Annie Mae’s Pantry – Minority Owned
Location: 1700 Northside Dr NW A7, Atlanta, GA 30318
Item ordered: Special Sauce topped Smoked wings w| Sweet Potato Waffle & Shrimp and Grits
Taste: Welcome to the family! This is the slogan when newcomers first enter Annie Mae’s. A part of the family is truly how they make you feel. I first came to Annie Mae’s Pantry through an event called EATplore ATL, when I tell you that the food was so good I had to come back and try it again! Big FACTS! I really don’t know what is in the special sauce that has me coming back for more but it is so tasty. I think honey is involved in sauce but that was the only thing I could identify. The sweet potato waffle was perfect. I love when my waffle is as soft as a pancake. I can’t help it! The sweet potato flavor wasn’t over powering at all. It was sweet but not too sweet to add a little syrup. It didn’t need much syrup because the flavor was definitely there. I will come back every chance I get because the food is indeed that good! Love it!
Overall rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Annie Mae Pantry
Nature’s Table Bistro
Location: 6000 N Terminal Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30320
Item ordered: Balsamic Chicken, Brown Rice, w| Kale Salad
Taste: Located inside ATL airport it is so hard to get a quick, tasty, healthy meal. When I stumbled upon Nature’s Table I was so happy. The balsamic chicken had plenty of flavor which I love. But to be honest the star of the show was the kale salad. This was hands down the best kale salad I have ever had in my life. I know kale gets a bad rep for being tasteless but this salad had all of the flavor in the world. I highly suggest you go and try it!
Overall rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Natures Table
Soul Crab – Minority Owned
Location: 3725 Main St, Atlanta, GA 30337
Item ordered: Bacon Crusted Salmon w| spicy braised greens and sauteed cabbage
Taste: Instagram sensation @DariusCooks has a restaurant called Greens and Gravy that I heard was amazing but I haven’t tried it yet. Soul Crab is Darius newest restaurant and I had the luxury of trying it out during it’s opening weekend. The menu had a lot of great options but I chose to stick with the Salmon. The salmon was great! I have never had bacon on top of salmon before so that brought a nice savory flavor to the dish. The cabbage was decent but best part of the meal was the greens. I don’t know what the paw paw sauce is and how they make it. All I know is that the skillet for the greens was empty and I did everything but lick the bowl. Hands down some of the best greens I have ever had. I would like to come back and try some of their Hennessy Butter Shrimp.
Overall rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Soul Crab
Hattie B’s Hot Chicken
Location: 299 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Item Ordered: Jumbo wings (mild heat level) w| coleslaw, and collard greens
Taste: Hattie B’s Hot Chicken! Lawd! Chicken so good you can’t stop eating, even after you’ve become full. Gluttony at it’s finest. The greens were tasty, I can tell it was smoked with some meat, which is the way I like it. If you are vegetarian, I wouldn’t order the greens. The coleslaw was sweet and they didn’t use too much mayo which is the best way. (GA has the best coleslaw, I promise you. I get it everywhere!) The wings definitely stole the show. I LOVE hot chicken and I’ve been trying to get to Hattie B’s for a minute. I can say that this chain definitely lived up to the hype which is something that I don’t say often. If you are in an area that has a Hattie B’s I definitely encourage the trip.
Overall Rate: 4.5/5
For more information, please visit: Hattie B
Sway Restaurant Atlanta
Location: 265 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 3030
Item Ordered: Deviled Eggs and Shrimp and Grits
Taste: Let me start by saying, I never really eat at hotel restaurants because I’ve had a few bad experiences in the past. Upon looking at the menu for Sway I knew I would have a different experience from my past. After much deliberation, I ended up choosing my classic favorite, shrimp and grits. Man let me tell you, this shrimp and grits meal was very tasty. They used a broth to cover the shrimp and butter grits. I like that the meal felt hearty but the broth lighten up the load while providing the dish with an immense amount of flavor. Cameron was a fabulous host and very knowledgeable about the menu, my friend’s and I will definitely be coming back.
