Atlanta, GA

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby and more May food events in metro Atlanta

Published

3 hours ago

April 29, 2026

Press Room

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Kentucky Derby and more May food events in metro Atlanta

Food & Dining

Attend a foodie block party at Sweet Auburn Barbecue, take free salsa classes and more things to do in May.

The Good Luck Smoke Show returns to Sweet Auburn Barbecue this year with more than 15 chefs and restaurants sharing bites and cocktails. (Courtesy of Peter Ho)

This May, enjoy a crawfish boil in Smyrna, snag a slot for NFA’s Burger Benefit, take part in the Meals on Wheels Taste fundraiser and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Here’s our running lineup of food-related things to do in metro Atlanta:

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The NFA Burger Benefit will feature chefs serving their own twists on a burger. (Photo Courtesy of NFA Burger).

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.m.p .m.p stneve/moc.yavhalc ,ecalP yaM yaM sdnegeL .atnaltA 03:9-03:6 03:7-03:4 554 ,0056-125-404 .3 .71

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Attend the annual Kyma Champagne Social featuring glasses of Champagne and food to pair with it. (Courtesy of Kyma)

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.nosrep rep .m.p amyk/moc.elbatnepo daoR tnomdeiP ,EN yaM .atnaltA 9-5 ,2070-262-404 5803 .41 95$

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The Good Luck Smoke Show returns to Sweet Auburn Barbecue this year with more than 15 chefs and restaurants sharing bites and cocktails. (Courtesy of Peter Ho)

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Cinco de Mayo events

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Aerial Kitchen & Bar will reopen for the season this May with an all-day Cinco de Mayo event. (Courtesy of Epicurean Atlanta)

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AltaToro will offer three days of specials for Cinco de Mayo. (Courtesy of AltaToro)

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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with drink specials at St. Julep. (Courtesy of Kimpton Sylvan Atlanta-Buckhead)

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Olivia Wakim is a reporter on the lifestyle team. She joined the AJC as an intern in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree. While in school, she reported for The Red & Black, Grady Newsource and the Marietta Daily Journal.

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Atlanta, GA

Conversation with Daryl “Chill” Mitchell

Published

15 hours ago

April 28, 2026

Press Room

Conversation with Daryl “Chill” Mitchell

Award-winning actor and rapper Daryl “Chill” Mitchell discusses his legendary career and his latest role in the hit sitcom “Shifting Gears.” Joined by his sons, Justen and Desmin, Chill opens up about fatherhood, the life-altering accident that fueled his advocacy for spinal injury awareness, and the unwavering resilience that keeps his family moving forward.

Posted April 28, 2026 5:08pm EDT

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Atlanta, GA

Review: Pink Lotus is more than a pretty face, it’s a Westside standout in Atlanta’s Thai evolution

Published

1 day ago

April 28, 2026

Press Room

Review: Pink Lotus is more than a pretty face, it’s a Westside standout in Atlanta’s Thai evolution

A spread of the whole branzino and the colorful components, including wrapping leaves of miang kham

Photograph by Martha Williams

Atlanta’s Thai scene has decisively shifted in the past two decades. If you asked me where to go for Thai food in the 1990s, my list would have included a handful of dependable spots for pad thai and standard curries. For so long, Little Bangkok reigned on Cheshire Bridge. That is, until the arrival of chef Nan Niyomkul and her late husband, Charlie, who opened Tamarind in 1998 and Nan Thai Fine Dining in the early aughts. Those early anchors helped cement the foundation of Thai food in Atlanta, but the real evolution occurred when homegrown restaurateurs and chefs began responding to diners’ growing demand for dishes with a point of view.

