ATL Love | Peachtree Hills + Buckhead

How wonderful are these illustrations by Natalie Kilgore. She made each one specifically for the ATL LOVE series. Find more of her work at Natty Michelle

Welcome to the ATL LOVE Series! I've asked a handful of my favorite Atlanta bloggers to give us an-eats-and-treats tour of their favorite Atlanta area neighborhood over the next few weeks.

Today we are touring Peachtree Hills/Buckhead with the fabulous Nicole Melvin of Probably Polka Dots. Nicole is super stylish school teacher who loves polkadots, monograms, and sweet tea. She is currently planning her wedding and I love her Wedding Wednesday Series - and I'm not even planning a wedding! 

Find more of Nicole at:

Probably Polka Dots / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

What you love about your hood: Ironically, I love the hustle and bustle. There is always movement and there are always people to see and things to do. I also must say that the location is a prime spot. We can hop to just about any other neighborhood in about 10 minutes. 

Favorite breakfast/brunch: Buttermilk Kitchen: the fried egg BLT is a must have. They pickle the tomatoes which gives the sammie a little zing that is irresistible. 

Favorite coffee stop: Henri's Bakery: Henri's has been in business for over 84 years! It's inviting staff and quaint garden patio is a wonderful place to read the newspaper or a good book on a Saturday morning. 

Best working lunch: Souper Jenny, hands down. If the line is short, zip in and out in under 5 minutes, and if it's long, it's worth the wait! Grab a bowl of soup with a salad or sandwich, a cookie, and a drink for $14. I know it sounds steep, but everything is homemade by Jenny. If it's your first visit, snag a steaming bowl of "My Dad's Turkey Chili." And, if you're visiting on a Thursday, wait until 5:30 and go for their grilled cheese night! 

Best date night bet: Georgia Grille: This quaint, southwestern restaurant named for artist Georgia O'Keefe is my favorite place for date night. The staff is friendly, the margaritas are plentiful, and it's tucked away in a small corner of a shopping center. Order the shrimp and grits for a light meal of shrimp and veggies in a balsamic reduction. The house favorite? Lobster enchiladas! 

Best meeting friends for drinks: Treehouse: Nestled inbetween some trees in a corner of Peachtree Hills, Treehouse is a watering hole for happy hours that turn into dinner hours that turn into late night chats. The majority of the restaurant is outside, so plan to go on a nice evening where you can enjoy the atmosphere and the company. 

Favorite dessert stop: Cami Cakes: The original Atlanta cupcake destination that has the moistest, most delectable cupcakes in the city. You can't beat the red velvet, but my personal favorite is the Raspberry Chocolate. The kids will love flavors like Cotton Candy & Lemon Drop. YUM!

Donuts, pie, or ice cream: Cacao Atlanta for artisan chocolate, cakes, and fantastic milk shakes!

Diner, greasy spoon, or grab and to-go dinner: Grindhouse Killer Burgers: Get the pimento cheese burger loaded with cheesy-goodness, a fried green tomato, and coleslaw...and maybe wash it down with a Boozy Milkshake. Just trust me. 

Neighborhood Shop or Farmer’s Market: Peachtree Hills Farmer's Market: Saturdays from 8:30-12 in the parking lot of the Cathedral of St. Philip. The vendors are incredible and provide the best local produce. I always pick up a jar of Phickle's Pickles & buns from H&F bread company for burger night! 

Non-food shopping: Swoozies: This is my go-to for unique gifts for just about any occasion. 

Many thanks to the talented Natalie Kilgore, who's incredible hand draw illustrations really tie the series together. You can purchase her work in her etsy shop, Natty Michelle Paperie or follow her blog, Natty Michelle, for her insightful "free-lance ladies" series or peeks into her charming home.

more ATL LOVE posts: Marietta|East Atlanta Village|Tucker

ATL LOVE | Tucker

Illustration c/o Natalie Kilgore, find more of her work at Natty Michelle

Welcome to the ATL LOVE Series! I've asked a handful of my favorite Atlanta bloggers to give us an-eats-and-treats tour of their favorite Atlanta area neighborhood over the next few weeks. Many thanks to the talented Natalie Kilgore, who's incredible hand draw illustrations really tie the series together. You can purchase her work in her etsy shop, Natty Michelle Paperie or follow her blog, Natty Michelle, for her insightful "free-lance ladies" series or peeks into her charming home. 

