Photograph by Andrew Thomas Lee
Atlanta is a big small town, and the restaurant community is no exception. It’s like an extended family, and many well-known Atlanta restaurants are related in some way. Did you know Krog Street Market’s excellent sandwich shop Fred’s Meat and Bread started as a cheesesteak pop-up at The General Muir? Now you do.
Sometimes, these sibling spots are pared-down versions of a main restaurant, and other times, these places are entirely different concepts. Most of the time, they are less expensive entry points to otherwise pricier spots.
Persian feasts at restaurants such as Delbar fetch a pretty penny with cocktails, but sometimes you just want a kabob wrapped in flatbread without the scene. That is where the restaurant’s Ponce City Market restaurant stall, Bibi, comes in handy. It’s the perfect place to grab a juicy kabob koobideh wrapped in homemade flatbread or served with fluffy buttery rice.
Ticonderoga Club co-owners Bart Sasso and cocktail master Greg Best, along with chef William Silbernagel, teamed up to open How Crispy Express in Summerhill. Fried chicken sandwiches are the thing to get here, and the classic is the best, standing strong in its simplicity. Think crispy fried chicken, a “good bun,” sweet pickles, and herb sauce. There’s also a lemon-pepper-wet version.
Kyma is one of Atlanta’s best upscale Greek restaurants, but casual spots are hard to find. Leave it to the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group to open Lamb Shack, a ghost kitchen in the existing restaurant where you can order more handheld Greek staples. You can build your own pita with slow-cooked lamb with Vidalia onions and garlic, or oakwood-grilled octopus, among other fillings, but you can also order a traditional Greek salad.
Photograph by Night Watch Crew
Chai Pani is one of metro Atlanta’s best Indian restaurants, and its sister concept, Botiwalla, is owner-chef Meherwan Irani’s homage to the Irani cafes in India. It’s a super useful spot to grab a chicken tikka roll, hot buttered naan filled with tandoori grilled chicken, desi slaw, onion, cilantro, and green chutney after a stroll on the Beltline.
Terry Koval won a James Beard Award for his cooking at The Deer and the Dove in Decatur, but his more casual spot next door, B-Side, is all about convenience. It’s the kind of spot where you can grab a hulking egg-and-cheese sandwich on a homemade everything bagel and an excellent coffee. Its location on Decatur Square is prime for strolling.
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This article appears in our May 2025 issue.
