Georgia food is more than peaches and sweet tea. The state has a James Beard Award–winning restaurant in a converted bus terminal, one of the best craft barbecue traditions in the South, a legitimate wine region in the mountains, and a rum distillery in the Black Belt making single-origin spirits from Georgia sorghum and cane.
The 9 spots below represent the state’s strongest food and drink experiences, from Atlanta to South Georgia.
Jump to: Atlanta · Savannah · Dahlonega · Helen · Athens · South Georgia
Atlanta
Ponce City Market & Skyline Park
Fulton County · Atlanta · Free to enter; Skyline Park paid
A 2.1-million-square-foot former Sears warehouse converted into Atlanta’s premier food hall, retail market, and office complex. The Central Food Hall on the first floor has 20+ vendors representing the full range of Atlanta’s food scene — from chef-driven restaurants to regional specialty producers. The rooftop Skyline Park includes a miniature golf course, carnival rides, and one of the best views of the Atlanta skyline.
On the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail — easy to combine with a walk through Inman Park or Old Fourth Ward. The food hall is free to enter.
Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
Fulton County · Atlanta · Casual dining
Atlanta’s most consistent smoke destination, run by Texas transplant brothers who brought Central Texas–style brisket to a city that didn’t have it. The brisket — oak-smoked low and slow — is the main event, but the beef ribs, smoked turkey, and Frito pie are serious. Long lines on weekends; arrive before noon.
Located in LaVista Hills (DeKalb County). A regional benchmark for Texas-influenced barbecue in the Southeast.
Mary Mac’s Tea Room
Fulton County · Atlanta · Casual dining
A Southern meat-and-three restaurant that has operated continuously since 1945 in Midtown Atlanta — one of the oldest surviving restaurants in the city. The format is traditional: you pick a protein and three sides from a rotating daily menu of vegetables, cornbread, and pot likker. Fried chicken, pot roast, and the side of sweet pickled watermelon rinds are the institutional standards.
A cultural landmark as much as a restaurant. The dining room has hosted every Georgia governor since 1945.
Savannah
The Grey
Chatham County · Savannah · Fine dining
A modern Southern restaurant inside a fully restored 1938 Greyhound bus terminal — original stainless counters, curved glass, and Art Deco details intact. Chef Mashama Bailey earned a James Beard Award here, the first Black female chef in the South to do so. The menu draws from Georgia’s agricultural traditions (Sea Island peas, Lowcountry rice, Georgia shrimp) with technique that elevates the ingredients.
One of the most acclaimed restaurants in the Southeast. Reservations required, often weeks in advance.
Leopold’s Ice Cream
Chatham County · Savannah · Casual
A Savannah institution since 1919, still owned by the founding family — one of the longest-running ice cream parlors in the United States. The original ice cream recipes are unchanged. The Tutti Frutti, Rum Bisque, and seasonal peach are the local standards. The shop on Broughton Street is decorated with Hollywood memorabilia from Stratton Leopold, the family member who became a major film producer.
A required Savannah stop. Lines are long on summer weekends but move quickly.
Dahlonega
Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery
Lumpkin County · Dahlonega · Tasting fees apply
The flagship winery of the Dahlonega Plateau AVA — a hilltop estate at 1,800 feet elevation producing award-winning sparkling wine and estate Bordeaux varietals. Wolf Mountain has won Best in Show at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The Sunday brunch tasting experience is the most popular offering; reservations required.
The Dahlonega wine trail has 12 wineries within 15 minutes of the square. Wolf Mountain is the prestige anchor. Tasting fees run $15–$25.
Helen
Hofer’s of Helen
White County · Helen · Bakery hours
A German bakery in Helen, Georgia — the Bavarian-themed mountain town that rebuilt its entire downtown in 1969 to look like an Alpine village. Hofer’s has been baking authentic German breads, strudels, and pastries in Helen since the 1970s. The Black Forest cake and pretzels are the draws.
Helen itself is an unusual destination — 35 miles northeast of Dahlonega, a full Alpine streetscape in the North Georgia mountains. Hofer’s is the town’s most authentic culinary product.
Athens
Creature Comforts Brewing Co.
Clarke County · Athens · Taproom hours
Athens’s most nationally recognized brewery — the Tropicália IPA is one of the best-distributed Georgia craft beers and a benchmark of the style. The taproom in downtown Athens operates in a converted 1950s commercial building with a full draft list including seasonal and small-batch releases. Athens has a strong overall craft brewing scene; Creature Comforts is the flagship.
Athens is about 70 miles east of Atlanta. The taproom is worth a stop when visiting the University of Georgia area.
South Georgia
Richland Rum Estate
Stewart County · Lumpkin · Tours available
A single-origin rum distillery in Lumpkin, Georgia — one of the only distilleries in the world producing rum from fresh-pressed, non-industrialized sugarcane and sorghum grown on its own estate. Richland Rum has won top honors at international spirits competitions. The estate tour covers the distillation process from field to barrel.
Lumpkin is also the home of Providence Canyon State Park. Combining both makes for a full West Georgia day about 1.5 hours south of Columbus.