As 2020 draws to a close, Atlantans are taking stock in what has been a long and often difficult year. With the holidays approaching, gift giving will likely take on new meaning for many who plan to forgo travel and family gatherings due to the pandemic. For small businesses struggling to survive the financial hardships brought on by the health crisis, shopping locally for the holidays this year has never been more critical.
Therefore, Eater Atlanta rounded up a few gifts to consider giving from Atlanta restaurants and bakeries, food producers, and drinks makers for pick-up, local delivery, or to ship nationwide. From artisan chocolates and cocktail kits to cookbooks, coffee subscriptions, and hot sauces, add the 15 gifts below to the 2020 holiday shopping list.
Looking for more gift ideas? Check out Eater’s national gift guide and these guides from other cities around the country.
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JARDÍ Chocolates
Pastry Chef Jocelyn Gragg creates beautiful, hand-crafted chocolates in a variety of styles, designs, and flavors from her Chamblee shop. Order a sampler box of 12 chocolates, or splurge on a box of 72 chocolates containing 36 different JARDÍ flavors. There’s even a monthly chocolate subscription.
Buy: JARDÍ Chocolates ($11 to $145)
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Georgia Crafted Snack Box
Send a gift box filled with Georgia-made snacks, drinks, and crafted goods. Themed boxes include everything from Hanukkah and Christmas treats to regional boxes representing the north Georgia mountains and the state’s sea island communities.
Buy: Georgia Crafted ($17 to $40)
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Tip Top Proper Cocktails
Kimball House and Watchman’s Seafood and Spirits partner and beverage director Miles Macquarrie teamed up with music festival veterans Neal Cohen and Yoni Reisman to help create Atlanta-based Tip Top Proper Cocktails in 2019. The line of ready-to-drink cocktails contained in 100ml cans come in three classic options: Manhattan, Negroni, and Old Fashioned, with recipes by Macquarrie. Order packs of eight cans online for shipping or purchase individual cans from local Atlanta package stores.
Buy: Tip Top Proper Cocktails ($32 for an 8-pack)
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Magic City Hoodie
Give the gift of a shoutout to one of Atlanta’s most famous shoe modeling establishments, the legendary and celebrity-frequented Forsyth Street strip club Magic City. In addition to the hoodie, the club’s online shop also sells t-shirts, playing cards, and masks. And, yes, Atlantans do actually come through for the wings at Magic City, which are as magical here as the entertainment, and can also be ordered online for pick-up.
Buy: Magic City ($65)
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“Waffle House Vistas” Book
Atlanta-based digital storytelling publication the Bitter Southerner commissioned this book dedicated to the 24-hour Southern breakfast institution after publishing its popular story entitled “Waffle House Vistas” by Micah Cash in 2019. Cash’s photos were taken inside Waffle House restaurants throughout the South. The 96-page book includes a foreword by New Orleans novelist Maurice Carlos Ruffin (“We Cast a Shadow”) and an afterword from North Carolina writer Laura Bullard.
Buy: The Bitter Southerner ($42)
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Six for Sixty Wine Pack from 3 Parks Wine Shop
For the wine lover, Sarah Pierre’s Glenwood Park neighborhood shop 3 Parks Wine offers a great package deal: six bottles of curated wine for just $60. A bag includes six reds, whites, or a combination of both. 3 Parks also features a monthly wine club, rose club, and natural wine club. Order online for curbside pick-up or local delivery. Masks required.
Buy: 3 Parks Wine Shop ($60)
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Spicewalla Spice Tasting Sampler
Founded by Chai Pani and Botiwalla chef Meherwan Irani, Spicewalla’s special blends tasting sampler features 10 packets of spices that includes Modena balsamic rub; cowboy steak rub; Carolina pork rub; honey and herb rub; cracked coriander and pepper; mustard and tarragon; herbs de Provence; lemon pepper; Cajun seasoning; and berbere. Order online for shipping or purchase from Botiwalla at Ponce City Market.
