The Resy Hit List: Where In Atlanta You’ll Want to Eat in August 2025

Miller Union’s Steven Satterfield and Neal McCarthy have another hit on their hands with the new wine bar and restaurant they opened with Dive Wine’s Tim Willard. Folks have been fast to smash the Notify button since its opening, and the jury’s split between whether the small plates or the big glasses should take top billing. Shareable dishes range from light to less light; a poulet rouge and creamy potato gnocchi are as big as plates get. McCarthy and Willard are both esteemed sommeliers, and thankfully, their excitement to share their knowledge means a choice of roughly two dozen wines by the glass. Once you grab a seat, just follow our Dish by Dish recs and let that be your guide.

A choice of three spacious patios makes this a stellar pick for summer dining, cicadas whirring in the not-too-distant trees. The pavilion and the garden are popular, especially during lazy evenings where you’re able to score free street parking nearby — you’ll want to take your time savoring the pastas and breads so painstakingly made by hand, and the craft cocktails too. The wine list leans to naturalish selections. Pair a bottle with bright summer flavors like tomato jam with burrata or sun-dried tomato pesto on rigatoni with rapini and fennel, or go trad with a twist via panko-crusted thigh chicken Parm. 

Chef Duane Nutter may be a newly minted cookbook author, but first and foremost, he’s still one of Atlanta’s best kitchen talents. So, come ready to play: Grab a drink at the bar, intentionally designed to feel like a listening room, before you sit down to your Resy. Then satiate your visual sense observing the art collection this multi-time James Beard nominee takes such pride in before digging into a jalapeno johnny cake and biscuit bread basket, smoked chicken with fettuccine in pecan pesto, and tongue-in-cheek dishes like Lamb Burger Helper (rigatoni with lamb and fennel) and Trout Nutter-Dean with dirty rice grits and peanut lemon-caper sauce. If it’s the legendary brunch you’re after, set a Notify. That’s Sundays only, and always in demand.

Plenty of restaurants serve mezcal, but far fewer are bold enough to call themselves a mezcaleria — and this is Atlanta’s first. Décor showcases the agave plant, from suspensions over the bar to real harvesting tools on an accent wall in the glamorous emerald green and black dining room. Experience a tableside Tequila flight and the power of smoke and flame with steak in a habanero ash sauce, a charcoal and orange cocktail, and “forgotten” blistered masa tortilla. Don’t miss the cochinita pibil blue corn sopes nor the overstuffed chicken enchiladas with poblano cream. Mole sauce is painstakingly scratch-made here, as are desserts by pastry chef Ricky Saucedo, whose little-bit-of-everything “Magic Tea Cup” shows us how smoke enhances everything — even chocolate. Brunch means conchas; enjoy them on the patio.

At a typical bar, folks might complain if they can’t hear — but at Commune, everyone’s there to listen. Guests drink in vibes at this intimate, retro-cozy lounge that makes music the point. Vinyl and DJs spin across genres on any given night; the wine list, curated by James Beard Award-nominated sommelier Steve Grubbs, is just as dynamic with weekly highlights that change out regularly. Local beers, kombucha, and mocktails provide other options. But the dinner menu? That changes with the seasons. Chef Muhammad Elosta goes where locally farmed ingredients take him and Simone Forte handles bread and desserts.

Set up to resemble a Thai marketplace, zealously decorated with knickknacks and playful references, this BuHi staple by Adidsara “Tum” Weerasin and Jakkrit “Pok” Tuanphakdee specializes in the cuisine of the northeast. The menu is divided into Isan, where the food is less sweet and Laotian influences make their mark in dishes like larb, housemade sausage, and raw green papaya salads; Very Thai, where you’ll want to order boat noodles or dishes made with fresh, not dried, rice noodles (a rarity in Atlanta); and Special Thai for favorites from other regions, covering ample ground across the country. Get the moo dang — the roast pork that gave the nation’s most famous hippo her name — over rice or with noodles and pair it with Thai and Japanese beers. 

Choose your own three-course adventure with Kevin Gillespie’s prix fixe menu, which offers plenty of opportunities to see how hearty Scottish fare can be given a contemporary Southern and New England twist. For instance, Georgia-grown wagyu culotte grilled on wood comes with barbecued sweet potatoes and Scotch ale mousse and Maine peekytoe crab is accompanied by brown-butter yuzu and a tattie scone. Or just let Gillespie navigate your “way of nature” with a six-courser freshly updated for the season. New winter riffs feature smoked mussels with hard cider cream and duck confit with spiced quince. Warm up further with a dram from his private whisky collection — just the right drink to feel like a laird in his lodge.

The name, like everything else about this Tex-Mex restaurant that just opened in the former Highland Bakery space, is intentional. Owned by chef Nick Melvin (whose Poco Loco burritos has a cult following), the menu at this taqueria is as zealously exuberant as the mural that dominates its casual space. Try breakfast tacos like The Cash with eggs, pork colorado verde, and cheese, and be glad they’re available all day, or jump into dinner with chicken asada, brisket mole, pulled adobo mushrooms tacos, or one with fried chicken, jalapeno green goddess slaw, and salsa macha. Our suggestion: Stop off the Freedom Trail or BeltLine for a cold marg. 

No reservations. Find more info here.  

