The 11 Best Breakfast Spots In Atlanta

The difference between breakfast and brunch blurs a bit in these parts. Both are enjoyed everyday, all day, and sometimes all night (those 3am Waffle House runs hit different). Brunch here is usually more of a social activity—an excuse to dress up and day drink with friends, while breakfast is more of an essential need—like a solo survival mission to get an egg scramble in your system before your daily battles begin. So if you're looking to kick off your day with the latter, here's where you can find a lemon pepper chicken sandwiched between one of the best biscuits in the country, a neighborhoody spot where folks still sip hot coffee over the morning paper, an incredible pastrami and egg sandwich on rye bread, and other phenomenal places to eat a morning meal in the city.

THE SPOTS

The General Muir

This Jewish deli in Emory Point has pretty much mastered every food category on their menu. They've made our guide for best sandwiches , cookies , and brunch . So it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn their weekday breakfast is also tremendous. Every bite into their perfectly salty pastrami and egg sandwich on rye bread makes it all good that there's messy egg yolk dripping down your fingers. And if you're a bagel lover, General Muir may quickly become your second home thanks to their chewy bagels and large variety of schmears, smoked fish, and other spreads, like their creamy trout salad. Order through the to-go counter (as we do on weekday mornings) or chill out for a sit-down meal in their subway-tiled dining room.

Bomb Biscuit

Get to Bomb Biscuit, an excellent cafe on Highland, early in the morning or stick to weekdays if you want to snag one of the city’s top chicken biscuit without a wait. The sunny yellow interior and friendly service are enough to make anyone feel welcome, but it’s the biscuits here (the lemon pepper-dusted chicken biscuit is a must) that keeps people coming back. These buttery, doughy mounds are moist, layered, and huge, and the chicken is crispy with just the right amount of seasoning. And if you don't have time to dine inside, they also have a separate takeout entrance, where you can pick up your online order, along with a half dozen biscuits or cinnamony-sweet donut bites to bribe your coworkers with.

Kinship Butcher & Sundry

Use this VaHi counter-service spot when you need a comforting handheld that'll galvanize you for a hectic rush hour. There’s really only one morning option at this small butcher and sundry market, but when a sandwich is this good, it makes sense not to offer anything else. It's a soft brioche bun that holds fluffy eggs, a creamy slice of locally farmed cheese, peppery arugula, Duke’s mayo, and your choice of meat. Since Kinship is first and foremost a whole animal butchery, you should order your sandwich as a double to get both, the crispy, thick-cut bacon and housemade sausage, which put this B.E.S.C. sandwich in a league of its own.

Leftie Lee's

While this Korean-fusion bakery in Avondale Estates’ Olive + Pine food hall has an extended weekend brunch menu (which includes the stellar Korean fried chicken biscuit and gravy ), their regular weekday breakfast shouldn't be overlooked. Come here for Asian pastries with great-tasting creative twists, like the elote milk bun danishes and everything bagel-flavored buns. We also like Kay’s Cali burrito, which comes grilled and packed with cheesy scrambled eggs, grilled pepper and onions, and chunks of potatoes drizzled with a chipotle mayo. We douse ours in hot sauce for an extra burst of flavor, but you do you.

Folk Art

On weekends, there’s usually a crowd of people hovering on the sidewalk around the door of this Inman Park brunch favorite. Folk Art's food is very good, so it's worth that wait. But if you can’t commit to standing for nearly an hour to score some chicken and waffles topped with a sweet whiskey peach compote, come here before the lunch rush on a weekday. That's when you're likely to slide right into the small two-room dining area, which is covered in a hodgepodge of stickers, signs, and tchotchkes that mirrors the aesthetic of that one kooky relative. That oddball energy translates on the menu too, with items that take creative detours like delicious grit fritters served with a sweet peach jam and the rightly famous sticky bun waffle, which comes slathered in marshmallow cream, maple-bourbon syrup, and pecans.

Buttermilk Kitchen

For a homestyle breakfast that gets back to basics, head to Roswell Road’s Buttermilk Kitchen. Though you won't find elaborate waffle towers, their Southern staples are anything but, well, basic. Giant biscuits are moist, fluffy, and come served with housemade jams. The pimento cheese omelet is good and is just as big as the plate it’s served on. And the fried tenders on the chicken and waffle combo are perfectly crisp and juicy. As you sit on the front porch, sipping your OJ from a mason jar, the place starts feeling like home. But don’t get too relaxed, especially if you're visiting on the weekend, since there’s likely a crowd of hungry people waiting for your table.

Majestic Diner

We already have major respect for our ATL classics , but The Majestic is an easy-to-love city staple because they’ve been serving up terrific breakfast plates since 1929. Snag a seat on the line of red stools at the open kitchen counter to watch cooks crack egg after egg into well-worn pans and lay out rows of bacon on the sizzling griddle. Get their incredibly fluffy biscuits with a gravy chocked full of tasty sausage bits. But you'll have to get to this Ponce diner early because they often sell out (yeah, they’re that good). And if for some reason your idea of a great breakfast is a juicy patty melt on rye bread, this old timey diner will oblige with a variety of lunch options served all day long.

The Silver Skillet

The back of the menu at this West Midtown throwback diner has a list of all the television shows and movies that have utilized the nostalgic space. And one peek into the one-room dining area that’s been relatively unchanged since 1956 makes it clear why Hollywood keeps calling—so if you want eggs with a side of retro escapism, this should be your first stop. There's lots of quaint charm here: the tiny green and brown booths are so close you could pass a bottle of syrup to the opposite table without shifting in your seat. And they serve a few dishes you no longer see everyday in Atlanta: Southern staples like eggs with a side of country fried steak doused in gravy or tasty corned beef hash make it clear that the food isn't just a movie gimmick, but the real deal.

Buttermilk Biscuit

Buttermilk Biscuit in College Park has a community feel: folks still read papers over coffee and rich old-school pancakes come with the type of crispy edges that means they were likely cooked in a pool of butter. Neighborhood vibes, good service, and solid food make this spot a great choice for a casual morning bite when you’re near the airport. For a sweet-savory combo that switches things up a bit, order the battered fried chicken with a side of donut bites, which are more like balled-up beignets, and tasty.

Muchacho

On a balmy Atlanta morning, it’s easy to lose track of time sipping a mimosa beneath the shaded pergolas at Muchacho in Reynoldstown. It might be Tuesday, but this Tex-Mex spot has big weekend energy with one of our favorite patios in the city. For breakfast-specific food (which is served until 3pm), we prefer their Reggie Rocket burrito because it's grilled and holds huge portions of eggs, steak, and potatoes better than their flimsier, just-OK tacos. Yes, we’ve had better breakfast tacos elsewhere, but the vibey patio that sits just off the BeltLine really can’t be topped. And where else can you get these views along with eggs and Tex-Mex at 2pm on a Tuesday?

Home Grown

Just a short walk from Muchacho, this Reynoldstown diner has pancakes the size of your head, comfy biscuits drowned in sausage gravy (our favorite thing on the menu), and enough knickknacks on the walls to rival a thrift store. They also serve dishes like a delicious crunchy chicken with big fluffy waffles and crispy fried pork chops with eggs. It’s the type of place you’d expect to find on the side of some old forgotten highway in middle Georgia, with old-school yellow countertop seats and an easygoing attitude. When you need some down-home cooking to soothe the storms of a rough work week, Home Grown should be your spot.