15 Black-Owned Restaurants In Atlanta

"After the success of their College Park eateries (Virgil’s and Breakfast Boys), restaurateurs and power couple Juan and Gee Smalls opened their second Virgil’s location in West Midtown. Inspired by Gee’s Gullah Geechee roots, the menu celebrates the coastal Carolina/Georgia culture with highly-seasoned dishes like she-crab soup and shrimp and grits. And they name the dishes in their Creole pronunciations (we made the shameless error of thinking “poke chop” was some kind of Hawaiian-inspired raw fish dish and not pork meat chops. Be better.) Aside from the food, which we really like, their West Midtown patio is the perfect post-work retreat to unwind with a vibrant beachy mood, strong cocktails, and people-watching." - nina reeder, juli horsford, demarco williams, jacinta howard