Communitas Hospitality, Atlanta

Delicious food and good conversation—that's what everyone hopes for when they go out to eat. Hobnob strives to deliver on both points. Its menu of tavern-style comfort food adds appealing twists to familiar dishes, such as the chipotle-cornmeal-crusted fried green tomatoes dabbed with tomato-horseradish relish, goat cheese, and balsamic reduction. At night, diners can nosh on burgers, pot roast, Pecan Crusted Fresh North Georgia Trout with Bourbon Glazed Carrots, Bacon Onion Jam. At weekend brunch, they might try the steak benedict or the hefty Wake and Bake pizza, with sausage, bacon, veggies, and three eggs over easy.

And true to its name, HOBNOB is warmly welcoming to the sociable. (Its founders, the Yeremyan brothers, studied hospitality all over the world before starting Communitas Hospitality, which also owns 10th & Piedmont and G's Midtown.) Its intimate-yet-casual dining room and a shady patio are conducive to conversation, as are its boozy milkshakes and extensive craft-beer selection. Hobnob even has board games to get the night rolling and complimentary parking to start it off without a hitch.