Metro Atlanta restaurant reviews

Motorboat in Virginia-Highland has a model that works: easy, affordably priced sandwiches, salads, soups, sides and sips, served in a casual, inviting space.

With some real hits on the menu, a thoughtful wine list and a convivial atmosphere, Bocado in Sandy Springs is likely to continue packing in diners.

While some restaurants sound the trumpet when they open their doors, others turn the key quietly. Here are three under-the-radar dining destinations that debuted recently.

Newly-opened Sichuan restaurant the Sparrow in Midtown Atlanta has substance and style; it just needs some buzz.

Nicky's Undefeated in Tucker isn't just for displaced transplants. It’s also a place for the rest of us to get acquainted with the culinary equivalent of the Phillie Phanatic.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, Nando’s and Torchy’s are very different restaurants, but each has an enthusiastic Atlanta fan base and they’re all pulling in huge crowds.

Upscale hotel restaurants often come with a lot of hype, only to fall flat. Elektra, in Forth Hotel in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, is an exception.

The Dumpling Factory in Atlanta feels much less like a factory and more like a neighborhood gathering spot.

There is substance behind the playful setting at Gene's a new restaurant in East Lake featuring Vietnamese-Cajun barbecue and sides that are as flavor-packed as the proteins.

For a place that advertises itself as a wine bar and listening room, rather than a restaurant, Commune still seems to pay plenty of attention to its food.