ATLANTA: WHERE ART & APPETITE MEET

I went to Atlanta, land of Coca-Cola and cast iron—of fried chicken and peach pie, of fried green tomatoes, meat-and-three, and unapologetically messy hot dogs. The city moves fast, but it feeds you well—and not only in the culinary sense. There is a parallel feast of art: in museums, under bridges, along the Atlanta BeltLine, and in the overlooked spaces that most cities ignore. A new guard of entrepreneurs and restaurateurs is reshaping neighborhoods into hubs for a creative class hungry for culture, community, and ambitious food, while honoring the city’s historic backbone. Atlanta has long welcomed artists, but its energy feels unique—restless and Southern yet moving beyond tradition. Its identity thrives on this tension, uniting regional and national stories. While institutions like the High Museum, Spelman College Museum, and Atlanta Contemporary anchor the arts, creativity now spills into the streets, where art is encountered rather than entered.

Words & Photographs by Colleen Thompson

Museums as Kitchens of the Mind

Start your visit at the High Museum of Art, among the Southeast’s largest and most ambitious. Its luminous Midtown campus by Renzo Piano and Richard Meier combines monumentality and welcome. Exhibitions range from Viktor & Rolf to Minnie Evans and Yayoi Kusama’s immersive shows. With 17,000 works, the collection rewards a slow visit. Short on time? Visit the Shaheen Gallery for a concentrated display of Monet, Pissarro, Modigliani, and Matisse.

At the heart of Atlanta’s arts district, the Woodruff Arts Center pulses with creativity—a convergence of music, theater, visual art, and cuisine. Home to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alliance Theatre, and the High Museum, it also houses Elise Restaurant, named for Beethoven’s Für Elise and helmed by Chef Craig Richards. Sunlight floods the space through Renzo Piano’s design; plush velvet seating and anchored rugs frame walls of art—from Tommy Taylor’s vibrant abstracts to Sonya Yong James’s textured fabric sculptures and Chrissy Reed’s bold “Blobbies.” Lunch here is deliberate and artful, a seamless extension of the visual feast.

Best Food Pick: House-made sourdough bread served with French cultured butter and marinated green olives. Cavatelli, a hand-rolled pasta, with lamb ragu, picholine olives, soft herbs, and Parmigiano—a perfect synthesis of culinary and visual artistry.

The BeltLine: Atlanta’s Open-Air Gallery

The Atlanta BeltLine, once only an idea for rail reuse, is now the city’s green artery. Spanning 33 miles, it connects neighborhoods like Ansley Park, Virginia-Highland, Midtown, Inman Park, and Old Fourth Ward. A blend of park and path, it provides running and cycling routes, memorable views, and public art for all to enjoy.

Take a pause at King of Pops for an Arnold Palmer Popsicle, then dive deeper into the city’s food scene. Food halls have become anchor points in Atlanta, gathering restless creativity under one roof. Start at Ponce City Market, then follow the BeltLine east to Krog Street Market. Along the Eastside Trail, the city becomes an open-air gallery: more than 100 murals, sculptures, and installations, refreshed often enough to reward repeat visits. Some works announce themselves in bursts of color; others, like Karen Anderson Singer’s tiny hidden doors, reveal themselves only to the patient eye. Lisette Correa’s Somos Boricuas peers from a bridge, while the trail culminates at the Krog Street Tunnel, a living canvas beneath rail lines where graffiti layers over itself in a constant act of reinvention—part thoroughfare, part gallery, wholly Atlanta.

Ponce City Market: The Food Hall Ideal

Ponce City Market embodies the city’s culinary exuberance. Housed in a 1926 Sears warehouse in Old Fourth Ward, the ground floor is a seamless drift of flavors—Korean barbecue yielding to Southern biscuits, espresso to something sweeter. Above, a rooftop promenade opens to cinematic views from downtown to Piedmont Park and the BeltLine.

Best Food Pick: The “100 Layer Donut” at Five Daughters Bakery, a croissant-doughnut hybrid with airy layers; Boom Boom Bao for pillowy steamed buns and a selection of dim sum; Lime Tiger for Southeast Asian-style bento boxes with a variety of flavors; Vietvana for aromatic Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho); Uwu Asian Dessert Co. for boba tea and finely shaved, snow-like bingsu (Korean ice dessert).

Krog Street Market: History Meets Flavor

Krog Street Market is a sensory and historical experience. Formerly Tyler Perry’s first studio and once an 1889 iron-pan factory, the space houses three MICHELIN-rated restaurants: Superica for Tex-Mex, Ticonderoga Club for a tropical twist, and Fred’s Meat & Bread for cult-favorite sandwiches. The food hall offers quick, flavorful options throughout.

Best Food Pick: Gu’s Dumplings—tender pork dumplings served in a sweet-and-spicy Zhong sauce (a savory, slightly sweet soy-based sauce from Sichuan cuisine), topped with minced garlic, toasted sesame, and fresh green onions.

The Epicurean Hotel: Where Culinary and Artful Worlds Collide

The Epicurean Hotel is a launchpad for a culinary-and-art adventure. Steps from the High Museum, SCAD, and the Museum of Design Atlanta, this recently opened, food-themed hotel was designed for epicureans. Reverence delivers elevated dining; The Office Bar offers craft cocktails; the Epicurean Theatre—a state-of-the-art kitchen and classroom—hosts workshops, tastings, and culinary deep dives.

Even the design winks to food: check in at a wine-fridge desk, notice decanter-shaped sconces, and walls lined with wine crates, each floor celebrating a different varietal. Art and mixed-media installations highlight Atlanta’s most beloved landmarks.

Grab a pre- or post-dinner drink at The Office Bar, beneath the Google Building. Try the Jalapeño Bourbon Gimlet with Bulleit Epic Label Bourbon, fresh lime, and a jalapeño-cilantro cordial.

Best Food Pick: The Slider Sampler features three mini sandwiches—short rib topped with crisp romaine, Kansas-style barbecue sauce, and buttermilk dressing; spicy hot fried chicken finished with honey mustard glaze, tangy pickles, crunchy cabbage slaw, and ponzu (citrusy Japanese sauce) mayo; and a smash burger with romaine, tomato, melted Vermont cheddar, pickles, and the house’s signature creamy dressing.

For a full dining experience, Reverence, led by Chef Wardhaugh, marries global technique with the region’s best ingredients. The open show kitchen turns dinner into theater.

Best Food Pick: Bang Bang Shrimp with cabbage slaw, spicy mayonnaise sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds; Farro Risotto—a hearty, nutty whole-grain risotto cooked with trout, sautéed Swiss chard, fragrant herb oil, smoked trout roe, and a touch of espelette pepper—each bite a subtle adventure.

By sunset, Atlanta is a city that fuels body and imagination. From Monet to dumplings, murals to rooftop donuts, every corner pulses with creativity. Here, art and food shape the city's rhythm, inviting you to explore, taste, and linger. You will leave Atlanta full.

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