Author: Krista Reese

The Grey in Savannah welcomes hungry, weary travelers and locals alike with a 1930s Art Deco feel and a Southern-tinged menu that’s both sophisticated and fun.

At Atlas, in the St. Regis hotel in Atlanta, the restaurant experience is as memorable as the food.

Tucked into the foothills of Georgia, Harvest on Main offers a menu that will delight picky eaters and adventurous diners alike.

When I first started writing about restaurants years ago, I was often scouring the ’burbs and hamlets for offbeat finds – the neighborhood Italian place with panna cotta or braciole; the esoteric but destination-worthy ethnic spot; and perhaps my favorite,…

In the midst of Atlanta’s exciting new Krog Street Market, a lively French bistro serves classics both fussy and plain.

In Clayton, the first serious homegrown restaurant to highlight local foodways and wines has won diners’ affection – and no wonder.

Pacci Italian Kitchen + Bar in Savannah is part of a larger reinvigoration of the coastal city’s dining scene, and it’s worth checking out.

In Chamblee, Southbound serves its friends and neighbors well by embracing Southern foodways in an interesting and globally conscious way.

Atlanta’s fine-dining standard-bearer for 25 years still features menu favorites, but there’s some delicately balanced dishes that also deserve attention.

Understated wit and outstanding cocktails define Paper Plane in Decatur.

Seabear Oyster Bar in Athens is both comfortable and adventurous.

The Kimball House pays homage to the past as it serves up oysters, caviar and inventive cocktails.

Buckner’s Family Restaurant in Jackson serves up endless plates of vegetables, but it’s the fried chicken that keeps people coming back for more.

Intimate and exceptionally friendly, Tabla in midtown Atlanta features traditional Indian dishes and a few with a Southern accent.

The historic Rabun Manor in Dillard now has a restaurant serving local trout and a grand Sunday buffet along with some expansive views.

Ink & Elm brings a bit of grown-up fun and local fare to Decatur’s Emory Village.

Cinco y Diez recasts the old Athens 5&10 location as a Latin-inspired spot rife with local ingredients and packed with flavor.

Ford Fry strikes again at St. Cecilia in Atlanta with a winning formula of fashion-forward food and a mindful conscience blended with a thorough understanding of what people want to eat.

Chef Keira Moritz has returned home to open Steel Magnolias, where crowds are eating up her version of “urban Southern” food.

Everything on Old South Bar-B-Q’s menu, from perfectly cooked ribs to Brunswick stew, is made with love at this Smyrna family establishment.

BoccaLupo serves up beautifully plated pasta and ingenious cocktails in an intimate space in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood.

A classic sushi restaurant in Buckhead with bracingly fresh fish, creative cocktails and a cutting-edge interior.

The Athens restaurant that helped make Southern food a national obsession has moved around the corner but retains its idiosyncratic soul.

Chef-owner Ford Fry’s take on an earlier style of American cooking – over open fires, with elemental and seasonal ingredients – all smoke-kissed.

In Flowery Branch, a restaurant featuring Southern cuisine feels both modern and mindful of a worthy food heritage.

The General Muir in Atlanta’s Emory Point celebrates the old delicatessen ways but comes up with a new standard. And, oh, that chopped chicken liver.

An Athens brasserie that combines a downtown slacker-student vibe with a more mature Parisian ethos of languid sipping and tasting.

A fun, hip spot in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood serves both sushi and creative cooked dishes to an appreciative and diverse clientele.

A longtime Decatur favorite makes a move to Buckhead, bringing some vestiges of its past and showcasing Chef Joe Truex.

Graft, Gwinnett County’s new farm-to-table restaurant, has a small, often-changing menu that is simple and creative – and some fine, inventive cocktails.

Atlanta’s venerable Italian mainstay, La Grotta, serves the city’s movers and shakers a contemporary version of beloved classic dishes.

The Pinewood in Decatur offers delicious, inventive cocktails like the Brooklyn, the house take on a classic Manhattan, and a good variety of snacks and small bites.

As Atlanta continues to climb out of its economic slump, it can be all too easy to mourn the loss of some favorite restaurants – all the while missing the forest’s wildlife for the trees. One Eared Stag is a…

The Optimist in West Midtown is a seafood restaurant with old-school cocktails that combines the best aspects of an oceanfront fry-shack and an urban hotspot.

At Decatur’s Community Q BBQ, Georgia-style pulled pork and ribs are the mainstay, but there’s a lot more to try, including the Kitchen Sink Salad.

Little Hawaiian wants to meet you where you are and throw you a nice little party. The restaurant pays attention to comfort and details.

Chef Asha Gomez pays tribute to the sophisticated cuisine from India’s coastal state of Kerala in her peaceful, serene restaurant near Atlanta’s booming West Midtown food scene.