Buy: Spicewalla ($13.99)
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Little Bear Holiday Hot Sauces
Order holiday hot sauces from chef Jarrett Stieber’s new Summerhill restaurant Little Bear. Stieber and his team created three fermented hot sauces for the holidays in varying degrees of heat, including a green chile and a cayenne chile blend. All sauces are vegan, gluten free, and nut free, but do contain seeds and alliums. Order online for pick-up. Masks required.
Buy: Little Bear ($25 to $38)
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“Everyday Korean” Cookbook
Co-written by Kim Sunée and Atlanta chef Seung Hee (Korean Fusion on Instagram), this cookbook blends traditional Korean flavors and cooking techniques with ingredients easily found at the local neighborhood market, grocery store, or online. The book includes tips for building up Korean pantry staples, beer, wine, and soju pairings, and recipes for making everything from bulgogi and japchae (sweet potato noodles) to kimchi-bacon mac and cheese.
Buy: Bookshop | Amazon | Seung Hee’s “Korean Fusion” website ($23.49)
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Portrait Coffee Subscription
Atlanta-based roastery Portrait Coffee opens its first location in the historic West End neighborhood next year. Founders John Onwuchekwa, Marcus Hollinger, Khalid Smith, Shawndra Onwuchekwa, Aaron Fender, and Erin Fender want to bring better and more diverse representation to Atlanta’s specialty coffee scene with Portrait. For the coffee lover, order a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly subscription, with beans shipped via USPS. Portrait also just released its new holiday blend, Kindred, featuring coffees from Ethiopia and Honduras. Kindred carries notes of orange and almond.
Buy: Portrait Coffee (Kindred $20/Subscriptions $15 to $20)
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Palm Print Mask for Second Helpings Atlanta
The Inman Park-based clothing shop sells a palm print mask benefitting food rescue nonprofit Second Helpings Atlanta. Second Helpings acquires surplus food from restaurants and events and distributes the food to those in need around Atlanta. 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this mask benefits Second Helpings Atlanta.
Buy: Bill Hallman ($20)
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Just Add Honey Tea Co. Gift Sets
Atlanta-based Just Add Honey Tea Company, owned by Brandi Shelton and Jermail Shelton, includes locations at Sweet Auburn Curb Market and off the Eastside Beltline trail in the Old Fourth Ward. In addition to selling its tea blends at the shops, Just Add Honey also sells its teas and tea gift sets online for shipping.
Buy: Just Add Honey Tea Co. ($29.50 to $32.50)
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Cocktails Commons Cocktail Kits
Cocktail Commons, founded by Atlanta bartender Ben Richardson (H. Harper Station, Staplehouse, Likewise) and photographer Maddie Richardson, offers individual cocktail kits and cocktail kit memberships, ranging from monthly to yearly. Each kit is delivered and comes with recipes, mixers, garnishes, small batch spirits, and tools for making specific drinks at home. In addition to cocktail kits and memberships, the online shop also sells curated modern and vintage glassware and barware.
Buy: Cocktail Commons ($119 for one kit)
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Community Farmers Markets Four Seasons Cookbooks
This farmers market organization, responsible for markets in Decatur, Grant Park, and East Atlanta, sells seasonal cookbooks written by farmers, longtime market-goers, and Atlanta chefs. Each cookbook features recipes using in-season produce and ingredients sold at the organization’s farmers markets around town. Purchase online for pick-up or delivery from Community Farmers Markets. Books also available for purchase at A Capella Books and Bellina Alimentari.
Buy: Community Farmers Market ($12)
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Root Baking Co. Baker Subscriptions
The popular Atlanta bakery and cafe on the second floor of Ponce City Market now offers monthly subscriptions for the home baker. Root Home Baker includes monthly Zoom classes with Root Baking co-owner and baker Chris Wilkins on basic bread-making and pastries. The Root Provisions Basket subscription features a monthly box filled with Root Baking breads, pastries, pastas, heirloom Southern grains, jams, cheeses, and butters, along with special merch from the shop. The basket subscription is currently only available for pick-up. Shipping forthcoming.