Now on Resy: Nino’s Italian, Bomb Biscuit Co., The Waiting Room, and More Local Favorites

Because Nino’s is the place to go for the canon of old-style Italian dishes, from fried calamari to spaghetti with clams, and Caesar salad to veal Parmigiano. This is a well-loved family-run Atlanta institution after all, which has been pleasing — and amply feeding — the community for more than 50 years.

Because acclaimed Atlanta baker Erika Council has relocated her beloved biscuits emporium from the Irwin Street Market to Highland Avenue, and it’s just as excellent as ever. Come for biscuit sandwiches and brunch plates worth waking up for — and speaking of biscuits, don’t miss the black pepper bacon version.

Suddenly it’s the 1970s at this racy, cozy cocktail lounge opened by Darren Carr and Eric Simpkins upstairs from their Bon Ton seafood restaurant. Expect large-format drinks served in decanters and shareable extravagances like seafood towers in a hot red room, with DayGlo lighting and red shag carpets.

Make no mistake: Dantanna’s is no sports bar, but an upscale restaurant with plenty of screens for watching the games, which consistently knocks it out of the park with its solid all-American fare. Think cheesesteak, fried jumbo shrimp, and plenty of surf-and-turf combos, of course, plus rivers of craft beers on tap and 50 wines by the glass.

The food might be Italian at this brick-and-wood-framed Decatur favorite from chef Pat Pascarella (of Grana and Bastone), but the accent is pure Georgia: Almost all produce and much of the meat and seafood is sourced seasonally in-state (and the pasta flour is milled in-house), and the results will keep you coming back.

Expect moody lighting, great (recorded) music on rotation, cocktails both classic and creative, small bites meant for sharing, and a rooftop lounge with views of the city at this third-floor Buckhead Village, sibling to the original Beltline James Room.

Restaurateur Leonardo Moura and chef Jamie Adams made a name for themselves with Italian food at Il Giallo and G’s Pizza, but now, they’re knocking it out of the park with this lively Cajun-accented all-American concept. Don’t miss the collard-green-based “Not Spinach” dip.

There’s a breezy SoCal vibe — natural wood, abundant natural light, columns covered with live moss — at this Buckhead beauty in the Three Alliance Center, but the menu covers the map, from the Mediterranean to the American South.

Rough stone walls, floor-to-ceiling beaded curtains, dark wood, and intimate lighting set the scene for Persian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean fare at this longtime Buckhead favorite. 

The younger sibling of the longtime College Park favorite of the same name, this Corner Grille has all the same friendly vibes and just-what-you-want comfort-food menu. The fare is all-American — with shoutouts to New Orleans — with some dishes not served at the original (hello, catfish po’ boy).

Here’s cause for celebration in Sandy Springs: a comfortable, clean-lined sushi restaurant from Justin Lim and Sean Park (of Okiboru Tsukemen and Ramen) where the omakase menus are served at tables as well as at the sushi bar, and the fish arrives weekly from Tokyo’s legendary Toyosu Market.

For old-style Italian-American dining in a classy atmosphere, look no further than this commodious establishment from Rye Restaurants (think Fred’s Meat & Bread and The General Muir) in Buckhead’s Thompson Hotel. Expect all the classics, from spaghetti alla pomodoro to chicken Marsala.

Takashi Otsuka has been delighting Atlantans with his Wagaya ramen and sushi restaurants for years, but his Chirori is something different: A place devoted to sake in all its variety, along with a wide range of modern Japanese dishes with some unexpected (sake-friendly) twists. Crème brûlée avocado with wasabi vinaigrette, anyone?