The 10 Restaurants That Defined Atlanta Dining in 2022

Let’s be clear: If you book a one-seat reservation at Mujo, you will spend hundreds of dollars. Do it — it will be a meal to remember. Chef J. Trent Harris is making masterful sushi, and the restaurant’s focus on high-caliber service standards results in a supreme experience that’s worth every dime and more. In a year with several pricey omakase restaurants opening their doors, this Castellucci Hospitality Group concept went straight after greatness, and landed in its first year among the best places to dine in Atlanta today.

All the cool kids tried to tell you Fishmonger was among the waviest new places to eat in Atlanta that opened this year. But now that Obama came to town and got his hands on a Caesar salad with blackened grouper, there’s sure to be even more attention to the new kid on North Highland Avenue with the funky-fresh fins, sold market-style for home cheffing and as ready-to-eat dishes. A new second location coming to Kirkwood means even more mongering for fish heads, and is a reminder that winners can still swim to the top in Atlanta, even when the seas seem crowded.

No reservations; see a sample menu here.

Middle Eastern food had quite the year in Atlanta, in case you hadn’t noticed (if you haven’t, you will shortly) and one of the most talked-about places in 2022 was Le Bon Nosh, which blends the Persian heritage of chef and founder Forough Vakili with a French-influenced menu and an opulent dining space. LBN also brought new flavor to the trend of Atlanta restaurants taking on breakfast, lunch, and dinner (see The Chastain, Juniper Cafe, etc.), and the properly fancy design of the Buckhead space. But it was dishes like the confit duck leg with lentils and mixed greens in carrot-lemongrass purée that anchored the experience beyond the elegant arched shelving and towering curtains.

Sure it’s a pop-up, but it’s a pop-up that gave new life to Atlanta’s pop-up scene, which has been high-performing but in all fairness needed a new jolt. Hosted at Full Commission, SSF’s Laotian menu, with the usual exception of a beef jerky dish that seems destined for hall-of-fame greatness, rotates often. But just like the menu, you should be turning around and coming back as often as you can, and watch for news of a permanent home in short order.

No reservations; see the menu here.

It took Atlanta a few months to realize Lazy Betty-caliber cuisine comes in Vietnamese form, and has been available on Atlanta’s westside since earlier this year. But now that people have become hip to the Westside Village restaurant, it’s yet another reason to sing the praises of Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, who’re taking an all-day approach to fresh and fantastic feasts with lovely presentation, inimitable technique, and high quality. The breads are top-tier, from brioche to croissants and baguettes, and are mandatory whether you’re stopping in for pho, noodle salad, hot Vietnamese fried chicken, or just hot tea. It may have sprouted just this year but hopefully Juniper Cafe stays as evergreen as its namesake.

It’s risky to open a new restaurant these days, and if you know anything about the corner of Highland Avenue and Sampson Street, you know that’s even riskier than trying to make fluffy biscuits with expired rice flour. Thankfully, Erika Council, the hands and brains behind Bomb, is as brave as she is talented, and makes some of Atlanta’s best biscuits, which by default means some of the best biscuits in America, in a space where several restaurants have come and gone in the past decade. Leaving behind the incubation space of Irwin Street Market, Bomb has exploded into a very popular operation beyond just biscuits, with breakfast happening Thursday through Sunday. Apparently adult beverages are coming soon, with an application in progress.

Contact Bomb Biscuits at info@bombbiscuitatl.com.

Speaking of the recent wave of Middle Eastern cuisine in Atlanta (hint-hint), Delbar has become a must-try dining destination, inspired by the women in chef Fares Kargar’s Iranian family. Coming from the highly heralded Rumi’s Kitchen (which also expanded its Atlanta footprint with a new Colony Square location, hint-hint-hint), Kargar had the experience of seeing the powerful draw of Persian cuisine in our international southern town, and also knew that touches of global glamour in the design, such as muted vanilla hues meshing with colorful upholstery in the banquette seating, and Moroccan tile for good measure, would draw in destination-driven diners from far outside Inman Park.

Anybody who remembers the lofty pizza restaurant Do at The View knows it was a valiant effort, but way ahead of its time, and not in the good way (imagine iPads on tables in 2022). Those who don’t will see Palo Santo and wonder where this place was hiding all this time. Truly hidden in plain sight — it’s right next to King Plow Art Center but tucked into a tight corner where traffic was less frequent until a few years ago — Palo Santo definitely has a lounge-y setup, but has excellent service and food that will hopefully challenge the menus at many other restaurants that behave far more like nightclubs.

It’s a good time, from cocktails and wine to standout small plates like the wood-fired cauliflower in miso caramel or the wagyu tartare accompanied by sourdough toast layered with charred eggplant. Things go up from there, literally, into dinner entrees, then nighttime cocktails on the building’s new rooftop lounge. It can be pricey, but it’s a welcome addition to the westside.

Call 678-492-9211 for more information.

This year, chef Deborah VanTrece followed her grand ambitions to expand into the ranks of restaurant empire-builder, with two new restaurants arriving. Serenidad, her “Latin-soul” restaurant that followed Oreatha’s at the Point just across the street, established that she was up for the task (trust us — opening one restaurant in a year in Atlanta can be crazy enough). And that’s not to diminish the impact of Oreatha’s, but with Serenidad, VanTrece showed that she understands the importance of bringing delicious variety to Black-dominated communities, which don’t always get carefully crafted cuisine inspired by global flavors, prepared in adventurous-yet-familiar ways, from shrimp and grits paella to elote “ribs.”

It came in late (just last month actually), but Feedel Bistro came in swinging, and folks around Atlanta seem to be in agreement that the Ethiopian and Eritrean bistro is an immediate favorite for the Emory area and all around. The space is friendly and light, with a floral zeal that matches the mostly meat-free environment. Vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian dishes are still rich in flavor and prepared in a way that’s warming all over, which is why it has been so welcomed to north Atlanta’s long-diverse and consistently delicious dining scene.