakery in town. But it’s been our favorite since it opened and instantly transferred 15 pounds of … »more

Best Bar Food

Fattening, messy, burger-centric: These are all the things good bar food should be about. And it’s exactly what THE EARL dishes out while some of … »more

Best Bar Food (Tie

Best Bar Food (Tie

Best Bar Food (Tie)

Best Barbecue

The folks at SWALLOW AT THE HOLLOW may not be purists, but that’s the reason we crave their ’cue. The chopped pork, scrumptious without any … »more

Best Barbecue

Best Biscuits

Best Biscuits

Best Biscuits

PASTRIES A GO-GO has located to sunnier digs across the street from its original location on Ponce, and now the weekend breakfast line ripples even … »more

Best Breakfast

Best Breakfast

Going out to breakfast should be relaxing, not cutthroat. RADIAL CAFE is one of the few places left in Atlanta where jockeying for a table … »more

Best Buffet

Best Burger

Diehard burger fiends in the know agree that the best versions of this most American of all meals can be had at U.S. CAFE EXPRESS. … »more

Best Burrito

Though some might still say there is no such thing as a good burrito in Atlanta, others get on I-85 and head south to MATILDA … »more

Best Burrito

Best Cajun

Best Caribbean

Best Carryout and Best Cookies

After peeking through half-covered windows for months, we were giddy to finally traipse through the gleaming take-out expansion of STAR PROVISIONS, nicknamed Provisions to Go. … »more

Best Carryout Food

Best Cheap Eats

Got a hankering for a giant bowl of brothy seafood noodles? How about some soy-lacquered duck that melts in your mouth? The FOOD COURT AT … »more

Best Cheap Eats

Best Chef

Best Chef and Best Resaurant When Someone Else is Paying

Hey, why didn’t anyone tell us before that there’s a picture of GUENTER SEEGER in the dictionary next to the word “genius”? Not that we’re … »more

Best Chinese

Best Chinese Barbecue

If barbecue isn’t something you’ve ever associated with Chinese cuisine, it’s time you became initiated. There’s no smoky, sweet sauces or traditional sides (other than … »more

Best Coffeehouse

Best Coffeehouse

It’s a rare coffeehouse in Atlanta that serves an A-plus cup of java and features ambiance that wasn’t ordered from a corporate headquarters. But JOE’S … »more

Best Comfort Food

A woman we know going through a tough divorce swears the chicken potpie at WHAT A CROCK! saved her sanity. Indeed, the super-rich, flaky-crusted pies … »more

Best Cookies

Best Cuban

We lost our chance at the Pulitzer for investigative reporting when we announced earlier this year, quite wrongly, that LAS PALMERAS had closed. For once, … »more

Best Cuban

Best Cupcakes

Best Cupcakes

Cupcakes are springing up on more and more menus these days, but the best of the bunch can be found off Howell Mill at WEST … »more

Best Deli

Best Deli

The perennial complaint of New York transplants is the lack of a good deli in the Atlanta area. Todd Mussman and Ryan Turner changed that … »more

Best Desserts

Best Desserts

Since the day chef/owner Gerry Klaskala’s ARIA opened, his secret weapon has been pastry chef Kathryn King. Her sweets have an unerring sense of harmony … »more

Best Desserts

Best Dim Sum

Best Dim Sum

With Canton House just emerging from renovation and Oriental Pearl transformed into a buffet, it might seem that CHINA DELIGHT would win the dim sum … »more

Best Expense Account Lunch

Best Expense Account Lunch

How can you tell where the power brokers dine? Check out a restaurant’s parking lot around noon. If the cheapest car on the blacktop is … »more

Best Falafel

Although its name has changed and the interior has undergone a much-needed redecoration, ALI’S MEDITERRANEAN is still a one-man operation run by owner Fakhir Ali. … »more

Best French

Best French and Best Wine List

“Will you trust me?” master sommelier Philippe Buttin often inquires of intrepid wine adventurers at JOËL. If you give the nod, Buttin will slip away … »more

Best French Fries

French fries are hot right now, have you noticed? And not just at the city’s burgeoning burger joints: Every serious eatery around seems to be … »more

Best Fried Catfish

Best Fried Catfish

Few foods evoke a flood of memories in a Southerner as much as fried catfish. At GERALDINE’S FISH & GRITS, this flaky-tender favorite is delicately … »more

Best Fried Chicken

We might as well retire this category — at least until WATERSHED stops offering its Tuesday night fried chicken special (which we pray won’t be … »more

Best Frou Frou Martini

Best FrouFrou Martini

Say aloha to ROY’S HAWAIIAN MARTINI. The heady mix of plain vodka, vanilla vodka and coconut rum is punctuated with a chunk of fresh pineapple … »more

Best Greasy Spoon

Best Grits

Best Hamburger

Best Hamburger

Best Ice Cream

Best Ice Cream

Best Ice Cream

We’re blessed with some irresistible ice cream and gelato shops, but ever since we tasted the rose-petal ice cream at HANK’S last Valentine’s Day, we’ve … »more

Best Indian

Best Indian

No matter how you mispronounce it, MADRAS SARAVANA BHAVAN continues to serve unequalled South Indian cuisine. Yeah, yeah, it’s all vegetarian. But if you eat … »more

Best Intown Beer Selection

The beer list at Decatur’s BRICK STORE PUB is so extensive that you have to download a PDF file to view it online. The outstanding … »more

Best Intown Beer Selection

Best Italian

SOTTO SOTTO has won Critics’ Choice for six years now, but try as we might, we can’t come up with another place that can touch … »more

Best Italian

Best Italian

Best Japanese

A year after the exultant reopening of SOTO JAPANESE RESTAURANT, chef/owner Sotohiro Kosugi recently made another intriguing change to his Japanese fusion format. Mondays, Tuesdays … »more

