La Panarda, a new taste of Italy on Cascade, has three wing spots within shouting distance of its front door. It’s a confident person who thinks there’s a place for osso buco lamb shank in a land filled with so many lemon pepper wets…but visionaries are bold. This attempt feels more cohesive than the space’s previous occupant, a short-lived Latin soul spot from the same owner. Yes, the seat cushions and wall sconces remain, but the bar is livelier and the cuisine is more consistent.

Flight Club is an enormous two-level space in West Midtown that feels like a steampunked hunting lodge you and your date get to by falling down Alice’s rabbit hole. We’re talking vintage clocks, floral wallpaper, and leather banquettes. Pre-reserved oches (basically dart alleys) surround a long, attractive bar. Equally appealing is the dart hall’s friendly service and menu of shareable plates. Honey hot chicken sliders are spicy mayo- and sweet pickle-topped bites of fun.

It’s not a wild leap to say we’ve found our favorite spot to pre-game for an event at Mercedez-Benz, and that’s in part thanks to the convenient new pedestrian bridge that better connects these downtown attractions. Wild Leap bills itself mainly as a brewery but they’re also a distillery and winery (in Falcon's speak, that’s a Deion Sanders-style triple threat). We like fun beer options like the Blueberry Lmn Ade sour ale and the Mai Tai Double IPA.

Walk into Yeppa and Co. on any given night and you’ll likely mix into a crowd of people who look like they have Bravo spin-offs. They'll be knocking back glasses of wine or the flavorful frose sgroppino, and with alcohol-loosened tongues they'll help soundtrack the consistent roar of background chatter. While the drinks are good, what we really say “yeppa” to is the pasta—specifically the tasty cacio e pepe and the creamy ricotta- and pork-filled tortellini.

Being handed our food in takeout containers tends to signal that we should GTFO of a restaurant as quickly as possible. But the casually chic interior of Tyde Tate’s downtown location has such good vibes we can’t just grab and go. Crisp white walls, homey wooden tables, and large wicker lighting fixtures combine with splashes of calming dark teal mosaics on the bar. It all adds up to the preferable backdrop to slurp down their perfectly peanuty Pad Thai.

Sub sandwiches paired with sophisticated cocktails in a retro bistro setting is the dining situation we never knew we needed. From the team behind Banshee, this Edgewood-Candler Park spot has mastered the art of the sandwich. The usual deli meats like porchetta, roast beef, and turkey get a tasty upgrade with fun sauces like their chorizo mayo and horseradish crème fraiche. Their obvious love for subs stuffed to the brim with meats can only be matched by their love of lighting fixtures.

If you came for the prime rib expecting white-glove service, this ain't it. This casual cocktail bar is a roll-with-the-punches spot, where people clutching cocktails will hover over your table as you devour deviled eggs and pimento cheese served on a cafeteria-style tray. Despite this laid-back environment, the old-school Reynoldstown bar will impress on date nights with upscale Southern bites and classy cocktails like The Tuxedo that features heavy pours of gin and absinthe.

Snap Thai Fish House, a fresh Buckhead concept from the minds behind Bangkok Thai, is a design marvel. The crisp, bright space is filled with big windows, gold rod benches, and dangling shapes that look like a school of fish. But it’s also 4,600 square feet. Even with patrons sprinkled about the room at lunch and dinner, the area can still feel massive. The menu isn’t quite as imposing, but that won’t stop the tempting roster of soups, starters, and sustainable catches from flooding your brain.

It’s a tad dramatic to say Holeman & Finch is what the Colony Square rebrand’s been missing. But it’d also be foolish to ignore how the reopened restaurant (the Buckhead location closed in 2020) serving elevated comfort food perfectly completes the Midtown mixed-use complex. A memento-filled, dark-wooded space that feels homey, H & F is the kind of place where you can dress up or play down in nice sweats and enjoy your meal either way.

If you enjoyed Bomb Biscuit back when it was a pop-up or delivery service, you’re probably ecstatic it found a full-time home on Highland Ave. A butter-colored space with tables at the front and a covered patio in the back, Bomb Biscuit works for breakfast, lunch, or that awkward stretch between appointments. (Just remember that they’re closed Mon-Wed.) Whatever the time, the buttermilk biscuits will be light and flaky, and meats (especially the lemon pepper-sprinkled chicken) will be amazing.