The 10 Best Restaurants In Atlanta

The city of Atlanta was founded in 1837 in the spot where two different railroad lines intersected, and today it is still a cultural crossroads of down home hospitality and refined Southern charm. With a diverse and vibrant population, it's a melting pot of gastronomic influences that produces thoughtful chefs and interesting food. Once known for little more than its surfeit of burgers, the city's dining scene now reflects a much wider culinary palate, from Mediterranean to Mexican to sushi, and just about everywhere in between.

In order to assemble our ranking of the best restaurants in Atlanta, we first consulted our rankings of the 101 Best Restaurants in America, the 50 Best Casual Restaurants in America, America's Best Steakhouses, and The 101 Best Burgers in America. We also supplemented our list with pre-existing rankings in both print and online from some of Atlanta's leading authorities, including Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta.net, Buckhead View, Eat it Atlanta, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. 

So without further ado, here are the 10 best restaurants in Atlanta. 

Strengthening Atlanta's reputation as a worldly city is Mediterranean restaurant . As their website states, they "strive to serve you the best selection of Turkish, Greek, and Mediterranean" food, and their classic ethnic dishes are just that. You can enjoy entrées like gyros and kebabs, but there's also  falafel, Greek salad, and appetizers like oven roasted eggplant salad with mixed peppers, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil, and the old-school favorite of grape leaves stuffed with rice, spices, parsley, mint, pine nuts, and raisins. If you want to taste a little of everything, we suggest ordering the Mixed Maza Platter, which includes humus, eggplant salad, babaganoush, ezme, kisir, piyaz, and daily appetizer specials, and then the Agora Mixed Grill, comprising chicken and lamb shish kabob, adana kabob, kofta kabob, and beef and lamb gyros.

This fast-casual opened in 2000 to serve its patrons some of the best Southern, Mexican, and Southwestern dishes around, with the goal of providing quality ingredients at fast-food prices. The salsa trio is a fan favorite, while dishes like Sloppy José (sloppy joe, fresh jalapeño, Cheddar cheese, and Fritos) and The Bob (fried shrimp, crayfish, mayonnaise, and pickled jalapeños) are often found on the weekly specials list.

Additional reporting by The Daily Meal's Eat/Dine Editor, Dan Myers.

Kate Kolenda is the Restaurant and City Guide Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @BeefWerky and @theconversant.

Want more Atlanta content? Find it here.