How to Eat in Atlanta on the Cheap

Eating well on a budget should be fairly easy in Atlanta - a busy, cosmopolitan city where the traditional cuisine of the South coexists with a wide variety of ethnic and fine-dining options.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Local Guidebooks
• Maps
• Local Newspapers
• Internet Access
• Travel Services
• Computers

1. Get a good budget guidebook or two in advance of your trip - many guides include restaurant listings in a variety of price ranges.
2. Find out about the best places to get local specialties. The management of your hotel or inn should be able to suggest some possibilities, whether you're looking for down-home Southern food or a more upscale treatment of Southern-style cuisine.
3. Buy a local newspaper as soon as you arrive. Check out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution or other local papers and magazines for restaurant listings and reviews.
4. Stray from the tourist track and ask Atlanta residents where you can find the best dining values. You'll probably find that everyone you talk to has a favorite - and affordable - place to eat.
5. Surf the Web before you go, or from a local Internet café once you arrive, to find restaurant listings and reviews. Some sites may even contain sample menus.
6. Consider some of the many ethnic options around town, if you don't feel like Southern food. Continental cuisine tends to be more expensive than Asian (unless you want sushi), but you can check out the prices on posted menus, or ask to look at a menu before you sit down.

Tips & Warnings

• University and college districts are usually great places to find good food at student-budget prices, so check out the areas surrounding Atlanta's many colleges and universities, such as Emory and GSU.
• Atlanta's traffic congestion is infamous, so try to find places to eat close to the areas where you plan to spend most of your time.