Today's ATL love series takes us to Tucker where my dear friends and Isn't She Lovely blogger Jana Burrow is raising her sweet little family. Jana's blogging is my go-to for uplifting lady talk and real life mom advice. She is also a gifted writer and her post "Inside a Year and a Weekend" really moved me. 

Find more from Jana: blog|facebook|pinterest|twitter|instagram

What you love about your hood: It has a small town feel right next to the big city! We are incredibly close to major highways, but we always feel like we live in a little bubble. The surrounding areas of Decatur and Oak Grove are nearby and we frequent those areas for eating out as well. 

Favorite breakfast/brunch: Sunday brunch at Marlow's is my favorite. However, Seth loves to take the girls to Old Hickory House on days when he lets me sleep in!

Favorite coffee stop: Paramount Coffee Shop and Books

While I have only been there once, I look forward to going again! I went because there was a Scout Mob and I was not disappointed. Can't wait to go back.

Best working lunch: I don't technically work, so a working lunch for me is Chick-Fil-A so the kids can run around in the play equipment. However, if I did have a working lunch with adults I would go to The Greater Good. I love their sliders, but really you can't go wrong. 

Best date night bet: Shorty's

Usually for a date night we try to get out of Tucker and find something new. But, when we want to stay close to home and have a really yummy meal we head to Shorty's. Seth is a pizza guy and I do not love pizza. They apparently have great pizza, but their menu offers so much more too! I prefer their shrimp fajitas.

Best meeting friends for drinks: Local Seven...it's bar food, but great atmosphere!

Favorite dessert stop: Sweet Dee's

I love that Sweet Dee's is on Main Street. I have never been one to just buy a cupcake, but I find myself unable to resist at Sweet Dee's.

Donuts, pie, or ice cream: I struggled with this one because outside of chains there's not much of these around here. So, Seth told me to put his favorite place on Main Street which is Growler Time. 

Diner, greasy, spoon or grab and to-go dinner: Matthew's Cafeteria. It's pretty historic, and really greasy!

Neighborhood Shop or Farmer’s Market: Tucker Farmer's Market (summer only) This farmer's market is really impressive. There's music, food, and fun for the kids. Our routine is to get a King of Pops treat, pet the goat and buy the goat cheese, stock up on veggies, play in the kids area, and head to Main Street for dinner. 

Non-food shopping: Tucker House has all of your boutiquey needs and is just a cute place to go!

previous ATL LOVE posts: Marietta|East Atlanta Village| more coming next week..

ATL LOVE | East Atlanta Village

Illustration c/o Natalie Kilgore, find more of her work at Natty Michelle

Welcome to the ATL LOVE Series! I've asked a handful of my favorite Atlanta bloggers to give us an-eats-and-treats tour of their favorite Atlanta area neighborhood over the next few weeks. Many thanks to the talented Natalie Kilgore, who's incredible hand draw illustrations really tie the series together. You can purchase her work in her etsy shop, Natty Michelle Paperie or follow her blog, Natty Michelle, for her insightful "free-lance ladies" series or peeks into her charming home. 


For our next installment of the ATL LOVE series my friend Lindsay Ware is giving us a tour of East Atlanta Village. Lindsay is a graphic designer and write about all things style, design, and music on her blog The Ware.House. She and her hubby (who's my husband's childhood BFF) just finished an addition onto their East Atlanta home - I loved this little sneak peak she gave of the space last week on Checking In. 

find more from Lindsay: blog|twitter|pinterest|instagram 

What you love about your hood: You can be exactly who you are.

Favorite breakfast/brunch: Sadly there are not any good breakfast places in the village. Holy Taco has great brunch though. Excellent bloody mary's & a fantastic patio. I really love their music selection too...whoever put it together is my musical twin. I also love to come here for lunch/dinner/drinks. It's one of my faves!

Favorite coffee stop: Joe's — great coffee & big comfortable chairs to sink into and work for hours. In college when I would come visit my now husband I went up there to design and often got lost surfing the internet.

Best working lunch: Tomatillo's — Good, fast, fresh mexican food.

