Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours

Customers flock to Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours in Atlanta, for Chef Deborah Vantrece’s globally-inspired fusion soul food. Guy loved the Southern Seafood Louie Salad, a play on the traditional Crab Louis salad, with poached crab, shrimp and lobster, roasted corn vinaigrette, avocado-spiked hoe cakes and mango vinaigrette over baby arugula. “There’re not many salads that I would order again. I would order that every time,” he said.

Smyrna, GA

restaurants

Yakitori Jinbei

Chef Jae Choi grew up in Chicago in a traditional Korean household. After practicing for a few years as an optometrist, he gave it up to open a test kitchen that was so popular it turned into a real deal restaurant. At Yakitori Jinbei, he takes traditional Korean recipes and adds his own touch, for instance, he adds curry to his Katsu Curry Ramen and his Korean Fried Chicken. Guy loved his unique approach and the restaurant’s dive-feel, “It’s definitely what we look for on DDD.”

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Rreal Tacos

Chef and owner Adrian Villareal combines his Mexican heritage with his fine-dining training to serve up authentic tacos in Atlanta. Guy loved the Chicken a la Veracruzana tacos and raved about the crispy fried avocados.

Atlanta, GA

bar

Wrecking Bar Brewpub

Housed in an old mansion, this funky little brewpub is keeping it local, with specialty beers that are brewed onsite and upscale bar food made with regionally sourced ingredients. “Down here at the pub, they scratch-make everything,” Guy explained. Even the meats are cured in-house, like the pastrami that Guy enjoyed in a flavorful sandwich layered with meat, kimchi and melted cheese.

Atlanta, GA

cafe

Joy Cafe

When Guy was craving elevated Southern classics while in Atlanta, he headed to a somewhat unexpected spot: a strip mall. Tucked away in this nondescript locale is a charming cafe dishing up hearty comfort foods. Chef-Owner Joy Beber’s passion shines through in dishes like the flavorful shrimp and grits laced with a housemade hot sauce and the gravy-smothered biscuits topped with tequila-spiked chorizo.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q

Twin brothers Jonathan and Justin Fox are serving up a hearty taste of their home state at this Texan barbecue joint in Atlanta, where they smoke around 10,000 pounds of pork and brisket weekly. Guy is a fan of the Fox Bros. “Burger,” which stars hickory-smoked brisket topped with a melty pimento cheese patty, peppered bacon, pickles, tomato and onion, all on a toasted bun.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Folk Art Restaurant

This grocery store-turned-restaurant serves up creative spins on diner classics. Guy headed to this cozy spot to check out menu favorites like the Meatball Burger. This towering creation comes stacked with three patties smothered with melty provolone cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms, and blanketed in housemade marinara sauce.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Buttermilk Kitchen

When Guy wanted to try the best biscuits in Atlanta, he made a beeline for this spot. Chopped champion Suzanne Vizethann serves Southern staples like the Chicken Biscuit: Sweet tea-brined chicken is double-dredged for extra crunch, fried, then served on a buttery biscuit smothered in red pepper jam.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

The General Muir

Flashes of the South find their way into Chef-Owner Todd Ginsberg’s modern Jewish deli. Locals throw elbows over his fried chicken dinners on Fridays. They often feature pastrami-braised collard greens. Ginsberg cites one of the biggest links between Jewish and Southern cuisine as preserving meat, and more specifically, the less prized cuts of meat.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

The Highlander

A strip mall doesn't sound like the usual location for a dive bar, but Jeff Merback and his crew at The Highlander in Atlanta already have 16 years of success under their belt. Guy was blown away by Head Chef Ice Jahumpa's mozzarella sticks, which are wrapped in pasta prior to frying.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Silver Skillet

As a quintessential Southern diner, The Silver Skillet has been featured in country music videos and TV shows, including Triple D. Since 1967, they've been serving all the stick-to-your-ribs classics, including the famed Lemon Icebox Pie and Guy's favorite: grits and ham.

Tucker, GA

restaurants

Matthews Cafeteria

The general philosophy of Matthew's Cafeteria in Tucker, Ga., is ''if it ain't broke, don't fix it,'' which is why they've been making the same dishes for over 50 years. Guy said the biscuits and gravy were hands down some of the best, and the Brunswick stew is stuffed with chicken smoked in-house.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

The Colonnade

It's the second oldest restaurant in Atlanta, but Chef Ryan Cobb is on the culinary cutting edge. Guy thought that the kangaroo filet with spicy sweet-and-sour sauce was reminiscent of sirloin. The knuckle sandwich filled with lobster and marinated tomatoes on a focaccia roll floored Guy.

Marietta, GA

restaurants

Marietta Diner

Marietta Diner may be in Georgia but Gus Tselios knew it could resemble the big Greek family diner he grew up with in New York. Today nearly 3,000 people visit each day to order from the 500-item menu. But Guy knew to try the Greek lasagna, pastitsio, as it's some of the best around.

Saint Simons Island, GA

restaurants

Blackwater Grill

For a tried-and-true sea-to-table restaurant, Guy couldn't miss Blackwater Grill on Georgia's St. Simons Island. The local catch, grouper, doubles as the signature with its creamy daufuskie sauce. Even with local seafood, the menu heads south for Cajun faves like spicy gumbo and shrimp and grits.

Atlanta, GA

restaurants

Greens And Gravy Restaurant

YouTube-star Darius Williams opened a restaurant to celebrate his love of food in real life after becoming popular online. At Greens & Gravy he creates soul food with a twist like his Lemon Pepper Honey Fried Chicken and Collard Green Lasagna.

Saint Simons Island, GA

restaurants

Southern Soul Barbeque

At Southern Soul Barbeque they like their ribs sweet, and they mean sweet. Guy learned firsthand what this meant: Each rib gets coated in brown sugar and tupelo honey. The result is super tender ribs and pulled pork with a unique woody smokiness.