Chai Pani in downtown Decatur serves traditional and original takes on Indian street food dishes. (Provided by Chai Pani)
Located east of Atlanta, Decatur offers residents a small-town vibe with big-city amenities, including a bustling downtown district home to a thriving restaurant and bar scene. At just over 25,000 residents, Decatur has become one of Metro Atlanta’s most desirable places to live and draws thousands of visitors each year who come to dine at its many award-winning restaurants.
From hearty breakfast fare and Indian street food to tapas and Korean barbecue, check out these restaurant suggestions the next time you visit downtown Decatur.
This popular breakfast and lunch spot recently changed ownership, but you’ll still find the restaurant serving its famous from-scratch cathead biscuits, brunch platters, and chicken salad sandwiches every day except Tuesday. Grab a pastry for the road, including sticky buns, Danishes, and muffins baked fresh daily.
Owned by James Beard award-winning chef Terry Koval, B-Side serves Montreal-style bagels in the morning, followed by quiche, fresh-made sandwiches, and meaty “pounders” like the chopped cheese and Reuben in the afternoon. Head to The Deer and The Dove next door in the evenings, where Koval and his team offer everything from crispy rabbit to duck fat-poached red snapper with cocktails and wine.
The Reading Room on Church St. opened inside the former Java Monkey space. (Photo by Eugene Buchko/Atlanta Coffee Shops) Credit: Eugene Buchko/Atlanta Coffee Shops / The Reading Room
Located in the former Java Monkey space , The Reading Room offers Decatur a coffee shop and wine bar rolled into one. Expect coffee, tea, smoothies, and pastries in the morning, followed by toasted baguette sandwiches and charcuterie and cheese boards with wine and cocktails in the afternoon and evenings.
This award-winning beer bar features an extensive list of local and international brews on tap, not to mention a beer garden out back, a cozy bar upstairs, and a bar in the cellar styled after a UK pub serving rare and vintage beers. There’s food, too, including giant soft pretzels, sandwiches, burgers, and fish and chips.
For a quick lunch or dinner, Victory Sandwich Bar serves a menu of sliders like the spicy Tea Bird chicken with ghost pepper jack cheese or the Brisky Business with smoked brisket and provolone. At $6 a sandwich, you can order more than one. Add Victory’s popular Jack n’ Coke slushie for $5. Later in the evening, head down the small alleyway beside Victory for drinks and escapism at S.O.S. Tiki Bar.
Open for lunch and dinner, pop into this small French restaurant specializing in Alsatian cuisine, including spaetzle, tarte flambee, and choucroute garnie (sauerkraut, sausages, potatoes). For dessert, order the seasonal tarte tartin. Not open on Sundays.
A favorite for tapas and wine on Decatur Square, The Iberian Pig includes dishes like pan con tomate, patatas bravas, pork cheek tacos, and braised short rib empanadas. Order boards overflowing with a variety of cheeses and house-cured meats. Stop by after 4 p.m. for a snack and a drink during jamon happy hour.
Owned by the team behind 9292 Korean BBQ, D 92 serves KBBQ meats and seafood for grilling at your table. There’s also an all-you-can-eat KBBQ section.
Smileys Burger Club burgers include one, two, or three patties griddled and topped with American cheese, house-made pickles, and a riff on Big Mac sauce. (Provided by Smileys Burger Club)
Currently only open on the weekends, Smiley’s Burger Club keeps it simple and classic with burgers served as one, two, or three patties griddled and topped with American cheese, house-made pickles, and a riff on Big Mac sauce with sides of fries. Beer and wine are available. Head over to Kelly’s Market to purchase fresh salads or other pre-made deli selections to pair with your burger. Want coffee or a latte? Check out Opo Coffee next door.
This award-winning Decatur restaurant across from Smiley’s is known for its cocktails and wine, oysters, and French-Southern dishes like caviar and middlins with Carolina gold rice grits, smoked fish tartine, and duck breast with seasonal vegetables. Martini lovers should order the gin and French vermouth-based Kimball House.
A perennial favorite for tacos stuffed with fried chicken, vegan jalapeno refried beans, or spicy chopped smoked pork, Taqueria Del Sol often sees a line snaking out the door. But the food is worth the wait, as are the margaritas.
Lines form early at the Decatur Taqueria del Sol. (Photo by Ryan Fleisher)
This restaurant from James Beard award-winning chef Meherwan Irani features a menu of Indian street foods like sev puri dahi puri (SPDP), chicken kathi rolls, butter chicken bowls, and daily daal. Order a cup of chai or a mango lassi. Want a cocktail? Try the Kerala Colada with habanero-infused tequila or the Mohan’s Old Fashioned with rum, chai syrup, and cardamon bitters.
Order a double IPA or Mexican-style lager from this downtown Decatur brewery to pair with a pizza from Glide. The New York-style pizzeria features a takeout window inside the taproom serving slices and whole pies.
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