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Our next location is one that I have just recently discovered. I had two friends coming to visit from California, and while creating our itinerary for the weekend, I had to keep in mind that they’re vegan, and that determined a lot of the places we would go to for food. For those who may not know, someone who is vegan does not consume any animal products, whether it be meat, eggs, dairy, or even butter, they can’t have any of it. As our last meal together before they left, we visited Cafe Sunflower in Buckhead (they also have a location in Sandy Springs) and had the best experience! Everything was delicious and we all kind of just split everything between all three of us because we loved it all! Below I’ll share some of what we had.

Buffalo Lollipops with the vegan blue cheese – Photo by Yelp user Amritha J

Buffalo Lollipops

This is what we started out with for our appetizer. Not going to lie, I was really hesitant to try these, as I’m not usually a big fan of meat alternatives, but oh man! These are actually amazing. The Buffalo Lollipops are soy chicken drumstick covered in buffalo sauce, served with a side of celery and vegan blue cheese. Anytime I’m given the option of blue cheese or ranch I always go with ranch…but this vegan blue cheese really hit the spot. I honestly enjoyed these so much, I might get an order of these just to myself as the entree, I just really enjoyed them, we all did, they were gone in a split second! It was a great way to start out our meal.

Sunflower Burger

Sunflower Burger – Photo by Yelp user Angela S

I ordered the Sunflower Burger as my entree. This included a soy patty, topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, vegan cheese, and onion in between a whole wheat bun, with sweet potato fries and some greens as my side. Of course, I was a little hesitant again, with the meat alternative, but yet again, I was proven wrong. It was absolutely amazing, it was so juicy,  it tasted so fresh and it was massive, I was thoroughly impressed.

Tasty Sesame Soy Chicken – Photo by Yelp user Mayo V

Sesame Soy Chicken

My friend and I ended up splitting our entrees within each other because we enjoyed them both so much! So she got half of my burger and I got half of her Sesame Soy Chicken entree. The Sesame Soy Chicken entree was soy chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and zucchini, topped with a garlic sauce, and a side of brown rice. The chicken was similar to the buffalo appetizers we had, but the garlic sauce on this chicken was so good and tasteful! Somehow they made veggies taste even better as well, I’m sure if I had veggies from here every single day, I wouldn’t struggle to meet my daily need. In between both of the entrees I chose, I easily prefer this one, I think the sauce was the winning factor.

I loved everything about my visit here, and I can’t wait until I get to go again! As one of

Inside – Picture by Business Owner

the most popular plant-based restaurants in the city, it gets packed quickly, but thankfully, they take reservations! So I would highly recommend calling for a reservation earlier in the day! Something else I was a little taken back by was the price. It was a little on the pricier side, but when you think about it, you’re getting very healthy food, and a great portion of it, so I think its definitely worth it. The restaurant has three different menus,

• Lunch
• Dinner
• Brunch (Sundays Only)

And lastly, I highly encourage everyone to visit this restaurant. Even if you’re not vegan, its definitely a visit you will enjoy. Not only is the food delicious and healthy, but the vibe in the restaurant is very cool and chic, and the staff is super friendly and attentive. This restaurant gives a perfect example of how a plant-based diet doesn’t have to be only salads and raw veggies, but delightful and appetizing meals.

If you were to ask any Atlanta local for a few options on where you should go for lunch, Taqueria del Sol is most likely going to be one of their recommendations! Taqueria del Sol is one of the more popular “Tex-Mex” options in Atlanta, and Atlanta Magazine included it in their 2018 list of the 50 best restaurants in Atlanta. With only 6 locations, 4 in Georgia and 2 in Nashville, TN, consider yourself lucky to be in proximity to a location so you can experience the tasty food Taqueria has to offer.

The line outside – Photo taken by Yelp user Joel C

Meat- Eaters (& Pescatarians!) 

Fried Chicken taco – Photo by Yelp user Leah L

Taqueria offers both tacos and enchiladas as entrees, but I usually stick to the tacos.  My go-to order is one of their fried chicken tacos and one of their fish tacos. All tacos come on a warm flour tortilla, each taco with their personalized toppings. The fried chicken taco is topped with a savory lime jalapeno mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato. The fish taco is topped with a yummy poblano tartar sauce and pickled jalapenos. As a Mexican, I’m usually bothered with “American-ized” versions of Mexican food, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t complain about these tacos. The perfectly breaded and fried chicken and tilapia mixed with the slight spicy-ness of their condiment toppings, it’s truly a heavenly combination.

