2015 Index of Winners

Soulful cooking and comfortable neighborhood charm are bedrocks of Italian cuisine. Inman Park's BoccaLupo delivers with its cozy, laid-back dining paired with destination-worthy cuisine. Sporting his ever-present headband, Bruce Logue, former sous chef to Mario Batali, prepares simple and earnest dishes highlighting the season's freshest ingredients. The restaurant is perpetually packed, and not just for the food. A meticulously selected wine list and an expert craft cocktail menu kick the experience up all the notches. Choose a classic like Bolognese gravy atop tangled ribbons of pappardelle or go for Logue's ever-changing four-course pasta tasting with additions of uni, stone crab, ramps, and, sometimes, shaved truffles. less...

"When you're a rookie, you get the word not to buy shoes until you get to Atlanta." Michael Jordan had one spot in mind when he told GQ magazine that back in the '80s: Friedman's Shoes. Talk about timeless, this shoe store is as legendary as the celebrity clientele whose autographed photos and jerseys decorate the walls. When you specialize in extra-large shoe sizes, from 8 to 22, you tend to attract a lot of pro athletes. Former Hawks star Dominique Wilkins was a regular during his reign. Hell, the whole team was in Friedman's heyday, not to mention practically every other player in the NBA. A visit to the store in South Downtown today is like a three-story shopping museum for players who prefer old-school gators and contemporary Italian designer boots. Bruce Teilhaber, whose father-in-law Philip Friedman founded the shoe store in 1929, has laced his share of icons with some fancy footwear. Like the time when boxing promoter Don King dropped $64,000 on 110 pairs of shoes in one visit. In a sense, Friedman's is still one shoe store where size still doesn't matter. Just ask Shaq, whose 22D shoe size stays in stock. less...

For years, people have gathered on the Jackson Street Bridge with camera gear in tow. There, standing over Freedom Parkway's exit and entrance ramps, they gather with engaged couples, Segway tourists, and dozens of others to point their cameras at the Downtown skyline on display. They all know that this Downtown panorama — even its Photoshopped version on the promotional poster for"The Walking Dead" — where you can spot new, retro, and historic buildings framed by Atlanta's beautiful sunsets, is the best view of Atlanta. less...