Sustainable Restaurants in Atlanta Serving Locally Sourced and Organic Food

By Allison Ramirez

Published January 31, 2025
Last Updated February 3, 2025

One of the greenest cities in the U.S., Atlanta is known for its expansive parks and green spaces, farmers markets and, of course, delicious and diverse food offerings. Many restaurants in the city have implemented sustainability practices, like ethical sourcing, composting and reducing emissions in various ways. If you’re looking for a place to eat that’s sustainable and also serves superb food, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites, from Marietta to Chattahoochee Hills and everywhere in between, so you’re not only blown away by some of the best flavors in the Southeast but can also do good while you dine. 

Atlas and The Garden Room

In Buckhead, Atlas and The Garden Room exemplify sustainable dining by prioritizing local, seasonal ingredients and minimizing environmental impact. One-MICHELIN-Star Atlas, led by chef Freddy Money, relies heavily on local vendors and has built strong relationships with farmers, ensuring high-quality, fresh ingredients. Hickory Hills Farm, for instance, supplies 70% of the restaurant’s larger vegetables, growing what Atlas needs seasonally and locally. Additional partners, like Ashland Farms and Ula Farms, provide microgreens, and local carpenter Chris Stavely crafts wooden serving items using Georgia wood. Atlas also reduces food waste by utilizing every part of an animal in its dishes. Atlas and The Garden Room support the regional economy, reduce their carbon footprint and bring exceptional, ever-evolving flavors to their menus.

Where: 88 West Paces Ferry Road NW

Avize

An Alpine-inspired restaurant, West Midtown’s Avize is deeply rooted in sustainable farm and kitchen practices. With more than a decade of environmentally conscious farming experience, the restaurant’s farmer partner, Grant Wallace, uses hay mulch (a habitat for insects) instead of plastic, grows no-till grains and avoids irrigation thus fostering soil conservation while protecting pollinators. He forages for local ingredients like juniper berries, muscadines and mushrooms and maintains a food forest and butterfly garden with figs, apples, berries and native herbs.

Avize’s commitment to sustainability at the restaurant extends to every meal, minimizing waste with a thoughtful approach to ingredient use. Leftovers from fresh vegetable prep go into daily family meals. At the same time, ingredients are maximized creatively — for instance, turnip roots are charred for fish dishes, greens are used in sauces and fermented carrot liquid enhances sauces and purées. “We even make our butter and use the buttermilk and whey in our ice cream and to brine vegetables,” said chef Karl Gorline. 

Where: 956 Brady Ave. NW

Bacchanalia and Star Provisions

A MICHELIN Green Star recipient, Bacchanalia sets a high standard for sustainable dining with its farm-to-table ethos. It features a seasonal menu crafted from organic, locally sourced ingredients, many of which are grown at chef-owner Anne Quatrano’s farm, Summerland. This dedication to sustainable farming practices ensures fresh, flavorful dishes and supports land preservation and regional food culture, giving diners an exceptional culinary experience mindful of the environment. Bacchanalia’s sister restaurant, market and bakery, Star Provisions, also emphasizes sustainability through its commitment to local sourcing and high-quality ingredients. Collaborating with nearby farmers and artisans reduces the restaurant’s carbon footprint and supports the community. With a focus on sustainability and transparency in sourcing, Star Provisions offers a thoughtful menu that’s as delicious and budget-friendly as environmentally responsible.

Where: 1460 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NW

THE CHASTAIN

An elevated, California-style restaurant in the Chastain Park area of Buckhead, THE CHASTAIN embraces sustainability through a menu that celebrates seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. The MICHELIN Green Star restaurant reduces its environmental impact by using produce from its culinary garden and partnering with nearby farms. Through herbs, vegetables and other fresh ingredients grown on site, THE CHASTAIN ensures its dishes and drinks are delicious and eco-friendly. Sustainable practices are integrated into every aspect of the restaurant’s operation, making it a true champion of local, low-impact dining.

