Stay Crispy! Tasting some of Intown’s favorite fries

By Isadora Pennington

“Izzy, eat your meal first, it will get cold.” That was a phrase I heard often as a child, when I was chided again and again for skipping the protein and going straight for the fries. As far as I was concerned, I might get full and not eat everything, so I wanted to make sure I ate all the fries first.

Potatoes are so great, guys. Aren’t they? Almost everyone loves them in some form or another. There’s the classic baked potato, the ever-popular potato chip, there’s hashbrowns, au gratin, potato soup, potato bread… I mean, even vodka is a potato product. And yet somehow, the simple french fry has managed to transcend all the others. The pinnacle success of a potato’s life.

One of the things that french fries have going for them is they are just so adaptable. They’re great on their own, served street style in a paper cone, or alongside a burger and dipped in ketchup, but they also serve as a medium for plenty of other yummy tastes. Add chili, or nacho fixin’s, just cheese, or even dip them in ice cream. I’ve tried, but I actually can’t imagine any scenario in which I don’t enjoy munching on some french fries.

So, I guess it should come as no surprise that this was a particularly fun task for me to undertake – to find, taste (of course), and photograph my favorite french fries from around Intown. Now it goes without saying that there are tons of restaurants serving these crispy potato snacks here, so obviously this list could be much, much longer, but here are at least a few of my favorite spots to get you started.

In the comments below, tell us your favorite fry spot.

Stay crispy!

Leon’s Full Service
Hand-cut pomme frites, served with your choice of dipping sauces. Pictured here: garlic aioli, goat cheese fondue, and chipotle mayonnaise. 131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. (404) 687-0500 or leonsfullservice.com.

The Porter Beer Bar
Belgian Fries sprinkled with herb and garlic oil, served with charred onion mayonnaise for dipping. 1156 Euclid Ave. NE. (404) 223-0393 or theporterbeerbar.com.

Fry Guy
Bacon fries, served covered with bacon, bacon mayonnaise, and green onion. 88 Forsyth St. SW. (404) 606-7151 or fryguyatlanta.com.

Noni’s Bar & Deli
Noni’s garlic fries, salted and served with ketchup. 357 Edgewood Ave. SE. (404) 343-1808 or nonisdeli.com.

Illegal Food
Okonomiyaki fries, served with Japanese mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, fermented chili sauce, bonito flakes, shredded nori, green onion, sesame seed, and beni shoga. 1044 Greenwood Ave. NE. (404) 254-2141 or illegalfoodatlanta.com.