Restaurants in Acworth

Zucca was founded by a trio of forlorn New York natives who longed for a taste of a thin, crispy-crusted, Staten Island–style pie. The results are presented on a menu dense with Italian delights. Starters such as crispy fried risotto and mozzarella balls ($7) and fresh bruschetta ($6.25) make satisfying meal bases for the award-winning pizzas. Pies are offered in two sizes—personal portions ($8+) or 18" discs ($13+)—and come customizable with more than 25 toppings, including bacon ($2), eggplant ($2), and roasted red peppers ($3). Specialty pies such as the expo-winning victory pie ($19 for 18" pie), a Margherita pizza with parsley sausage, mushrooms, and shaved parmesan, will tame topping negotiations, while hand-held calzones ($7–$9) and the extensive selection of popular pasta dishes ($10–$15) and entrees ($13–$21) are sure to delight.

Elevation Chophouse is aptly named. With its glass wall of windows that stretches up two stories and cuts clear views of the runways at Cobb County's McCollum Field to its liquid-nitrogen martinis and margaritas, Elevation takes fine dining to new heights. The restaurant is located next to the Atlanta Executive Jet Center and only several feet from the runway, allowing diners to devour classic chophouse creations while watching jets, helicopters, and small planes gracefully taking off, landing, and flapping their wings.

The chophouse prides itself on its steaks, which chefs hand cut, season with salt and pepper, and sear on an open pit of oak and hickory. Pacific rim and gulf shrimp swim onto plates beside classic sides such as loaded baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. Smoking, slushy-esque cocktails infused with liquid nitrogen line up beside spicy red wines and fragrant white wines at one of two bars, which host some of the restaurant’s myriad high-definition TVs.

Growing up in Illinois, the Donovan family fell in love with the horseshoe, an open-faced sandwich piled high with ham and covered in cheese sauce and French fries. When they opened Donovan's Irish Cobbler, the clan brought their own version of the Illinois tradition with them. In this version, fries and homemade cheese sauce join your choice of meat, including smoked ham, hamburger, and fried chicken. The dish became a hit, but it isn't the only one that caught on when Donovan's introduced it to the region. Boxty—stacked potato pancakes topped with shredded beef and, again, the house's signature cheese sauce—has also taken off like an alien spaceship that just stopped in to use Earth's Wi-Fi. The two popular dishes head a menu heavy on Irish classics such as bangers and mash, but also featuring paninis, salads, and wraps.

Open until 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, the pub is a lively night time spot. Each week it hosts events such as team trivia, a three-card poker tournament, and four-hour sets of live music.

With churrasco steaks, grilled red-snapper fillets, and shredded flank steaks rubbed with Cuban spices, it's hard to tell which dish earned Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Grill the tile of Best Cuban fare in 2010 and 2011 from the readers of Creative Loafing Atlanta. It could have been owner Rey Regalado’s recipe for pork marinade passed on from his father. Brought to America in a harrowing tale of escape from oppression, the signature sauce now trickles beneath layers of smoked pork, ham, swiss cheese, and dill pickles on the cuban sandwich or traditional masitas de puerco made with tender cubed pork. Selecting from a stash of family recipes, chefs fill plates with bold flavors and cap meals with such sweet treats as coconut flan and rice pudding. As the sun falls out of the sky on Fridays and Saturdays, live salsa music populates the dining room with toe-tapping beats and digestion-aiding rhythms.

Chefs and servers at Summits Wayside Tavern specialize in pairing pub fare and frothy brews—partnering more than 100 styles of beer with made-to-order burgers, salads, flatbreads, and sandwiches. Chefs pat patties of American Kobe beef or ground sirloin for made-to-order burgers smothered with add-ons spanning from applewood-smoked bacon to fried calamari. Though the taps may vary from location to location, bartenders have recently poured brews from Pabst, Lagunitas, and Dogfish Head.

Three decades ago, proprietor Gino Schiano-Moriello began to study the culinary traditions of his family in his native Napoli. He learned under the watchful eye of his father, Giorgio, who once worked in the kitchens of the Brooklyn restaurant circuit and on Italian cruise lines. After proving his skill through 20 years of cooking experience and successfully untying a Gordian knot of spaghetti noodles, Gino opened Taste of Italy in 2004. He now feeds the hungry masses at two locations with mouth-watering New York– and Sicilian-style pizzas, as well as traditional Italian pasta dishes. Plates of homemade lasagna, hearty gnocchi bolognese, and pillowy cheese-stuffed ravioli share table space with fresh caprese and antipasto. In addition to treating visitors to meals of authentic Italian and familiar American cuisine, Taste of Italy provisions banquets and celebrations with bountiful catered trays of salad and pasta.:m]]