Four Things In Atlanta Not to Miss This Month
- Celebrate Black Restaurateurs: It’s the 10th anniversary of Atlanta Black Restaurant Week, extended from Aug. 3 to 17. Holding it down on the Caribbean front, Bread & Butterfly’s symbolic Freedom Cake should tide us over until Heritage opens this month; Station 11, now New on Resy; Peckish (get the Rundown here), where you can end any meal with stunning life-like sweet treats; and Apt 4B for flavors and vibes that run deep. Any day you start with Bomb Biscuit Co. is going to be a good one (get the rest of your 72-hour itinerary here), or try Poach Social. For Southern, there’s Roc South Cuisine and Cocktails, always-innovative Auburn Angel, and celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Atlanta outpost, Marcus Bar & Grille. You can also catch the exec chefs from the latter two at the Creole Food Festival, taking place Aug. 8.
- Get Outside: Atlanta’s a city that loves our big green spaces, whether catching a festival or event or simply eating in or around them. This month, bookmark Aug. 15-Aug. 16 for the Piedmont Park Festival, and eat well after at nearby Bangkok Thai or Verdure, both located just north of the Atlanta Botanical Garden. A week later, the Summer Shade Festival takes over Grant Park, putting you within easy range to JenChan’s, a Cabbagetown community and Atlanta insider favorite. And should you be lucky enough to go to a summer concert at any one of the metro area’s great amphitheaters, Resy’s got you covered, too. Treat yourself to a nice early meal at Nowak’s Steakhouse or stylish Italian at Pendolino. Both are in Sandy Springs, not too far from Chastain Park and its historic stage. Farther north, at the supersized Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, easy nearby pre-show dinner options include Edo Japanese Cuisine and Village Tavern Alpharetta. Downtown, TBB 122 and Fogón and Lions are always solid picks.
- Salad Days: When it’s hot out, look to the lighter side. Try going vegan for a night at much-lauded La Semilla, where diners promise you won’t even miss the meat. Redefine what a salad can be at places like Pink Lotus, whose crispy kale salad is crave-worthy and well-accompanied by a cocktail inspired by Thai green papaya salad. Or try the iconic crispy rice salad at Talat Market, a dish so beloved, it’s one of the only standbys on a highly seasonal menu. Delbar Middle Eastern’s spring pea salad gets a shoutout in the Buckhead location’s Rundown, and the beet carpaccio is a vibrant mix of earthy and refreshing. Little Bear can always be counted on for fresh takes on fresh greens, while Pendolino offers a richer perspective with their carbonara-inspired salad. Find more traditional salads at spots like Little Sparrow, Necessary Purveyor, and Rosso, which is New on Resy.
- Listen Up: Not only do we have Hip Hop at the Table, every other genre’s joining our dine-and-listen party. Bar ANA keeps the notorious former El Bar space bumping with the same Latin soul that infuses the menu. Places like Jojo’s Beloved Cocktail Lounge, Block & Drum, and Commune ATL have music in their DNA. Recently opened La Cueva at Ponce City Market is styling itself as a listening room, and brand-new LikeMinds plans to offer seven straight hours of curated music daily, via live shows and DJ sets. Trendy new rooftop lounge Jagger Suite just kicked off a new monthly vinyl listening series called Off the Record, and each “volume” introduces deep cuts and new themes. Meanwhile, Apt 4B has been the longtime holder of the record for the largest vinyl collection in the city. Finally, catch live jazz weekly at Louisiana Bistreaux Buckhead and The Betty for sounds from further back in the past.
New to the Hit List (Aug. 2026)
Alonetogether, Battle & Brew, Daily Chew, Jolene Jolene, Last Dance.