Where: 4320 Powers Ferry Road NW

Distillery of Modern Art 

Stillage is an unavoidable byproduct of distilling. Some distilleries dump their byproducts in landfills, where they rot away. Distillery of Modern Art (DoMA) repurposes its stillage into feed for local farmers’ cattle and chickens, creating a zero-waste environment. DoMA sources ingredients from local farmers’ markets whenever possible. Through its partnership with Doc Brown Farm & Distillers, a Georgia-based, female-run company, DoMA relies entirely on locally sourced grains. The distillery, located 15 miles north of downtown Atlanta, has an on-site garden to grow all the garnishes for the bar, including edible flowers, sage and mint.

Where: 2197 Irvindale Way

The Farmhouse at Serenbe 

The Farmhouse at Serenbe, one of the Atlanta area’s earliest farm-to-table restaurants, sources ingredients directly from its kitchen garden and nearby Serenbe Farms, one of Georgia’s first certified organic farms. Serenbe’s restaurants — including The Hill and Austin’s, a newer cocktail bar in the neighborhood — rely on Serenbe Farms for fresh, local produce. Located in an eco-conscious community in Chattahoochee Hills, these restaurants benefit from sustainable practices including geothermal HVAC, solar,and net-zero homes. The community also conserves water through native and edible landscaping and treats wastewater naturally for reuse as irrigation, reinforcing Serenbe’s dedication to environmental stewardship.

Where: 10950 Hutchesons Ferry Road, Chattahoochee Hills, GA

Georgia Boy 

Georgia Boy is committed to sustainable practices, with Chef Joey Ward leading the charge in sourcing local and ethically raised ingredients. The Michelin-recommended restaurant is unique in that dining here encompasses a blind tasting — menus aren’t released ahead of time, so if you’re up for an adventure, this is the place to visit. The restaurant minimizes food waste by supporting Georgia’s farming community and using Compost Now while highlighting seasonal produce and meats in its innovative dishes. With a focus on community and sustainability, Georgia Boy ensures that every meal reflects the region’s agricultural bounty and is delivered with minimal environmental impact.

Where: 1043 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE

Kimball House

In Decatur, Kimball House prioritizes sustainability by composting and cultivating a sizable garden — one of the largest among Atlanta restaurants — where it grows figs, kiwis, herbs, edible flowers and more. The team continually seeks ways to use ingredients multiple times, employing techniques that promote sustainability in the dishes and cocktails to enhance flavor layering. This commitment reflects a dedication to the environment and innovative culinary practices.

Where: 303 E Howard Ave., Decatur

Little Bear

Summerhill restaurant Little Bear is a neighborhood favorite that sources fresh products from local farms, making it a more sustainably oriented establishment that actively supports the local farming community. In both the kitchen and the bar, the team prioritizes using scrap and trim from preparation to minimize waste in both the kitchen and the bar. Techniques include dehydrating fruit and vegetable skins and tops for powders and seasoning, cooking seeds into purées and creating fermented and pickled items from produce that may be too ripe for fresh applications. The bar complements this ethos by crafting infused syrups, tinctures, and bitters, along with homemade vermouth and amaro that incorporate herb stems and fruit cores. Little Bear is dedicated to ethical sourcing and finding creative uses for every bit of produce and protein.

Where: 71 Georgia Ave. SE

Nàdair 

The newest restaurant from chef Kevin Gillespie, Nadair, is Scottish-inspired and emphasizes green practices as a core value. Building on Gillespie’s commitment to sustainability through his Defend Southern Food initiative, Nàdair supports local farmers and reduces food waste, aiming to nourish the surrounding community with fresh, nutritious ingredients. The reservation-only system at Nàdair further contributes to its eco-friendly approach by ensuring accurate demand, reducing food waste and preventing overproduction. Thoughtful decisions went into the space’s design, incorporating reused and recycled materials to minimize environmental impact. Nàdair also diverts rainwater to a community garden next door, enhancing the restaurant’s eco-friendly approach and making its 4,300-square-foot space energy efficient.

