A maternal menu from Deborah VanTrece, bar snacks on the BeltLine, and omakase in Sandy Springs.

From hostile customers to grueling hours to low wages, restaurant work has always been challenging. Those in the industry face high rates of anxiety and depression, as well as higher reported rates of substance use disorder than workers in other professions. In an industry beset with burnout, restaurant workers are paying more attention to their mental health. Their bosses are, too.

A new food hall will feature hot dogs, sushi, and mochi donuts, too

As Dr. Julia Skinner writes in her new book, Our Fermented Lives: A History of How Fermented Foods Have Shaped Cultures & Communities, few food-preparation techniques are as rich in meaning and as ripe for metaphor as fermentation. I visited Skinner at her house on the Southside—yard wild and overgrown, chickens somewhere out back—to ask what she found so alluring about the subject.

Restaurant critics often seek out extreme culinary experiences at the expense of focusing on where most people want to spend their time and money when they go out to dinner. My first visit to El Valle—a modern Mexican restaurant in the old Escorpión space—had nothing to do with reaching for a deeper understanding of cuisine. I just wanted to have a good time.

The former Westside spot returns to its roots with small plates and cocktails, revamping the Bocado Burger spinoff in Alpharetta.

Rahel TafarI purchased the building at 337 Georgia Avenue (formerly Mindpower marketing), more than doubling her original space. This will enable her to expand Grant Park Coffeehouse’s menu and offer table service, a first for the business. “I’m so excited and ready to get back to my neighborhood,” she says.

Frequenters of the Atlanta BeltLine may have noticed brightly decorated shipping containers popping up alongside both the Eastside and Westside trails. Starting in August, these containers will begin selling food and drink as part of the BeltLine MarketPlace, a six-month pilot program designed give minority-owned small businesses a leg up in the competitive retail landscape.

Find tinned treasures at Boho115, an incredible blackened grouper sandwich at Fishmonger, and meaty entrees at Adele's

Palo Santo’s menu will be limited to about 20 items, designed to be shared. Options include mushroom tetela, cured hamachi tostada, and wood-fired ora king salmon al pastor.