Yesterday, I took over Darling Down South’s blog with The 5 Most Essential Restaurants in Atlanta. And today, Cynthia of Darling Down South is taking over mine! Darling Down South showcases amazing eats, fashion and adventures in the South.
Hey Y’all! My name is Cynthia and I blog over at Darling Down South. The purpose of my blog is to explore Southern heritage through food, fashion and travel. What I love about living in Atlanta is that I get to explore this city via the Modern Southern experience with big town names and small town appeal that makes every unique restaurant charming and hype-worthy!
In the past two years of blogging I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone (of burgers mainly) and started getting a true taste of Atlanta and the most Atlanta things to eat, which is exactly what I’m going to share with you today.
How does one choose a list of the most Atlanta things to eat? Well, my criteria were as follows: how does this food represent Atlanta? Is it an Atlanta original? Is Atlanta in the name? Does it have a southern spin on the dish? Is the owner/ creator via the South and hold the Southern heritage at high standard when creating their dish? Is this a food product I like and actually believe in? If the answer was yes to a couple of these questions, it got put on the queue for tasting and investigating -which if we’re being fully transparent here, the tasting was the investigating. *wink*
#1 The A-Town Cream via Sublime Doughnuts: You’ll notice that this doughnut is not particularly round even though it’s a cream filled doughnut, and it’s shape honors the capital letter of our state’s capitol! With its distinct design and notable instagrammability, this doughnut landed number one on our list and number one in our hearts. There’s nothing more wonderful than having some fried dough being reminiscent of the city you live in. It’s a fun and whimsy start to the morning and I’m so excited that they are going to be expanding to another Atlanta location soon enough! Plus if you’re a student, you’ll be able to get 15% off of your doughnuts with showing your student ID. Makes me almost want to go back and get my masters-almost.
#2 Oysters at The Optimist: If you come to Atlanta and you don’t try one of Ford Fry’s restaurants, did you really come to Atlanta? I was on a one-girl mission to eat at every Ford Fry restaurant last year (which was quite a feat since he opened up quite a few new ones!) and I succeeded in eating at them all (and collecting their matchbooks). Ford Fry has done an amazing job of collecting high quality talent to man his grills at his various restaurants as well as impeccably branding each location uniquely that is drawing tourists (and locals) by the thousands every weekend just to get a glimpse of the eclectic and wonderful décor!
One place you MUST eat at is the Optimist. Besides having an amazing bar, they offer up some of the best Seafood I’ve had on the East Coast, getting the freshest pick of oysters from around the country and offering patrons unique seafood experiences like a whole baked fish and seasonally flavored octopus. Their oysters are spectacularly fresh and the waiters are well-equipped with the best knowledge to help you determine what kind of oyster you might be in the mood for. Surprisingly, oysters from different regions can have wildly different tastes: from your briny originals to a floral after taste, you’ll be sure to get what you’re after at the Optimist!
#3 Double Cheeseburger at Holeman & Finch: In my book, nothing beats out an amazing hamburger and hand cut French fries for the ultimate cheat meal and comfort food. Chef Linton Hopkins has truly perfected the hamburger and has placed this burger above the class of your typical hamburger into a sub-set of its very own Super Burger category. While Holeman & Finch originally started serving hamburgers only once a week and to 24 patrons only, it has since opened up the burger to the rest of the world by making it a staple on their menu and opening locations at the Ted and its own burger stand in Ponce City Market.
Two juicy patties are combined between layers of American cheese melted on contact, homemade bread and butter pickles, red onion with house made ketchup and mustard. Truly this burger is packed with so much incredible flavor you don’t need any extra condiments, but make sure you order a black & white shake while you’re there, bonus points for dipping your fries in the shake. It’s my favorite meal in Atlanta, and it’s the one thing I request when I come back in town from vacation away from home.
#4 A Pop from King of Pops: There is nothing I love more than amazing food being born out of following passion and quitting your job. Fear drives success and thankfully the guys behind King of Pops encountered a little bad luck before pursuing their passion of pop making for all of us pop-loving Atlantans! They worked tirelessly to create the brand they are today, and I personally don’t think Atlanta would be who we are without them! Every flavor they have on offer is amazing, my personal favorites being the Raspberry Lime and the Chocolate Sea Salt (plus on occasion you can find alcohol flavored pops for those 21 and up) and summer time wouldn’t be summer time in Atlanta without a trip to their beltline location or their Ponce City Market shop!
#5 Coffee from Octane Coffee: I’m a huge coffee fan. Seriously, I go through about 2 cups a day, and while it’s not the healthiest of habits, it is one that I really don’t want to give up just yet. When it comes to getting my caffeine fix in Atlanta it was hard to pick just one place that truly represents Atlanta. There are so many great coffee places -which I’ll save for another time- but when it comes to one that is notoriously Atlantan, Octane is the first that comes to mind! They are perfectly hipster with a cool wall mural at their Westside location and they serve up awesome cups of joe every morning to hundreds of zombie like patrons. Their baristas are plaid clad and friendly while helping wake Atlanta up with their wonderful brews. It’s no wonder why they’ve won “Best of Atlanta” recently!
Truly picking just five food items to represent Atlanta was so difficult. I think Atlanta has so many amazing food offerings, it might be nearly impossible to taste them all in a lifetime! If you happen upon Atlanta for a foodie filled weekend, be sure to try these notoriously Atlantan foods! You’ll be glad you did!
If you want to see what I’m eating outside of these things (and explore Atlanta with me) be sure to follow on Instagram and Facebook for day-to-day updates! Thanks ATL Bucket List for letting me take over your blog for the day!