February 2026
Features
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Atlanta’s Hidden Gems: 37 restaurants worth seeking out
For Atlanta’s intrepid diners, there’s more to finding hidden gems than veering off the beaten path, though that certainly adds to the intrigue. The challenge is in uncovering food treasures. We set out to find lesser-known destinations, from obscure restaurants and takeout shacks to underground bars, food trucks, and gas station finds.
In Plain Sight: Inside the unsolved Piedmont Park murder that shook Atlanta
In 2021, beloved bartender Katie Janness was brutally murdered at the Charles Allen Gate entrance to Piedmont Park. With broken security cameras, no eyewitnesses, and few leads, the case remains unsolved nearly five years later.
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The Connector
Taylor Rooks knows what makes athletes tick
When the Super Bowl kicks off on February 8, Taylor Rooks will be watching live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It’s familiar territory for the Gwinnett County native, who hosts Prime Video’s NBA broadcasts and reports for the streamer’s Thursday Night Football. Rather than being in the thick of the action, she draws on her childhood spent around athletes to show audiences what makes these sporting superstars tick.
CBS journalist Jobina Fortson-Evans is continuing her Atlanta legacy
For Jobina Fortson-Evans, joining CBS Atlanta’s newsroom felt less like a career move and more like a homecoming to the city that first ignited her passion for storytelling. As a child, Fortson-Evans loved interviewing people with her camcorder. Years later, she joined the Tucker High School newspaper, which sparked her interest in a journalism career. Now she’s joining CBS Atlanta’s new team.
Atlanta’s driverless future is already here—and some riders prefer it
Atlanta is among the first cities in the country to offer Waymo. Though the software company has its own app, it’s been using Uber as a platform to introduce Atlantans to Waymo; an option in the app’s settings allows users to opt for the autonomous ride. Waymo’s Atlanta fleet consists of about 100 vehicles, and the company plans to add more over the next few years.
As Atlanta universities scramble to adhere to Trump directives ending DEI programs, many students and staff feel abandoned
Emory University, along with several other Atlanta universities, announced they would comply with President Donald Trump’s directives to higher-education institutions to end programs dedicated to DEI. According to students and faculty from two metro-area universities, the overall impact has been a systematic chipping away at the resources and programs that support students from minority groups on campus—which, for many of them, were a major draw to the university in the first place.
3 Gwinnett County high schoolers take on spine surgery with their robot prototype
Barghavan Mohankumar, Brandon Kim, and Brandon Whitehead—all 17-year-old juniors at North Gwinnett High School—believe their computer-aided design, or CAD, models and prototype could spark a medical breakthrough. Professionals beyond their teachers are starting to take notice.
The Bite
Atlanta Magazine Names Award-Winning Journalist Allison Entrekin Editor-in-Chief
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Atlanta Magazine Names Award-Winning Journalist Allison Entrekin Editor-in-Chief Atlanta, GA — February 17, 2026 — Atlanta magazine has named award-winning journalist Allison Entrekin its new Editor-in-Chief, ushering in a new era of leadership as the publication marks 65 years of covering the city with authority, creativity, and credibility. Entrekin brings more than […]
Review: Auburn Angel brings worldly flavors to Soul Food Row
Auburn Angel is located where the Auburn Avenue Rib Shack used to be. I was curious what changes were made to the community staple that fed churches, businesses, and civil rights organizations for 30 years. Restaurateur Asa Fain bought the space in 2019 after the Rib Shack closed in 2014. The space was expanded and includes a covered patio where you enter the restaurant through a wrought iron gate.
Coffee Therapy brings connection and a celebration of African culture to Druid Hills
The opening of Coffee Therapy is a caffeine- and community-driven boost for owners Tamar Telahun and her brother, Simon Gebru. They are best known for Feedel Bistro, an Eritrean and Ethiopian restaurant, which closed in 2023. At that time, Telahun promised a comeback, and in October 2025, they opened their new cafe, which she says is an extension of Feedel.
Esteemed Atlanta chef Shaun Doty brings culinary cred to Barnsley Resort in northwest Georgia
Shaun Doty took a break from opening new restaurants, focusing on Bantam & Biddy, private chef work, and consulting. Then, in late 2024, he got a call: The new owners of Barnsley Resort (just over an hour’s drive northwest of Atlanta, outside Rome) wanted to hire him as the property’s culinary adviser. “The resort has always been very successful at weddings and corporate retreats, but they wanted to rebrand it for leisure travel,” Doty says. “It needed to have the edginess of a restaurateur that competes in the Atlanta market.”
Atlanta Magazine’s Whiskey Festival Expands to Pullman Yards with More Spirits, More Food, and More Experiences Than Ever Before
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Atlanta Magazine’s Whiskey Festival Expands to Pullman Yards with More Spirits, More Food, and More Experiences Than Ever Before Atlanta, GA — February 24, 2026 — Atlanta Magazine’s Whiskey Festival is raising the bar. Now in its 11th year, the city’s premier whiskey tasting event returns Saturday, October 17, from 6:00–10:00 PM, […]
Georgia Design Magazine Opens Submissions for the Fifth Annual Georgia Design Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Georgia Design Magazine Opens Submissions for the Fifth Annual Georgia Design Awards Submissions accepted through July 31, 2026 | Gala Set for November 19, 2026 ATLANTA, GA — March 4, 2026 — Georgia Design Magazine, sister publication of Atlanta Magazine, proudly announces the fifth annual Georgia Design Awards—celebrating the very best in […]
Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese teahouse pours tea—and patience—one cup at a time
Unassumingly wedged between a bike shop, an auto repair shop, and the train tracks on the upper Westside is Atlanta’s only traditional Chinese-style teahouse. The shop is called Wai’s Gong Fu Tea House. Wai is Belonoha’s adopted name as a certified kung fu master, and gong fu (which roughly means “mastery”) is the Chinese style of tea service in which whole tea leaves are steeped several times, each time brewing only a few ounces of tea for each guest.
The Goods
Revelations still moves audiences 50 years after its Atlanta debut
When Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to the Fox Theatre February 11 to 15, the company will close each show with Revelations, as it has done every year since it started performing here in 1976. The ballet, choreographed by Ailey and inspired by his “blood memories” of growing up in the Baptist church in Texas, has become synonymous with the modern dance company’s vivid and emotional work.
Your guide to shopping Atlanta estate sales
For savvy shoppers, estate sales are a bargain and an adventure all at once. You’ll find home decor, appliances, clothing, and everything in between well below the original ticket price. They usually take place in the home itself, so you can make your way through rooms full of interesting goods, priced and ready for browsing—all while taking a peep inside midcentury ranches, Victorian manses, and Craftsman cottages across the city. Here are our tips to make your experience even better.
Q&A: Author Tayari Jones on her new novel, Kin, and making the life you want
Author Tayari Jones has a knack for weaving new threads through the familiar theme of family. That was true of An American Marriage, a bestseller selected for both Oprah’s Book Club and President Barack Obama’s summer reading list in 2018. Jones returns to family with her latest novel, Kin, out this month from Knopf. Jones sat down with Atlanta magazine for a conversation about her latest novel.
Miscellaneous
A love letter to DeKalb County Public Library’s Libby app
If I haven’t already told you to download Libby, you should download Libby. It seriously changed my life. The app, which is available nationwide through most library systems, gives you access to your library’s entire catalogue of e-books and audiobooks. It’s like a whole digital library, right on your phone!
