Westside staple Bacchanalia is the only restaurant that AJC food writer John Kessler awarded 4 stars in 2014's Dining Guide. It has been an Atlanta staple for over 20 years, and now it is nominated for Outstanding Restaurant in the food industry's James Beard Awards. What makes Bacchanalia so great? Kessler said, "we keep returning because the one constant about Bacchanalia is that it never stops changing and evolving," which is important in a growing restaurant scene like Atlanta.

The husband-and-wife team of Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison are doing something right, because it consistently ranks as one of the city's top restaurants year after year. Find out if Bacchanalia makes the final list of nominees on Tuesday, March 24 and see the rest of Atlanta's 13 nominations. 

Meet the rest of the nominees in our gallery here.

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Blooper celebrates the Atlanta Brave’s 5-0 win over the New York Mets during a MLB game Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at Truist Park. This year, the venue is a first-time host of the MLB All-Star game. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (right) tours the Vine City neighborhood with his senior advisor Courtney English (left). (Matt Reynolds/AJC 2024)

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