Photograph by Growl Bros.
Halftime is when you can finally slow down and enjoy some well-earned snacks and bevs. The choices of where to eat and drink have never been greater downtown. Here are some of the classics Atlantans loved even before the World Cup. We’ve listed each restaurant’s walking time from Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) so you can make the most of your day.
Paschal’s Restaurant
12-minute walk
Paschal’s is the kind of place where history and a well-executed plate arrive at the table together. Founded in 1947 by brothers James and Robert Paschal, it remains one of Atlanta’s most significant dining institutions, with deep ties to the city’s civil rights history. Throughout the 1960s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. frequented the original location with other civil rights leaders to plan and organize. The current Castleberry Hill space, opened in 2002, is grand, with soaring ceilings and an open dining room. The menu leans into tradition with its signature gumbo, fried green tomatoes, and catfish fingers to start, followed by the famed 1947 fried chicken plate that to this day uses the same secret recipe of its founders.
Park Bar
11-minute walk
Park Bar operates as a true local’s pub across from Centennial Olympic Park. Opened in 2012 and anchored by a well-worn bar, the brick-walled space fills up quickly on game days. The menu lists elevated bar fare, including chopped salads and rotating monthly burger specials, with bestsellers like the Cumberland burger topped with house-made bourbon-bacon jam and melted Brie. In 2023, we named it the city’s Best Sports Bar.
Reuben’s Deli
17-minute walk
A Broad Street staple since 1986, Reuben’s Deli bills itself as Atlanta’s only New York–style deli. Owner Claudio Furgiuele, who has run the shop since 2002, has built a loyal following around made-to-order sandwiches, homemade soups, and salads. First-timers should start with the namesake Reuben, which they stack high with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island dressing on grilled rye. Regulars know to ask for the Old Tuesday, a secret menu favorite with turkey, provolone, capicola, pepperoni, and Greek mayo. “My favorite part is yelling your order,” one customer says, a nod to the deli’s fast-paced “counter culture.”
Restaurant Ten Bar & Grill
3-minute walk
Across the street from Atlanta Stadium, Restaurant 10 definitely has location on its side, but proximity is only part of the appeal. Atlanta restaurateur William Platt opened the Northside Drive restaurant in 2020, and it draws crowds with its fan-favorite menu and lively sports-bar atmosphere. Shrimp po’ boys, Philly cheesesteaks, and angus burgers are served in a space that welcomes big groups. A manager who goes by the name E says the turkey wings and the turkey ribs are the restaurant’s bestsellers. For dessert, she recommends the Hennessy bread pudding: “It’s so good!”
Atlanta Breakfast Club
20-minute walk
Since opening in 2016, Atlanta Breakfast Club has defined downtown breakfast. Owned by chef Anthony Sanders and Osiris Ballard, the always-packed restaurant has built its reputation on Southern brunch staples done right, from peach-cobbler chicken and waffles to fried green tomato BLTs and build-your-own breakfast sandwiches. For a quicker, no-frills breakfast option closer to the stadium, try Rosie’s Coffee Cafe, known for its pancake platters and specialty coffees.
Five more mainstays to check out:
Aamar Indian Cuisine
Casual Indian, 13-minute walk
Anatolia Cafe and Hookah Lounge
Casual Mediterranean, 16-minute walk
Cafe Lucia
Coffee shop, 15-minute walk
No Mas! Cantina
Casual Mexican, 10-minute walk
The Municipal Market
Food hall with multiple vendors, 27-minute walk
This article appears in our June 2026 issue.
