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Where to Eat and Drink in Westside, Bolton, and Riverside

A neighborhood dining and drinking guide

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The neighborhoods of Westside, Bolton, and Riverside are steeped in Atlanta’s industrial and railroad history. Small enclaves of charming bungalows dating as far back as 1910 are scattered throughout the city’s northwest corridor.

Flanked by Collier Road to the north, Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard to the south, Northside Drive to the east, and I-285 to the west, Westside and Riverside have become popular (and affordable) places to live for families, young professionals, college students, and creatives. Those buying homes now have the last portion of the Atlanta BeltLine to look forward to in their future. Anchored by Bellwood Quarry Park just west of Marietta Boulevard, the northwest section will snake through quiet, tree-lined neighborhoods and past destinations such as Star Provisions, TopGolf, and Monday Night Brewing.

While most associate dining and drinking here with the trendy Westside Provisions District, residents in this part of town are likely to be found dining as regulars elsewhere around the neighborhood. Here, now, are restaurants, bars, breweries, and coffee shops that make the west side of Atlanta worth a visit.

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Henri's Bakery & Café

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The longtime Atlanta bakery known for its fancy cakes, baked goods, and sandwiches opened its third location on Coronet Way, adjacent to Marietta Boulevard, last December. The Westside shop features the same breakfast and lunch options as its shops in Sandy Springs and Buckhead. The new 5,000-square-foot retail space and kitchen will also house most of Henri’s baking operations.

Acapulco Mexican Taqueria

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Acapulco Mexican sits at the Y intersection of Hollywood and Bolton roads on the edge of Riverside. It’s a popular neighborhood spot for fast, affordable Mexican food that happens be to be darn good, too. Everything on the menu here is under $10. It’s hard to beat $1.75 for a chorizo taco or a Cuban torta stuffed with ham and cheese and topped with a fried egg for $5.

Acapulco Mexican/Yelp/Dustin H.

Scofflaw Brewing Co.

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Westside is becoming somewhat of a brewing mecca these days. Good news for thirsty residents of the area who now can add one more brewery to their list. Scofflaw Brewing Co. located in northwest Atlanta’s Bolton neighborhood focuses on beers the brewery’s staff likes to drink. Look for double IPAs, Imperial wheats, and pale ales.

Scofflaw Brewing Scofflaw Brewing Co.

B's Cracklin' Barbecue

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Pitmaster Bryan Furman and his wife Nikki opened an Atlanta outpost of their Savannah smokehouse in September 2016. Located in the former Hottie Hawgs space in Riverside, the Furmans serve heritage-breed whole-hog 'cue, South Carolina-style hash and rice, and more. The Furmans recently added breakfast to their weekend menu, which includes chicken biscuits.

This unassuming brown building off of Main Street in Riverside is home to B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque. Jonathan Phillips/Eater Atlanta

Jim Adams Farm & Table

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Jim Adams Farm & Table in Bolton Village is owned by Chuck Meadows, a former metro Atlanta chamber of commerce vice president and executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. Jim Adams serves soups, salads, and sandwiches made from ingredients grown on Meadows’ urban farm Jim Adams Farms on University Avenue in southwest Atlanta. The restaurant also includes a produce market and two patios. 

Nuevo Laredo Cantina

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Nuevo Laredo opened on the Westside in 1992 and soon became a popular neighborhood spot for both lunch and dinner. Serving authentic, home-cooked Mexican comfort food, the Cantina’s compact parking lot is always full from the time the doors open until they close.

Nuevo Laredo Cantina/Facebook

Zunzi’s

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The Savannah-based Zunzi’s Takeout is open on Howell Mill Road near Collier Road. And, its South African-style sandwiches are still some of the best in the country. Try the Conquistador on French bread with chicken, romaine, tomato, and topped with Shit Yeah sauce and Zunzi’s dressing or the Boerewors on a Roll with boerewors (South African sausage) and grilled peppers and onions topped with brown gravy and dank sauce.

