MARTA dining guide: Chamblee

This Rough Draft dining series will continue throughout 2025, highlighting restaurants in cities and neighborhoods within easy walking distance or a short bus ride from MARTA rail stations. Check out previous guides to Brookhaven and Doraville on the Gold Line.

One of ten cities in DeKalb County, Chamblee was incorporated into the state legislature in 1908. Once famous for dairies, Camp Gordon, and its proximity to the railroad, Chamblee has evolved into a suburban arm of Atlanta with a picture-perfect, railside downtown and an ever-increasing collection of restaurants along its historic main drag. 

An outcropping of newer restaurants on Peachtree Boulevard and Peachtree and New Peachtree roads makes downtown Chamblee all the better these days. In addition to restaurants and bars, Chamblee also features a small but mighty downtown shopping district with stores selling antiques, specialty clothing, housewares, and consignment items and clothing. 

This dining guide highlights eight restaurants easily accessible from the Chamblee MARTA station on the Gold Line, located on New Peachtree Road. All restaurants listed are within short walking distance or a quick bus ride from the rail station, including buses 19, 47, 103, 126, 152, and 825.

Oaxaca ATL ($$-$$$)
5255 Peachtree Blvd

• Oaxacan regional cuisine; lively covered patio; open for lunch and dinner; 
• Walking: 11 minutes or .5 miles

Oaxaca ATL is part of a wave of new fine-dining-leaning Mexican restaurants focused on regionality and even hyper-regionality. But this Chamblee Oaxacan restaurant, which leans into the beauty of masa and masa-based dishes, outshines trendier spots closer to the city center while maintaining a slightly lower price tag. Reservations recommended.

What to eat: Steak tlayuda; branzino; duck carnitas; quesadilla de flor de calabaza (squash blossoms); churros for dessert

What to drink: Mezcal margarita; tamarind agua fresca; Mexican wine

BLUETOP ($-$$)
5362 Peachtree Road

• Bar and pub food; covered and open patio seating; lawn games; TVs
• Walking: 14 minutes or .6 miles

Situated on a popular strip in downtown Chamblee, BLUETOP delivers exactly what you’d expect: solid pub food, local libations, and an all-around good time. Order a burger or sandwich with a side of house-fried kettle chips. While the weather’s bearable, grab a seat on the covered astroturf patio, which feels like a cross between your favorite dive bar and your best friend’s backyard. 

What to eat: French dip; wings

What to drink: Whatever beer is on tap

Southbound ($$-$$$)
5394 Peachtree Road

• Southern and Southern-inspired dishes; whiskey cocktails; cozy dining room and bar; outdoor seating
• Walking: 15 minutes or .7 miles
• Bus 132: Chamblee Station West Bus Bay 1 stop, then 2 to 3 minutes walking

Southern comfort food meets metro Atlanta’s international food scene at Southbound. Located in a 19th-century building that doubles as a private event space, Southbound serves modern takes on traditional Southern dishes like fried chicken and shrimp and grits, alongside other dishes like shoyu pork bone broth ramen with pulled pork, collards, black-eyed pea relish, and a deviled egg. The bar at Southbound is known for its whiskey cocktails. Stop by on Tuesday nights for live music and on Wednesdays for $8 whiskey cocktails. 

What to eat: Chamblee hot chicken; bone-in fried chicken; Southern ramen

What to drink: Southbound Manhattan

Frosty Caboose ($)
5435 Peachtree Road

• Ice cream; hot dogs; walk-up window service; no seating
• Walking: 17 minutes or .8 miles
• Bus 132: Chamblee Station West Bus Bay to Peachtree Road at American Industrial, then 2 to 3 minutes walking. 

Located just off Chamblee’s trademark train tracks, Frosty Caboose is indeed housed in a converted caboose. The crimson-colored ice cream shop, topped with a huge scoop of faux vanilla dripping down its roof, serves locally-sourced ice cream as well as sherbet, non-dairy and sugar-free ice creams, milkshakes, and Italian ice. There’s also a small selection of hot dogs. Anticipate a line on days with ample sunshine. 

