Tijuana Garage

Tijuana Garage

351 Moreland Ave. / Atlanta, GA 30307 | (404) 475-8888 | http://www.tijuanagarage.com Known for serving the best tacos north of the border, Tijuana Garage is a full service taqueria and Tex Mex grill. The atmosphere is relaxed, the margaritas freshly mixed, and service quick and friendly. Sitting on the tile patio, with a basket of bottomless tortilla chips and salsa, the atmosphere is relaxed with live music by local performers; also known to take requests. Their patio is a nice size with a good view of the activity taking place on Moreland, yet enough foliage to provide some privacy for the diners. Tijuana Garage serves an eclectic group of diners: vegetarian, vegans, meat eaters, and everyone in between. Famous for their tasty and non-traditional tacos, you can’t go wrong with the vast selection on their menu. You’ll find fish and shrimp tacos, fajita steak, braised beef, and Carne Asada, just to name a few. The vegetarian menu offers more choices than any standard meat and potatoes type restaurant. Veggie burritos and fajitas, a tofu taco, simply bean taco, and other non-meat dishes give vegans and vegetarians a varied dinner menu. Weekly events, like Trivia Monday and Electric Avenue, the live 80’s show every Thursday, are offered alongside their famous margaritas and unique taco...

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Cameli’s

Cameli’s

337 Moreland Ave. / Atlanta, GA. 30307 | (404) 522-1624 | http://www.camelispizza.com Where can you find Monster Slices of pizza that fill the belly and seasonal craft beers to wash it down? Cameli’s is the place for Monster Slices and more. Cameli’s, known as Pizza for the People, entered the Atlanta Scene on Ponce de Leon Avenue in 1996. Today, they boast a second location in what many call, the most creative part of town; Little Five Points. Family owned and managed, Cameli’s uses fresh vegetables and herbs in all their food items and their dough and bread is made fresh each day. Only the highest quality food at a great value is good enough for Cameli’s guests. One of the main attractions of Cameli’s, other than the great food, is the building itself. Inside you’ll find colorful wall art featuring various beer and soda brands, mingled with images of Batman, Stormtroopers, and Transformers. But the favorite with locals is Cameli’s rooftop patio. The patio is pine wrapped and awning covered, with lush plants scattered throughout and a spectacular view of the downtown skyline. Beautiful slatted wood tables and benches add the final touch to this great dining area. As much as the atmosphere is a special feature of Cameli’s, nothing can compare to the star of the menu; the pizza. The sauce is the heart of the pizza; fresh and perfectly seasoned, flecked with fresh spices and bits of basil. Choose from four sauce variations: tomato, sun dried tomato, garlic, or basil pesto. Bite into one of the specialty pizzas like the McLeod Nine, topped with baked chicken, garlic sauce, onions, roasted red peppers, and spinach. Not to your liking? Customize your own pizza with 27 customizable toppings, like salami, prosciutto ham, banana peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and more. You can choose the style, like the half-moon shaped stuffed creation called Luna, the Classic hand-tossed, or the giant, 28 inch pie called the Monster; enough for the whole little league team. Besides all the...

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Zesto

Zesto

377 Moreland Avenue, NE / Atlanta, Georgia 30307 | 404-523-1973 or 404-523-2012 | http://zestoatlanta.com For many, there’s nothing like walking into a family-owned restaurant, full of red vinyl seats with chrome trim and bright, neon lights. Zesto is that place; full of nostalgic retro charm with a little art nouveau thrown in. Opening its doors in 1945, Zesto started as a subsidiary of Taylor Freezer Corporation, based in Rockton, Illinois. The Zesto name was born from “Zest-o-Mat”, the soft serve ice cream machine made by Taylor Freezer. The company first opened Zesto to compete with Dairy Queen as an ice cream only store. By late 1949, the company prospered and grew with locations in 46 states. Then in 1955, Taylor Freezer Corporation dropped the ice cream only idea, leaving its franchises, literally, out in the cold. One franchisee, John Livaditis wanted to breathe new life into his locations and added burgers to his many Atlanta outlets. As business grew, he gradually added fries, hot dogs, and fried chicken. Today, Zesto offers eight different burgers, hot dogs, specialty sandwiches, wings and chicken, and five different sides as well as their soft serve ice cream selections. Zesto has a burger style similar to McDonalds, with their flagship burger, the Chubby Decker consisting of two patties, a middle bun, lettuce, cheese, onions, and pickles. Another interesting bit of burger trivia; the Chubby Decker was added to the Zesto menu in 1959: eight years before the Big Mac introduction. However, the likeness ends there. Zesto cooks their food to order with the burgers sporting a pink center, giving proof of being fresh cooked. Even with all the varied food items on the Zesto menu, soft serve is still the star of the show. Their nostalgic frozen offerings are genuine ice cream, not the ice milk mix you find in most soft serve shops. Or as Zesto likes to brag, “It’s real ice cream, not ice milk like some of our esteemed but misguided competitors.” Zesto turns out sweet...

