The Resy Guide to Plant-Based Dining in Atlanta

Chef Steven Satterfield’s lauded Midtown restaurant continues to delight diners during the pandemic. His dedication to seasonality and sustainability always shines through,whether focusing on meat or vegetables. Luckily for those looking for plant-based dining options, Satterfield offers many meat-free dishes on the menu, including a very well-rounded Southern vegetable plate. Miller Union’s signature dish, a farm egg baked in celery cream, is a perennial favorite, too.

As the name suggests, Delbar is serving up a menu of flavorful Middle Eastern favorites, from hummus and falafel to a selection of saffron-infused rice dishes. Vegetarian spreads like kashk bademjoon (eggplant, onion, mint, and cream of whey) and dill labneh will the please the entire table, before plates of grilled vegetables, za’atar fries with tahini sauce, and adas polo (lentil basmati rice with raisins and fried onion) hit the table. Make sure to snag your share of tahdig, the crispy, golden layer of rice that is the very best part of a polo dish. 

It’s been a special occasion dining destination for decades, combining the magical art of tabletop cooking with gooey cheese. It also happens to be very friendly to those diners enjoying a plant-based diet (as long as they’re cool with their plants enrobed in a mixture of Gruyère, raclette, fontina, white wine, and garlic). Dip bread and vegetables into the aforementioned cheese, or choose the garden pot, which comes with vegetable potstickers, vegan polpettes, and a plethora of vegetables that are cooked in your choice of cooking style (like seasoned vegetable broth or Carribean-inspired mojo broth). A decadent chocolate fondue with fruit is the obvious ending to this epic feast.

Head over to West Midtown for Afro-Caribbean cuisine, much of which includes non-meat options. Modern takes on Jamaican, Haitian, and West African dishes pack a major, flavorful punch at dinner and brunch. At dinner, pineapple jerk cauliflower and yellow curry pasta are must-orders, while mid-morning dining requires an order of collard green wontons, and a vegan skillet with sweet potato hash, plant-based chorizo, and akee scramble. The restaurant’s many rum-based drinks are the ideal accompaniment to a meal at Rock Steady, day or night.

A pleasant haven with ample outside seating, Floataway is the product of James Beard award-winning chefs Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison (also owners of Bacchanalia and Star Provisions). Their more casual project has a constantly changing menu influenced by French, Italian, and Mediterranean cuisines, much of which happens to be vegetable-focused.  Savory butternut squash zeppoles served with Calabrian chili honey are one such dish, which would be an ideal start before an entree of plump spinach and ricotta ravioli. Enjoy with a glass of wine from Italy or France to fulfill your idyllic cafe dreams. 

Neapolitan pizzas are the draw at Fritti, the Inman Park restaurant from chef-owner Riccardo Ullio. Grab a seat on the temperature-controlled patio and order the bianca, a white pie showered with mozzarella, ricotta, fontina, Emmental, smoked mozzarella, and Parmesan, or expand your horizons with a a pizza topped with gorgonzola, fresh pineapple, and 12-year-old balsamic. There’s also a selection of the fried snacks common in Napoli, like funghi fritti and mushroom croquettes, and fresh salads to start.