Best New Restaurant

Few restaurants have wooed Atlanta diners as swiftly as Inman Park’s BREAD & BUTTERFLY. The French-inspired eatery from Billy and Kristin Allin has infused the neighborhood with a lovely bit of Parisian charm. The restaurant serves everything from breakfast to lunch to snacks to dinner. Seemingly simple dishes such as pancakes drizzled with maple syrup and butter and a French-style omelet served with a vinegary simple salad are transformed into mouthwatering, soul-satisfying treats. A towering burger layered with caramelized onion, Swiss cheese, mayo, and grain mustard on a buttery brioche bun is gooey, tender, and tangy in all the right ways. And don’t miss the drool-worthy display of croissants, cookies, cakes, bread, and more from sister bakery Proof Bakeshop that bedeck the restaurant’s pastry case. A short but strong wine list curated by Cakes & Ale veteran Jordan Smelt and a classic, well-executed cocktail program round out Bread & Butterfly’s impressive offerings.  less...

When we heard that the folks from West Egg and Bocado's then-chef Todd Ginsberg were teaming up to open the General Muir, a tribute to a classic New York deli, we knew to expect some serious pastrami and matzoh ball soup. But no one anticipated such exotic dishes as the breakfast laffa (Israeli flat bread) stuffed with stewed lentils, charred eggplant, and a thick spread of spicy harissa. Or that the cortados would be so damn bold. Or that the poutine would turn out to be the best combination of fried potato, pastrami, gooey cheese, and meaty gravy this city has ever seen. This newcomer is still evolving, but there's a long list of things it does as well as - or better than - anyone in town, including the burgers, espresso, cheesecake, bagels, lox, sticky buns ... Shall we go on? Because we certainly can. less...

We were slightly aghast when we learned that Cakes & Ale was moving from its original storefront location on West Ponce de Leon Avenue in downtown Decatur to a newly renovated spot on the square. But as it turns out, the new, airier space has actually made one of our favorite restaurants even more welcoming. In fact, the addition of a bakery next door, plus the brilliant move of bringing former Dynamic Dish owner David Sweeney on as master of lunch, has heightened C&A's offerings significantly. Remember those brilliant Dynamic Dish sandwiches and quinoa salads? They're baaack. In the dining room, chef Billy Allin continues his legacy of melding simplicity and creativity. A recent playful take on tuna salad was a study in textural contrasts, pairing meaty cured tuna with soft potatoes, waxy pole beans and the snap of cooling cucumber. Cocktails come in the coolest vintage glassware around, and the wine list is both ambitious and affordable, with many selections available by the glass, carafe and bottle. Cakes & Ale 2.0 lives up to and surpasses its predecessor, much to our relief and delight. 155 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-377-7994. cakesandalerestaurant.com. less...

Which restaurant has changed the face of Atlanta dining the most since opening in the past year? The restaurant that finally brought us world-class pizza. ANTICO PIZZA NAPOLETANA had more of an impact on the deliciousness of our city than all the New Southern, farm-to-table places combined. There's no one thing that explains why Antico is so great, but there are plenty of things worth mentioning: the ovens and flour and tomatoes and workers imported from Italy; the blaring opera music; the convivial seating arrangements, where you might have to eat beside strangers at a metal table in the kitchen. But oh, when those pizzas arrive with their hot, crusty, thin, perfectly balanced crusts, and their tangy, sweet tomato sauce, that's when Antico becomes akin to a religious experience. It's the church of pizza. Consider us converted. 1093 Hemphill Ave. 404-724-2333. www.anticopizza.it. less...

Nothing in Atlanta restaurants has come along in the past year that's made us as excited as chef Bruce Logue's cooking at LA PIETRA CUCINA. From the dreamy pillows of house-made ricotta that accompany the Procuitto de Parma and pineapple mostarda to the outrageous black spaghetti with hot caladrese sausage and rock shrimp to perfect wood-roasted fish, Logue's bold vision of Italian is as thrilling as any genre of food happening in any restaurant in the city. 1545 Peachtree St. 404-888-8709. www.lapietracucina.com. less...

It’s been a huge year in Atlanta for new restaurants, but none has captured our hearts quite like SHAUN’S, the Inman Park bistro from Shaun Doty. Serving clean, inspired New American food in a beautiful old street-front building, Shaun’s caters to a real need in Atlanta — upscale neighborhood dining. Brunch is especially impressive, with deliciously refined takes on brunch classics. Try the trout over grits along with a mistral mimosa. less...

Beauty and intelligence — now that’s not something you find every day on Atlanta’s hip restaurant scene. From fantastic cocktails to a delicious and thoughtful Mediterranean-influenced menu to the wonderful redesign of Midtown’s Atlanta Fencing Club building, we have plenty of cause to be smitten by ECCO. The menu, with its cheeses, appetizers, share plates, pizzas, sandwiches and entrees, makes for a highly versatile restaurant, whether you’re looking for nibbles at the bar or a five-course extravaganza. We recommend making a meal of the winning appetizers and the small plates, like delicately fried balls of goat cheese with honey and roasted clams with ginger and spiced ham. less...

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 of a west side development, THE GLOBE snatches the spotlight in Tech Square with a light, welcoming warmth. His new venture is both a great place to grab an easygoing bite with friends and a harbinger of Atlanta’s dining future: The mod restaurant looks and feels like a scenester hang, but it has the earnest heart of a neighborhood eatery. We’ll take more enticing concepts like this, please.
75 Fifth St. 404-541-1487. www.globeatlanta.com.

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The first Southern link in a California-based chain, the Midtown beer hall resembles a gentrified former bank. Perhaps most notable for a collection of Mettlach and other antique steins displayed like diamonds in a case behind the host stand, the 7,000-square-foot restaurant offers sports TV, German-style lagers made onsite, exceptional service and serviceable food, including tuna sashimi with pickled ginger, Moroccan-style lamb chops and goat cheese ravioli. less...

In offering authentic Mexican dining, the owners of Midtown's Zocalo Mexican Taqueria never conceded to chips 'n' salsa trends, and they've made a further leap with Buckhead's Oh ... Maria! A caliente showcase of the best of Nueva Latina cuisine, Oh ... Maria! serves dishes you've never quite experienced before (the fittingly named "Ecstasy de Maria" is a ribeye steak served on a banana leaf), in the midst of lovingly elaborate surroundings that suggest a visit to the oldest and fanciest restaurant in Mexico City. less...