Danielle811

We'll be in Atlanta for a week at the beginning of March with our children (ages 3 and 1), and I'd love some restaurant recommendations. Our kids do pretty well at restaurants, but we're not up for tackling fine dining establishments. Are there local (non-chain), casual restaurants that people love? Any type of food is fine with us, and we're staying near the Galleria Centre, as my husband will be at a conference during the day, but we will have a car, and aren't limited to that area by any means.

Thanks in advance!

starrs

There are so many good ones, it's hard to know where to start.

Here's a list of 100 best in the south, including several in GA
http://www.southernliving.com/travel...rants/view-all

Decatur is a great town and there are a couple of dozen good restaurants in walking distance of one another. It would be a good place for you to go during the day with the little ones. Here's a good pizza choice -
http://www.saporidinapolipizzeria.com/

If you want southern food, go to Mary Mac's in Midtown -
http://www.marymacs.com/

Casual places include U Joint and their sisters restaurants - in several locations -
http://www.ujointbar.com/

A very casual option is a favorite of friends with little ones about the ages of your -
http://www.taqueriadelsol.com/

A favorite ice cream place all over the city is Brusters -
http://www.brusters.com/

That's a start without knowing where you'll be going or what you'll be doing.

rizzo0904

We had fun at Mary Macs, so I second Starrs recommendation.

Danielle811

Thank you, Starrs, that's a great list. We'll definitely check out Mary Mac's, and my husband will love the Taqueria del Sol recommendation.

So far the only definite day-time activities on my list are the Georgia Aquarium, Piedmont Park, and the Southern Museum in Kennesaw. We're coming from Western NY, so we may be spending the majority of the trip at parks enjoying the fact that it's (hopefully) above freezing!

rizzo0904

Check out the World of Coca Cola...even if you don't normally drink soda, it's fun to try flavors from around the world. There is also the CNN Center and Stone Mountain.

rizzo0904

Oh, Vortex has some great burgers. HOWEVER it was a smoking establishment when I went. I'm not sure if all locations allow smoking so it's something you may want to check on.

Fox Brothers BBQ

starrs

The Taqueria del Sol was more for you and the kids. It's super casual. You stand in line at the counter and the line always stretches out, but folks wait patiently. The food is delivered to the table. It's not fancy but is good.

Believe it or not there's a GREAT New Orleans/Cajun style restaurant 5 miles from the train museum. Definitely go there -
http://www.chefhenrys.com/

My favorite restaurant moved from the Aquarium area to near Piedmont Park.
http://www.campagnoloatl.com/
It used to be the Peasant Bistro but the owner moved to Midtown. Before that she owned the Pleasant Peasant on Peachtree which was part of the Peasant Restaurant group. THE fabulous restaurants in Atlanta. The owner, Steve Nygren, sold off the restaurants to the managers and moved with his wife (who is the daughter of the owner of Mary Mac's, now deceased) and they started a new community south of the airport. I don't usually mention Serenbe but it might be a nice day trip with the kids -
http://serenbe.com/about#serenbe-history
There are restaurants at Serenbe but it's been years since I've been there -
http://www.serenbefarms.com/food/restaurants

Back to Midtown - Across from Camp. is a really good restaurant called 10th and Piedmont at 10th and Piedmont. The owners are friends of friends and really nice and really good food.
http://www.communitashospitality.com/10th-and-piedmont

On the other corner is a local casual favorite, the Flying Biscuit, which serves healthy variations of southern favorites, including vegan options... and really great biscuits. One of the Indigo Girls in a financial partner. Parking for it is on the opposite side of the building.
http://www.flyingbiscuit.com/

And next to that is a local deli chain that is good, with limited dedicated parking in the garage next door - Jason's Deli
http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

Piedmont Park is great. If you're here on a Saturday they have a great green market in the morning with offerings from farmers and local bakers. The Chinese Southern Belle is usually there, cooking up dumplings and selling her great sauces (with her mom) -
http://www.chinesesouthernbelle.com/...m_medium=email
And there's another vendor selling really great tamales

Piedmont Park is great and the High Museum of Art may have some kids activities going on (check their calendar). The Atlanta Botanical Garden if very nice with a children's garden (not sure what will be there in March) and a great orchid house (that will be plenty warm). There's a storytime that Wednesday (I just clicked on a random day) -
http://atlantabotanicalgarden.org/ev...storybook-time

If you don't eat at any of those, Bantam + Biddy has been voted the best family friendly restaurant and it's nearly at Ansley Mall (which isn't really a mall but an open shopping area) -
http://www.bantamandbiddy.com/

I hope the weather is good for you. We can have absolutely gorgeous, warm, early spring days. And then we might have really cold ones. But probably a lot warmer than "home" no matter which. Enjoy your trip!

kbg717

I live in Atlanta and there are so many great restaurants! Taqueria del Sol is a great recommendation. A couple others I would recommend are:

Osteria 832: in Virginia Highlands which has a lot of cute shops and restaurants. This place is laid back and has great Italian food, pizzas etc.
http://www.osteria832.com

Six Feet Under: one of my favorites, casual seafood
http://sixfeetunderatlanta.com

starrs

One more local favorite - Watershed
http://watershedrestaurant.com/about/watershed/
Really good. Former chef Scott Peacock was named Best Chef in the Southeast by James Beard and set up the menu. Their famous friend chicken is only served on Wednesdays and they are famous for it.
http://watershedrestaurant.com/happe...en-wednesdays/
I haven't been since they moved from Decatur to the Peachtree location. Scott is gone but the restaurant is still going strong. (Another partnership with Emily Saliers).