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Wrecking Bar Brewpub

Wrecking Bar Brewpub

292 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 | (404) 221-2600 | http://www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com/ Chosen the Best Brewpub in Atlanta 2011, 2012 and 2013, Wrecking Bar Brewpub offers Little Five Points a changing selection of beers brewed on site. Boasting a varied and colorful history, the Wrecking Bar Pub building is one of Atlanta’s historical sites, which combines late Victorian and eclectic styles. Built just before 1900 by Victor Hugo Kriegshaber, an Atlanta cultural and economic development leader who lived there until 1924. Besides being a 20th century Victorian-style home, the pub housed a Methodist Protestant church and a dance school and most recently the Wrecking Bar architectural antiques store. Then on June 19, 2011, Bob and Kristine Sandage gave the Kriegshaber House basement a new life as the Wrecking Bar Brewpub. Wrecking Bar Brewpub is 1.1 miles north of I-20 on Moreland Avenue, just a couple blocks south of Little 5 Points. The Victorian-style home has a semicircle of columns gracing the front of the grand building. The first floor houses the event space known as the Marianna, while the hub of activity is in the basement, where you will find Wrecking Bar Brewpub. The once, graffiti covered eyesore is stunning both inside and out. The pub is an underground cave-like maze with a mixture of comfort and old English pub hospitality mingled with modern design giving a posh rustic feel. It’s like walking into a wine cellar with exposed stones and an intimate bar setting separate from the restaurant. At the back is a lounge area providing live music on Sundays. As well as a great selection of American and European style beers, Wrecking Bar Pub serves a wide range of inventive, brewed on site beers, barrel aged to give multiple layers of flavor. You will find some unusual styles like German IPA, a California Common, and a West Coast double IPA. Wrecking Bar Pub uses a 7 barrel (BBL) brewing system consisting of mash tun, brew kettle, five fermenters, and six serving tanks....

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The Porter Beer Bar

The Porter Beer Bar

1156 Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 | (404) 223-0393 | http://www.theporterbeerbar.com/ It’s Friday night, Little 5 Points traffic is sluggish, at best, and the sidewalks are filled with people. Driving around searching for the ever-elusive parking space, a small compact backs up. Finally, you think, slipping between a construction truck to the left and a “soccer mom” van on the right. Entering the narrow building, your eyes take time adjusting to the dim interior. The space is crowded and the greeter tells you it’s a 25 minute wait. Leaving your name you find a place to stand next to the bar. While you shift from one foot to another, all you can think of is sitting down and quieting your rumbling stomach with some infamous Porter Beer Bar mac-n-cheese and a cold draft. Scanning the crowded surroundings, you feel at ease in the welcoming atmosphere. The crowd is diverse, with the hip and in, young tech students, nerdy beer experts, and couples enjoying the lively atmosphere that makes up The Porter Beer Bar. For five years now, The Porter Beer Bar has been the place to be. With a massive menu of over 800 beers, it’s no wonder Atlanta’s beer connoisseurs make The Porter Beer Bar their favorite brew house. With a knowledgeable staff willing to help customers pick the perfect beer, even those not so beer savvy become frequent visitors. Not a beer lover? Porter Beer Bar offers a full cocktail menu of unique wines, whiskeys, and liqueurs. Try their famous lemon ginger cocktail and a bowl of salt and vinegar popcorn, or dive into the food Creative Loafing calls “Best Bar Food.” The Porter Beer Bar is recognized by beer enthusiasts nationwide and highly rated by BeerAdvocate and Draft Magazine. With an extensive beer menu offering micro-brews and imports from 44 draft lines, two hand pumps and over 800 bottles, even the pickiest beer lover can find something to tickle their taste buds. Throughout the year, The Porter Beer Bar sponsors...

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Vortex Bar and Grill

Vortex Bar and Grill

438 Moreland Avenue Northeast, Atlanta, GA | (404) 688-1828 | thevortexbarandgrill.com Vortex Bar and Grill at Little 5 Points is quite a conspicuous place to begin with. From the massive skull display lingering at the entrance to the somewhat over-the-top colors used in the place’s exterior, it seems like the place is literally inviting you in – and it might be a bad idea not to. Oh, and they are also claiming to have “Atlanta’s Best Burger” — now how can you miss that? In contrast to the exterior, Vortex’s interior is a bit more laid back. You can either see bricks or blacks inside the bar. The interior may give you the impression that it speaks only to vintage, country and biker crowds. But it really isn’t. People who come into the place are from all walks of life, regardless of color or job, or whether a local or tourist, the place caters to everyone. The place is spacious and there is a lot of room to move around even when the place is fully packed. Some even take the time to sample new beverages like New Belgium Brewing’s Fat Tire Amber Ale which is both light and good. The menu is simple and can satisfy anyone’s tastes. They have burger and sides that are cooked the way you want it. The zucchini chips are cooked to perfection – battered up yet crispy, thin sliced, and perfect with or without a ranch dressing. They also serve a plateful of nachos which is very appetizing. Their Ragin’ Cajun burger is indeed raging with spicy pepper sauce, plus the patty is half pound and the sandwich stacks about four inches high, which says a lot about a raging burger. Plus the burger’s price is very reasonable for a burger that juicy and thick. Indeed, they do have a shot for the city’s “best burger” title. The ambiance is relaxing especially with the live music being played. The guitar performance was decent, not like in some...

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