GA Spot Among Top 25 New Restaurants In America, Food Writers Say

Food writers are "infatuated" with a Georgia restaurant.

Let us explain. The Infatuation, a national restaurant review website known for its opinionated dining guides and recommendations, named Ruki's Kitchen in Atlanta to its list of America's Best New Restaurants Of 2026, released Monday.

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This isn't a typical "best of" ranking based on diner reviews.

"According to our back-of-the-cocktail-napkin math, our team ate at more than 2,600 new restaurants across the country this year," The Infatuation said. "After weeks of debate and nights spent obsessing over details like utensil drawers and ham carts, we've narrowed that number down to 25."

The selections are restaurants that made a lasting impression on the publication's food writers.

The moment the food writers knew they loved Ruki's Kitchen was after tasting the restaurant's mitmita-spiced lemon pepper wings, which the reviewers credited with renewing their enthusiasm for food hall dining.

Located inside Switchman Hall in Atlanta's Peoplestown neighborhood, Ruki's Kitchen specializes in Ethiopian cuisine, offering generously portioned dishes featuring bold spices and traditional flavors.

The Infatuation particularly praised the restaurant's sega tibs, a spicy Ethiopian beef dish, along with its asa tibs and injera, the traditional Ethiopian flatbread commonly served alongside stews and other dishes.

For a daytime date, the publication recommended ordering asa tibs with an extra serving of injera and finding a booth near the restaurant's food hall stall.

The restaurant was also recognized for its substantial portions, with the publication joking that its takeout containers could weigh between 5 and 8 pounds.

According to The Infatuation, the average check for two diners is approximately $50, making Ruki's Kitchen a comparatively affordable selection on the national list.

The restaurant was the only Georgia establishment included among the 25 selections.

The restaurants are found in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

"They include a place with an entire menu of steak frites, a date night spot in a Central California strip mall, an all-day café in cattle country, and a tasting menu on the non-billionaire side of Palm Beach County," The Infatuation said. "Regardless of where they fall on the walk-in-only-to-white-tablecloth spectrum, we'd recommend them to pretty much anyone."