Where: 1123 Zonolite Road

Mellow Mushroom

With multiple restaurants in the Atlanta area, including Brookhaven, Buckhead, Midtown, Grant Park and others, Mellow Mushroom has long been committed to sustainable dining, with a focus on reducing its environmental footprint. Since 1974, the brand has used eco-friendly packaging, including pizza boxes made from 100% recycled materials. It recently won the Steel Keg Association’s 2023 “Keg Champion Award” for its reusable steel kegs. Mellow Mushroom uses recycled paper bags and straws while eliminating single-use plastic containers across all locations. In 2023, recycled paper packaging helped save more than 11 million gallons of water and 27,000 trees and prevent nearly 1,600 tons of CO2, significantly reducing waste and conserving resources.

Where: Various locations across Atlanta

Octopus Bar

The late-night bar in East Atlanta Village is an industry favorite and hot spot for in-the-know locals looking for an elevated late-night night bite. The dry fried eggplant is a must, and the Maine lobster roll is always a good idea and the best way to end the evening. Of the bar/restaurant’s sustainability initiatives, chef Jared Warwick said, “We teamed up with Shell to Shore to recycle our oyster shells and buy most produce at the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market.”

Where: 560 Gresham Ave. SE

Palo Santo

Palo Santo, an elevated Mexican fusion restaurant in West Midtown, recently launched a composting program in partnership with Compost Now, a local company dedicated to sustainable waste management. The restaurant is committed to supporting Mexican farmers by sourcing heirloom corn through Tamoa, an organization that works with more than 80 farming families in Mexico to preserve rare corn varieties. Chef Santiago Gomez emphasizes sourcing local and organic ingredients whenever possible, combining sustainable practices with authentic flavors in every dish.

Where: 955 West Marietta St. NW

Spring

Spring, a New American restaurant on Marietta Square, emphasizes sustainability with a minimalist, seasonal menu crafted from ethically raised and locally sourced ingredients. The restaurant’s dedication to supporting local farmers ensures that every dish highlights the highest quality produce and proteins available. By prioritizing seasonal offerings, Spring delivers fresh, tasty flavors and minimizes its environmental impact, showcasing a thoughtful approach to dining that celebrates the best of local agriculture.

Where: 36 Mill St., Marietta

Talat Market

In the Summerhill area, Talat Market partners with Compost Now for composting and collaborates with Sea to Shore to recycle oyster shells, ensuring environmentally friendly waste management practices. The Thai-inspired restaurant sources much of its produce locally and prioritizes organic ingredients, reflecting a commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture and quality in every dish and cocktail.

Where: 112 Ormond St. SE

Upbeet

A fast-casual dining experience in West Midtown, Upbeet opened in 2017 with the idea that clean and healthy food can also be convenient. The restaurant — known for its bowls, smoothies, superfood lattes and more — is committed to sustainable dining, focusing on wholesome, organic ingredients that nourish the body and the planet. The restaurant partners with local farms to bring fresh, seasonal produce to the table, minimizing the carbon footprint of food sourcing. Upbeet offers a menu that reflects its dedication to sustainability and the environment by emphasizing plant-based dishes and eco-conscious practices.

Where: 1071 Howell Mill Road NW

Your 3rd Spot

A social dining experience with arcade games, karaoke and more, Your 3rd Spot is dedicated to sustainability and its role in supporting both local and global communities. Chef Stuart Rogers, a “Georgia Grown Executive Chef” honored by the Georgia Restaurant Association, embodies this commitment by sourcing ingredients from nearby farms, reducing carbon emissions and supporting the local economy. The restaurant’s digital menus cut down on paper waste, especially with seasonal updates. Y3S’s small plates concept minimizes food waste by focusing on shareable, bite-sized portions, and eco-friendly containers are used when takeout is necessary. Energy efficiency is also prioritized through LED lighting and automated climate control. Y3S continually seeks ways to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance sustainable practices while diners can focus solely on having fun.

Where: 400 Chattahoochee Row NW

Learn more about restaurants and attractions committed to sustainability in Atlanta, and check out our guide to finding sustainably-grown products in Atlanta’s farmers markets. 

Allison Ramirez is an Atlanta-based freelance journalist with over a decade of experience writing for publications like Travel + Leisure, the Daily Beast, Eater, Thrillist and others. Her recent work spans art, architecture, travel, and food & beverage stories, focusing on diversity within those spaces in the South and beyond.