What to eat: Pistachio ice cream with marshmallow creme topping; banana split

What to drink: Root beer float

This stretch of Peachtree Road is also home to other popular restaurants, including Hopstix Asian Brewpub and Sidetracked Wine Co. (at the corner of Peachtree and Pierce), Himalayas Indian Restaurant, Zen Tea, Deep Roots Wine Market and Tasting Room, and Antiguo Lobo.

Block & Drum ($-$$)
5105 Peachtree Blvd 

• Distillery, listening bar, coffee shop; food trucks; live music
• Walking: 15 minutes or .7 miles 
• Bus 825 (bound for Medical Center Station): Chamblee Station West Bus Bay 3 stops to Clairmont Road, then 2 to 3 minutes of walking.

Part distillery, part coffee shop and cafe, and part entertainment venue, Block & Drum handles coffee and cocktails in-house and hosts several local food trucks weekly, including Hapa Kitchen, Orange Lion, Vice Tacos, Pig-N-Chik BBQ, and Island Chef Cafe. The cafe serves pastries in the morning. Check out the listening bar at night for cocktails and curated music from local DJs like Karl Injex and DJ Rasta Root. 

What to eat: Local food trucks and food vendors frequently change here

What to drink: Latte or cappuccino in the morning; cocktails with flavor-infused spirits from the Block & Drum distillery

The Alden ($$-$$$)
5070 Peachtree Blvd

• New American; open for lunch and dinner; chef’s counter; Michelin-recommended
• Walking: 15 minutes or .6 miles
• Bus 825 (check schedule as MARTA frequently cancels this route)

One of the joys of Chamblee’s restaurant scene is that you can find an award-winning or Michelin-rated restaurant tucked away in an otherwise nondescript shopping center. Such is the case with The Alden, owned by Chef Jared Hucks. Michelin recommended The Alden in its 2023 and 2024 dining guides to Atlanta. Having cooked in countries like Thailand and Italy, Hucks brings East and West together in a sophisticated menu of fusion dishes at The Alden . 

What to eat: Larb duck; lobster roll; butternut squash bolognese

What to drink: Hickory-smoked Old Fashioned; Alden Penicillin; Pom Pom Passion (non-alcoholic)

Atlanta China Town Food Court ($-$$)
5383 New Peachtree Road

• Chinese, East Asian food stalls; indoor/outdoor seating; shopping
• Walking: 15 minutes or .6 miles
• Bus 47 (bound for Brookhaven/Oglethorpe Station): Chamblee Station East Bus Bay 1 stop, plus 3 minutes walking

Overlooking the dining options at Atlanta China Town Mall’s food court, which includes Chinese hot pot, Chinese barbecue, hand-pulled noodles, dumplings, and bubble tea, would be a serious omission. Yum Cha food tour founders Candy Hom and Howard Hsu emphasize that if you can only make one stop here, it should be Family Baking for a Portuguese egg tart. Those who prefer something more savory should opt for a hot dog bun topped with pork floss.

What to eat: Lamb hot pot (Chong Qing Hot Pot); red chili wontons (China Kitchen); red bean bun, Portuguese egg tart, or hot dog bun (Family Baking); soup dumplings and hand-pulled noodles (New Lanzhou)

What to drink: Thai iced tea; some stalls offer complimentary hot tea 

The Bronx Bagel Buggy ($-$$)
3930 Peachtree Road

• Bagels
• Walking: 20 minutes or 1 mile
• Bus 132 (bound for North Peachtree Road): Chamblee Station West Bus Bay 2 stops, plus 2 minutes walking

No, you didn’t just die and wake up in carbohydrate heaven, but we don’t blame you for believing it amidst the Bronx Bagel Buggy’s selection of New York-style bagels, bagel sandwiches, pizza, and pastries. The boiled bagels strike a good balance of chewy and light, while the extensive schmear selection adds an extra layer of pep to any bagel sandwich. Don’t be surprised if you have to stand in line here, especially on busy weekend mornings. 

What to eat: The Standard BEC sandwich with a choice of bagel flavor and protein; Grandma Pie by the square slice or whole pie

What to drink: Strawberry mint tea; cold brew

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