Pre-midnight munchies inside the perimeter

June 25, 2008 12:12 PM

AtlantaFilter: please help me find dinner after 10pm!

My workout buddy and I usually leave the gym at about 9:30 on weeknights. Although we eat at one of our houses a good chunk of the time, sometimes my day was too busy to include prepping supper or eating before the gym, so we end up eating out. [Yes, we know it's healthier to eat at home, but that's not why I'm posting.] Many of our favorite places close their kitchens at 10; although the bar might stay open, we're usually not drinking. So, I thought I'd ask the Atlanta hive mind for your latenight spots.

Criteria: kitchen open until 10:30 or 11 (or later), not primarily a bar (i.e. not just fried mozzarella and hot dogs because, after all, we've just been at the gym), not chain fast food, somewhere with salads and something beyond burgers/fries is a huge plus, ethnic is good, prefer nothing with a dress code. Something like Atkins Park or Highland Tap is about as fancy as we want to get on a weeknight. We both live in Midtown, so ITP is required; within the boundaries of Decatur to East Atlanta to Tech to Lenox to BriarVista would be optimal. If it's a smoke-friendly place, it needs to have a smokefree area. Long waits for the check are less than good (which makes Highlander an issue).

On the list already: Atkins Park, Highland Tap, Highlander, Apres Diem, Landmark Diner, Zesto's drivethrough, both Vortexes (Vortices?).

Off the list due to hours (although faves at other times, to give you an idea of what I'm seeking): Roxx, Dakota Blue, Colonnade, Roasters.

Thanks much! I admit that I'm still a little bewildered at how early restaurants close here; I'm a transplant from the Pacific Northwest and New England, so it feels weird to hurry up to squeak into a restaurant by 9:30 before the kitchen starts packing up.

posted by catlet to food & drink (12 comments total)

Are you kidding?

R. Thomas! Open 24 hrs!
posted by TheNewWazoo at 12:28 PM on June 25, 2008

TheNewWazoo, Last time I ate at RThomas years ago, it had gone downhill; it is v. encouraging to here a good rec for it now!
posted by pointystick at 12:37 PM on June 25, 2008

I was just going to post R Thomas Deluxe Grill. Very healthy choice.
posted by studentbaker at 12:38 PM on June 25, 2008

(and I should add, I'm the workout buddy)
posted by pointystick at 12:41 PM on June 25, 2008

Don't forget Denny's (although you might have reasons for avoiding it).
posted by amtho at 12:56 PM on June 25, 2008

Twain's in Decatur is/was pretty good and open late. (They were good, went through a bad patch, and seem to be good again.) They say they're "family friendly before 9.00 pm" (i.e., smoke-free until 9.00 pm), but I can't say exactly how smoky it gets after that; I usually end up there for post-work lunch-supper, not late-night. I enjoyed their gumbo and a salmon sandwich that sadly appears to be off the menu now.

Fox Brothers is also good, but they close a little early for your criteria. They are smoke-free inside.

I haven't been there myself but I've heard good things about Thinking Man's Tavern. They are open late.
posted by vesper at 12:57 PM on June 25, 2008

Uncle Julio's Casa Grande has yummy ceviche and other goodies. Gay night on Thursday can get a little rowdy. Loca Luna on Amsterdam for tapas, or Mali right down the street for sushi (kitchen closes at 10:30 M-Th, later F and weekends). And if you're going to Zesto's, you're undoing your gym work, but eat some fried squash for me. Yum!
posted by notashroom at 1:21 PM on June 25, 2008

City Cafe Diner on 10th St. above Tech is 24 hours which is also it's most redeeming quality.
posted by deepscene at 1:23 PM on June 25, 2008

You need some Top Spice. Open 'til 10. Often kinda dead inside after dinner hours. But it's nice-ish. And the food is *very* good. Great Thai and very nice Malaysian. You would be okay in there in trackpants and a tshirt, but I think jeans would be a lot better.

Just upstairs is Rusan's. Sushi and other Japanese specialties (and fake-ass american versions, too). Protein bomb! They serve until 12:30 (apparently) and it's more casual than Top Spice.

I think that most of the eateries in L5P serve until 10 on weeknights. Sweet Lime (til 10:30). The vortex you mention. I think that Brewhouse serves late-night food. Mentioned already is Fox Brothers, but they close at 10, too.

I also enjoy a very nice Salmon BLT at the Earl from time to time. This is in East Atlanta, so it might not squeak into your proximity. And I don't know how late the kitchen goes. But it's some of the better bar food in Atlanta. It rivals the food at Atkins Park. Just depends on if you want your burger with hipsters or fratsters.

Right near midtown is Eats. It's got great chicken+sides (plus cornbread) food. All the cops go here, along with a very wide swath of Atlantans. Good vibe. Only open until 10.

2nding Thinking Man Tavern. Best club sandwich I have ever eaten.

Gordon Biersch serves until 11, but I don't like the food there.
posted by zpousman at 1:50 PM on June 25, 2008

Oh, also Tap is open late and serves food late... Their options are kinda thin (like they would fit on a single page), but it's good at least. Around the corner is South City Kitchen though I wouldn't recommend going in there in gym shorts. The food is quality. It's not as good as JCT Kitchen (one of my favorite places in Atlanta, but they stop serving food at 10 on the weekdays. 11 on weekends).
posted by zpousman at 1:56 PM on June 25, 2008

Thanks, everyone! You mentioned some of my favorites, especially for lunch (Top Spice, Casa Grande, Rusan, Eats).

notashroom, Casa Grande has a gay night? Awesome! I've never tried their ceviche, but am generally happy with whatever I eat there.

zpousman, I always feel guilty going into Eats after 9:30. It's like I'm buzzkilling the hipster-servers, but sometimes a girl needs collards. Thanks also for the thumbs-up on Tap - I have been meaning to go there since it opened, but it just hasn't happened yet. (And yeah, the food at Gordon Biersch sucks, which is funny because the food at Rock Bottom - part of their chain - is really quite good, and I just realized Rock Bottom should be on the list too because they're open late and they're on this side of Lenox.)
posted by catlet at 9:37 AM on June 26, 2008

On Buford Highway, Eighty Eight Tofu House is open 24 hours and the First China Kitchen is open until sometime after midnight.
posted by PueExMachina at 9:48 PM on June 26, 2008