SPIRITED SIPS

Atlanta’s alcohol-related producers are always growing. And within each tap house or distillery, the list of new creations gets longer and longer. Stop by one of the spots below to see what they’ve been up to and try a signature drink.

ASW Distillery

Touted as the most awarded craft whiskey distillery since 2018 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, ASW’s Buckhead tasting room offers spirit samples, flights, cocktails and snacks. You can also get a tour of its handhammered Vendome copper pot stills and barrels. aswdistillery.com

SIGNATURE SPIRIT: Fiddler Bourbon

Monday Night Brewing

The original West Midtown location of Monday Night Brewing features IPA-focused Hop Hut Beers, the infamous necktie wall and now pizza. The brewery also recently launched Sneaky Pete Spirits, including gin, vodka, bourbon, rye and rum that are featured in a variety of signature cocktails. mondaynightbrewing.com

SIGNATURE BREW: Dr. Robot

SIGNATURE SPIRIT: Blueberry Gin Fizz

Sandy Springs Boutique Winery

Housed inside Beer & Wine Craft in Sandy Springs, this small winery makes wine, hosts tastings and works with customers to create their own blends that can be bottled with custom labels. beerandwinecraft.biz/sandy-springs-winery

SIGNATURE WINE: Chianti-style Private Reserve Blend (silver medal winner at the 2022 American Wine Society competition)

SweetWater Brewery

This mainstay brewery in Armour Yards has 24 brews on tap along with recently launched canned cocktails enjoyed in a spacious tasting room and outdoor patio. sweetwaterbrew.com

SIGNATURE BREW: SweetWater

420 Extra Pale Ale

SIGNATURE CANNED COCKTAIL: SweetWater RIFF Vodka Soda Citrus

UrbanTree Cidery

Atlanta’s only cidery sources its apples from a more than centuryold family orchard Rabun County’s Mountain City. Its farm-industrial tasting room on the Westside pours these ciders as well as local craft beers and cider cocktails made with distilled Georgia spirits. urbantreecidery.com

SIGNATURE SEASONAL CIDER: Blueberry cider

SIGNATURE CIDER COCKTAIL: Cider Sangria Slushy n creativity for all levels of dining whether casual or upscale,” he says. “It’s no different than how my Yia Yia’s [grandmother’s] cooking influenced the dishes at Kyma. Buford Highway does the same and has a strong influence on the Atlanta dining scene.” Here is his hit list to get you started.

You can’t go wrong with the seafood pancake, topped with crab, oysters, squid and shrimp at Stone Bowl House (stonebowlhouse.com), a favorite for Korean fare.

Northern China Eatery (northernchinaeatery.com) is a hole-inthe-wall known for its handmade dumplings. Order the “mix” and choose three of your favorites from beef, lamb, chicken or pork. Bonus: The restaurant sells its handmade dumplings frozen, so you can take some home.

Don’t let the ultra-casual dining room fool you: Nam Phuong (namphuongga.com) offers a huge vari- ety of seriously good Vietnamese food. Karatassos craves the shaking beef over fried rice or banh xeo, a Vietnamese crepe stuffed with pork and shrimp.

Bring your appetite to Crawfish Shack (crawfishshackseafood.com) and prepare to get your fingers dirty with a pound (or more) of Cajun crawfish. Order a signature po’boy with your choice of andouille sausage, fried shrimp, fried catfish and more, served on Leidenheimer French bread and dressed with house made remoulade.

The name says it all: Pho Ba˘ c (phobacatlanta.com) offers nearly two dozen kinds of Vietnamese noodle soups, from brisket to shrimp to vegan noodles with veggies.

If he’s in the mood for duck, Karatassos heads to Ming’s BBQ (mingsbbq.com), known for its authentic Cantonese cuisine. There you’ll find Peking duck and roasted Cantonese duck, available in whole or half portions.

“My family loves to share a bunch of things, so dim sum at Oriental Pearl (orientalpearlchamblee.com) is a fun Saturday morning tradition,” says Karatassos. “The offerings change minute by minute, providing all sorts of bold flavors and textures.”