Overall Rate: 4.5/5
For more information, please visit: Sway Restaurant
Harold’s Chicken & Ice Bar – Female and Minority Owned
Location: 349 Edgewood Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30312
Item Ordered: 4 piece wings and fries w| mild sauce
Taste: If you are from the Chicago, IL area then you know about Harolds. Harolds is the chicken joint that is one of the staples of the city. So when two HBCU alums linked up and brought the popular northern chain down south you know I had to try it. Harolds chicken is so good! The mild sauce really stole the show. If you do not use the mild sauce then it taste like regular fried chicken. With the mild sauce it gives the meal the extra oomph that it needed to take them meal from good to super tasty. I am definitely going back because they have two of my favorite things, fried chicken and hookah.
Overall Rate: 4.5/5
For more information, please visit: Harolds Chicken n ATL
Paschals Restaurant – Minority Owned
Location: 180 Northside Dr SW #B, Atlanta, GA 30313
Item Ordered: Sunday Brunch Buffet
Taste: I don’t see how I’ve been to ATL 2644926 times and I just found out about this place! It is so good! This black owned restaurant had all your favorites in one spot, omelette and waffle station, grits, bacon, sausage, fried and baked chicken, yams, greens, fish. I can go on and on. The crazy thing is, everything taste good. Everything that I put on my plate has flavor. The buffet option was only $25 and mimosas were $5 which is really good! I indulged in a shrimp omelette, waffle, baked chicken, grits, sausage, greens, and yams and washed everything down with a mimosa. I highly recommend this place and I can not wait to go back.
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Paschals Atlanta
10th & Piedmont
Location: 991 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
Item Ordered: 10th Street Breakfast (second picture)
Taste: The 10th Street Breakfast was your typical breakfast that you would order. It was nothing special or out of the ordinary about the meal but it was tasty. The best part about the breakfast was the mimosas. They come in different flavors and they have a bottomless option. If you want to go out to brunch in Midtown Atlanta with a spot that has bottomless mimosas this is your spot. The next time I go I would probably try the Breakfast burrito or their chicken and waffles since that is what they are known for.
Overall Rate: 3/5
For more information, please visit: 10th & Piedmont
Milk and Honey – Minority Owned
Location: 5495 Cascade Rd Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30331
Item Ordered: Crab Hash
Taste: “Jumbo lump crab and tomatoes served over cheesy hash brown, topped with Cajun cream sauce.” Words taken directly from the menu because I can not put into words how amazing this dish taste! When I say I am speechless, I am truly speechless. This meal was so good, flavors were perfect, and with the right amount cheese to sauce ratio that compliment each other and not over power each other. It is hard to find a perfect seafood brunch meal besides shrimp and grits but Milk and Honey nailed it! What is not pictured is their honey biscuit. The only reason that was not pictured is because I ate not one, but two and so fast because it tasted that good, I forgot to take a picture. I would be ashamed but I am not. This just means that I have to go back to Milk and Honey. One of my new favorite brunch spots.
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Milk and Honey
Chairs Upstairs Bar and Restaurant
Location: 2783 Main St, East Point, GA 30344
Item ordered: Chicken Salad Sandwich w| sweet potato fries
Taste: Let me start by saying that I came to this restaurant for the wings but they were sold out. The waitress suggested the chicken salad sandwich so I took her up on her offer. The sandwich was okay. I don’t usually eat white bread so that kind of threw the taste off for me. The chicken salad itself was tasty but they used a bit more mayo than I would have liked. The sweet potato fries were fried a little hard for my liking but hey it was dinner. All in all the meal was edible. Would I rush to go back again? Probably not. If I do get back there, I pray that their wings are in stock because apparently that is the star of the menu.
