Midtown Restaurants Among Best For 'Big Night Out'

For all those Midtown and Atlanta residents looking to get all gussied up and go out for a night on the town, you have three great local options, according to new rankings by the online reservation company OpenTable.

The company this month released its 100 best restaurants in America for a “big night out.” With both affordable and expensive places spanning 19 states, the list includes Italian, Chinese, Mexican, French, Middle Eastern, Cajun, Latin, Irish, American foods and more. Steakhouses and breweries also made the list.

Here are the restaurants from Atlanta:

TWO URBAN LICKS

• American
• Location: Old Fourth Ward
• "If you want fancy but still fun, this is the place. Dress up, talk loud and eat some fantastic food. Service is impeccable, of course. Everything from the valets to the hostess,…

POOR CALVIN'S

• Fusion/Eclectic
• Location: Midtown
• "The staff was amazing and the food superlative! They met all 3 of top restaurant musts: friendly, clean & great food. Thanks for making our occasion memorable!

THE OPTIMIST

• Seafood
• Location: West Midtown
• "Great venue for a business meeting on a Monday afternoon/evening."

Americans love eating out. The restaurant industry is projected to generate $863 billion in sales this year, according to the National Restaurant Association, and a large part of that is people feel eating at a restaurant is actually a better use of their time. Nine in 10 consumers say they enjoy eating out, and about 75 percent say their leisure time is better spent dining out with family and friends than cooking and cleaning up.

OpenTable wrote in a blog post that its honorees were restaurants that offered not only “exceptional” food and drinks, but also “vibrant bar scenes and lively atmospheres” so patrons can enjoy the warm summer evenings.

“The Big Night Out list is also great year-round for anyone planning a celebratory evening out, whether it’s a girls’ night, a milestone birthday, or an anniversary,” the company said.

While most restaurants on the list were found in just one city, some can be found in multiple locations. These include Avra, Beauty & Essex, Buddakan, Catch, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, Founding Farmers, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Monkeypod Kitchen by Merriman, RPM Italian, Steak 44 and Steak 48, Tao, Uchi and Yardbird Southern Table & Bar.

The list was cultivated from more than 12 million verified diner reviews of more than 30,000 restaurants, OpenTable said. Many establishments offer beautiful scenes that offer diners a perfect backdrop for their night out.

With 18 restaurants, California had the most establishments on the list. New York had the second-most with 16, followed by Illinois with 14, all of which were in Chicago.

Each restaurant on the list was frequently tagged “hot spot” as a special feature.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.