North of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, you’ll find, well … most of the metro area’s restaurants. But this group of eateries stands out, from almost-hidden gems to community favorites that offer unique, unexpected and delicious flavors.

If you’re headed north after landing at the airport, do yourself a favor and check out these places.

📍Soul Food & Culture

You may have walked right past this off-to-the-side gem inside Krog Street Market, but next time you’ll be sure to stop.

Get the catfish sandwich — it’s enough for two people. Soul Food & Culture elevates the sandwich with their secret spice blend that gives the catfish a savory flavor. The crispy golden-fried catfish fillet is topped with spicy remoulade, pickles and red onions, built between two toasted buns. There’s something about spending your money and being happy with what you get. This sandwich doesn’t disappoint.

Soul Food & Culture. 99 Krog St. NE, Atlanta. 404-963-6780, soulfoodculture.com.

📍Uncle Phill’s

Uncle Phill’s brings Philadelphia’s iconic sandwich to Atlanta. Whether you should call it a cheesesteak or a cheesesteak hoagie is up for debate, but what’s for sure is that this sandwich is worth a try.

A fresh Amoroso roll is packed with tender, perfectly seasoned chopped rib-eye, melted white American cheese, a light touch of mayo and grilled onions. You can add up to three extra toppings to customize it to your taste. The consistent meat-to-cheese ratio is spot on.

Uncle Phill’s. 1162 Moreland Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-205-5028. eatunclephills.com

📍Kingston’s Caribbean

Kingston’s Caribbean already made a name for itself as one of the top Jamaican restaurants in Decatur. Then it added the oxtail sandwich to the menu. It’s constructed on some of the softest coco bread around, but that’s not the best part.

Inside the coco bread, you get a flaky beef patty, creamy macaroni and cheese and shredded tender oxtail meat smothered in a savory Caribbean gravy. It sounds like a lot is going on, but the flavors and textures play off each other like an Avengers ensemble. Since being added to the menu, it’s become one of Kingston’s most popular items.

Kingston’s Caribbean. 2100 Candler Road, Decatur. 678-974-5982, kingstonscaribbeanrestaurant.com.

🍽️ Read more: Discover all 5 restaurants north of the Atlanta airport.

We are rounding up pop-up residencies with schedules consistent enough to earn an “every” on your weekly calendar. These recurring takeovers offer set hours each week or month, taking the pop-ups one step closer to their own brick-and-mortar dreams.

Note: This list strictly features indoor residencies; residencies at farmers markets were not included.

Here are a few to check out:

🫓Lebanese flavors from Habibi’s

Who: Habibi’s (@habibisatl) from Fadi Alkaasamani.

When/Where: Mondays-Fridays, 7-11:30 a.m., and Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Chow A La Carte (@chow_a_la_carte). 2440 Piedmont Road NE, Buckhead.

Why you should check them out: Born in Russia and raised in Lebanon, Alkaasamani leverages his classical Swiss fine-dining pedigree to elevate everyday comfort foods, infusing approachable breakfast bowls and pizzas with authentic Lebanese flavors. Try the Lebanese breakfast bowl loaded with batata harra potatoes, eggs, housemade sujouk (a dry, spicy fermented sausage) and feta or grab a fresh-baked mankoushe flatbread topped with cheese and za’atar. For the pizzas, consider the sujouk pie with fermented pepper tomato sauce and olive oil sourced straight from Alkaasamani’s father’s 500-year-old trees back in Lebanon.

🥟Polish food from Beksa Lala

Who: Beksa Lala (@beksa_atl) from Basia Piechoczek.

When/Where: Mondays, 5-9 p.m. Breaker Breaker (@breakerbreaker_atl). 921 Wylie St. SE, Reynoldstown.

Why you should check them out: Born in the U.S. to Polish immigrants, Piechoczek launched her pop-up to connect with her heritage and share the traditional methods she learned in her grandmother’s kitchen. Her current theme is “Baltic girl summer,” featuring Polish coastal dishes. She often collaborates with other pop-ups to create unique cross-cultural menus.

🍖Atlanta-inspired Texas craft barbecue from Misfitsss

Who: Misfitsss (@misfitsssbbq) from Bryan Hull and Tyler Heath.

When/Where: Saturdays, noon until sold out, and Sundays, 1 p.m. until sold out. (Misfitsss will be on vacation the first two weekends of August.) Round Trip Brewing Co. (@roundtripbeer). 1279 Seaboard Industrial Blvd. NW, Underwood Hills.

Why you should check them out: Hull and Heath blend Texas craft barbecue with Atlanta’s identity, incorporating global spices from Buford Highway and occasional collaborations with local chefs. Saturdays feature limited quantities of ribs and their signature deep-cut platter (beef cheek, pork steak, sausage and several sides), while Sundays swap those out for a pork belly plate with cheesy grits and a smoked cheeseburger. The rest of the lineup, including the weekly specialty sausage and rotating desserts, is available both days.

📋Read more: Check out Punk Foodie’s running list of reoccurring Atlanta pop-ups.

Sandwiches for dinner are an easy weeknight win any time of year, but especially over the next month amid back-to-school chaos. (Or, if you don’t have school-age kids to feed, the regular chaos that the end of summer brings.)

The sandwiches don’t need to be boring in order to be quick and simple — consider gyros. Made from flavor-packed ground meat (in this case, lamb), plus creamy and crunchy toppings and warm toasted pita bread, gyros are a crowd-pleasing, DIY dinner that comes together quickly.

💡 Double-duty ingredients build flavor in ground meat and make perfect toppings for lamb gyros

One trick to cooking with limited ingredients is to choose ingredients that can do double duty. Using a sauce or a seasoning in multiple places means you can take full advantage of its flavor profile and create a well-rounded dish without using half your pantry. In this recipe, three key ingredients are used twice: onion, tzatziki and dried oregano.

💡 Large lamb patties cook quickly and slice easily for gyros

Gyro meat is usually cooked on a rotating vertical rotisserie (hence the name, which in Greek means “turn”), but this is impractical in a home kitchen. Luckily, there are other ways to achieve a similar result, and the simplest is to form the meat into patties, then cook and thinly slice.

💡 Build-your-own gyro sandwiches make a kid-friendly dinner

When it comes time to eat, you can assemble the sandwiches in the kitchen or, do as I do with my kids, serve the meal like a taco bar. Bring out the meat, onions, pita and sauce, along with any other toppings you can wrestle up (chopped cukes and diced tomatoes work well). Let everyone build their gyros just as they’d like.

🥙 Get the full recipe for this easy, kid-friendly dinner.