Best date night bet: H. Harper Station — I really love the vibe of this place they have really good lighting. Fabulous cocktails and food. At one point, they had a lobster risotto on the menu and it was to die for.

Best meeting friends for drinks: Argosy — Such a welcomed addition to the neighborhood! Huge beer selection and killer pizzas. Lots of different seating options, they have these loungy areas with low tables with couches and cushions — perfect for catching up over some drinks.

Favorite dessert stop:  Argosy (again!)— They have this blondie brownie with ice cream...it's way too good!

Favorite ice cream stop: Morelli's Ice Cream — Waiting in line here is worth it! They always have some unique flavors sprinkled in with the classics. I recently tried coconut pineapple and it was delicious! 

Diner, greasy, spoon or grab and to-go dinner: Graveyard Tavern — My husband probably come here once a week which is terrible because it is not the healthiest of choices but, we love their buffalo chicken nachos. I also really love their sweet potato fries. 

Neighborhood Shop or Farmer’s Market: Grant Park Farmers Market — One of my favorite things to do on Sunday morning. H & F Bread has the best almond croissants in the world! [I would add that the East Atlanta Farmer's Market is wonderful too! - Meghan] 

Non-food shopping: Not too many good choices in this department directly in my neighborhood but I love going to Kudzu in Decatur just to browse around and get inspired. They have great furniture and decorative things for the home.

previous ATL LOVE posts: Marietta|more coming soon! 

ATL LOVE | Marietta

Illustration c/o Natalie Kilgore, find more of her work at Natty Michelle

Welcome to the ATL LOVE Series! I've asked a handful of my favorite Atlanta bloggers to give us an-eats-and-treats tour of their favorite Atlanta area neighborhood over the next few weeks. Many thanks to the talented Natalie Kilgore, who's incredible hand draw illustrations really tie the series together. You can purchase her work in her etsy shop, Natty Michelle Paperie or follow her blog, Natty Michelle, for her insightful "free-lance ladies" series or peeks into her charming home. 

Today's ATL LOVE takes us right down the road from my house to Historic Marietta. Our tour guide is the lovely Lesley Graham who's blog is my go-to for uplifting, real life talk on mommy-life, blogging, and faith. Her post on prayers for little ones is a recent favorite!

Find more from Lesley: blog|facebook|twitter|pinterest|instagram

What do you love about your neighborhood? The oversized pecan trees, history, and Americana drew us to our current neighborhood. After experiencing a very "Hocus Pocus" halloween with some friends that lived in the 'hood we were sold! We also love that there are great schools, shops and restaurants, trails and Kennesaw Mountain within walking distance. We feel really blessed to be here.

Favorite breakfast/brunch: All-time favorite is Douceur de France. In the cooler months, they have a fire going and I absolutely love their Quiche Lorraine. If I'm feeling extra splurgy I'll grab some macarons from the bakery on the way out.

Favorite coffee stop: I'm loyal to Cool Beans unless I'm trying to get work done... I always run into friends there!

Best date night bet: For our anniversary we went to Chicken and the Egg and they went above and beyond to make it special. At the top of our date night wish list? The Butcher The Baker. A husband and wife team recently opened this gem on the square, which I think gives us some culinary street cred. He's the butcher, she's the baker.

Best meeting friends for drinks spot: For a wild night, Johnny Maccrackens (aka the crack). For a girls' night, I would go to The Butcher The Baker for their punch!

Favorite dessert stop: Sugar Cakes makes this incredible mousse dessert called the Mirage. OMG.

Favorite ice cream shop: I live for the pumpkin ice cream at Sarah Jean's. Should be arriving soon...

Best loved to-go dinner: We love the Pad see-u at Thaicoon. The perfect take-out for those long days where you don't feel like cooking.

How's your local Farmer’s Market?: We have a really amazing farmer's market on saturdays and sundays. Bring cash, your bags, and start with a King of Pops popsicle. I love getting my flowers, vegetables, meat and more there. It's such a melting pot of people and food. There are also some of the most beautiful succulents and other plants for sale each week. I would recommend ditching the stroller for a carrier... much easier!

Do you have a favorite local shop, vintage or flea market?: OK, I hesitate to share this... I love the Classy Flea!