Eating while riding horseback was pioneered by the efficient Mongols, who also adjusted to reading, receiving haircuts, and filling out their taxes atop their four-legged mobiles. Enjoy the convenience of chairs and tables with today’s Groupon to your choice of five different Fifth Group Restaurants. Choose one of the following restaurant deals:

• $15 for $30 worth of dinner at South City Kitchen Midtown
• $10 for $20 worth of classic southern lunch or brunch at South City Kitchen Midtown
• $15 for $30 worth of dinner at South City Kitchen Vinings
• $10 for $20 worth of Sunday brunch at South City Kitchen Vinings
• $20 for $40 worth of Italian dinner fare at La Tavola
• $10 for $20 worth of Sunday brunch at La Tavola
• $20 for $40 worth of seasonally inspired European dinner at Ecco
• $10 for $20 worth of tacos, margaritas, and more at El Taco

Fifth Group Restaurants began in 1993 with a hunger-driven dream and the opening of South City Kitchen in Midtown; in the intervening 17 years, the restaurant management company has grown to include a caravan of five grumble-silencing victual villas in a variety of cuisine styles. The restaurant group is also actively involved in a number of charitable and green programs, including a no-trash initiative where at least 95% of waste is either composted or recycled (Ecco is dumpster free and recycles or composts everything).

South City Kitchen has two locations in Midtown and Vinings; both provide classic southern comfort food with a modern twist, much like a chivalrous gentleman with prosthetic iPad hands. Edible offerings range from buttermilk fried chicken ($15.25–$16.75) and grilled Atlantic salmon ($21–$23) to everything in between. Two different deal options are available for brunch/lunch and dinner.

La Tavola, at the crossroads of Virginia-Highland, serves up Italian cuisine in a quaint neighborhood trattoria setting, ideal for low-key dates. The Sunday brunch features everything from almond crespelle crêpes ($7.95) and poached eggs ($8.95) to spaghetti carbonara ($11.50), and the dinner menu provides a bounty of pasta and antipasti, as well as main entrees such as roasted trout ($18.50).

Ecco in Midtown is a veritable cornucopia of seasonally inspired European cuisine, with influences drawn from Italy, France, and Spain. Take the meat-bridge to a selection of cured meats and cheese (three for $14, five for $22), flex over a platter of wood-roasted mussels ($12), or cut into an entree of pork sausage ($16).

El Taco on Highland Avenue offers simple, fresh Mexican food made only from all-natural meats. Make the meal potable with signature margaritas and frozen mojitos ($5.95 and up), which complement the spicy, savory dishes like a trampoline in a moon bounce. Enjoy a fried fish taco ($3.95), chili cheese enchiladas ($6.75), or a wood-grilled chicken pizza ($13).

This Groupon is for dine-in only.

Reviews

Citysearchers give South City Kitchen's Midtown location a 4.5-star average, and OpenTable reviewers give the South City Kitchen Vinings location an average of 4.1 stars. South City Kitchen is Zagat rated:

• The fried chicken was out of this world!!! – OpenTable reviewer who dined on 05/01/10
• SCK consistently provides a wonderful dining experience. They continue a tradition of innovative food with simple, high quality ingredients. – Jerrold, Citysearch

La Tavola was featured on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's accessAtlanta.com, and OpenTable reviewers give it an average of 4.2 stars. Citysearchers give it a 4.5-star average:

• Well-made risotto, plump seared scallops, beet salad — all simple dishes, served simply, and with lots of integrity. That's as Italian as it gets. – Meridith Ford, accessAtlanta.com
• the food is delicious. the wine list is extensive. the atmosphere is romantic and fun. – lautumnh, Citysearch

OpenTable reviewers give Ecco an average of 4.3 stars, and Yelpers, TripAdvisors, and Citysearchers all give the restaurant a four-star average. Ecco is Zagat rated:

• Fabulous food, warm, welcoming atmosphere. Upscale dining without the attitude. – BellaTavares, TripAdvisor
• Their food is creative and delicious. I like the emphasis on local foods. – OpenTable reviewer who dined on 06/01/10

El Taco is Zagat rated, and 70% of more than 140 Urbanspooners like it. Citysearchers and Yelpers give it an average of 3.5 stars:

• This place is a jewel and I only wish it were closer to where I live. – ladygodiva7, Citysearch
• The carnitas are a party in your mouth! – Michael L., Yelp