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Fried chicken, collards, and mac and cheese from Busy Bee Cafe in Vine City Atlanta. Busy Bee Cafe

Where to Eat Around Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena in Atlanta

A neighborhood dining and drinking guide to restaurants and bars near the Benz and State Farm Arena

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People who’ve attended a Hawks basketball game at State Farm Arena or watched the Falcons and Atlanta United take on opponents at Mercedes-Benz Stadium have likely spent time eating and drinking before and after a game in the nearby historic neighborhoods of Castleberry Hill and Vine City. Both stadiums also frequently host concerts by big-name superstar performers like Beyonce, Janet Jackson, and Taylor Swift.

Castleberry Hill turned its many industrial warehouses and buildings into art galleries, loft spaces, restaurants, and music venues. This hip and trendy neighborhood is home to an eclectic mix of musicians, creatives, and young families, and often sees its restaurants hosting Falcons, Hawks, and Atlanta United soccer fans on game days.

The restaurants in these neighborhoods offer visitors everything from cocktails and cognac to fried chicken and creatively crafted sushi.

Looking for more suggestions on where to eat around Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena? Check out this dining guide to downtown Atlanta.

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Busy Bee Cafe

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Busy Bee Cafe has been in business since the 1940s. This Atlanta institution on the edge of Vine City serves some of the city’s best fried chicken, alongside an assortment of other meat-and-three staples. Take the yardbird to the next level by ordering it smothered with pan gravy. It’s always packed here, so be prepared to rub elbows with fellow diners and even a few celebrities. In 2022, Busy Bee Cafe won an America’s Classics award from the James Beard Foundation.

BTJ Wings

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BTJ Wings is located in the Walmart plaza in Vine City, a half mile west of the Benz. While the restaurant does offer other items like a Philly cheesesteak, burger, and even shrimp fried rice, the wings are the stars here. Wings come in garlic pepper, Cajun, extra hot, and lemon pepper.

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken

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Dat Fire Jerk Chicken at the corner of Larkin Street and Northside Drive has dubbed itself “Atlanta’s best jerk chicken.” By all accounts, and the daily lunch lines, that’s not hyperbole. The small restaurant (with no inside seating) serves up Jamaican-style jerk pork and chicken as well as curried goat, oxtails, and sides of cabbage salad and rice and peas. Dat Fire is three blocks from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A second location is now open on Camp Creek Parkway.

Paschal's Restaurant

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The historic Paschal’s restaurant served as a meeting place for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his lieutenants during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. But, long before Dr. King put Paschal’s on the map nationwide, the restaurant was already well-known around Atlanta for its delicious fried chicken. And, it still is today.

Atlantucky Brewing

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Backed by the members of Southern rap quartet Nappy Roots, Atlantucky Brewing is where music, art, and beer merge in Castleberry Hill. The group first became interested in craft beer years ago with home brewing while on tour. Nappy Roots then began partnering with local Atlanta breweries to create their own beer, including with Monday Night Brewing and pale ale Front Porch and Kentucky Mud, a nitro chocolate milk stout with Arches Brewing in Hapeville. Now the group has their own brewery on Northside Drive where folks can drop in for beer, food from local pop-ups, and live music. Keep an eye out for appearances from Nappy Roots members Fish Scales, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, and Ron Clutch who often pop by to greet people in the taproom.

Restaurant 10

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Looking for some place to hang before and after a game? Restaurant 10, directly across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, serves up typical game day fare with plenty of beer. The menu includes sliders, fish and chips, wings, and burgers. There’s even a kids menu here.

Rosie's Coffee Cafe

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The second location of soul food restaurant Rosie’s Cafe (the original is located on Sylvan Road) resides just south of Mercedes-Benz stadium. The all-day cafe serves hearty breakfast plates like a loaded chicken biscuit and fish and grits made with lightly battered perch filets atop creamy buttered grits. Rosie’s also offers salads and sandwiches, too. In the evenings, the restaurant’s coffee bar transforms into a whiskey and cocktail bar. Breakfast on the weekdays or non-game days is highly recommended. Sunday brunch is super busy, so plan accordingly. Valet available.