Rolling carts are laden with tasty dishes such as steamed sticky rice in lotus leaves, egg custard buns, steamed siu mai dumplings and myriad others. A word to the wise: If you’re curious, try it.

Lee’s Bakery (leesbakeryatl.com) is a top spot for banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwich on housebaked French bread with your choice of meat (grilled BBQ pork is a signature), mayo and crisp pickled veggies. It’s one of the only places we know of where you can get a combo of a half sandwich and a bowl of pho.

Knock out your grocery shopping with ingredients from all corners of the globe at Buford

Highway Farmers Market (@bufordhighwayfarmersmarket), a spot Karatassos calls “Buford Highway’s best kept secret” for delicious dishes. “You can feed your whole family in the back with dumplings, sushi, kimchi and more. My favorite are the pork kimchi dumplings.” n

Very Vegan

Storico Vino (storicovino.com) invites patrons to hang out until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and midnight the rest of the week. Before the kitchen closes, enjoy cicchetti (small bites), aperitivos, pasta and Northern Italian-inspired entrees. Afterwards, cozy up to the lively bar with a Negroni.

Palo Santo’s rooftop offers a trendy vibe and awesome views late into the night.

Late Night Spots

Palo Santo’s (botanicohospitality.com) industrial supper club-style ambiance and rooftop make it a chic place to close out the night. In addition to the dining room, the Japanese-Mexican fusion restaurant offers a rooftop reached via a steep staircase.

A clubby scene with small bites and a DJ on weekends keeps the party going until the wee hours. Dining room hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-11 p.m.; Sunday 5-10:30 p.m.

Rooftop hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7 p.m.-2 a.m.

Yeppa & Co. (yeppaco.com) serves freshly made pasta, charcuterie boards, pizza and more until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Stay post-dinner sipping cocktails at the bar until midnight.

Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. (kitchen closes at 9:30 p.m.); Friday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.- midnight (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.).

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5 p.m.-midnight (kitchen closes at 10 pm); FridaySaturday 5 p.m.-1 a.m. (kitchen closes at 10:30 p.m.); Closed Sunday & Monday.

The Blind Pig Parlour Bar’s (theblindpigparlourbar.com) Victorian-era ambiance makes it a trendy spot for late-night loitering. Tucked behind Chido & Padres, the speakeasy hosts themed pop-up bars throughout the year (currently Frenchthemed Le Pig through June), transforming its interior into locales such as Paris and holiday-themed escapes.

Hours: Tuesday 5-11 p.m. (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.; WednesdayThursday 5 p.m.-midnight (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.); Friday-Saturday 5 p.m.-1 a.m. (kitchen closes at 11 p.m.); Sunday 5-9 p.m. n

Plant-based devotees and those looking for a place to spend meatless Mondays have plenty to choose from in our neighborhood. Hippie Hibachi (hippiehibachi.com) at Chattahoochee Food Works is not only 100% vegan; its plates are also gluten-free. Customize your meal with proteins such as soy chicken, Impossible meat and tofu or keep it all veggie with eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini and more, all drizzled with yum yum, teriyaki or spicy gochu sauce. Also on the Westside, Planted Soul (plantedsoulatl.com) offers Southern “soul food” sans the animal products, from vegan chili and garlic bread to oxtails made from mushrooms. Finish it off with some deep-fried Oreos. In Chamblee, Harmony Vegetarian (harmonyvegetarianchinesefood.com) serves Chinese cuisine with imitation proteins made from beans and konjac, and Mamak Vegan Kitchen (mamakvegan.com) offers Malaysian-based vegan foods. The lemak curry with tofu, olive fried rice and ancient meat sweet and sour with Impossible meatballs are some of the most popular. For vegan cuisine in Buckhead, head to Cafe Sunflower (cafesunflower.com) that has been serving plant-based foods for more than 25 years. Dishes cover various cuisines, from the orzo eggplant lasagna and spicy pad Thai noodles to the fried avocado tacos. The restaurant also serves Saturday brunch. n sauces.