Most Atlantans don’t consider Busy Bee Cafe a tourist destination, simply a beloved, decades-old restaurant for great soul food. Over the years, visitors to the city have also discovered this Atlanta institution. In business since 1947, this Vine City staple serves some of Atlanta’s best fried chicken, alongside an assortment of other meat-and-three staples. Busy Bee Cafe was named a James Beard classic restaurant in 2022 and served as one of many meeting places for Civil Rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and Joseph Lowery. And Busy Bee owner Tracy Gates can now add Michelin bib gourmand to the list of accolades this Vine City soul food institution has received over the last 76 years.

The Dwarf House in Hapeville is where it all began for the Atlanta-based fast food chain back in 1946. This isn’t just any old Chick-fil-A. The Dwarf House includes a full-service restaurant serving an expanded menu filled with burgers, sandwiches, an all-day breakfast, and their most notable dish, the open-faced Hot Brown sandwich. The Chick-fil-A hot brown is served with chicken rather than turkey, bacon, and a whole lot of cheese. Sorry, it’s still closed on Sundays.

In business since 1956, the Silver Skillet serves a classic Southern breakfast with exactly zero frills. The restaurant is packed every morning with city dwellers, college students, and nearby office workers and hotel guests, regardless of the day of the week.

This cocktail bar and cigar lounge in downtown Atlanta requires a secret code to enter. Located in the old Dailey’s building, people must first dial a secret code inside a red phone booth to gain entrance into the bar. Once inside, order classic cocktails and take a seat at the bar or in the dimly lit lounge. Red Phone Booth features a walk-in humidor offering over 100 cigar options, too. Upstairs, Amalfi Pizza serves Neapolitan pies and pastas and cannolis for dessert paired with beer and wine.

Located on the campus of the Atlanta History Center, this old coach house is part of a Buckhead mansion featured in “the Hunger Games”. Swan Coach House includes an art gallery, gift shop, and a restaurant and events facility on site. Southern ladies who lunch come here for crab cakes, tea sandwiches, chicken salad, fried green tomatoes, and sweet tea. Reservations recommended.

Few restaurants in Atlanta give diners of today a window into the past quite like Trader Vic’s. Opened in 1976 in the basement of the Hilton Atlanta Downtown, the interior hasn’t changed in over four decades. The Mai Tai cocktails still draw a crowd after all these years. The restaurant is often full of tourists and Atlanta residents seeking an infusion of Polynesian pop culture paired with strong tiki drinks. Fun fact: Atlanta is home to one of two Trader Vic’s remaining in the United States, and the only one still associated with Hilton hotels.

This Midtown restaurant is a frequent spot for tourists and locals on dates looking to grab a bite in Midtown before taking in the sights or heading to the symphony or a production at the Alliance Theater nearby. Cafe Intermezzo may be known for its decadent desserts and late-night bites, but breakfast, brunch, and dinner are solid bets here, too. Try the chicken Florentine crepe, Belgian waffles, and pastrami and Swiss on grilled rye bread. The cafe-style seating along Peachtree is hard to beat on a pleasant day.

This beloved Southern restaurant on Ponce is known for its fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, and yeast rolls. In 2020, Mary Mac’s underwent a change of ownership, but very little has changed on the menu or with the decor and service. Mary MacKenzie first opened Mary Mac’s Tea Room in 1945. At the time, it was one of 16 tearooms in Atlanta. It’s been serving traditional Southern fare for tourists and residents ever since, who regularly stand in line for an infusion of Southern hospitality, fried chicken, and sweet tea. Temporarily closed.

Once home to Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and City Hall East, Ponce City Market (PCM), located just off the Eastside Beltline, is now Atlanta’s newest tourist destination. The ground floor food hall is home to several restaurant stalls owned by Atlanta’s most notable chefs, like Linton Hopkins, Anne Quatrano, Guy Wong, Meherwan Irani, and Hector Santiago. On the roof, there’s a mini amusement park called Skyline Park, along with restaurant 9 Mile Station and a cocktail bar in the tower. On weekdays, PCM is full of nearby residents and office dwellers grabbing lunch or dinner. Locals generally avoid PCM on the weekends when the market becomes overrun with tourists and folks heading in from the suburbs.

This iconic strip bar located in the basement of the Hotel Clermont on Ponce is a frequent stop for tourists and locals. And, it has been for over 50 years now. The dubious vice den is where to head for a PBR and shots and a peep show filled with aging strippers, including everyone’s favorite, Blondie. Watch the Atlanta living legend crush a few beer cans between her breasts. Two rules to abide by at the Clermont: no touching the entertainers and absolutely no photos allowed.

The Majestic on Ponce de Leon has been serving up comfort food since 1929. The restaurant was open 24/7 prior to the pandemic, but it still offers strong coffee paired with diner classics on the menu starting early in the morning. Head in for steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, grilled cheese and fries, and the Ponce dog piled high with chili, cheese, and onions. It’s a popular stop for tourists and locals seeking comfort food in Atlanta.