Photo courtesy of Kimball House

How to Spend a Perfect 72 Hours Eating Your Way Through Atlanta

By Mike Jordan, an Atlanta-based food and culture journalist, Resy’s former Southeast editor, U.S. South academy chair for 50 Best Restaurants, and winner of the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award.

Updated: May 20, 2026

No matter where you are in the world, you’ve likely heard of Atlanta. You might possibly have touched down in the city, albeit briefly, in your travels in and outside the U.S. Many millions of people have connected through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and lots of them have even ventured north into the actual city limits to find out what all the hype is about. Well, we hope you’re hungry and can make time to find out why there’s no place in the world like ATL, especially when it comes to eating well and good.

This big Southern town is quite sprawling, so you’ll want to prepare yourself for commutes that mandate at least some time in a vehicle, but there are also new and exceptional places to experience the best food and drink Atlanta has to offer within a walkable radius, which is exactly how we’ll get started with your Thursday arrival in the capital of Georgia. Check out the itinerary below, as well as our Hit List for Atlanta, and take to Resy to put yourself in position for a positively amazing visit that’ll take you up, down and all around Peachtree Street.

Resy Presents
An Appetite For Adventure

Saturday to Sunday: Southern Feasting at Its Finest

Photo courtesy of Bomb Biscuit.Co.

Bomb Biscuit Co. Grant Park

Breakfast of Champions

Your soul will rise and shine as soon as you move through the doors of this beloved breakfast spot, where friendly faces fill the white- and yellow-painted dining room, whose color palette is inspired by the fluffy, buttery biscuits coming from the kitchen to hug you from the inside-out. The lemon pepper chicken biscuit is a popular favorite but there’s no wrong way to go, especially with add-ons like stone-ground grits, hash brown casserole, and cinnamon rolls to help you gain your morning bearings. Just be absolutely sure to reserve seats in advance, as Bomb Biscuit keeps a consistent crowd lined up looking for seats every morning but especially on weekends.

Book Now

Kamayan ATL Doraville

Joyful Filipino Feasting

No trip to Atlanta with the intention of discovering why the metro area’s dining scene is so distinct can exclude a drive up Buford Highway, and with dozens on dozens of great places to eat, a visit to Kamayan is always a good decision. Chefs Mia Orino and Carlo Gan, partners in life and business, aren’t just brilliant Filipino chefs but also wonderful people whose spirit permeates the experience of enjoying a meal inside the always-bustling, island-inspired dining room. Without a reservation, you should know your chances of enjoying customer faves like Angus beef peanut stew or vivid purple ube flan caramel cake are greatly diminished, so be sure to secure your spot before taking to Interstate 85 North for a memorable, Michelin-recommended meal.

Book Now

Kimball House Decatur

Casual Excellence for Dinner

Another bright side of being outside the northeast I-285 perimeter is that you’re closer to Decatur than you may have been otherwise, so as you make your way back into town you can navigate easily toward another nationally recognized restaurant and bar. Kimball House, which built a reputation for stellar cocktails and a precedent-setting oyster happy hour night after night, is now unquestionably one of the best places to drink and dine in metro Atlanta. The kitchen runs until 10 p.m., so if you’re still hungry those oysters (which they aquafarm themselves in Spring Creek, Fla.) are always impeccable, as are the salt and pepper rock shrimp, snapper crudo, and caviar service ranging from Italian white sturgeon to Polanco Oscietra from Uruguay. Also don’t worry yourself over your cocktail choice — anything you choose to sip will be spectacular, but do try the Bitter Melon Daisy to get a taste of how Tequila, lemon, cinnamon, watermelon, and melon liqueur can transform a great night into a timeless occasion.

Book Now

Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge Midtown - Located inside Politan Row at Colony Square

Photography by Denny Culbert and Lindsay Butler, courtesy of Jojo’s Beloved

Sip on the ’70s

Back into the center of town, if you aren’t giving up neither is ATL, especially if you’ve got the endurance for one or two more elite mixed drinks to top off the evening. Having recently been announced as one of Tales of the Cocktail’s 2026 Spirited Awards U.S. Regional Top 10 Honorees, JoJo’s may be slightly hidden inside the Politan Row food hall, but has earned its place in Atlanta among the city’s better beverage establishments and captures the after-midnight mood perfectly. A sweet way to end the night is the Lights, Camera, Highballs cocktail, made with blanco Tequila, Manzanilla sherry, pistachio orgeat, chamomile, and grapefruit, topped with pistachio foam. FYI, while doors don’t close until 2 a.m., the final seating is at 11:30 p.m., so plan your arrival accordingly.

Book Now

Southern National Summerhill

Close Out in Southern Style

They (not us) said it couldn’t be done, but you’ve absolutely thrived in your journey throughout the cultural epicenter of the American Southeast. Congratulations — you deserve and should demand a proper brunch, and that’s what Duane Nutter and Reggie Washington have waiting for you, assuming you’ve planned ahead and made your reservation. We’re going deep South here, with coffee-toffee-sauced beignets and boiled green peanut hummus with Johnny cakes, before digging into braised short ribs and scrambled eggs. These are meals meant for healing after a glorious weekend, such as the Dirty South open-faced meatloaf sandwich with sautéed spinach and pimento cheese. Champagne flight pairing? Absolutely. You’re now leaving ATL the only advisable way: in Southern style, and supremely satisfied.

Book Now

Mike Jordan is an Atlanta-based food and culture journalist with bylines in The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Bon Appetit, National Geographic, Southern Living, and others. He is Resy’s former Southeast editor and served as founding editor of Thrillist Atlanta, digital program director at Atlanta radio station WVEE-FM, and senior editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is chairman of the Atlanta Press Club. the U.S. South academy chair for 50 Best Restaurants, and winner of the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, for which he was a finalist in 2023. Follow him on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.