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The List · Rebuilt every week

The 50 best restaurants in Atlanta.

Ranked from the full review record, not the marketing. Movement is against last week’s issue.

50ranked rooms
8.9top score
100K+reviews read
Weeklyrebuild cadence
By Desmond Caldwell, Editor at Large

Atlanta does not agree on much, but its review record is clearer than its marketing. We scored every restaurant in the city on a single 10-point Insider Score built from the full body of its reviews, then corrected for what raw star averages miss: a 4.8 from forty reviews is not a 4.8 from four thousand. What survives that math is this list.

The famous addresses hold their spots only where they earn them. Just as often, the kitchens at the top sit in a strip-mall plaza or a quiet neighborhood corner, rooms that never bought a billboard. That is not a thumb on the scale. It is what the numbers said, and we let them say it. The full method is public: read exactly how the score is built.

Alongside the board, the desk ranks single dishes city-wide, most recently the best poke bowls in Atlanta.

The top ten

Issue № 137 · rebuilt Mon Aug 17, 2026

Aviva by Kameel№ 01

Aviva by Kameel

Mediterranean Downtown Atlanta $$
6 wks on the List
8.9Exceptional —
Delbar Middle Eastern№ 02

Delbar Middle Eastern

Persian/Iranian Old Fourth Ward $$$
6 wks on the List
8.0Excellent —
Atlanta Breakfast Club№ 03

Atlanta Breakfast Club

Southern Downtown Atlanta $$
6 wks on the List
8.0Excellent —
Eight Sushi Lounge№ 04

Eight Sushi Lounge

Sushi West Midtown $$$
6 wks on the List
7.7Excellent —
Mezza Luna№ 05

Mezza Luna

Italian Smyrna $$$
6 wks on the List
7.6Excellent —
Poor Calvin's№ 06

Poor Calvin's

Asian Fusion Midtown $$$
6 wks on the List
7.6Excellent —
Volare Bistro№ 07

Volare Bistro

Wine Bars Hapeville $$$
6 wks on the List
7.5Excellent —
Buttermilk Kitchen№ 08

Buttermilk Kitchen

Brunch Buckhead $$
6 wks on the List
7.5Excellent —
Canoe№ 09

Canoe

New American Vinings $$$
6 wks on the List
7.5Excellent —
Secreto Southern Kitchen & Bar№ 10

Secreto Southern Kitchen & Bar

Southern Alpharetta $$$
6 wks on the List
7.5Excellent —
ƒ

How the List is built

Every restaurant earns an Insider Score from 0 to 10, built from its full review record and weighted for review volume, recency, and our editors’ read. The List is rebuilt every week from the live review record; the movement column shows each room’s change against last week’s issue. Full methodology →

Rows 11–50

The rest of this week’s List. Movement vs. Issue № 136.

RankΔRoomCuisineNeighborhoodScoreWeeks
№ 11 — Brick Store Pub Pubs Decatur 7.4 6 wks № 12 — 26 Thai Kitchen & Bar Thai Buckhead 7.3 6 wks № 13 — Marcel Steakhouses West Midtown 7.3 6 wks № 14 — Botiwalla by Chai Pani Indian Old Fourth Ward 7.2 6 wks № 15 — Sugo Restaurant Italian Johns Creek 7.2 6 wks № 16 — The Optimist Seafood West Midtown 7.1 6 wks № 17 — The Iberian Pig Spanish Decatur 7.0 6 wks № 18 — One Flew South New American South Atlanta 7.0 6 wks № 19 — Bones Steakhouses Buckhead 7.0 6 wks № 20 — Roc South Cuisine Southern North Druid Hills 6.9 6 wks WebIgniterNot ranking on Google? We'll show you why.Free quick SEO audit for local businesses.Get the free audit → № 21 — Divan Restaurant & Bar Mediterranean Midtown 6.9 6 wks № 22 — Osteria Mattone Italian Roswell 6.9 6 wks № 23 — The White Bull New American Decatur 6.9 6 wks № 24 — Rumi's Kitchen Persian/Iranian Sandy Springs 6.7 6 wks № 25 — Gunshow New American Grant Park 6.6 6 wks № 26 — Kevin Rathbun Steak Steakhouses Old Fourth Ward 6.6 6 wks № 27 — Chai Pani Indian Decatur 6.6 6 wks № 28 — No. 246 Italian Decatur 6.6 6 wks № 29 — Ecco Midtown Modern European Midtown 6.6 6 wks № 30 — Bacchanalia New American West Midtown 6.6 6 wks The GuidesEvery guide, one index.Cuisines, occasions, neighborhoods, all ranked.Browse the guides → № 31 — St. Cecilia Seafood Buckhead 6.6 6 wks № 32 — Umi Sushi Buckhead 6.6 6 wks № 33 — Seed Kitchen & Bar American Marietta 6.6 6 wks № 34 — Kimball House New American Decatur 6.6 6 wks № 35 — Local Three American Buckhead 6.6 6 wks № 36 — O-Ku Japanese West Midtown 6.6 6 wks № 37 — Aria New American Buckhead 6.6 6 wks № 38 — Iron Age Korean Steak House Korean Kennesaw 6.6 6 wks № 39 — Milton's Cuisine & Cocktails New American Milton 6.6 6 wks № 40 — Staplehouse New American Old Fourth Ward 6.5 6 wks The Tip SheetFive rooms worth knowing, every Friday.The new opening, the sleeper, the one worth booking.Get the Tip Sheet → № 41 — Sotto Sotto Italian Old Fourth Ward 6.2 6 wks № 42 — The Select Mediterranean Sandy Springs 6.2 6 wks № 43 — Rock Steady Caribbean West Midtown 6.2 6 wks № 44 — Le Colonial Bars Buckhead 6.2 6 wks № 45 — New York Prime Steakhouses Buckhead 5.9 6 wks № 46 — Kitchen Kocktails By Kevin Kelley Comfort Food Dunwoody 5.9 6 wks № 47 — Hal's The Steakhouse American Buckhead 5.9 6 wks № 48 — Chops & Lobster Bar Seafood Buckhead 5.9 6 wks № 49 — Little Alley Steakhouse Steakhouses Buckhead 5.9 6 wks № 50 — The Busy Bee Cafe Soul Food Westside 5.2 6 wks

About this ranking

How is this ranking calculated?

Every restaurant earns an Insider Score from 0 to 10, built from its full review record and weighted for review volume, recency, and our editors' read. The same method is applied to every kitchen in Atlanta.

How often is the list updated?

It is rebuilt every week from the current review record, so a room that slips or surges moves with the numbers.

Why do lesser-known restaurants rank so high?

Because the data puts them there. The score does not know where a restaurant sits. A neighborhood counter and a marquee dining room are measured exactly the same way.

Five rooms, every Friday.

The new opening, the sleeper the score just flagged, and the one room worth booking this week. Free.