Jennifer Zyman

Photograph courtesy of Slutty Vegan

Slutty Vegan
Bring a friend. Bring a book. Just be prepared to stand in line at Slutty Vegan, the southwest Atlanta take-out–only burger stand serving plant-based patties to thousands of people every week who wait up to an hour (or more) for the experience. The Westview brick-and-mortar location of Pinky Cole’s viral-sensation food truck serves cheekily named burgers—hello, One Night Stand and Menage a Trois—that have drawn orgasmic reviews from celebrities like Tyler Perry and Snoop Dogg. The patties are created by the Impossible Company, a California start-up that’s recreated the heme molecule that makes meat taste like, well, meat. Slutty Vegan isn’t the only Atlanta restaurant to serve Impossible products, but none of the others have generated the buzz that Cole’s burgers have. The 10 burger and sandwich options on the menu come with toppings including vegan bacon, vegan cheese, vegan shrimp, and caramelized onions (the $19 Menage a Trois has all of those atop an Impossible patty; perhaps it should’ve been called the Menage a Cinq), and all but one of them is doused with Slutty Sauce. I went with the Super Slut, an Impossible burger patty on a vegan Hawaiian bun loaded with caramelized onions, guacamole, jalapeños, vegan cheese, lettuce, and tomato, with Slutty Sauce seeping from the edges. The burger and crinkle-cut fries, included with every order, held up just fine on my five-minute walk home; a neighbor who’d yet to brave the line joked that he considered forcing me to surrender the burger to him. Gloriously sloppy and convincingly meaty, the Super Slut was indistinguishable from the classic burgers you find at the best walk-up joints. 1542 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, 678-732-3525  —Thomas Wheatley

Feedel Bistro
As the newest of three (yes, three) Ethiopian restaurants at the intersection of Briarcliff and Clairmont roads, Feedel Bistro signifies the size and strength of Atlanta’s Ethiopian community—but it also faces a challenge. How does it differentiate itself from its next-door neighbor, the no-frills and long-reliable Bahel, and its across-the-street one, the acclaimed Desta? For starters, Feedel Bistro is technically Ethiopian and Eritrean, though the cuisines of the bordering countries are nearly identical. A bigger difference is Feedel Bistro’s stylish dining room, all decked out with distressd shiplap walls and black rattan pendants. The space is tasteful and curated, and so is the concise menu, which has fewer options than Desta’s or Bahel’s and is a little easier to navigate. It’s a bit pricier, too. The supremely comforting “mom’s special,” gomen be’siga, combines cubes of tender lamb and velvety collards in a mildly spiced butter sauce. The kitfo—a beef dish traditionally served raw but also available here lightly sauteed or fully cooked—is evidence of the kitchen’s delicate balance with spice (the meat is neither overwhelmed nor underseasoned) and its deft knifework (the raw beef version is perfectly minced). Whatever you do, order the vegetarian sampler platter of spiced red lentils, brown lentils, yellow split peas, collards, cabbage, and house salad. It’s one of the best vegan meals around and a worthy addition to the spread, even at a table of carnivores. 3125 Briarcliff Road, 404-963-2905  —Mara Shalhoup

Santorini Taverna
The owners of Gyro City Grill (with locations in Dacula, Hiram, and Roswell) have migrated closer to Atlanta with Santorini Taverna in Sandy Springs. The restaurant serves straightforward and simply prepared Greek classics, such as a soothing, lemony bowl of avgolemono (egg and orzo soup), and American dishes with a Greek accent, such as a Philly cheesesteak heaped with gyro meat. The menu is composed of a head-spinning 14 sections, but you can cut down on your perusal time by looking for the more creatively named plates, including Greek Peak Combination “Most Popular” (gyro, chicken, and pork souvlaki, served with tzatziki sauce, onions, tomatoes, and stuffed dolmas) and the Largest & Best Gyro in Town “Award Winning.” The latter is indeed oversized. Across the board, in fact, Santorini’s portions are exceedingly generous, as are its hospitable owners. It’s a welcome, family-friendly addition to the neighborhood. 4600 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, 678-705-8772  —Jennifer Zyman

This article appears in our May 2019 issue.