An almost comical amount of restaurants opened this year in Atlanta, and it's been difficult for us to wrap our heads around it. Fortunately, most humans think with their stomachs (most of the time) so we’re just gonna let our primal spirit kick in and tell you all the great new spots that have come to town in recent months. Bring your appetite and plenty of friends -- you and that fork are gonna be busy well past the new year.

LINTON’S MIDTOWN The Atlanta Botanical Garden isn’t going to let just anybody serve food inside its paradise of funky-fresh flora. So they went to Linton Hopkins, the man-half of the couple who gave us Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch, Hop’s Chicken, and life, to establish a New American joint. Sure, you have to pay admission to the Garden to get your classy gobble on, but you’re also getting the spectacular seasonal cuisine Linton and his wife Gina prepare, paired with not only great cocktails, wine, Champagne, and local beer, but gorgeous views of the ATL skyline from the rooftop bar. 8ARM PONCEY HIGHLAND We’ve already recommended Nhan Le and Angus Brown’s newest cephalopod-inspired restaurant, but it’s worth repeating. The basics are that it’s a cafe by day with amazing coffee and breakfast. But then, the anything-but-basic evening menu goes wild on you by taking a standard set of recipes, such as the tagliatelle, and swapping out proteins to keep you guessing -- or simply admitting that these two guys are as intelligent in the kitchen as their eight-armed muses are in maritime environments.

NOBLE FIN

NOBLE FIN PEACHTREE CORNERS Apparently a lot of misguided people stopped caring about 4th & Swift, the Old 4th Ward anchor spot from Chef Jay Swift, so he took his skills and skillets OTP, and is giving people with more money and less options all the things we city folk so desperately miss. And Fin is indeed Noble, since Swift is a well-known supporter of sustainability in farming and procuring proteins and vegetables. Plus Swift’s son, Jeb Aldrich, is Chef de Cuisine, so it’s a family affair that feeds you like a relative they actually love. Whether you’re in the mood for surf (Spanish shellfish stew, pan-roasted branzino) or turf (prime NY strip, 8oz wagyu flank steak), you’re sure to regain your tolerance for driving through crazy traffic for fine suburban dining.

CAST IRON OLD 4TH WARD Evan Cordes came from Cakes & Ale, Serpas True Food, and H. Harper Station just to open Cast Iron, and smack you in the head with a Lodge pan and whatever delicious thing he decided to cook inside of it. Said delicious thing could presumably be “half-cooked” snapper, smoked/roasted, buttermilk-marinated whole wings, cider-brined pork ribs, or more. But not the “Goodbye Porkpie Hat,” because that's a cocktail. One made with bourbon, lemon, maraschino, and sarsaparilla soda. And anybody who drinks and owns a cast-iron skillet knows you can’t get those things wet.

CITY WINERY ATLANTA

CITY WINERY PONCE CITY MARKET Dinner and a movie is fine. But dinner and a concert, at a winery, is so much finer. And not only does CW have amazing Mediterranean, Italian, French, Spanish, and Middle-Eastern cuisine, but they have a secret speakeasy for drinking and seeing great musical performances from international recording superstars as well as beloved local vocalists like Joi (!), and hell, even The GZA did a show there recently. Wu! Tang! Wu! Tang!!

101 STEAK

101 STEAK VININGS The team behind Meehan’s Public House, Food 101, and Cibo e Beve must have known that high-quality steaks and seafood, a raw bar, and more than 100 wines by the glass were necessary on the Upper Westside, so they were heroes and opened 101 Steak. And it’s not like Vinings didn’t already have proper supper, but now they have a great new option for East and West Coast oysters, parmesan-crusted roasted marrow bones, a Caribbean seafood cocktail (shrimp, octopus, lump crab), or a 32oz, 50-day dry-aged prime “Tomahawk Chop.” You now officially have 100+ reasons to stop being vegan. POKÉ BAR SANDY SPRINGS Poké, which is a raw salad with variations of tuna, salmon, albacore, shrimp, octopus, scallop, and tofu, then different mixtures such as seaweed, onions, and kale, is big in Hawaii. Because that’s where it’s from. But it’s now big in Atlanta, and you can try it your way by starting with a base of white or brown rice, salad, or nachos, then add one of those proteins above, mix in some crabmeat or whatever, then dress it in ponzu, sweet chili or wasabi mayo, and eat until you’re ready to float away to that tropical island in the sky. Except without the unfortunate dying part.