The sexy yet comfortably appointed cocktail den Parlor is open in Castleberry Hill, Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Parlor is fashioned after the room found in most 19th-century homes, where people gathered following dinner to chat and sip digestifs. Cocktails skew classic and lean toward smooth base spirits like cognac, rum, and brandy.

No Mas! Cantina

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The bi-level, 350-seat No Mas! Cantina in Castleberry Hill serves Mexican restaurant standards like fish tacos, carnitas, enchiladas, fajitas, and margaritas on its menu with brunch on the weekends. There’s an artisan market and gift shop next door and folks can also grab Mexican-style breakfast dishes, desserts, and coffee at ADios Cafe inside the restaurant, too.

Bottle Rocket Fine Food and Beverage

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Bottle Rocket is a popular hangout with Castleberry Hill residents as well as Atlanta United and Falcons fans. The restaurant’s menu is clearly stated on the window outside: sushi, grill, comfort cocktails. Expect anything and everything on the menu here, including platters of fresh sushi, bowls of fried rice, burgers and fries, and even a steak and sushi combo. It’s all good.

Black Coffee ATL

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This Black-owned coffee shop serves more than just coffee, espresso, and other caffeinated beverages, it’s also a gathering place for people to meet, where Atlanta artists display their work on the walls, and community events are hosted. Grab a BEC in the morning paired with a cortado, followed by drinks like the Affogato Martini in the evening with vodka, Bailey’s coffee liqueur, and Black Coffee ATL’s Six Bean espresso topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

Old Lady Gang Southern Cuisine

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Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kandi Burruss opened this Southern restaurant with her mother and aunts a few years ago. Begin with a sweet and sour “Momma Joyce’s” house coconut rum punch with banana liqueur, pineapple, and lime. Next, dig into the shrimp and grits (the appetizer version uses garlic cream; the entree is vodka cream), the balsamic-glazed ribeye, or the crème Anglaise French toast, which comes with whole battered chicken wings. OLG now has an East Point location and a stand inside State Farm Arena.

Fellaship

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Carolina Panthers quarterback and Atlanta native Cam Newton opened this swanky Castleberry Hill cigar bar and restaurant in May. It features a dining room and bar, a humidor, a glass-enclosed wine room, and a speakeasy-like VIP lounge located behind moving bookshelves. The restaurant and bar offer dinner and cocktails starting at 5 p.m. Expect to feast on dishes like crispy sesame shrimp, a wild rice vegetable bowl, lamb chops, and lobster tails. Dress code.

Wine Shoe

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Owned by personal chef Krishna Chapatwala, Wine Shoe is the total package for wine connoisseurs, offering over 150 bottles, curated pairing packages for special occasions, tastings, and classes under one roof. Expect to find a tight selection of Old and New World wines and boutique vintages here. 

Smokey Stallion BBQ

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NFL quarterback Cam Newton and his brother, C.J., opened Smokey Stallion BBQ in the former Smoke Ring space on Nelson Street in 2022, and people are already raving about the smoked lemon pepper wings and pulled pork sandwiches here. The menu features plates and sandwiches of smoked brisket, turkey legs, chicken, and even pan-seared salmon, along with appetizers of loaded fries, fried pickles, and pretzel bites and sides of dirty rice, collards, and fried okra.

Wild Leap Atlanta

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Located just across the Gulch from the Benz, and easily accessed via the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge, Wild Leap brewery and distillery encompasses two levels at Centennial Yards South in what was the Norfolk Southern Railroad building. The ground floor includes multiple seating areas and a bar and opens to the “Canyon”, a below-street-level space created as a result of the 1923 construction of a raised pedestrian and automobile viaduct system above the rail yards. There’s patio space outside, too. A staircase in the taproom leads to the second floor offering more seating and another bar with a hidden entrance. Order everything from Wild Leap’s sours, IPAs, and lagers on draft to cocktails and slushies using its rum, gin, and vodka.

