1. Lyla Lila
Midtown
Winter 2020 was a tough time for Atlanta restaurants, particularly those that had very recently opened, but Lyla Lila’s story of resilience is one worth recognizing. Recently hailed in the New York Times’ nationwide 2021 restaurant list as “exactly the diverse, sophisticated and comfortable restaurant Atlanta’s booming Midtown neighborhood needed,” the southern European menu features impressive pasta dishes from chef Craig Richards, such as wagyu beef and black truffle ravioli, along with a variety of grilled and roasted poultry and seafood. Not to be missed are the jazz-standard-inspired cocktails like ‘Round Midnight, a mezcal Negroni of sorts, which is a smooth, herbal-citrus sipper that’s perfect for enjoying before or after a show at the Fox Theatre directly across Peachtree Street.