The General Muir

Located in the new Emory Point complex near the CDC off Clifton Road, this airy looker lined with gleaming white subway tile is one of the most original and warmhearted restaurants to open in recent years. “Jewish deli” doesn’t cover the gamut of its ambitions, though it’s a sensible term to begin defining the cuisine. A back counter sells superb “appetizing”—the word used to describe whitefish salads, lox, and cream cheese bagel schmears—that also appear on morning and afternoon menus. Executive chef Todd Ginsberg takes cues from delicatessen fare but really draws from the whole of the Jewish diaspora, including Eastern European and New York classics (chopped liver, matzo ball soup, excellent Reuben and pastrami sandwiches) as well as frequently changing Middle Eastern– and Mediterranean-influenced dishes showcased at dinner.

Best of Atlanta 2013: New Restaurant 
Choose any mealtime, day or night, and this airy restaurant near Emory – labeled a “Jewish deli” for shorthand but encompassing so much more – will impress. Breakfast brings the pleasures of the city’s chewiest, most satisfying bagels, smeared with cream cheese and overlaid with supple lox or smoked salmon. The lunchtime pastrami sandwich, piled extravagantly, brings even New Yorkers o their knees. Dinner shifts hears and reveals chef Todd Ginsberg’s finesse with small plates, previously witnessed at Bocado: Try the Swiss chard fritters dusted with Parmesan.

Photograph by Greg DuPree