Second Self Beer Company

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Second Self prides itself on using the freshest ingredients to make beers that are full of flavor and personality. The brewery, owned by a couple of Georgia Tech alums, is located on Logan Circle off of Chattahoochee Avenue and recently expanded its canning and tasting rooms to accommodate the growing crowds.

Second Self Beer

Star Provisions Market & Cafe

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Star Provisions' sandwich counter — dubbed Little Star — is still at Westside Provisions District, but Anne Quatrano's market and cafe has moved to a brand new building on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard. The cafe has quickly become a neighborhood gathering spot for omelet sandwiches with prosciutto, herbs, and brie served on fresh baguettes in the morning and charcuterie and cheese boards paired with wine in the afternoon. Feeling fancy? Make a dinner reservation at Quatrano’s fine dining stunner Bacchanalia, located next door.

The entrance at Star Provisions.

Monday Night Brewing

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One of the founding fathers of Atlanta’s craft beer scene, Monday Night Brewing on the Westside has been tying one on for years with cleverly named classics like Fu Manbrew, Drafty Kilt, and Nerd Alert. Eventually, the Trabert Avenue location will be situated along the BeltLine’s Northwest Trail. The MNB gang will open their second outpost at the Lee + White development in the historic West End located off the BeltLine’s forthcoming Westside Trail on September 23, 2017.

Monday Night Brewing Monday Night Brewing/Facebook

Urban Tree Cidery

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Urban Tree, located on Howell Mill Road, has become the happy-hour hang out for the Westside neighborhoods of Berkeley Park and Underwood Hills. Ciders are all produced on site from apples harvested and crushed in the North Georgia mountains. For those not into high-octane apple juice, order cocktails from the bar that features many of the city’s local spirits.

Urban Tree Cidery

Bone Garden Cantina

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Hidden in the back of the Lumberyard complex off of Ellsworth Industrial, Bone Garden serves up solid Mexican food and premium mezcals and tequilas. It’s a popular neighborhood spot for families gathering early for dinner and friends in search of queso and margaritas after work. The food is fresh, the drinks are strong, and the patio is large and dog-friendly.

Bone Garden Cantina/Yelp/Josh R.

Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours

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Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours is where the South’s most loved dishes meet the classically-trained chef-owner Deborah VanTrece. VanTrece’s world travels and 30 years cooking professionally are present and accounted for on the menu and in the service here. Twisted Soul strikes that difficult balance between casual and fine dining with ease. Expect an amuse bouche to whet the appetite like a delicate bite of chicken salad, shared dishes such as black eyed pea salsa fresca served with fresh tortilla chips, and graciously plated entrees such Cajun-spiced roast chicken atop a bed of red beans and rice. This food has soul.

Taqueria Del Sol

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The line begins to form the minute the doors open at this Westside taqueria. The loyal regulars come from around the neighborhood for chef Eddie Hernandez’s mix of Mexican and Southern flavors like fried chicken, brisket, and smoked-pork tacos.

Taqueria del Sol

Westside Provisions District and Ironworks

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Westside Provisions District and the newly-opened Ironworks across the street could be considered the heart of dining and drinking on the Westside. While both complexes lean on the trendy and spendy side, the variety of dining options are impressive and include old-school steakhouse Marcel, Jeni’s Ice Cream, cocktail bar Little Trouble, Basque-inspired Cooks & Soldiers, wine and tapas bar Barcelona Wine Bar, sushi restaurant O-Ku, and health-focused Upbeet.

Westside Provisions District/official

The Warhorse Coffee Shop

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This underground coffee house located at the Goat Farm in Westside, and it plays host to local writers, artists, readers, and those seeking quiet respite from Atlanta’s frenetic pace. Visit Warhorse for coffee, tea, and the occasional spoken-word performance or impromptu art show.

Yelp/Rachel P.