THE FEDERAL

THE FEDERAL MIDTOWN Shaun Doty has done his duty when it comes to feeding us fickle ATL people. From Shaun’s in Inman Park to YEAH! Burger, to Bantam+Biddy and now The Federal, he’s always had a great reputation. But now he’s coming back to the kitchen to make sure people see him in all his handsome, kitchen-master glory. Part-steakhouse, part-Euro-bistro, The Fed pays homage to the other Fed (you know, the bank with all the money) with its name, but ALSO pays homage to your taste buds with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which could begin with oxtail French onion soup, center on West Texas venison or a hand-cut Iowa filet ($5 an ounce), and end with a bottle of Kiona Vineyards ice wine and a fried chocolate pie for dessert. Man, we love Shaun Doty, don’t we? TON TON RAMEN PONCE CITY MARKET ATL restaurant guru Guy Wong has done great things for your appetite, but with Ton Ton he’s made everybody’s favorite noodle available in PCM, and boy do we appreciate it. From apps like tebasaki wings to char siu, tonkotsu, and stir-fried veggie ramen bowls, you know your soul will be fed -- as well as your stomach. Even as you wait among the scrolled curtains in front of the restaurant.

THE RITZ-CARLTON, ATLANTA

AG DOWNTOWN It was called Atlanta Grill, but AG sounds like Attorney General or All Good, so they went big by going small with the acronym. They also renovated the interior to make it less old-school and more modern with warmer, earthier lighting, tiled and hardwood flooring, and marble tabletops (well, maybe it’s still ritzy). Either way, you’ll be comfortable with the great service and more Southern-sourced food offerings (including Anson Mills rice and ATL’s own Banner Butter, which is just crazy good), and the continuation of great steaks, from the $29 10oz hanger steak to the $140 48oz tomahawk ribeye. What, you forgot you were in the Ritz-Carlton? SPRING MARIETTA Yes, you can now eat good food in Marietta Square. This comes in handy since the only other reason to be there is because you had to pay a speeding ticket (or worse). Spring brings a neighborhood feel to the center of the Cobb County town, and keeps the small, ever-changing menu fresh with grilled king mackerel, roasted lamb saddle, braised oxtail ragu pappardelle, and lots of reds, whites, local beers like Jekyll ‘Merican to make you fine (after the one you just paid the courthouse).

TUPELO HONEY CAFE

TUPELO HONEY CAFE SANDY SPRINGS You like to be comfortable, so you eat Southern comfort food. Tupelo Honey knows this! Even though it's originally from Asheville (and are now in seven states including... Colorado?), they know Atlanta is fat and likes biscuits, fried chicken, and the rest. So THC opened up shop and brought their “new South flavors” to Sandy Springs (where the money is). Rejoice, because this means you now have a go-to spot for gourmet Appalachian Johnny cake, a fried green tomato BLT, 14-hour-roasted “Cackalackie” pulled pork, and buttermilk fried chicken with milk gravy. NEXTO OLD 4TH WARD Ramen is meant to be slurped, and these days ATL residents are slurping more of it than ever. It’s a good thing that we have lots of it to go around, including at Nexto, where French Culinary Institute grad Mihoko Obunai (who’s had ramen pop-ups at The Sound Table and EAV’s SoBa) runs things. Try the caramelized garlic-soy “JFC” wings, the robata-grilled Wagyu sirloin, or a bowl of Kurobuta tonkotsu (pork belly) or Ebi Shoyu ramen (GA white shrimp). You’ll feel good and be able to tell people you stay on that next(o) level. And then people will laugh at your corniness and dad jokes.