Today, Thai offerings in Atlanta are more regional, expressive, and personal. The growth is most evident in greats such as Tum Pok Pok on Buford Highway and Talat Market in Summerhill. Both helped prove Atlanta was ready for more complex Thai flavors and dishes. They pushed the dialogue forward, and now, Pink Lotus is carrying the conversation into the Westside.

the entry area popping with pink and the restaurant’s namesake flower

The restaurant’s location at the Stockyards Atlanta is savvy, given how few Thai restaurants exist in the industrial neighborhood. Owner Niki Pattharakositkul, the engine behind the ubiquitous 26 Hospitality Group, has built a reputation for approachable Thai across the metro area. The group’s dependable workhorse is 26 Thai; Pink Lotus is its shiny new jewel with a clear aesthetic and culinary identity. The restaurant educates diners about regional Thai dishes that are bold in color and intense in flavor, with a splash of drama.

The fuchsia-soaked restaurant’s name is a tribute to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who is also revered by Buddhists in Thailand. She is traditionally depicted standing on a giant pink lotus. Embodying an ethos of abundance, she watches over the dining room from a hand-painted mural that sets the mood for the plush velvet banquettes and gold accents throughout. The enormous custom lanterns in orange, green, and pink add warmth to the industrial space.

The menu, approachable and expansive, highlights Thailand’s main culinary regions—northern, southern, central, and Isaan. I knew this was a different type of restaurant the minute I saw the beautiful plating of the miang kham. The starter sets the mood early with neat piles of herbaceous betel leaves, coconut, lime, ginger, peanuts, and palm sugar syrup, all meant to be combined for a perfect sweet, salty, herbal, and sharp bite.

the three bite-size appetizers of the Lotus Signature Trio

Nearly every table seems to order the crispy tempura-fried kale mixed with ground chicken and punchy lime dressing. It arrives piled high, and it’s a crunchy bite that’s fun to eat and share. The restaurant offers numerous salads, such as papaya, as well as heartier options, including grilled pork jowl served on a mini tabletop grill. Skip the pad thai; there are more interesting dishes on the menu. Instead, order the branzino, either steamed or fried. We opted for the fried, which was perfectly greaseless and served with a vinegary, bright-green apple salad.

The crab fried rice, with its plump pieces of sweet lump crab, is a pricey splurge ($39) but worth it for any seafood lover. It comes with a green chili sauce for drizzling. The bone-in beef short rib looks like something out of The Flintstones. But it was the beef cheek curry served in a Southern Thai yellow-green curry sauce with eggplant that scratched the itch for something saucy and slightly spicy.

Not every dish is successful. The dry charcoal-grilled chicken lacked sufficient char. The khao soi was over-reduced: The sugar and salt were so intense that not even a trace of heat or a squeeze of lime could save it. (Otherwise, the soup of egg noodles and a chicken leg in a coconut-based yellow curry is well-constructed.) Service also needs improvement and the staff more training. One of our servers forgot to put in our order but played it off as managing the pacing.

The dining room artwork features the goddess Lakshmi holding a pink blossom.

A lengthy cocktail list from the gem of a bar, lined with colorful glass jars and clay vases, names inventive cocktails such as the Somtum Martini, a gin-based drink with flavors inspired by the tang of papaya salad.

Pink Lotus isn’t just filling a gap on the Westside; it’s raising the bar. As our city’s Thai food scene grows more varied and regionally expressive, Pink Lotus’s cooking and transportive design demonstrate how far we have come.

This article appears in our April 2026 issue.

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Atlanta, GA

Head to Roswell for Garlicky Grilled Chicken and a Savory Za’atar Martini

Published

2 days ago

April 27, 2026

Press Room

Head to Roswell for Garlicky Grilled Chicken and a Savory Za’atar Martini

Co-owner and chef Mark Mansour walks about the pink and green-hued dining room at Bey, greeting each guest with his signature smile and warmth. There is an ease about him as he brings platters of hummus and pita to tables, telling stories of his father’s chicken recipe and how a full dining table feels like Sundays at home. He’ll even plop a seat next to you, asking about your kids or the weather — a note of Lebanese hospitality that is abundant here.

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