I really can't think of a recommendation near the Galleria. The Peasant group used to have a great restaurant there, but it's long closed.

Again, enjoy your trip and wishing you warm sunny weather.

Danielle811

Thank you so much, Starrs! It looks like we will be eating well! I'm not sure if we'll be there on a Saturday, as my brother-in-law lives in Athens, and we are planning to visit him at some point, but if we happen to be there, the green market at Piedmont Park sounds like like a must for us!

I agree that there isn't much of note around the Galleria. When we were there two years ago, we ventured elsewhere for the most part.

Rizzo, Fox Bros is on my husband's "must eat" list. We went there a couple of years ago, and he was sick and couldn't taste anything. He's determined to to make up for it.

Kbg717, thanks for the recommendations! We'll be eating well!

starrs

You have lots of good suggestions to choose from. There are other greenmarkets in the Atlanta area, but most are on Saturdays.

Don't know what your plans are in Athens, but I'm a real fan of Hugh Acheson.
http://hughacheson.com/
He has two restaurants in Athens and one in Atlanta (Empire State South is consistently on "best" lists). If y'all want to eat out, try 5&10 or the National in Athens.

starrs

I took a look at Urbanspoon and Vinings restaurants. Some of my favorites are nearby you when you're at the Galleria -
http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/9/847/At...gs-restaurants

Top Spice - very good Thai. I love their other location in Toco Hills.
Marlow's Tavern - very good food. I love their other location at Northlake.
South City Kitchen - great US reviews and their Midtown location is a favorite also.
Maggianno's is a small chain serving large portions of Italian food but would be a good family choice. Not my favorite but really good reviews and a family favorite.

Canoe - my favorite "nice" restaurant. If the weather is good, there is no better setting in Atlanta than their outside seating overlooking the Chattahoochee River.

Others on that list are good choices. You can't go wrong with any of them IMO.

starrs

Totally agree with kbg's suggestion of Six Feet Under. I like the top deck, overlooking Oakland Cemetery.

I know this may sound strange but Oakland is a great option to visit. It was built during Victorian times when cemeteries also served as public parks. GREAT photo ops of Atlanta's skyline and a lovely place for you and your kids stroll along the paths and paved roads through the monuments. There are self-guided tours and guided tours. The flowers may be blooming and there are beautiful flowers, including roses. I have several friends who volunteer there. Consider a guided tour -
http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/plan-your-visit/tours/
There are very interesting theme tours on weekends -
http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/plan-...l-topic-tours/

Another good breakfast place is across the street too -
http://riasbluebird.com/wp/

You could go for a great breakfast, hang out at Oakland and eat lunch at Six Feet Under (get the name now?)

Danielle811

We actually visited Oakland the last time we were in Atlanta, and I wouldn't mind repeating. There is a large cemetery here in Rochester (Mt Hope) that is a great place to walk, so the cemetary-as-park concept is familiar to us. Six Feet Under is a great name for a restaurant, ha!

Danielle811

Starrs, regarding Hugh Acheson's restaurants, is there any one that is better (or worse) for going with small children? I'm not concerned about the food, or their behavior for that matter, because they do well at restaurants, but I also try to be aware of the atmosphere, so as not to bother other customers.

starrs

I don't know. I've not been to both.

My thoughts are that lunch is always good and early dinners are the better times. Most "serious diners" and date nights don't show up when the restaurants open for dinner, but later in the evening.

Glad you enjoyed Oakland! Try a theme tour if you're there on a weekend.

Danielle811

And by "by concerned about the food," I meant for the boys. There are options for them, so no worrie there.

GeorgiaTeachMom

I can't imagine a trip to Atlanta without a trip to the Varsity. It has been in Atlanta since 1928. It is a huge classic burger joint. Definitely not healthy food, but everyone loves it. It is right in the heart of downtown and would be convenient after a trip to the aquarium. My family has been going there since the 1950s. My kids love the chili dog, fries, onion rings, frosted orange (a frozen, frosty orange drink), and chocolate milkshake. If you like hot dog chili, you can get a can of Varsity chili to go and bring it home with you. The place is huge. It holds 800 people. If you happen to go on a day Ga Tech is playing a home game, over 30,000 people will visit the Varsity.

GeorgiaTeachMom

I should also add that the downtown location is the cool original one that your kids will love ...

The Varsity Downtown
61 North Avenue
Atlanta GA 30308

Hours of Operation:
Sunday-Thursday 10:00am-11:30pm
Friday-Saturday 10:00am-12:30am