Under the stewardship of executive chef Charles Lowney, chef-owner Jason Hill’s oldie but goodie continues to push the modern Southern cooking that pioneered a movement when Wisteria opened two dozen years ago. The historic building, identifiable by its brick façade, opens up to a dining room with a downtown vibe, where local art is on display and for sale. That way, you can take home more than just a memory of a great meal of fried Gulf oysters, charred romaine Caesar salad, pimento cheese deviled eggs, molasses-rubbed pork with sweet potato puree, or wild-caught diver scallops. Pro tip: As you would at Miller Union, order the vegetable plate for the table for a sampler that often includes corn pudding, apple relish, succotash, parsnip mash, and seasonal greens. 

Gather ‘round the counter that undulates through this bright, sunny space for sake cocktails and temaki. Jason Liang’s latest concept takes the best of multiple worlds — convivial diner-style continuous counters, omakase-style personal service, and a cheery casual cafe setting — and fuses them in his signature fashion. Start with the outstanding miso soup and pick a temaki set if you’re unsure where to start. The 12-course tasting for $95 is a perfect journey across the menu. Pro tip: making a Resy for a Monday or Tuesday puts AYCE hand rolls on the menu. And before you even sit down, call dibs on whatever’s left at the pastry counter from lunch. ChingYao Wang is up to her unusual tricks here, with delights that might include chocolate bo lo bao and double-baked Dubai chocolate croissants.

An airy, summery bistro with a coastal, southern Mediterranean feel, this newcomer by chef Kevin Maxey is beautiful watercolor blend of his venerable cooking experience under celebrity chefs like Ford Fry and Tom Colicchio: a proper New York/New Jersey-style (read: monster-sized and extra cheesy) chicken Parm, Southern chicory reimagined as carbonara with honeyed bacon vinaigrette, Gulf shrimp scampi that references his upbringing in Texas, appetizer-sized wood-fired new-age Neapolitan pizzettes, and Venetian-inspired spritzes. Dine family-style, starting with a luscious beef tartare with shaved egg and ending with an enormous goblet of tiramisu, which pairs perfectly with the creamy, coffee liqueur-tinged dessert cocktail. For details on everything else in between, here’s what to order.

Chef Santiago Gomez’s urbane oasis remains one of Atlanta’s hot spot fixtures, but that’s never kept innovation off the table here. Bar director Orestes Cruz is new to the team, infusing cocktail offerings with fresh fruit and herbaceous twists — often literally. Also new: Taco Tuesday, with a la carte gourmet tacos that let you mix and match proteins such as birria and double-fried pork belly with sauces like salsa macha and molcajeteada with toppings like beans, guac, and pickled radish. Pro tip: some drinks are exclusive to the rooftop or dining room (drinks upstairs are designed to pair well with the Japanese light bites offered there), so make your Resy accordingly.

Pullman Yards staple Tamara Hewitt’s specials are now accessible more regularly as the concept enters its residency era. Flavors from Jamaica and the American South come together every weekend in combinations of your choosing as you DIY a small-bite spread from oxtail empanadas and fluffy seafood hush puppies to tiny hot honey chicken biscuits and shrimp with a grit croquette. If decision paralysis hits, go for the afternoon tea-style brunch tower for a generous sampler and a pot of blooming hot tea. For something heartier, peach-stuffed waffles and egg skillets stick to the ribs. Whatever you do, don’t skip dessert: her adorable, uber-realistic sweet treats like banana pudding-stuffed mini bananas and the already-viral chocolate “plant pots” are unmissable.

Recently reopened with chef Robert Butts (formerly of Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours) and Tregaye (Fraser) at the helm, this Angel has definitely earned new wings. A revamped menu features dishes whose flavors match the polished but unabashedly bold décor of the jewel-toned, historic space. For instance, roasted cauliflower topped with toasted sunflower seeds surprises with a succotash emulsion that packs secret heat in the finish. Then mains like meaty lobster ravioli with Creole bechamel and smoked lamb chops with spicy pepper jam and chimichurri made with collard greens make global dishes distinctly Southern and soulful. Don’t skip dessert or the cornbread by Megan Brent as she flexes her pastry chops. Pro tip: Charcuterie lovers will want to book a Resy for Thursday’s Grazing Hour.

Old-school service, old country-inspired decor, and old Southern traditions may sound an incongruous mix, but it works for this family-owned Italian restaurant just barely OTP. An open floor plan contributes to the liveliness that characterizes dining here, while soft lighting, a romantic patio, and a good by-the-glass wine list makes it a fine date night option, too. Housemade pasta is the obvious choice, including the namesake carbonara, but don’t overlook red sauce classics like a seafood-loaded fra diavolo. Mains range from rustic (cacciatore, braised lamb shank) to contemporary (chicken Parm) to elegant (filet in peppercorn brandy). A thoughtful kids menu and long list of classic desserts make it clear why this is a longtime favorite for families. 

If you’ve never found yourself heading toward Mableton, pitmasters Robert Owens (Grand Champion) and Bryan Hull (Secret Pint BBQ) are certainly giving us reason by the pound. Two enormous smokers filled with locally sourced oak and parked right outside show they mean business, but the results prove they know their craft. Order the brisket, the gorgeous pink smoke ring broken only by rivulets of fat that lace through fall-apart meat and well-seasoned bark. Unspeakably tender turkey, oversized ribs, and thick, juicy sausages that split with the tightest of snaps are also musts. The house-pickled accoutrements are no afterthoughts; nor is dessert. If you see the whipped pudding with the three-cookie crust, grab it with both hands — you won’t want to share.  

Find more info here.