Brash Coffee

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Brash works directly with coffee farmers in El Salvador in order to source beans as fairly and ethically as possible. Located in a repurposed shipping container at Westside Provisions District, Brash offers coffee drinkers everything from pour-overs to drip as well as selections from Emerald City Bagels in the morning.

Brash Coffee yelp/j b.

West Egg Cafe

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West Egg has been serving breakfast and brunch in Westside for more than a decade and is still considered one of Atlanta's best bets for a morning meal. It's tough to beat sour cream pancakes with syrup and spiced honey butter or the simple comfort of the blue plate (two eggs, biscuit, choice of breakfast meat, and roasted garlic grits or skillet potatoes).

West Egg Cafe West Egg Cafe

Northside Tavern

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This iconic Westside haunt is so much more than drinks. It’s a blues dive bar serving up shots of Wild Turkey, PBR, and live music into the wee hours of the night. The bar has been part of the Westside in one form or another since the 1940s as a grocery store, a gas station, and a blue collar bar serving the area’s mill and stockyard workers.

Northside Tavern on Howell Mill Road northside tavern, facebook

Miller Union

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When James Beard award winner Steven Satterfield opened his farm-fresh, Southern restaurant in 2009 on Brady Avenue, he set the bar high for the Westside’s fledgling dining scene. The farm egg baked in celery cream with grilled bread is a top-10 Atlanta dish, and the restaurant has one of the best vegetable plates in town (not to mention an impeccable wine list).

Donetto

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Donetto is the latest restaurant from the company behind Alpharetta’s Oak SteakhouseColletta, and Westside’s O-Ku Sushi. Located in the Stockyards across from Miller Union, Donetto dedicates its menu to Tuscan-style pastas and sauces filled with fish, beef, and pork as well as large entrees like the whole roasted fish or steak Florentine for three. The bar features a “zero proof” cocktail menu, too.

Donetto

Eight Sushi Lounge

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Eight Sushi Lounge, the Westside restaurant from Rice Restaurant and Sushi Bar owner Lei G Ho, serves sushi with a modern twist. Located in the Brady Development at the corner of Howell Mill Road and Brady Avenue, Eight wants to change the perception of the neighborhood sushi bar through its food and cocktails. The restaurant has an expansive patio, which is enclosed during the winter.

Bocado has been feeding the Westside for nearly eight years. Now a neighborhood staple, people come in for the burger stack but come back for the cocktails and seasonally driven menu. Try the quinoa salad with avocado and field peas or the shrimp po’boy. Don’t forget to order a side of herb fries.

Bocado
[Sue Martin/Google Maps]

Beloved Atlanta coffee staple Octane has been sold to Birmingham-based Revelator. But despite the sale, the coffee shop’s original location on the Westside continues to channel its start-up past with folks meeting to collaborate and exchange ideas over coffee and cocktails. During the school year, Octane is often full of Georgia Tech and Georgia State students studying or taking a break between classes.

THE LOCAL PIZZAiOLO - Westside

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The Local Pizzaiolo in Westside serves traditional Neapolitan pizzas like the classic margherita as well as three gluten free options such as the Puttanesca with crushed tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, and capers. Owner Giulio Adriani has also created a selection of signature pizzas, including the spicy Dante’s Kiss with crushed tomatoes, soppressata, and jalapenos and a pie with a local twist aptly named The Local in collaboration with Heirloom Market BBQ. There’s also a location in Toco Hills.

a margherita pizza at the Local Pizzaiolo in toco hills Facebook

Le Fat opened on the Westside in March 2015 and has become a go-to for Vietnamese dishes and inspired cocktails in the neighborhood. The menu features pho and noodles and entrees such as spicy chile prawns and shaking beef served family style.

Le Fat

Amélie's French Bakery & Café

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This French-inspired bakery and sandwich shop on the corner of Marietta Street and Northside Drive is a popular spot for Georgia Tech students as well as the community’s freelancers. Amelie’s comfortable atmosphere and shabby chic decor coupled with its cafe food offerings have made it a neighborhood favorite.