Overall Rate: 3/5
For more information, please visit: Chairs Upstairs
Atlanta Breakfast Club – Minority Owned
Location:
Item Ordered: Peach Cobbler French Toast
Taste: This is my second time at Atlanta Breakfast Club and they never cease to amaze me. No matter what I get here I always end up licking the plate. Usually I am not a fan of touristy restaurants and I was not a fan of waiting 45 minutes for a table of one. However, I received my food super fast and I enjoyed every bite! I order a side of eggs to get some protein in my meal but when I say this is some of the best French toast I have ever had in my life I am not lying to you. It is bomb! The peaches with the powdered sugar, and the brown sugar peach glaze with the syrup. My mouth is watering thinking about it right now. I would definitely recommend coming here, just know that you have to wait.
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Atlanta Breakfast Club
Poor Calvin’s – Minority Owned
Location:
Item Ordered: Limited Edition Items (Salmon Stuffed Hush Puppies and Seafood Vegetable Pad Thai)
Taste: Where does a glam foodie dine for her birthday? Poor Calvin’s. Let me start by saying you HAVE to make a reservation before you dine here unless you will not eat that night. The whole experience of the night was fantastic, from the ambiance, to the drinks, the service, all the way down to the food was perfect. The hush puppies were to die for! They were some of the best hush puppies I have ever had in my life. The menu is seasonal so it is always changing; therefore, what I ordered is no longer being served at this time but the Seafood Pad Thai was AMAZING. I literally tried to finish the whole bowl even though I was full. Gluttony was a price I didn’t mind paying for this meal. Very delicious, seasoned perfectly, and they combines two of my favorite things: Asian food and southern influences. You can’t wrong here, everything is good!
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Poor Calvins
Holler and Dash Biscuit House
Location:
Item Ordered: Kickback Chicken (Fried chicken, goat cheese, green onion, sweet pepper jelly w. a kick)
Taste: I will be completely honest when I say I was scared to try a goat cheese fried chicken biscuit. I didn’t know what to expect. Thank God that I tried it because this chicken biscuit was very TASTY! The goat cheese and sweet pepper jelly didn’t overpower the chicken at all. It actually enhanced the flavor of the chicken and the butter biscuit making it extremely delicious. They have other varieties of the chicken biscuit that includes pimento cheese and other toppings but this has to be my favorite. I definitely would recommend this dish to try, and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Holler and Dash
Le Petit Marche – Minority Family Owned
Location:
Item Ordered: Tofu Scramble
Taste: Le Petit is mostly known for their French toast sandwich but I wanted to try something a little bit on a lighter and healthier side. The tofu scramble was just what I needed, it tasted fresh, light and I was full when I finished but I wasn’t overly stuffed to the point where I couldn’t work for the rest of the day. I would recommend this place if you want to eat somewhere that is nice, small, with healthy options and also your heartier options for those that want a hefty breakfast. I will definitely be dining here again.
Overall Rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Le Petit Marche
Thumbs Up Diner – Minority Owned
Location: 1617 White Way, Atlanta, GA 30344
Item Order: French Toast Special
Taste: I know that I will probably catch some flack for this; however, I need to be completely honest. Thumbs Up is good but it is way over hyped. I love the type of establishment they have. I love the diner layout. I love that it is black owned. I love that they have 3 locations open in ATL. I love that they serve breakfast all day. I love that the Thumbs Up Restaurant is a staple for the city. It’s one of those places that you have to go to if you are visit the city. I love the people and the atmosphere. Their food though, it’s good borderline okay. I have had all of the items on their popular menu. I have had the spuds, their pancakes, their French toast, their eggs, their shrimp and grits, their cheese grits. The list goes on and on. I haven’t had one item on their menu that made me say, “Wow, I can’t wait to come back and get this again or I can’t wait to come back and try their ______ I heard it was amazing.” I have not tried some of their new menu items that lean more toward the healthier spectrum. I want to go back and try some of those options. All in all, if you want diner type food, with a homemade taste and family atmosphere I would suggest going to Thumbs Up. Just do not expect to be wowed.