COURTESY OF STORICO FRESCO ALIMENTARI E RISTORANTE

STORICO FRESCO BUCKHEAD Everybody who’s shopped at Peachtree Farmers Market has loved chef/sommelier Mike Patrick’s handmade pasta for years, as he’s put “lost” Italian pasta traditions back into play and been recognized as one of the top folks making squid ink pasta in ATL for years. Now with his retail “alimentari” and restaurant, you can either buy it for the house or enjoy it without cooking from the Berkshire pork meatballs to the rabbit ragu gnocchi and lasagna alla bolognese with veal, pork, beef, and bechamel.

COURTESY OF AMARA

AMARA OLD 4TH WARD When you mix New American food with Indian flavors, you get something that’s certainly bold in more ways than one. That’s the idea behind Amara, which is from the folks behind Tabla (the sexiest Indian restaurant in town), and which offers a great view of all the action on N. Highland. They also offer great snacks like crispy pig ear chevdo, a gang of small plates including masala prawn, curry-tomato mussels, and duck confit samosas. If you’re down to go bigger there’s vindaloo of pork shoulder, and a hanger steak with jaggery-tamarind glaze. And yes, it DOES have the moves.

AMALFI PIZZA

AMALFI PIZZA DOWNTOWN You know you love Neapolitan pies, and you know you can’t bake them at home like DiGiorno. It takes gusto, as well as two 6,000lb wood-burning brick ovens imported from Italy. The 12-inchers you get here at Amalfi are cooked in 60 seconds at 900 degrees, and were made from recipes created by master pizzaiolos (fancy word for pizza chefs) Stephen de Haan and Greg Grant. And really, it shouldn’t take much more convincing for you to go eat some damn good pizza, so there you go. SMOKE + DUCK SAUCE CUMBERLAND Jay-Z’s former sidekick Sauce Money once had a classic rap line that shook the whole rap game about people trying to “duck sauce.” Well, he was right, because you and everybody else who can’t rap at all need to go eat some Asian barbecue on the edge of Marietta. While you’ve surely tasted the tamarind-based sauce many times, you haven’t had it like this, with your choice of smoked meat (grilled chicken, pulled pork, brisket, rib racks), over your choice of steamed or egg fried rice... or mixed greens, and sides like smoked brisket lima beans.

CAFÉ VENDÔME ATLANTA

CAFÉ VENDOME BUCKHEAD A French bakery is never a bad idea. Refined pastries and baguettes from a French/American citizen who got his Executive MBA at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, and is not only an engineer but also a soccer player and youth coach, is a special thing, especially when his food is legit delicious. Go there and eat the saveurs, especially the smoked salmon “river sandwich” or tartines from curry chicken to chorizo and peppers.

COURTESY OF BUTCHER & BREW

BUTCHER & BREW ALPHARETTA It’s not every day that a gastro sports bar/restaurant is proud to say it’s “located in the soul of downtown Historic Alpharetta,” but with a name like Butcher & Brew you might consider that it's coming through to kick ass and change things for the better. It's doing that with fresh locally baked bread, eclectic craft beers from ATL and around the country, and a ‘50s/‘60s era street shop setup that makes you feel even better about getting a house pastrami sammy called “The Underwood." Or the cornmeal crusted salmon sandwich. RICHARDS' SOUTHERN FRIED KROG STREET MARKET Nashville-style hot chicken is having a moment in ATL -- even Hattie B’s is moving here to make sure it doesn’t miss the money it should be getting. That’s not to say that some people are doing it so well that they should have a permanent license to kill when it comes to the spicy chicken dish. And Todd Richards has earned that right. Sure, you’re spending more than $10, but when you taste those red peppered thighs and have a seat at the bench (which invites you there by being properly setup with a placemat and all the utensils before you even sit down), you’ll know that Nashville and ATL are soul-sisters anyway, so just go with it. https://www.thrillist.com/eat/atlanta/best-new-restaurants-atlanta-2016