Vegetarians
Taqueria del Sol offers a couple of vegetarian options, one of those being what I order when I’m not eating meat, the veggie taco! The veggie taco is a combination of veggie jalapeno beans, queso, and tomatillo salsa. I’m not sure if anyone is like this, but I LOVE the combination of warm and cold food, but not too extreme, and that’s exactly what I get from this delicious bite! Other vegetarian options on the menu are the cheese enchiladas and the refried beans, just make sure to ask for no chili!

Vegans

Chips and Guac – Photo taken by Yelp User Bianca G

Taqueria wouldn’t be one of my top suggestions to anyone that is vegan, just because there aren’t many options, everything either includes cheese or meat, but there are always ways to improvise from the current menu. My first tip would be to order the veggie taco, without the queso of course. Another recommendation would be to order a variety of sides and appetizers as a meal. For example, a side of beans or rice, and some chips and guacamole and/or salsa, and that could be your meal!

This seems to be a repeating topic in all of my posts…but it’s only because I recommend the very best.. the line out the door. Not only is the line always, ALWAYS out the door, but there’s sometimes where it’s difficult to even find somewhere to sit. What my friends and I seem to often do is try to make it there around 10 minutes before they open for dinner (they open for lunchtime, close, and then re-open for dinner). But as I always say, it’s definitely worth it, you’ll absolutely enjoy it, and you’ll never even think of the line because the food is so worth it! Besides that, everything is super convenient, the parking lot is free and right in front of the location, the people are friendly, the food comes out pretty quick, and for those of you over 21, the margaritas are incredible! Make sure to leave a comment below if you visit and let me know what you thought!

Entrance – Photo by Yelp user Alicia M

For my third destination, I figured I would switch it up a little and tell you about one of my favorite breakfast places in Atlanta, West Egg Café! West Egg is actually located right across from Upbeet (first post), right along Howell Mill Road in West Midtown There’s nothing more welcoming than the amazing smell of bacon and friendly folks, and that’s exactly what you’re getting at West Egg!

When you first walk in, it can be a little confusing at first, because you’re greeted with a long display of desserts. While the desserts are very intriguing, you may be thinking, where’s this bacon smell coming from if all I see are desserts?! The hostess stand is to your left of the desserts, where you can place your name in order to be seated as soon as possible. It’s always a challenge when choosing what I am going to order, as everything on their menu is delicious, and straying away from my favorites and ordering something new is difficult, but I am never disappointed!

The Fried Chicken Biscuit – Photo taken by Yelp user Danielle L

Meat- Eaters: One of my absolute favorite things on the menu at West Egg is the Fried Chicken Biscuit! It’s truly the perfect, savory biscuit. In between the butteriest and fluffiest biscuit, they lay fried chicken, bacon, white cheddar, and tomato gravy, with your choice of either roasted garlic grits or skillet potatoes on the side. I’m not a fan of grits, so I always go with potatoes, but the meal as a whole, with a glass of sweet tea on the side, is the perfect southern breakfast. Although I do like to venture out and try different things, and they’ve been absolutely delicious, but nothing tops this meal!

Vegetarians: Although I’m not vegetarian myself, I do participate in Meatless Mondays, and sometimes my trips to West Egg fall on a Meatless Monday. When I’m not eating meat, I order the short stack of the sour cream pancakes. Now, I know what you’re thinking…sour cream?!?! And I don’t blame you, I reacted the same exact way. The sour cream is added dairy that makes this the moistest stack of pancakes in your life!  Pair it with a cup of cappuccino for a great combination!

Cappuccino from the cafe – Photo taken by Yelp user Emily S

Sour Cream Pancakes – Photo taken by Yelp user Monique V

Vegans:  Vegans, you don’t get to miss out on all the delicious food! West Egg has a tofu scramble on their menu and it is heavenly! The scramble contains tofu, vegetarian sausage, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and of course, your choice of grits or skillet potatoes! Another great thing about West Egg is that they’re very accommodating, so anything you want to be replaced or taken out of the meal, they do with no hesitation at all.

