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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.
Pastries a Go Go
235 Ponce De Leon Place
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.
B-Side and The Deer and The Dove
151 Sycamore Street
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
429 Church Street
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.
Related Link: The Reading Room transforms Java Monkey space into a coffee and wine bar in Decatur
Brick Store Pub
125 E. Court Square
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.
Victory Sandwich Bar and S.O.S. Tiki Bar
340 Church Street
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.
Cafe Alsace
121 E. Ponce de Leon Avenue
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.
More Decatur, Georgia, coverage from Rough Draft.
The Iberian Pig
121 Sycamore Street
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.
D 92 Korean BBQ
225 E. Trinity Place
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.
Smiley’s Burger Club
310 East Howard Avenue
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, along with desserts like sundaes and milkshakes. 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? Hop over to Opo Coffee next door. Check Instagram for hours.
Kimball House
303 E. Howard Avenue
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.
Related Link: Taqueria Del Sol in Decatur became a family tradition for regular Lee Fidler
Taqueria Del Sol
359 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
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.
Chai Pani
406 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
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.
Inner Voice Brewing and Glide Pizza
308 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue
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.
