New American restaurant Lazy Betty didn't just kick off the tasting menu boom in the city, it set the standard for what lavish multi-course experiences could be. The menu shifts frequently to incorporate a range of seasonal ingredients—and to keep repeat diners on their toes. Courses sway from straightforward (tender filets of cod or wagyu beef in a buttery wine sauce) to unexpected (a beef wellington play with a giant scallop coated in a herby truffle custard).

Use this place to stump pessimistic in-laws and discerning friends who try to find fault in everything. The Deer And The Dove’s menu is packed with gamey proteins that you’re more likely to find in a North Georgia restaurant than in ATL. But no one does these meats as well as this Decatur spot. Dry-aged duck topped with duck bone jus and foie gras is so rich we've almost lost our train of thought mid-chew. And the unfussy dining room works nicely with the artistry of each dish.

Marcel is like that dependable, first-option friend who is always 10 toes down when needed. That’s why this moody French steakhouse serves a mix of clientele—well-dressed couples, suits wooing out-of-town clients, and anyone in need of a morale boost via a steak splurge. The buttery steaks are their showpiece, but everything here, from the tableside sole to the cacio e pepe, is faultless. This is the type of place that will turn you from a newbie into a regular.

The Westside is clustered with great sushi options, but the star that shines brightest is Omakase Table. At $235 per person, securing a spot at this 12-seat counter isn’t cheap, but the extravagant meal has more than 20 courses, including silky cuts of toro, kanpachi, and other pieces of nigiri chosen for their most optimal in-season taste. But dinner isn’t just a string of sushi—the meal starts with a few plates that play around with a range of flavors, like savory charred scabbard.

If you love sushi and small talk and have a couple hundred dollars to spend, book a reservation at Hayakawa. The elegantly minimalist omakase counter in West Midtown’s Star Metals building only has eight seats, but that doesn’t stop the owner/head chef from going full performance mode and donning a mic headset so his jokes, life tales, and dish descriptions will reach your ears while you’re mid-chew. It’s endearing, we swear.

An Inman Park neighborhood hangout and a frontrunner for best pasta and cocktails in the city, at BoccaLupo you can bob your head to De La Soul B-sides while eating squid ink spaghetti with shrimp and sipping a rum drink from a broken baby figurine head. BoccaLupo’s menu changes constantly, but the $125 tasting menu is our go-to, combining Southern roots with creative touches like tortellini in umami broth or fried chicken parm with collards.

Georgia Boy’s 13-course tasting menu is a meal you’ll vividly remember without any help from your camera roll. Their locally inspired dishes (a Varsity-esque hot dog here, a Georgia pollen salad there) change often, but tasty signatures, like the housemade cereal and poached lobster served with a warm banana milk, remain. In case this sounds like a gimmick, those signature dishes and others like the juicy venison tartare garnished with pickled dried cherries prove otherwise.

The simple thing would be to write off Inman Park’s Delbar as another pretty, sceney restaurant lush with plants and a roomy sunroom. But you’d be wrong. When the smooth, creamy hummus hits the table, and when the flaky sea bass arrives, any doubts will be put to rest. The char-grilled, citrusy wings? They’re quietly some of the most flavorful in a city relentlessly obsessed with wings. And the zesty-sweet spring pea salad is a contender for Best Salad On Any Menu Anywhere.

Yes, Busy Bee has been around for decades, and yes, it’s still the best place for straightforward soul food. Even though the West End diner is takeout-only now—with the same fascinating mix of people waiting semi-patiently in line—the juicy fried chicken remains an Atlanta legend, fried in a light batter that’s more seasoning than bread. The perfectly crisp catfish and pork chops are still the standard in the city, and so are the candied yams.

Miller Union in West Midtown continues to set the bar in Atlanta for what top-to-bottom excellence looks like. They focus on local ingredients, and you can get a high-end meal here without a high-end price (lunches come in under $20). Enjoy slow-roasted chicken that comes out just crispy enough, a phenomenal wine list and thyme-infused gin cocktails that turned us into herb lovers, and creamy vanilla caramel ice cream that comes packed between two crispy churros. Nothing ever disappoints here.