Overall Rate: 3.8/5
For more information, please visit: Thumbs Up Diner
West Egg Cafe (Vegetarian Options)
Location: 1100 Howell Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30318
Item Ordered: Tofu Scramble
Taste: First of all, the West Egg Grill was jumping when I first walked in. This restaurant was super busy for it to be a Monday morning, apparently it stays super busy all of the time. This particular Monday morning I was not in the mood to eat meat. Seeing that this restaurant is known for their “healthy” menu options and vegetarian dishes I said, why not try something vegetarian. Therefore, I ordered the Tofu scramble with spinach, tofu, egg, red onion, mushrooms, and tomatoes with a side of roasted potatoes. It was pretty good! I had to add a little hot sauce on top but after I did that, it was perfect. I love meatless meals that doesn’t make me miss having meat on my plate. The plate was flavorful and filling. I would love to come back again to try some more items on the menu. This is one place I would recommend if you want a good vegetarian breakfast. Just keep in mind you may have to wait a minute to get a seat.
Overall Rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: West Egg Cafe
Kuroshio Sushi Restaurant and Lounge
Location: 950 W Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA 30309
Item Ordered: No Name Roll (bottom picture) *not pictured Seaweed Salad
Taste: Let me start by saying I lovvvvveeeeee sushi. I can eat it all day, everyday. No matter where. If it is there, then I want it! Seeing that I was staying in Midtown during this visit, we decided to eat at Kuroshiro Midtown. Let me tell you, this place did not disappoint. I had the pleasure of eating the No Name Roll (bottom picture). My friend is vegetarian, so she ordered off of a special vegetarian menu (which is bomb by the way, check top picture). The No Name roll was sweet and savory, which is exactly how I like my sushi! We ended up sharing some of the vegetarian rolls too, one of them was topped with strawberries. When I tell you that each roll had a specific flavor that did not disappoint. BOMB! You can’t even tell that there isn’t any meat in the roll. If you love sushi and want to dine in at a nice sushi restaurant to bring a date or catch up with your girlfriends then this restaurant is for you.
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Kuroshio Midtown
Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Location: 224 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
Item Ordered: Meatloaf, Yams and Collard Greens | Deviled Eggs, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Hushpuppies
Taste: Mary Mac’s Tea Room never disappoints. There is still a debate out for the best soul food in Atlanta. I can’t vote on that yet because there are still a few places that I want to try. But what I can tell you is that Mary Mac’s will definitely be on the list. I ordered the meatloaf and it was very taste. They used a ketchup and tomato sauce base for the meatloaf which made it very saucy. If you are not a fan of saucy meatloaf you wouldn’t like it. All of the sides that were ordered were fantastic. The yams were super sweet, like I them. The fried green tomatoes clearly couldn’t last long enough to get a decent picture of them. The collard greens were tasty. Still had to add hot sauce but they were good none-the-less. The Mac and Cheese was very good, it had breadcrumbs on top, which was different but it gave it a nice slight crunch. I can go on and on with every single dish. Let me finish by saying that it a very good restaurant, excellent service every time I am there. This is one place I bring people if they never visit Atlanta before and they want southern food. Never fails to get the job done.
Overall Rate: 4.5/5
For more information, please visit: Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Eight Sushi Lounge
Location: 930 Howell Mill Rd NW B, Atlanta, GA 30318
Item Ordered: Explosion Roll (Bottom Picture)
Taste: Just so you will know, Eight Sushi Lounge is ducked off near in-between downtown and midtown. If you aren’t careful, you will pass it. Anywho, when you first open the sushi menu you will notice they do not have any of your traditional favorite rolls to choose from (shrimp tempera, spicy tuna, etc.). Everything on their menu was specialized. Which was intimidating at first but I loved it! I ended up going with the Explosion Roll (bottom picture) because from the description, it sounded like something that I would enjoy. When we all got our food, we asked for spicy mayo and soy sauce. The server politely let us know that they do not give soy sauce and spicy mayo because you won’t need it. Let me tell you, my girlfriends and I are major food snobs when it comes to sushi. After our server said that, it raised the bar on how the sushi should taste since we couldn’t use any condiments. After the first bite, I didn’t even miss the soy sauce. Hands down one of my favorite places I ever had sushi! Everything we ordered was super tasty. So good! I can’t wait to go back and order more options!