Best Japanese

Best Korean

Several terrific Korean soup shops exist around town, but when we crave Korean barbecue, we head to HAE WOON DAE. Located in a shopping center … »more

Best Korean (Tie

Best Korean (Tie

Best Kosher

Best Local Brew

Best Local Brew

TERRAPIN RYE PALE ALE was first introduced in Athens in April 2002 at the Classic City Brew Fest. Later that year, it won an American … »more

Best Male Actors

No single male performance knocked it out of the park like the CAST OF TAKE ME OUT at Theatre in the Square’s Alley Stage. The … »more

Best Margarita

Best Margarita

Best Meat and Three

Best Mexican

Best Mexican

TAQUERIA LA OAXAQUEÑA serves some of the most soulful Mexican food we’ve ever had the good fortune to shovel in our mouths. The draw may … »more

Best Middle Eastern

Best Middle Eastern

At IMPERIAL FEZ, chef/owner Rafih Benjelloun asks you to take off your shoes, lounge on pillows on the floor and eat his multicourse, prix-fixe Moroccan … »more

Best Mojito

Best Mojito

As if the Cuban drink-of-the-moment didn’t go down easily enough in its classic mint-and-rum incarnation, the passion fruit mojito at the PARK 75 LOUNGE AND … »more

Best New Intown Restaurant

Best New OTP Restaurant

Best New Restaurant

Govantez Lowndez is a restaurateur who learns from his past. Where his defunct Commune was tucked away in a dark (though admittedly sexy) back corner … »more

Best OTP Beer Selection

Best Overall Restaurant

Best Overall Restaurant

BACCHANALIA continues to bedazzle as the consummate Atlanta fine dining destination. This town digs a little industrial grit with its foie gras terrine, so we … »more

Best Patio Dining

Best Patio Dining

Thank God someone finally did something interesting with the futuristic Trust Company bank branch that’s been decaying on Monroe for a decade. Local restaurateur Bob … »more

Best Pizza

Best Pizza

Best Restaurant for a First Date

Best Restaurant for a First Date

Candlelight, cozy tables and sultry Latin music make PURA VIDA an especially good choice for a first date. Chicken-stuffed empanadas, cremini mushrooms in chipotle-garlic butter … »more

Best Restaurant for Late Dining

Best Restaurant to Bring the Kids

Best Restaurant to Take Visitors

Eating at TWO URBAN LICKS is as much about the spectacle as it is about the meal. With so much competing for your attention — … »more

Best Restaurant When Someone Else Is Paying

Best Sandwich/Sub

Best Sandwich/Sub

There’s so much to love at Midtown’s FABIANO’S ITALIAN DELI, but you can’t do any better than the “#1.” A double-fister of a sandwich, the … »more

Best Seafood

Best Seafood

“Where can we go for good seafood?” is the most common restaurant question we field. And we always have the answer: KYMA. The Buckhead Life … »more

Best Signature Cocktail

Best Signature Cocktail

Best Signature Cocktail

Poised beneath the Highland Inn, ECLIPSE DI SOL is as equally suited for party couples to launch their evenings as it is for same duos … »more

Best Soul Food

The routine at SON’S PLACE is classic: Grab your tray, pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, and get in line for fried chicken, meatloaf, … »more

Best Soul Food

Best Soul Food

Best Southern

When we want the culinary equivalent of old-time religion, we make a beeline up Ga. 400 to chow down at the church of Bill Greenwood. … »more

Best Southern

Best Southwestern

There was a time when if someone mentioned Cabbagetown, you thought of our own little slack-jawed patch of Appalachia in south Atlanta. No more. The … »more

Best Southwestern

Best Steaks

Best Steaks

BONES. The name says it all. Macho. Old school. Meat. When the primal urge arises to violate your wallet and spend a week’s pay on … »more

Best Sunday Brunch

WATERSHED is, and has been for the past several years, the final word in Sunday brunch. Airy, light-filled and baby-friendly, the dining room hosts families … »more

Best Sunday Brunch

Best Sushi

Best Sushi

Atlantans can throw down on some sushi. We even snap up California rolls at Publix when we’re on the fly. But when it’s time to … »more

Best Taco

Tacos — mini-tacos, no less — are king at EL REY DEL TACO. The hard-to-beat price of around $1 each allows you to munch on … »more

Best Tapas

Hey, do y’all know where the tapas craze originally came from? They were invented by the Spanish as an inexpensive taste to accompany wine. There … »more

Best Tapas

Best Thai

Best Thai

The carefully crafted cuisine at sweetly plain TAMARIND has a memorable complexity, even though it’s not giddily garnished with an orchid spray, a la Tamarind’s … »more

Best Traditional Martini

Best Traditional Martini

Best Traditional Southern Cocktail

The mint julep is mistakenly thought of as genteel, but a poorly poured mint julep can be either too strong or too syrupy. Thankfully, lively … »more

Best Vegetarian

Best Vegetarian

Best Veggie Burger

Best Veggie Burger

Best Vietnamese

There are dozens of Vietnamese restaurants in our city, including those that cater to gourmet-minded American palates. This year, we have to cite COM VIETNAMESE … »more

Best Vietnamese

Best Waitstaff

The DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON BUCKHEAD may be searching the globe for a new powerhouse chef to helm its kitchen, but that’s no reason … »more

Best Waitstaff

Best Wine Bar

Best Wine by the Glass

Best Wine List

Best-Looking Waitstaff

The gosh-wow handsome brothers who own THOMPSON BROTHERS BARBECUE take your order, chop the saucy pork and ring you up with flawless, heartfelt smiles. Although … »more

Best-Looking Waitstaff (Tie

Best-Looking Waitstaff (Tie