Summer Spots in Atlanta

Summer Spots to Explore in Atlanta

Summer in Atlanta can feel like a strategic mission, especially if you want to avoid getting caught up in your friend's (possibly illegal) cocooning retreat at a Lake Lanier cabin. To make the most of the season, here's a summer game plan that includes spots perfect for enjoying smashburgers, sprinkle-filled milkshakes, or winding down with patio breezes and light-bodied pinots. These places are great for showing off your new sunglasses or enjoying good BBQ with block party energy.

Halfway Crooks

Every day at Halfway Crooks feels like a summer festival. Their Summerhill biergarten often features live music, pop-up events, run club meet-ups, trivia nights, and crowds of beer lovers soaking up sunny days. Even on a regular Tuesday, picnic tables fill up, and one frothy pilsner turns into several more rounds.

Ott Vineyards & Winery

In under 90 minutes, you can escape the city’s heat for fresh mountain air and a glass of fruity red zinfandel. Ellijay’s Ott Vineyards is one of over 80 vineyards in North Georgia, but this husband-and-wife-owned winery stands out for its epic 180-degree views and smooth-sipping wine blends. Come on the weekend for live music and food trucks.

Glide Pizza

The Beltline is the closest thing to a beachside boardwalk stroll. Grabbing pizza from Glide’s walk-up window feels like a quintessential stop on an oceanside promenade. Except at Glide, the NY-style pies are elevated with creamy burrata and spicy honey. You can dip your crust in their housemade ranch without worrying about seagulls trying to steal it.

Chido & Padres

When it's too hot to move around the city, settle on this Buckhead patio under a turquoise umbrella with a margarita pitcher and a bowl of ceviche with sweet oranges. If your day drinking turns into night, don’t worry—Chido & Padre’s string lights will come on, and the tacos with spicy chicken make dinner here easy.

Wagyu House Atlanta

Open since late fall, this giant wraparound rooftop is finally in full bloom with DJs, weekend parties, and an all-eyes-on-me crowd. Even if you don’t brush shoulders with someone who could’ve sponsored your whole summer, West Midtown’s Wagyu House makes the AYCE tableside grilling model feel sexy and absolutely deserving of the three hours it took you to get ready.

Lee + White Complex

Spend an agenda-free day bopping around this 23-acre brewery complex on the Westside Beltline trail. Lee + White’s “Malt Disney World” nickname should resonate once you’ve made your way through all the attractions: IPAs and slices at The Garage, boozy slushies from ASW, tacos at Wild Heaven, and ice cream or tiki cocktails in the food hall. No tickets or wristbands needed, just good drinks and better vibes.

Palo Santo

This Mexican restaurant and rooftop flexes its “have a night out” muscles with top-notch food and a vibrant atmosphere. When the last of the smoky wood-fired cauliflower vanishes and every bit of the fire-roasted branzino has been picked over, head to the party upstairs. Margaritas with burnt salt rims, sunset views, and a DJ bumping house prove that whether on a warm Wednesday night or a Friday in February, Palo Santo is always in summer shape.

Morelli's Gourmet Ice Cream

Morelli’s on Moreland has an unassuming little patio that feels like it belongs in a Hallmark summer rom-com. But they really stand out for their silky smooth ice cream and variety of flavors, which always include some unusual gems like Grape-Nuts and blueberry corn cake. Grab a waffle cone with a scoop of coconut-jalapeño and suddenly you’re the big city architect falling for the town dog walker who ordered the same thing.

El Malo

When the sun goes down, temperatures heat up and high heels grow by the inch inside this clubby Reynoldstown bar. You don’t have to be dance floor royalty to have a good time here, but you will have to be adept at wading through El Malo’s packed house, dodging splashes from rum martinis as limbs flail along to Bad Bunny and Don Toliver anthems.

Madeira Park

Summer mode means wearing flip-flops and sipping a crisp Italian white on a patio made for people-watching. This summer, Madeira Park's patio is the one. The small plates at this Poncey-Highland wine bar are simple but memorably good, and with a soundtrack mixing Sault with Fela, the scene is easily set for a late-night hang.

Painted Park

Painted Park is the fresh-faced newbie of the Beltline, with a multilevel space to sip local beers and a green space that could be the talk of a lawn Facebook group. No one is really here for the food. The crowds milling around are here to catch sports on the many TVs, jump in for a round of ping pong, and open drink tabs in a place where the probability of meeting someone is legitimately likely.

Das BBQ

Cold beer, fall-off-the-bone ribs, cornhole on a patio—it doesn’t get much more summery than that. At Grant Park’s Das BBQ, your dog is also welcome to hang. There’s usually a band playing, and the whole thing feels like a backyard cookout. Just with reliably better food.

Moonlight

The Forth Hotel has everything you need for a night out. Start with a great dinner at one of their restaurants: an Italian steakhouse or a poolside Mediterranean spot. Then head to Moonlight for fruity cocktails (the tequila-heavy High Fidelity is our go-to). Perched above the always-busy Beltline with wraparound views, the barely year-old bar reigns as the shiny new rooftop of the summer.

Smiley's Burger Club

Smiley’s feels like you’re time-traveling back to front-yard summers. The Decatur patio fills with families seeking that feeling and loading up tables with crisp-edged smashburgers and crunchy smiley face fries with squishy middles. The effect is completed with tin lunch boxes holding condiments and a free baseball card with every order. Except now you’re sipping on neon slushies topped with whipped cream and sprinkles instead of drinking from the garden hose.

Madre Selva

When you’re a few weekend trips behind your friends and quickly losing at competitive summering, put on some linen pants and get back in the game at this Peruvian restaurant. Sit on Madre Selva's patio, feel your pants swaying in the wind, and order a foamy pisco sour and some peppery ceviche carretillero—you'll soon forget you're in Lindbergh and not on some beach. Just try not to look wide-eyed at the NBA point guard who sat down next to you.

Southern Belle Farm

What’s fresher than picking peaches straight from a tree, or eating strawberry ice cream from fruit that lived its whole life cycle in a 400-acre radius? A field trip to McDonough’s Southern Belle Farm makes your neighborhood farmers market look stale. There’s pick-your-own fruit options, an in-house bakery (with pound cakes generously topped with ice cream and berries), food trucks, and farm rides and games for the kids.