Overall Rate: 5/5
For more information, please visit: Eight Sushi Lounge
Marietta Diner
Location: 306 Cobb Pkwy S, Marietta, GA 30060
Item Ordered: French Toast w| hash brown, sausage and eggs
Taste/Experience: Marietta Diner is another one of those staples of the city, that you can’t say you visited Atlanta and you didn’t eat here. This diner has been featured on “Diners, Dive-Ins and Drives”, “Tanked” and countless other shows and blogs for their old-fashion diner décor and famous huge menu options. When we arrived to the diner there was a long line and we had to wait 45mins before we could get a seat. In my mind, I was pumping up the food because if we had to wait this long, the food has to be good right? After we sat down, I chose to get the French toast meal because it seemed like a safe option. I didn’t want to get anything too crazy since it was my first time. Sad to say, I was a little disappointed. I LOVE diner food but for the wait time, this is your average breakfast. Nothing special. I would like to go again and order something different. I was told that they have amazing cake. I would advise you to go and try it for yourself. If you like a basic breakfast with a standard taste then this place is for you. If you want a diner with an extra kick and seasonings, I would pass on Marietta Diner.
Overall Rate: 3.8/5
For more information, please visit: Marietta Diner
Takorea
Location: 818 Juniper St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308
Item Ordered: Korean Fried Chicken w| kimchi fried rice and tempura sweet potatoes
Taste: I was looking at the menu for God knows how long, trying to find something to eat. I have never had Korean food before so it took me a minute to pick something out. I ended up choosing Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) with kimchi fried rice and tempura sweet potatoes. Let me say…the tempura sweet potatoes were BOMB! I loved it. I literally could have ate that and nothing else and be fine. Everything else I could have left on the table. The chicken was not flavorful, at all! It came with a sauce but it was sweet and liquid-y I needed a thicker sauce with a kick to it. My friend ended up ordering me a sauce and it kinda helped but I was disappointed. The kimchi rice…they could have kept. The rice was seasoned with something, I couldn’t tell it what it was because it still tasted bland. All in all, I probably won’t come back until I had Korean food from somewhere else and then I would come back to compare. I hate my first experience eating Korean food was just okay. I need some Korean BBQ to make up for it.
Overall Rate: 3.8/5
For more information, please visit: Takorea
Pho24 – Minority Owned
Location: 11 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Item Ordered: Bún Tôm Nướng, Chả Giò – Grilled Shrimp & Egg Roll w/ Rice Vermicelli
Taste: On our way to the club, our Uber driver told us about this place that sells Pho for 24hrs. We thought he was playing, but load and behold he was telling the truth. So after the club, at3am and we are sitting at Pho24 about to order some traditional Vietnamese food. The menu was all in Vietnamese with English translations at the bottom. The food itself was pretty good. I ordered the vermicelli, my girlfriends got the vegetarian Pho. We all agreed that the food was good, not the best Vietnamese we had in our lives but still good, nonetheless. The fact that there is a place you can eat Vietnamese at 3am is a good enough reason to stop by.
There are 3 locations in Atlanta Metro area that you can go visit and try it for yourself.
Overall Rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Pho 24
Soul Vegetarian 2 – Minority Owned
Location: 652 North Highland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA 30306
Item Ordered: Divine Dinner: Barbecue Tofu w| collard greens and sweet potatoes
Taste: My cousin recently fully transition to vegetarian and while I am not a vegetarian I enjoy vegan and vegetarian meals. When my cousin asked me to join her at Soul Vegetarian 2 I was excited because I always wanted to try it. Let me start by saying everything tastes fresh! It literally tastes like they grow their food or buy it from a local farmer and wash the green themselves before they cook it. I like that. I appreciate places that supply from local suppliers. The food, I wasn’t super impressed with. The food was good but it didn’t have me saying,” YES I want to come back.” It said, ok this is cool, I enjoyed it, it was an experience.
