Great restaurants and musicians abound in Alpharetta
North of Atlanta, Alpharetta, Georgia, offers a culinary adventure to the tune of today’s latest and greatest music acts. In 2024, there will be more than 350 performances across nine music venues. The city also boasts more than 200 restaurants.
Ten local food trucks gather monthly at Food Truck Alley on Old Roswell Street, featuring a night of delicious eats and live music. You can picnic during a Home by Dark Concert Series at Brooke Street Park for a free outdoor concert in downtown Alpharetta; concerts take place behind Alpharetta City Hall on select Saturdays from April to September.
The 12,000-seat Ameris Bank Amphitheatre welcomes the biggest names in music today. You can also vibe to classical music with the Alpharetta Symphony or jazz at The Velvet Note. After a concert, head to Comeback Vinyl downtown for a vinyl record to commemorate the performance.
As a designed community, Avalon is one of Atlanta’s prime shopping destinations, featuring over 65 retailers, a stadium-seat movie theater, and 25 restaurants, including culinary delights like Colletta, Branch & Barrel, Superica, Café Intermezzo, and Antico Pizza Napoletana.
Best Places to Eat and Drink
Best Café: TBB 122
TBB 122 is a community-focused full-service café and restaurant. Wood accents exude a warm, cozy atmosphere, accentuated by a breathtaking case of handcrafted pastries, breads, and artisan goods. A seasonal menu sources ingredients from local farms, boasting garden-to-table cocktails, craft coffees, pressed juices, smoothies, and brunch galore.
Best Italian Restaurant: Colletta
Located at Avalon, Colletta, which translates to “collection” in Italian, offers Italian American fare. A seasonal menu contains housemade pasta, antipasti, pizzas, and a “For the Table” chef-curated option for a family-style spread. Sip on a hand-crafted cocktail at the bar or peruse the extensive wine list.
Best Wine Bar: Fermented
For seasoned sommeliers and wine enthusiasts, Fermented focuses on natural small-batch wines from family-owned vineyards around the globe with fewer chemicals and additives. Part bottle shop and tasting room, it’s a welcoming spot to enjoy wine flights on-site or at home, complete with an online overview of each sip.
Best Coffee Shop: Valor Coffee
Valor Coffee focuses on roasting specialty coffee in small batches, creating housemade syrups and innovative caffeinated creations, and uplifting people—all with extraordinary vibes, thanks to a vibrant espresso machine and disco ball on the ceiling.
Best Market: Alpharetta Farmers Market
For more than two decades, the vendors of the Alpharetta Farmers Market have supplied fresh produce, baked confections, flowers, and bespoke goods in the heart of downtown Alpharetta, on the town green in front of city hall. It runs April 6 through November 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Best Bourbon Selection: Branch and Barrel
Branch and Barrel is home to Alpharetta’s most extensive bourbon list, comprising 156 different varieties of scotch, rye, and whiskeys. This chic gastropub sources fine ingredients from local farms, whipping up savory plates like sweet potato fries topped with jalapeño candied bacon, crispy salt-and-vinegar brussels sprouts, and a honey-peach grilled chicken sandwich.
Best Sushi Restaurant: Lily Sushi Bar
Locals flock from inside the Atlanta perimeter for Lily Sushi Bar’s fresh fish flown in directly from Japan. From omakase to a traditional hand roll, you can’t go wrong.
Best Speakeasy: Roaring Social
Beneath The Hamilton hotel, Roaring Social transcends the typical speakeasy experience by curating a lineup of talented performers in rotating genres—while also offering a pin bowling alley. Research the secret password to gain entry to try one of the craft cocktails, where the recipes are kept under lock and key. The Bubbly Bath, a Piper Sonoma brut rosé concoction with raspberry foam, is served in a tiny bathtub.
Best Tea Room: The Ginger Room
Serving more than 50 different local, national, and international blends, The Ginger Room transports diners across the pond to partake in a genuinely British tea experience. Secure a reservation for an afternoon or high tea at a table in the parlor or Wallbrook room.
Claim to Fame
Taste of Alpharetta
Founded in 1991, Taste of Alpharetta is the longest-running food festival in Metro Atlanta. More than 60 local restaurants, growers and producers, educators, distributors, innovators, and food rescuers partake in the culinary affair each May, when 40,000 individuals flock to Alpharetta to relish delectable dishes and diverse musical performances across four stages. Vote for your favorite dish in the People’s Choice Awards and learn all about the food system, including soil health, the importance of pollinators, and local farm programs at Locally Grown. @tasteofalpharetta
Meet a Local: Chef Mel Toledo of Foundation Social Eatery
Where did you get your start as a chef?
I applied to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, which at the time was the second-best school in the country. It was a one-year program, and from there, I did well and applied to four restaurants in New York City and Chicago for my externship. I got into one of the best French restaurants in New York City called Daniel.
How do you create and update Foundation Social Eatery’s menus?
I get inspired by dining. People go to Vegas, and they spend tons of money on gambling. If I were to go to Vegas, I’d spend a ton of money on eating. We just got back from Paris, so that in itself was inspiring. I change the menu often because I get bored. I think change is always a good thing.
What is your favorite dish on the menu?
My favorite dish right now is the duck breast. It goes through a two-day cooking process. We serve it medium with French chanterelle mushrooms, local corn, and bok choy. The red wine-based sauce is slowly reduced from duck and chicken stock trimmings and served with an orange gel.
After the restaurant’s first location in Roswell closed in 2020, why open in Alpharetta?
We felt Alpharetta would be a better place for us because of how quickly it’s growing. The downtown area is blowing up the neighborhood, and Alpharetta is surrounded by three or four other towns with strong demographics. When we found this location, it was like a sign from the heavens because it had everything we were looking for, including windows in my kitchen.
What elements of Foundation Social Eatery are intentional?
The restaurant has an open kitchen, so you can see what’s happening. There are no TVs or screens. The idea is to come here like you’re entering my home. Start with a drink, have some appetizers, and be social. Enjoy a well-executed meal in a casual social environment. We train our servers to be tour guides, not order takers.
Where to Shop
Southern Local
Southern Local has a little something for everyone, from women’s apparel to Austin-based Burlebo for men, baby gifts, and gameday gear.
Indiehouse
Indiehouse is a modern fragrance shop offering candle-making classes and scent-blending workshops to create a memory with your own unique fragrance. Shop founder and professional perfumer Carrie Hadley received specialized training in Grasse, France, and Florence, Italy.
Alpharetta Outfitters
Alpharetta Outfitters is a full-service fly-fishing shop offering gear, fly tying, comprehensive classes, guided tours on the Chattahoochee River, and dreamy destination trips to locations like Patagonia. It’s a hub for local fly fishers and frequently hosts community events.
Where to Stay
The Hamilton
The Hamilton is the city’s first boutique hotel in the heart of historic downtown Alpharetta. Classical architecture unites with modern industrial design, inspired by the transportation history of the Western & Atlantic Railway. Founded in 1853, Fulton County, Georgia, is named after Hamilton Fulton, a railroad official who acted as chief engineer of the state and was instrumental in the county’s prominence as a major transportation hub. It’s the perfect home base to explore Alpharetta, as a flourishing downtown scene and the renowned restaurants are a short step outside your door. The Hamilton partners with local shelters to host a Yappy Hour series on select Saturdays, welcoming furry friends to the courtyard. @thehamiltonalpharetta