Best of Atlanta 2014

A righteous burger, crisp salads topped with smoked trout, and a just-plucked vegetable plate ace any other lunch in town.

It’s easy to see why Cook Out, a North Carolina import that opened in East Atlanta this spring, became a colossal hit so quickly. Who doesn’t love a meal combo that includes a corn dog as a side?

Once you and your fellow novices get the hang of slamming into each other while trying to sling a whiffle ball into the wall-mounted goal, you’ll never want to leave.

After almost 16 years occupying a basement on Trinity Avenue, Eyedrum moved into a new space composed of six old storefronts this past August.

For 15 years, Kathryn King has shown remarkable confidence and technique in one of Atlanta’s most consistent kitchens.

nformed by design movements such as Shaker, arts and crafts, Bauhaus, Scandi­navian, and midcentury modern, Room & Board uses natural, sustainable materials.

This nearly 10-year-old Roswell-based wholesaler has finally opened a retail shop. It’s worth a visit just to ogle the fun displays: handcrafted jewelry, arranged on decorative moss or trays of dried white beans, in wood-and-glass cases that smack of an old-fashioned general store.

The entrance to the College Football Hall of Fame opens into a tunnel. Shadowy silhouettes in helmets and pads run alongside you, and you emerge feeling amped.

ofounded in Athens by a UGA grad in 2011, Onward Reserve fills all your post-frat needs, with waxed Barbour jackets, Peter Millar golf polos, and needlepoint Labrador retriever collars from Smathers & Branson.

Master of matelasse, soothing colors, and sumptuous textures, Peacock Alley opened a design studio here in March—one of only two signature stores in the nation.