I have a couple of other vegetarian soul food places that I would like to try and compare it to before I pass a harsh judgment but my first impression. I was not super impressed.
Overall Rate: 3/5
For more information, please visit: Soul Vegetarian
Poke Burri
Location: 479 Flat Shoals Ave SE, Atlanta, GA 30316
Item Ordered: Demogorgan Roll
Taste: I love sushi. I like burritos. So when I heard about sushi burritos I just HAD to get one! I was talking about this place alllll weekend. I follow a few food bloggers and they talk about this place all of the time so I needed to come check it out. We took the rolls to go because the place was about to close and the establishment is built like a cafeteria so we didn’t want to really sit in there anyways. I ended up ordering The Demogorgan roll which is a raw tuna roll. Let me tell you it was SO good. It definitely lived up to the hype. I could only eat one half of the roll it was so filling I couldn’t finish the other half. One thing that you need to know, if you do not already like sushi, you will not like this place. All they are doing is making sushi in the size of a burrito. The sushi burrito roll does not taste like a burrito. I wanted to put that disclaimer out there. Also, most of their rolls are raw. So if you are not a fan of raw sushi then this place will more than likely, not be for you. This place is only for the true sushi lover with a small place in their hearts for burritos. Good Job Poke Burri, I will definitely be back.
Overall Rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Poke Burri
Atlantis Restaurant – Minority Owned
Location: 1937 Piedmont Cir NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
Item Ordered: Chicken and Waffles
Taste: If you know me personally, then you know that I have a strong love for brunch, chicken and waffles and mimosas. Atlantis Restaurant had all of the above, plus a DJ and hookah! I have never experienced a brunch quite like this. The hostess and waitress were super nice and I didn’t mind waiting on the food because the hookah was preoccupying me. The chicken and waffles did not disappointed! I won’t lie when I first saw the plate I was like, did they really put a piece a chicken with two eggo waffles on there? That is why you can’t judge a book by its cover. I tasted the dish and fell in love. The cream sauce used on the waffle and was so good. It made the classic dish stand out and turned it into their own. Very clever. If you are in the Atlanta area and you want to party, eat good food, drink good drinks, all while smoking hookah, this place is for you…and me! LOL!
Overall Rate: 4/5
For more information, please visit: Atlantis Restaurant
Radical Cafe (Vegetarian and Vegan) – NOW CLOSED
Location: 3725 Main St, College Park, GA 30337
Item Ordered: American Breakfast w| biscuit instead of toast
Taste: My friend is a vegetarian trying to transition into being a full vegan. I respect people on their different food journeys so I try to pick food places that will accommodate everyone’s dietary restrictions. I heard rave reviews about Radical Café so I decided to give it a try. We both played it pretty safe by ordering a gluten free biscuit with potatoes and eggs. The potatoes were quite tasty. The biscuit that I had only came with jam so it was a little on the dry side, not your normal buttery fluffy biscuit. I tried the biscuit and gravy and it was delicious! I know next time to order the biscuit and gravy instead of the plain biscuit. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience and I would like to come back and try it again.
Overall Rate: 3.8/5
For more information, please visit: Radial Cafe
BQE Restaurant – Minority Owned
Location: 262 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Item Ordered: Chicken & Waffles
Taste: How can you see red velvet waffles on the menu and not order it?! What is wrong with you? Do you not have any taste buds? Because if you did, you will know that the plate was bomb! The red velvet waffle taste like my grandma was back there in the kitchen whipping up the batter herself. The fried chicken was very tasty, it was seasoned to perfection and fried the way I like it, crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The eggs…weren’t that good it was edible but I barely touched the eggs. Honestly the plate doesn’t need the eggs. To be completely honest, that was why I did not give this place a 5/5. Also, the other meals they had offered there paled in comparison to the chicken and waffles. I honestly think people come here just for the chicken and waffle meal with the bottomless mimosas. All in all, it doesn’t matter why you came just know that if you order this meal, you will not be disappointed.
Overall Rate: 3.8/5
For more information, please visit: BQE Lounge
