Atlanta, GAMediterranean

A hotel restaurant in Old Fourth Ward good for any hour of the day. Olive oil labneh pancakes anchor a calm brunch while a mezze platter with bottomless pita and shareable kebabs carries dinner, an all-day flexibility that makes it as easy to slip into for a late lunch as a long evening.

A family-style Lebanese meal in Buckhead built for a big table. The tender lamb shank tends to quiet everyone down after the first bite, a reliable pick for a group dinner, and the spread rewards ordering wide and passing plates around the whole table until nothing is left.

A Decatur menu that ranges across the whole Mediterranean, Moroccan chicken next to a nicoise salad, with a giant goat-cheese-stuffed ravioli as the standout order. The wide reach could feel scattered, but the kitchen keeps enough focus that regulars have their usual dishes and stick with them.

Persian cuisine served in Midtown inside a restored castle-like room with gold curtains and glass-bottom floors. The dramatic setting still lets the kebabs and rice dishes do the talking, a rare case where the decor and the cooking both hold up their end of the night.

A polished Buckhead Greek room from the Buckhead Life group, built around whole grilled fish flown in daily and a long spread of mezze. White tablecloths and a fresh seafood display set a special-occasion tone anchored in coastal Greek cooking, the kind of room made for marking something worth celebrating.