East Pearl

1810 Liddell Lane, Duluth, GA, 30096

678-380-0899

Pinning down optimum dim sum is a never-ending hunt: The chefs at Chinese restaurants constantly hop from one kitchen to the next without warning. Right now we’ll put our money on Duluth’s East Pearl, oddly lodged in a faux Alpine chalet.

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Tomo

3630 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA, 30326

404-835-2708

Tomohiro Naito’s Buckhead show palace juggles two personalities. One indulges in flash and draws beautiful crowds. But the quieter side of Tomo lures the chowhounds.

Website: http://tomorestaurant.com/

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Sotto Sotto

313 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30307

404-523-6678

Here’s the key to a memorable meal: Share a generous spread of pastas and risottos. Most of the dishes can be ordered in appetizer-sized half portions, all the better for sampling.

Website: http://urestaurants.com/

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Restaurant Eugene

2277 Peachtree Road, Aramore Building, Atlanta, GA, 30309

404-355-0321

Dining these days is as much about the buzz as the food. For those times, though, when you seek an intimate tete-a-tete, plan an evening at Linton Hopkins’s south Buckhead fortress of quietude.

Website: http://restauranteugene.com/

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Aria

490 East Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA, 30305

404-233-7673

This enduring fine dining destination showcases chef Gerry Klaskala’s taste for slow-cooked food and organic produce. A fitting choice for anniversaries and other intimate celebrations.

Website: http://aria-atl.com/

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Sushi House Hayakawa

5979 Buford Highway, Doraville, GA, 30340

770-986-0010

What a relief to sit in a plain room and savor simple dishes like ikura don—salmon roe marinated in homemade soy sauce, gilded with sea urchin, and served over rice and seaweed—or a plate of sashimi arranged so meticulously you wonder if the staff moonlight as photo stylists.

Website: http://atlantasushibar.com/

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The Porter Beer Bar

1156 Euclid Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30307

404-223-0393

In their lovably scruffy Little Five Points digs, husband-and-wife owners Nick Rutherford and Molly Gunn preside over the city’s largest selection of beer.

Website: http://theporterbeerbar.com/

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Holeman and Finch Public House

2277 Peachtree Road, Suite B, Atlanta, GA, 30319

404-948-1175

There is, of course, that famous burger, served at 10 p.m. and at Sunday brunch. But at its essence, Holeman and Finch exists to serve you pork.

Website: http://holeman-finch.com/

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Bacchanalia

1198 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta, GA, 30318

404-365-0410

How does the Westside’s crown jewel remain at the top year after year? Extraordinary hospitality, for starters.

Website: http://starprovisions.com/

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Zen Tea

5356 Peachtree Road, Chamblee, GA, 30341

678-547-0877

Owner Connie Miller imparts her extraordinary knowledge of tea without a hint of geekiness.

Website: http://www.ezentea.com/online-tea-for-sale

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Dancing Goats Coffee Bar

419 West Ponce de Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA, 30030

404-687-1100

The original sleek, welcoming spot in Decatur is an outreach of the much smaller Batdorf & Bronson, a Washington State high-quality roaster whose nearly twenty-year presence in Atlanta helped spur our healthy espresso culture.

Website: http://www.batdorfcoffee.com/

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Condesa Coffee

480 John Wesley Dobbs Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30312

404-524-5054

Perched at the corner of Boulevard and Freedom Parkway in the base of the Tribute Lofts, Condesa attracts a diverse clientele all day long.

Website: http://condesacoffee.com/

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Aurora Coffee

468 Moreland Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30316

404-523-6856

Opened in 1992 by a Seattle transplant, this fiercely independent operation has weathered many changes—including a sale to the owner of Criminal Records—but it has never deviated from its basic mission as a serious espresso bar.

Website: http://auroracoffee.com/

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Maison Robert Fine Chocolates and Pastries

5256 Peachtree Road, Suite 110, Chamblee, GA, 30341

770-454-6442

Atlanta’s classic chocolate shop moved from its cozy North Atlanta house to more industrial digs in Chamblee in 2009, but the Reeb family’s generous spirit still prevails.

Website: http://www.maisonrobertchocolates.com/

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Chocolate South

1050 West Marietta Street, Suite C, Atlanta, GA, 30318

404-815-8859

Take one look at the offerings of Chocolate South and you’ll know what region you’re in.

Website: http://www.chocolatesouth.com/

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Sublime Doughnuts

535 Tenth Street, Atlanta, GA, 30318

404-897-1801

Owner–pastry chef Kamal Grant rescued Atlanta from fried-dough ennui.

Website: http://sublimedoughnuts.com/

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Mae’s Bakery

2770 Lenox Road, Atlanta, GA, 30324

404-565-0938

Owner Beth Castro named this Buckhead charmer (located in the same strip mall as Roasters Rotisserie) after her six-year-old daughter, and the bakery case features the kind of simple, colorfully decorated treats that will make kids want to press their faces against the glass.

Website: http://maesbakeryatl.com/

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Dutch Monkey Donuts

3075 Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Cumming, GA, 30041

404-482-3650

Two imaginative chefs, Arpana Satyu and Martin Burge, traded in restaurant gigs to open an adorable cafe where doughnuts are made with a level of dignity usually reserved for fine chocolates.

Website: http://www.dutchmonkeydoughnuts.com/

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