I spent four great years at UCF in the late 1990’s. I’m so proud that the UCF Knights football team has had an amazing season and they’re coming to Atlanta to play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. When I was at the University of Central Florida (’96-00), it was the days of Daunte Culpepper and team on the field. Fast forward to 2017, I’m happy to see UCF had an epic season with a 12-0 record and playing in a college football bowl game in my current city of Atlanta. While you’re visiting, there’s lots of great food to experience around Atlanta. I lived in Orlando for almost 20 years, so the food I’m recommending here is not commonly found around Central Florida.
So for all you proud UCF fans, here’s some of my favorite restaurants to eat within 5 miles of Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
• Mary Mac’s Tea Room – Southern food, my favorite fried chicken
• Empire State South – local ingredients, modern Southern food
• Antico Pizza – Neapolitan-style pizza
• Gus’s Fried Chicken – @LadyDroolius’ favorite fried chicken
• Paschal’s Restaurant – Southern food, less than 1 mile from the stadium
• Star Provisions – sandwiches, pastries, pizzas
• One Eared Stag – local ingredients, brunch/lunch/dinner
• Home Grown – breakfast
• 8Arm – brunch and cocktails
• Bread & Butterfly – French, brunch/lunch/dinner
• Miller Union – 2017 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast
• A Mano – Italian, fresh house made pastas
• Poke Burri – sushi donut, poke bowls/rolls, secret menu
• DAS BBQ – brisket is awesome, go before it sells out
• Holeman & Finch – seasonal menu + my favorite burger in Atlanta
Food Halls
Food halls with several food vendors and restaurants are now a staple to visit and eat in Atlanta. I highly recommend going to these food halls to get a taste of local and some international flavors…
• Ponce City Market
– Hop’s Fried Chicken, H&F Burger, King of Pops, The Mercury and more…
• Krog St Market
– Fred’s Meat & Bread (Bacon Cheeseburger w/ white cheese, garlic fries and Cheesesteak)
– Gu’s Dumplings, Richard’s Souther Fried Hot Chicken, Bar Mercado and more…
• The Canteen (micro food hall)
– TGM Bagels, Fred’s Meat & Bread (see above), Yalla
Beyond the stadium area
If you’re looking to discover more of Atlanta, beyond 5 miles and even OTP (outside the perimeter), here’s a few more places worth visiting:
• Buttermilk Kitchen – great biscuits and breakfast
• St. Cecilia – Coastal Italian, seafood and fresh house made pastas
• The General Muir – NYC-style delicatessen deli, house made pastrami and corned beef, brunch/lunch/dinner
• Brush Sushi Izakaya – weekend brunch (Soufflé Pancakes!) and sushi/ramen for dinner
• El Rey del Taco – Mexican cuisine
• Jinya Ramen – favorite Japanese ramen
• 9292 Korean BBQ – favorite KBBQ
• Masterpiece – Chinese Szechuan Cuisine
• Sokongdong Tofu House – Great Korean soup & KBBQ combo
• Doughnut Dollies – favorite doughnuts
• Bobo Garden – Chinese cuisine, open late night
If you’re looking for something specific to eat in Atlanta, hit me up with your questions @Droolius on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Shout out to my friend @UCFBiggie of delifreshthreads.com for inspiring this post! (Sorry it’s taken forever to get the blog back up and running).
Enjoy the game and the food in Atlanta!
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
All content and photos © Droolius.com 2017
