Best of Atlanta 2014

Ford Fry’s most glamorous effort is this tall, sinuous dining room across from Lenox Square that once housed Bluepointe. Local elite meet over solid cocktails for food that evokes the Italian Riviera.

With a little restaurant and bar housed in what is usually a waiting room littered with outdated magazines, a mundane chore suddenly becomes a leisure activity. And in the Bistro, the only reminder that you’re even at a car wash comes from the framed photos customers’ hot rods hung on the walls. Purple and white snakeskin chairs, a wall of plush violet velvet, and a granite bar stocked with bottles of liquor give off more of an ultralounge vibe.

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?

Because it feels so hip and modern, it would be easy to assume that Meherwan and Molly Irani’s Indian restaurant in Decatur (an offshoot of their Asheville location) caters to Westerners. False.

Get all the details on the four best meeting spots in Atlanta, Octane, Kavarna, Rev Coffee, and White Windmill Bakery.

A Buckhead fixture since 1997, Tassels is a must-stop for lovers of colorful gems, asymmetrical stones, and avant-garde designs.

There’s nothing generic about Atlanta’s only Iraqi restaurant. A lentil soup bright with lemon, unctuous baba ghanoush, and excellent shawarma are just what we wish all Middle Eastern cooking would taste like.

There’s no question: Buckhead Atlanta has been a game changer for the city’s retail. Luxury shops like Hermès and Canali nestle up against more accessible brands like Theory, Helmut Lang, and Warby Parker.

In Savannah, SCAD has staked out a one-time flour factory, a revamped theater, and an 1890s armory. Although it’s been in Atlanta for less than a decade, the university’s on a similar campaign to repurpose structures here.

Once a quiet sushi bar in a Vinings strip mall and now a glittery mecca in the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tomo is the one place to indulge in a multicourse omakase, which you must order five days in advance.