Tofu Scramble with a side of grits – Photo taken by Yelp user Licca K

As if all this talk about food wasn’t enough, to top it off, you’re always greeted with the most energized and happy workers here, it makes you feel welcomed, on top of the very home-y feel this place gives. Keep in mind, West Egg also offers a lunch menu and a brunch menu on weekends, I’m just a major breakfast food enthusiast so no matter if its 10 AM or 2 PM, I’m reaching for the breakfast menu (which is offered all day!)! I hope you all enjoyed this post! Its one of my absolute favorites in Atlanta and I hope everyone gets a chance to go sometime! You will not be disappointed!

Todays location is one that is extremely popular in Nashville, but fairly new to Atlanta, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken! Every time I go to Nashville, I make it a point to go to Hattie B’s, but every time THE LINE IS COMPLETELY OUT THE DOOR! So of course, I was absolutely stoked when we finally got one in Atlanta! The location used to be an old gas station, and the outside still has a sense of a gas station. The inside is really small so although the line may be out the door, don’t turn away, there’s just no room for the line so it goes out the door.

The exterior still resembles the gas station this used to be – Photo taken from Yelp 

I’m not huge on spicy food, so I was a little hesitant on whether I was going to like it or not. With each of their meals, you get to pick the heat level of your chicken. I ordered the hot chicken sandwich meal, in the medium heat level, and a side of their pimento mac and cheese. This particular day isn’t very busy, so it was simple finding somewhere to sit, but like I said, it is pretty small inside so you might have a different experience if you were to visit during a busier time. There was a bit of a wait for the food, but it was all worth it! The food was absolutely delicious! I will say though, the medium heat level was not very hot at all, and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t handle spicy food very well, but there is a “Shut The Cluck Up” flavor that I know has not been handled well by many, like here for instance.

Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Menu – Photo taken from Yelp

Like my last post, I would say that parking was one of the most negative parts of my

Hot Chicken Sandwich from Hattie B’s Hot Chicken – Photo taken by the author. 

experience. They have onsite parking, but not much, but there is a paid lot right next to the location, for busier times. This is definitely going on my list of favorites, and I can see myself visiting this place a little more than I should!

“Hot Chickpea” and “Pesto Manifesto” salads from Upbeet.

The first spot I’m hitting up is one of my favorites, UpBeet! Upbeet is my healthy, go-to spot off of Howell Mill Road in Atlanta! I like to describe it as a “healthy” version of Chipotle. Upbeet consists of two bars, one of those being a Salad/Grain bowl bar, similar to Chipotles where you can create your own bowl, in this case, a salad or a grain bowl. Upbeet has a menu with some of their suggested salads and grain bowls, but you can accommodate those, or make your own! My go-to is their Hale Ceaser salad! Other
favorites include the Spin Class and Very Vegan salads! To the left of the salad bar is the second bar, the smoothie bar. I have personally never tried the smoothies from Upbeet, but you can tell the ingredients are super fresh, just like the ones at the salad bar. And to my favorite part of this entire place, the freshly made juices! They have a variety, from kale apple ginger to charcoal lemonade, each one is absolutely delicious! It’s a self-serve machine, so I personally like to go back and try multiple ones once I finish one!

Delicious fresh juice from the self-serve machine!

The aesthetic of this place is amazing. Lots of windows, so there’s lots of sunshine seeping in on this particular sunny day, and very modern. There’s also a beautiful outdoor patio where you can eat outside!

The only downside of this place is how busy it gets. No matter if it’s lunchtime during the weekend, or dinner on a weekday, there’s always a line, but its always worth the wait! The parking lot on-site can get pretty busy on extremely busy days, being the weekends, but besides that, I trust that you will enjoy this place! There’s something for all types of diets, the food is absolutely delicious, the staff is friendly, and the vibe is incredible!

Click the logo to check out their menu!

I’d like to welcome everyone to my blog, “Let’s Eat, Atlanta!.” My name is Jackie, I’m a 22 year old student that loves to explore the city of Atlanta, and all that it has to offer, much of that being the FOOD! I will be visiting many restaurants throughout the city and taking you all along with me, giving you a recap of my experience dining at the restaurant, my overall opinion on EVERYTHING, from the food, of course, to the vibe of the restaurant, the service, and even the best place to park! Of course, I will be including pictures in every post that will have you dying to go! I plan to visit many different types of restaurants, so everyone can find something to fit their dietary needs and constraints. I hope I can be a good source of information for your future dining plans.