There are two things that Atlantans do a lot of, driving and eating. Many times, we do both at the same time. With one of the nation's longest average commute times, quite often drivers are in their vehicles in search for food. Whether it's a fast food drive thru, a quick simple sit down meal, a fine dining experience or just a quick cup of good coffee, our cars often become our dining rooms.
On my talk show Saturday, with the help of my listeners, I decided to take on the Herculaneum task of determining what exit off of a freeway in the metro area, was the "best food exit."
There were a number of factors to consider including variety of cuisine, quality of cuisine and varying price options. I set the parameters as follows, in order to be considered part of the "best food exit" or BFE, the establishments could be no farther than one half mile from the freeway exit. From my personal experience, when I get off the highway to eat, I don't want to drive more than a half mile to find food.
Determining a winner turned out to be a very tough task. Despite the help of my own fast food guru, Johnny Kielbasa, dozens of callers to my show, and countless suggestions via email and twitter, I struggled to pick the BFE.
When all the tabulations were done, it was the new addition of a food truck park that tipped the scales. The winner of best food exit is Howell Mill Road off of I-75 in northwest Atlanta.
Always a fine culinary exit, the recent add of the Atlanta Food Truck Park took the Howell Mill exit to the next level. Now, seven days a week, drivers and eaters have the option of sampling the fares of a rotating lineup of food trucks. The food truck park alone makes this a worthy stop off of the freeway.
Aside from the food trucks, curious commuters can revel in a variety of eateries just off of the interstates. The exit boasts fast food giants: McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A, Wendy's, Taco Bell, KFC and Arbys. Fans of Mexican food can choose from La Parilla, El Amigo and a Willy's. There are a couple of Chinese options including Chin Chin. Pizza lovers can sample Fellini's, Domino's and Mama Niki's. Breakfast lovers will find comfort at Waffle House and Einsteins Bagels. Pappy Red's fills the need for Bar-B-Q, while Flip offers some of the finest burgers around. There's also Piccadilly, Subway, Jersey Mike's and a Starbucks.
Top to bottom, with the addition of the food truck park, Howell Mill Road at I-75 takes the prize of Best Food Exit in Atlanta.
Amazing honorable mentions:
Barrett Parkway at I-75 (Cobb County)
Highway 92 at I-575 (Cherokee County)
Mansell Road at Ga. 400 (Fulton County)
Windward Parkway at Ga. 400 (Fulton County)
Highway 20 at Ga. 400 (Forsyth County)
Hamilton Mill Road at I-85 (Gwinett County)
Buford Drive at I-85 (Gwinnett County)
Pleasant Hill Road at I-85 (Gwinnett County)
Lavista Road at I-285 (Dekalb County)
Roswell Road at I-285 (Fulton County)
Camp Creek Parkway at I-285 (Fulton County)
Chapel Hill Road at I-20 (Douglas County)
Turner Hill Road at I-20 (Dekalb County)
Highway 138 at I-20 (Rockdale County)
Highway 34 at I-85 (Coweta County)
Jonesboro Road at I-75 (Henry County)
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