Michelin designated this barbecue spot as one of the ten bib gourmands in the Atlanta guide. While there’s limited seating here, chefs Cody Taylor and Jiyeon Lee bring more than enough flavor to compensate for Heirloom’s cramped quarters or a ride home with a to-go box. Taylor and Lee’s Southern-meets-Korean barbecue restaurant offers a must-try spicy Korean pork sandwich on its menu with chopped rib meat marinated in fermented chile paste, topped with kimchi coleslaw, black sesame seeds, and a sliced scallion. Order the sandwich with a side of Brunswick stew or collards.

Bacchanalia, the fine dining stalwart from James Beard award-winning chef Anne Quatrano, was granted one star by Michelin, thanks in part to the restaurant’s epic tasting menu. Look for dishes like the crab fritter (a perennial favorite), Maine lobster with caviar and brioche, and a rotating array of seasonal entrees and desserts. Located next to market and cafe Star Provisions on Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard, reservations are necessary for a table at Bacchanalia. Don’t have reservations? Head to the bar for cocktails, a glass of wine, and the a la carte menu. Michelin also granted Bacchanalia a green star, given to restaurants with excellent sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.

Owner Tracy Gates can add being a Michelin bib gourmand to the list of accolades this Vine City soul food institution has received over the last 76 years. The fried chicken created by original owner Lucy Jackson became legendary in Atlanta, prompting the restaurant to become a refueling stop and meeting place for Civil Rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Andrew Young, and Joseph Lowery. To this day, the fried chicken is still marinated for 12 hours, before being hand-breaded and fried. If that isn’t enticing enough, get the smothered version, which is topped with pan gravy. Beyond the fried chicken, people will find an assortment of other Southern meat-and-three staples and sides, including fried catfish, mac and cheese, and collards. In 2022, Busy Bee Cafe was honored with an America’s Classic award from the James Beard Foundation.

Chef Atsushi “Art” Hayakawa relocated his beloved eponymous Buford Highway restaurant to Star Metals on Howell Mill Road in 2023. Now simply called Hayakawa, the new location in the city is much more intimate, with just a small sushi bar focused on the omakase experience. Even with its one-star status from Michelin, people can still expect to see the charming Chef Art behind the counter preparing extravagant courses of sushi throughout the meal with interludes of other Japanese small bites and cooked dishes. 

Michelin named Giovanni DiPalma’s popular Home Park pizzeria a bib gourmand. Since opening in 2009 near Georgia Tech, this little pizzeria off of Hemphill Avenue has been a hot spot for Neapolitan-style pizzas, calzones, and Italian sandwiches. For OTPers seeking a slice of Antico, there’s a location in Alpharetta’s Avalon development and at the Battery near Braves Truist Park in Cobb County. A location is also now open in Tucker.

For longtime followers of chef Jarrett Stieber from his days operating pop-up Eat Me Speak Me, being honored with the Michelin Young Chef award and Little Bear nabbing a bib gourmand came as no surprise. After discontinuing his pop-up in 2019, Stieber opened Little Bear in Summerhill right before the start of the pandemic in 2020. Despite the challenges brought on by the health crisis, Stieber never wavered from what made his pop-up, and now his restaurant, so popular with regulars. The chef’s mischievous sense of humor and creativity continue to be on full display in dishes like the Everything Raw Beef with hatch chile bagel soubise and drinks like the Invasive Species mixed with singani and rum, bitter bianco, and creme de kudzu flower. Pro tip: it’s best to order the entire menu at Little Bear. Tell the server to “Just F*ck Me Up, Fam.”

Located at the swanky St. Regis hotel in Buckhead, this one-star restaurant is always a solid choice for a celebratory, splurge-worthy dinner. Think Kristal caviar, Westholme wagyu, and desserts like a take on Chocolate Rocher. For a real treat, book the chef’s table experience at Atlas, an elaborate tasting menu feast which also comes with dessert and wine pairings. Afterwards, pop over to the Garden Room next door for one last drink. Dress code.

