Night on the Town

“Quality of life actually begins at home – it’s in your street, around your community.”

-Charles Kennedy

We moved into Duluth, GA three years ago. At the time, the downtown area wasn’t much to look at. Construction had just began to revitalize the main street and we didn’t think we’d stay around this long. I’m really glad we did.

We’ve had the opportunity to watch this incredible community grow and fill itself with wonderful people. So much love pours into the growth and revitalization of our small downtown streets. Over the past few years, Duluth has become one of the best suburbs to live in in Atlanta. Niche gave it 16th this year, while it’s in the top ten on Movoto. It’s the 4th in ratings for best suburb in Gwinnett county according to Niche. And it holds these top ratings with good reason.

Downtown Duluth is a food lover’s haven. There’s a little bit for everyone: brunch, barbecue, pizza, flex mex, nachos (we’ll come back to this), Mediterranean and even some fine dining. Hell, we even have a brewing and public house. What takes the cake is the food truck Fridays from May to September. Two streets get closed down to accommodate the amount of trucks they bring in. If that’s not enough to bring you in for a visit, downtown is open container. That’s right, you can order your favorite beer from Good Word Brewing and walk around downtown with it.

Recently, Nacho Daddy set up shop in Parson’s Alley, a section of the town that hosts shopping and restaurants. Not only do they hail from Vegas, they also brought with some of the best nachos around. We got to try them out back in March and you can order a heaping mound to share. Don’t be overly ambitious. Trust me. You’re going to want the room to also try their massive margaritas.

If you some how have room after all that, stop over to our favorite sweet shop downtown: Simply Done Donuts. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen me praise this donut shop many, many, many times. The owners are just the sweetest people (no pun intended) and we always look forward to see them when we walk in. Serving up some of the best mini donuts, you have 24 ways to order plus a flavor of the month. They also have fantastic coffee and donut milkshakes! It’s a great place to ruin a diet. We even had the donuts at our wedding, that’s how much we love them. Also, keep an eye out for the donut truck! That’s right, I said donut truck.

If you’re like me, your weekends revolve around brunch. On Saturdays, we like to head to Maple Street Biscuits. They moved into what used to be a church building and the industrial design gives me life. One of my favorite things about Maple Street is the community tables. It’s free for all seating and really encourages getting to know the person next to you. I’ve met some people who were just passing through and some that have lived in the area for years.

The food is no joke either. Alex’s favorite is the Sticky Maple which is fried chicken and bacon on a biscuit that’s covered in maple syrup. He swears the biscuits in syrup is better than pancakes. He’s right. If you’re a coffee drinker like I am, no trip to Maple Street is complete without their Maple Tap brew. It’s heaven in a cup.

Our favorite haunt downtown though, even with all these restaurant options, is Pure Taqueria. It’s an Atlanta based chain with six locations, but we’ve only ever gone to the Duluth one. It’s bright, welcoming, and looks like you’ve stepped into a chic 50’s auto shop. Bet you never thought you’d read those words together in a sentence.

I’m not even kidding when I say they have the BEST TACOS. Pure also switched to hand made tortillas recently and my Mexican heart is happy. Our favorite time to go is on Sunday mornings before the afternoon crowds and brunch. That’s right. Brunch. You can brunch your Sundays away with tortilla chips, salsa, and heuvos rancheros (theirs is amazing btw).

This only covers a few places too. You still have O4W pizza, which we walk by and constantly discuss our need to try it out. Y’know…as we head to Pure. Again. There’s also a Korean steakhouse and raw bar called Noona, barbecue at Dreamlands, Epicurean Cafe, Truck and Tap, Main Street Mediterranean, The Chocolaterie Luxury Chocolates, Crave Pie Studio, and some other great options! And after you’ve eaten to your hearts content, catch a show at Red Clay Music Foundry or work it out at Duluth Yoga.

There’s really so much to experience in this lovely town. Come out for a visit and as usual, travel well and travel often!