Tyde Tate Kitchen

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Take the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge over to this restaurant along Atlanta’s historic Hotel Row for a meal of classic Thai dishes and drinks. The opening of TydeTate Kitchen in 2023 marked two big milestones: it’s the first full-service restaurant for the Chattahoochee Food Works stall and the first restaurant to open along this revitalized stretch of Mitchell Street in a block of century-old storefronts. Owners and siblings Sai Untachantr and Bank Bhamaraniyama use many family recipes to create the dishes for TydeTate Kitchen, including for the basil chicken, chicken curry puffs, crispy basil tofu, Thai fried rice, ka nom jeeb, and pad Thai.

Busy Bee Cafe

Busy Bee Cafe has been in business since the 1940s. This Atlanta institution on the edge of Vine City serves some of the city’s best fried chicken, alongside an assortment of other meat-and-three staples. Take the yardbird to the next level by ordering it smothered with pan gravy. It’s always packed here, so be prepared to rub elbows with fellow diners and even a few celebrities. In 2022, Busy Bee Cafe won an America’s Classics award from the James Beard Foundation.

BTJ Wings

BTJ Wings is located in the Walmart plaza in Vine City, a half mile west of the Benz. While the restaurant does offer other items like a Philly cheesesteak, burger, and even shrimp fried rice, the wings are the stars here. Wings come in garlic pepper, Cajun, extra hot, and lemon pepper.

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken

Dat Fire Jerk Chicken at the corner of Larkin Street and Northside Drive has dubbed itself “Atlanta’s best jerk chicken.” By all accounts, and the daily lunch lines, that’s not hyperbole. The small restaurant (with no inside seating) serves up Jamaican-style jerk pork and chicken as well as curried goat, oxtails, and sides of cabbage salad and rice and peas. Dat Fire is three blocks from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A second location is now open on Camp Creek Parkway.

Paschal's Restaurant

The historic Paschal’s restaurant served as a meeting place for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his lieutenants during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. But, long before Dr. King put Paschal’s on the map nationwide, the restaurant was already well-known around Atlanta for its delicious fried chicken. And, it still is today.

Atlantucky Brewing

Backed by the members of Southern rap quartet Nappy Roots, Atlantucky Brewing is where music, art, and beer merge in Castleberry Hill. The group first became interested in craft beer years ago with home brewing while on tour. Nappy Roots then began partnering with local Atlanta breweries to create their own beer, including with Monday Night Brewing and pale ale Front Porch and Kentucky Mud, a nitro chocolate milk stout with Arches Brewing in Hapeville. Now the group has their own brewery on Northside Drive where folks can drop in for beer, food from local pop-ups, and live music. Keep an eye out for appearances from Nappy Roots members Fish Scales, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, and Ron Clutch who often pop by to greet people in the taproom.

Restaurant 10

Looking for some place to hang before and after a game? Restaurant 10, directly across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, serves up typical game day fare with plenty of beer. The menu includes sliders, fish and chips, wings, and burgers. There’s even a kids menu here.

Rosie's Coffee Cafe

The second location of soul food restaurant Rosie’s Cafe (the original is located on Sylvan Road) resides just south of Mercedes-Benz stadium. The all-day cafe serves hearty breakfast plates like a loaded chicken biscuit and fish and grits made with lightly battered perch filets atop creamy buttered grits. Rosie’s also offers salads and sandwiches, too. In the evenings, the restaurant’s coffee bar transforms into a whiskey and cocktail bar. Breakfast on the weekdays or non-game days is highly recommended. Sunday brunch is super busy, so plan accordingly. Valet available.

Parlor

The sexy yet comfortably appointed cocktail den Parlor is open in Castleberry Hill, Wednesday through Saturday evenings. Parlor is fashioned after the room found in most 19th-century homes, where people gathered following dinner to chat and sip digestifs. Cocktails skew classic and lean toward smooth base spirits like cognac, rum, and brandy.

No Mas! Cantina

The bi-level, 350-seat No Mas! Cantina in Castleberry Hill serves Mexican restaurant standards like fish tacos, carnitas, enchiladas, fajitas, and margaritas on its menu with brunch on the weekends. There’s an artisan market and gift shop next door and folks can also grab Mexican-style breakfast dishes, desserts, and coffee at ADios Cafe inside the restaurant, too.