At their Grant Park restaurant Estrellita, now a bib gourmand, Hope Webb and chef Walter Cortado are putting in the work to shine the spotlight on the many regional cuisines that make up the thousands of islands comprising the Philippines. Grab a seat in the cozy dining room or at one of the tables outside for bite-sized lumpia stuffed with aromatic ground beef, green beans, and bean sprouts, slow-simmered adobo, and soups like sinigang and arroz caldo. Desserts served at the restaurant often come from Filipino pop-ups and bakers around Atlanta. Pair a meal here with a frozen cocktail from the slushy machine, with drinks centered around the seasons. Estrellita often opens its doors to Atlanta Filipino food pop-ups and chefs in a continuing mission to raise awareness of the vast foodways found throughout the Philippines.

This Krog Street Market stall is now a Michelin bib gourmand, thanks to its craveable cheeseburger (one of the best in the city) and sandwiches like the Philly cheesesteak and cauliflower and eggplant banh mi. The garlic fries at Fred’s — one of the most popular fry options on the menu — are tossed in a parsley and garlic mixture that turns the fries green and evenly distributes the flavor without being over- or underwhelmed by garlic. The Old Bay fries here come with tartar sauce for dipping, and are also not to be missed.

During Fishmonger’s first week in business in 2022, the tiny Poncey-Highland location of the seafood market and cafe sold nearly 700 pounds of fresh fish and close to 60 blackened grouper sandwiches each day. Six months later owners Skip Engelbrecht, Nhan Le, and chef Bradford Forsblom opened a second, larger location at the Pratt Pullman District in Kirkwood, followed by a third location in 2023 on Howell Mill Road. That aforementioned grouper became an instant classic for Fishmonger when it hit the menu, even grabbing the attention of former President Barack Obama, who ordered the fish atop his Caesar salad during a visit to Atlanta. The restaurant and its blackened grouper have now caught the eye of Michelin, which named Fishmonger a bib gourmand. Beyond fish sandwiches, look for daily oyster and crudo specials, fish dinners, and seafood salads and chowders from Forsblom at all three locations. Pair it with sparkling wine, a boozy cocktail, or a frozen drink, though keep in mind that the Poncey-Highland location is BYOB. The Howell Mill and Kirkwood locations feature full bars.

Peter Chvala, chef Nolan Wynn, and Faielle Stocco worked together for years in Ford Fry restaurants in Atlanta, while Katie McDonald was a manager at Wrecking Bar Brewpub in Little Five Points. The longtime friends all live in and around East Atlanta Village (EAV) and appreciate the neighborhood’s quirky vibe and penchant for late nights. They wanted their restaurant, Banshee, to become part of EAV, not try to change the neighborhood they love and call home. Since opening in 2018, Banshee has done just that, becoming not only an integral part of the lives of East Atlanta residents seeking dinner and cocktails (and maybe a late-night hot dog), but a dining destination for visitors to the neighborhood. This bib gourmand serves dishes like peppers and squash escabeche, sweet corn lasagna, and herb-crusted flat iron steak. Banshee’s popular roasted delicata squash and its fry bread are menu staples now. The latter comes served with spreadable pepperoni butter. Equal care and attention to detail are paid to the cocktails at Banshee, which includes drinks like the Stately Hag made with tequila, strega, Cocchi Americano, lemon, and thyme and the Staccato with tawny port, bourbon, Meletti amaro, and Fernet.

This Venezuelan restaurant and bib gourmand, owned and operated by Lis Hernandez, serves its signature menu item stuffed with everything from fried tilapia and 12-hour roasted beef to deviled ham and those filled with Venezuelan-style scrambled eggs, tomatoes, caramelized onions, and queso de ano. Arepas here average around $10 to $11. Make sure to order a side of crispy yuca fries or tostones for an extra $5 or try the cachapas (Venezuelan sweet or savory pancake) topped with proteins like roast pork or shredded chicken and assorted vegetables.