Christopher J. Robinson's Best of Atlanta 2009

This list may cause controversy, knife fights, stomach grumblings, or a massive increase in revenue for said eateries. Either way, these are a few of my favorite casual dining spots that won’t break the bank. I haven’t been to every restaurant in Atlanta, but I have been to enough of them to make an educated decision. There may be some local bias, hell, I may have even been paid off, but this is just one award-winning critic’s opinion.

Best Burger: Six Feet Under’s Black n’ Blue Burger

This mouth-watering, gut-busting slab of red meat may be the best I’ve ever had. This burger is served on a toasted bun with blue cheese, fried leeks & fresh chopped spinach and comes with a side of Six Feet’s famous home style potato chips. I like to get a side of their salsa verde to dip the chips in. Holy schnikees. $8.

Two locations:
Grant Park (Across from the Oakland Cemetery, hence the name)
437 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta, GA 30312

Westside (Near GA Tech)
685 11th Street, Atlanta, GA 30318


Runner-up: The Vortex


Best Tacos: Across the Street

The self-proclaimed “Best Dressed Tacos in Town” are just that. To call them anything else would be heresy. You can either get 2 tacos with a side of rice and beans or 3 tacos. I go with 3. There are plenty of fillings to choose from: fish, chicken, steak, pork with pickled red onions, beans, avocado, chicken tenders, fried tofu, and tempeh. I typically go with chicken, steak, and pork. These savory Mexican delights come served on flour tortillas with shredded greens, pico de gallo, sour cream and feta cheese. Feta cheese! So f-ing good. Pardon my English. You can go vegan if that’s what blows your hair back. Their chips and salsa are pretty darn good as well. You will not be disappointed. $10.

Inman Park
668 Highland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30312


Runner-up: Taqueria del Sol


Best Pizza: Fellini’s Pizza

If you’ve lived in Atlanta for more than a week and you are under the age of 40 then you’ve had Fellini’s pizza. I don’t need to say much here. It is an Atlanta staple. They’re open late (2am) and a great way to load up on carbs to absorb booze. Slices are cheap (under 3 bucks). The White Pizza is ridonkulous.

Locations: all over the ATL.

Runner-up: Camellis


Best Wings: Brewhouse Café

For the most part, wings are wings, and in general, Atlanta doesn’t have the best wings scene. There certainly are terrible some terrible wings out there. I’ve had wings with almost no meat on them, wings with the occasional feather sticking out, and wings that are 90% fried bread. That being said, it’s hard to make the leap into the upper echelon of wing quality. Brewhouse has done this. The wings are not breaded, plump with chicken, and come smothered in your choice of a variety of sauces: chipotle hot, Jamaican jerk, lemon pepper, hot blaz-in asian, kickin ranch, honey bbq, garlic hot, the thai wing, and chipotle bbq. My personal faves are the thai wings. 10 for $8.25 or 20 for $14.95. I also kind of have a thing for one of the bartenders here.

Little 5 Points
401 Moreland Ave, Atlanta, GA 30307


Runner-up: Taco Mac


Best Beer Selection: Taco Mac Metropolis

140 beers on draft
280+ in the bottle
50 HD televisions

Need I say more?

933 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309


Runner-up: Brick Store Pub



This list is short, sweet, and a stoner’s dream come true. I’m sure that in the coming weeks, BA Roof will roll out a more elegant, fine-dining ‘Best Of Atlanta’ list. Until then, enjoy some really great food and beer on the cheap. Please leave comments with your own opinions or other places to try that I may not have been to yet.

Cheers.

photo taken from caroline smith here.