Bottle Rocket Fine Food and Beverage

Bottle Rocket is a popular hangout with Castleberry Hill residents as well as Atlanta United and Falcons fans. The restaurant’s menu is clearly stated on the window outside: sushi, grill, comfort cocktails. Expect anything and everything on the menu here, including platters of fresh sushi, bowls of fried rice, burgers and fries, and even a steak and sushi combo. It’s all good.

Black Coffee ATL

This Black-owned coffee shop serves more than just coffee, espresso, and other caffeinated beverages, it’s also a gathering place for people to meet, where Atlanta artists display their work on the walls, and community events are hosted. Grab a BEC in the morning paired with a cortado, followed by drinks like the Affogato Martini in the evening with vodka, Bailey’s coffee liqueur, and Black Coffee ATL’s Six Bean espresso topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato.

Old Lady Gang Southern Cuisine

Real Housewives of Atlanta cast member Kandi Burruss opened this Southern restaurant with her mother and aunts a few years ago. Begin with a sweet and sour “Momma Joyce’s” house coconut rum punch with banana liqueur, pineapple, and lime. Next, dig into the shrimp and grits (the appetizer version uses garlic cream; the entree is vodka cream), the balsamic-glazed ribeye, or the crème Anglaise French toast, which comes with whole battered chicken wings. OLG now has an East Point location and a stand inside State Farm Arena.

Fellaship

Carolina Panthers quarterback and Atlanta native Cam Newton opened this swanky Castleberry Hill cigar bar and restaurant in May. It features a dining room and bar, a humidor, a glass-enclosed wine room, and a speakeasy-like VIP lounge located behind moving bookshelves. The restaurant and bar offer dinner and cocktails starting at 5 p.m. Expect to feast on dishes like crispy sesame shrimp, a wild rice vegetable bowl, lamb chops, and lobster tails. Dress code.

Wine Shoe

Owned by personal chef Krishna Chapatwala, Wine Shoe is the total package for wine connoisseurs, offering over 150 bottles, curated pairing packages for special occasions, tastings, and classes under one roof. Expect to find a tight selection of Old and New World wines and boutique vintages here. 

Smokey Stallion BBQ

NFL quarterback Cam Newton and his brother, C.J., opened Smokey Stallion BBQ in the former Smoke Ring space on Nelson Street in 2022, and people are already raving about the smoked lemon pepper wings and pulled pork sandwiches here. The menu features plates and sandwiches of smoked brisket, turkey legs, chicken, and even pan-seared salmon, along with appetizers of loaded fries, fried pickles, and pretzel bites and sides of dirty rice, collards, and fried okra.

Related Maps

Wild Leap Atlanta

Located just across the Gulch from the Benz, and easily accessed via the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge, Wild Leap brewery and distillery encompasses two levels at Centennial Yards South in what was the Norfolk Southern Railroad building. The ground floor includes multiple seating areas and a bar and opens to the “Canyon”, a below-street-level space created as a result of the 1923 construction of a raised pedestrian and automobile viaduct system above the rail yards. There’s patio space outside, too. A staircase in the taproom leads to the second floor offering more seating and another bar with a hidden entrance. Order everything from Wild Leap’s sours, IPAs, and lagers on draft to cocktails and slushies using its rum, gin, and vodka.

Tyde Tate Kitchen

Take the Nelson Street pedestrian bridge over to this restaurant along Atlanta’s historic Hotel Row for a meal of classic Thai dishes and drinks. The opening of TydeTate Kitchen in 2023 marked two big milestones: it’s the first full-service restaurant for the Chattahoochee Food Works stall and the first restaurant to open along this revitalized stretch of Mitchell Street in a block of century-old storefronts. Owners and siblings Sai Untachantr and Bank Bhamaraniyama use many family recipes to create the dishes for TydeTate Kitchen, including for the basil chicken, chicken curry puffs, crispy basil tofu, Thai fried rice, ka nom jeeb, and pad Thai.

Related Maps