Restaurant Eugene
The hottest trend is… old food. Pastry chef Sara Mellars at fine dining establishment Restaurant Eugene picked up some expert pickling techniques at world-famous Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, and brought them back to Atlanta—including the use of fermented ingredients like black garlic that often makes appearances on the tasting menu. 2277 Peachtree Road, Ste. A, 404.355.0321

Gunshow
Dubbed the fermentation expert at Kevin Gillespie’s acclaimed dim sum-style restaurant, chef Holden Ford makes grain fungus koji from scratch—and makes it taste better than it sounds. Dehydrated and used in shoyu and miso, it can be found in past dishes like the collard flan with housemade pumpkin miso, made by chef de cuisine Chris McCord. 924 Garrett St., Ste. C, 404.380.1886

Watershed on Peachtree
Ponzu has made its way onto many an Atlanta menu, but many may not know of its fermented origins. Made in-house from a wine by chefs Karl Gorline, Julia Skinner and Matt Marcus, it appears on the crab and trout belly ceviche with housemade peach wine and tepache ponzu. It’s poured tableside and finished with dashi for a complex, fruit-forward lift. 1820 Peachtree Road NW, 404.809.3561

The Lawrence
Now a Midtown staple, The Lawrence fell into its fermentation program thanks to an excess order of garlic—the result is the aforementioned black garlic, used here for a tapenade that adds depth of flavor to lamb meatball Bolognese. 905 Juniper St. NE, 404.961.7177