WEST MIDTOWN/ WESTSIDE

Nestled among the buttoned-up steakhouses and fine-dining concepts that flood the Buckhead restaurant scene is the charming Joy Cafe, where you can taste the love and attention given to each madefrom-scratch dish. The family-owned soup and sandwich shop roasts all its meats inhouse and combines rural European recipes with traditional Southern flavors to open a new world of deliciousness.

Eclipse di Luna

Some restaurants benefit from their location, but Eclipse di Luna is one that thrives despite its roundabout address. Tucked behind Sidney Marcus Boulevard on a hideaway street called Miami Circle, the tapas bar has been a magnet for diners with its eclectic offerings and electric ambiance. It’s ironic that Eclipse di Luna is such a popular spot for first dates, given how hard it is to commit to any of its combinations of shareable plates.

KR Steakbar

West Egg Cafe

There’s no better way to wake up than with the flavors served at West Egg Cafe, which epitomizes the taste-making growth of the West Midtown area. The name draws deserved attention to the restaurant’s breakfast specialties, including an eggs Benedict on salmon cakes or pulled pork, a fried green tomato wrap and an eggs-and-potatoes plate lovingly known as the West Side Pileup. But the Southern flavor seeps into the afternoon menu as well, in items such as the spot’s signature peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a double burger topped with pimento cheese, bacon and tomato jam.

Bacchanalia

www.starprovisions.com/bacchanalia

Restaurants come and go quicker than the seasons in Atlanta, but for more than two decades Bacchanalia has stood out as a modern Atlanta institution. It is one of the most elevated dining experiences the South has to offer (from caviar and foie gras to its five-course service), and is