Amelie’s

Thumbs Up Diner

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This local, cash-only chain now serves one of the best breakfasts in town. The Westside location is always full in the mornings with college students and neighborhood regulars looking to start the day off right with coffee and the skillet heap piled high with potatoes, eggs, cheese, meats, and vegetables.

Thumbs Up Diner thumbs up diner, facebook

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Henri's Bakery & Café

The longtime Atlanta bakery known for its fancy cakes, baked goods, and sandwiches opened its third location on Coronet Way, adjacent to Marietta Boulevard, last December. The Westside shop features the same breakfast and lunch options as its shops in Sandy Springs and Buckhead. The new 5,000-square-foot retail space and kitchen will also house most of Henri’s baking operations.

Acapulco Mexican Taqueria

Acapulco Mexican sits at the Y intersection of Hollywood and Bolton roads on the edge of Riverside. It’s a popular neighborhood spot for fast, affordable Mexican food that happens be to be darn good, too. Everything on the menu here is under $10. It’s hard to beat $1.75 for a chorizo taco or a Cuban torta stuffed with ham and cheese and topped with a fried egg for $5.

Acapulco Mexican/Yelp/Dustin H.

Scofflaw Brewing Co.

Westside is becoming somewhat of a brewing mecca these days. Good news for thirsty residents of the area who now can add one more brewery to their list. Scofflaw Brewing Co. located in northwest Atlanta’s Bolton neighborhood focuses on beers the brewery’s staff likes to drink. Look for double IPAs, Imperial wheats, and pale ales.

Scofflaw Brewing Scofflaw Brewing Co.

B's Cracklin' Barbecue

Pitmaster Bryan Furman and his wife Nikki opened an Atlanta outpost of their Savannah smokehouse in September 2016. Located in the former Hottie Hawgs space in Riverside, the Furmans serve heritage-breed whole-hog 'cue, South Carolina-style hash and rice, and more. The Furmans recently added breakfast to their weekend menu, which includes chicken biscuits.

This unassuming brown building off of Main Street in Riverside is home to B’s Cracklin’ Barbeque. Jonathan Phillips/Eater Atlanta

Jim Adams Farm & Table

Jim Adams Farm & Table in Bolton Village is owned by Chuck Meadows, a former metro Atlanta chamber of commerce vice president and executive director of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. Jim Adams serves soups, salads, and sandwiches made from ingredients grown on Meadows’ urban farm Jim Adams Farms on University Avenue in southwest Atlanta. The restaurant also includes a produce market and two patios. 

Nuevo Laredo Cantina

Nuevo Laredo opened on the Westside in 1992 and soon became a popular neighborhood spot for both lunch and dinner. Serving authentic, home-cooked Mexican comfort food, the Cantina’s compact parking lot is always full from the time the doors open until they close.

Nuevo Laredo Cantina/Facebook

Zunzi’s

The Savannah-based Zunzi’s Takeout is open on Howell Mill Road near Collier Road. And, its South African-style sandwiches are still some of the best in the country. Try the Conquistador on French bread with chicken, romaine, tomato, and topped with Shit Yeah sauce and Zunzi’s dressing or the Boerewors on a Roll with boerewors (South African sausage) and grilled peppers and onions topped with brown gravy and dank sauce.

Second Self Beer Company

Second Self prides itself on using the freshest ingredients to make beers that are full of flavor and personality. The brewery, owned by a couple of Georgia Tech alums, is located on Logan Circle off of Chattahoochee Avenue and recently expanded its canning and tasting rooms to accommodate the growing crowds.

Second Self Beer

Star Provisions Market & Cafe

Star Provisions' sandwich counter — dubbed Little Star — is still at Westside Provisions District, but Anne Quatrano's market and cafe has moved to a