Nicole Gustin grew up in Marietta and lived elsewhere for years before returning to Atlanta in 2011. She leased an apartment on the newly opened Eastside Beltline and observed the fresh energy the pedestrian trail was bringing to the city.
“I would notice new restaurants overnight, so I started bringing my friends to new restaurants opening,” she said. “I did it so often, I thought I would make a business out of it.”
A decade prior to returning to Atlanta, Gustin had vacationed in Miami and came across a food tour. She’d never been on a food tour before then, but as a person who loves eating out at restaurants, Gustin decided to sign up. Stopping at various restaurants and art deco buildings in the city, the tour served as early inspiration for BiteLines Atlanta Food Tours.
“While I took inspiration from the Miami tour, the Beltline is a unique place with street art as the backdrop, so I created my own original experience in Atlanta,” she said.
After founding BiteLines in 2018, the pandemic delayed the planned March 2020 launch of the company’s flagship city tour – the Food and Street Art Tour – by more than a year. Since then, Gustin has added two more tours to the lineup: Barks and Bites Doggie Crawl and the Atlanta Pizza and Beer Crawl.
All three tours take place along the Eastside Trail. The Food and Street Art Tour begins at Krog Street Market, continues to the Krog Street tunnel, and then heads back through Inman Park and the Old Fourth Ward. It’s a little over a mile of walking.
On a recent Saturday, a group gathered on the outdoor patio at Krog Street Market for another Food and Street Art Tour. A variety of restaurants were included that day, beginning with Xocolatl at the market to sample chocolates, followed by restaurants offering everything from fried green tomatoes and Atlanta’s iconic lemon pepper wings to shrimp and grits and freshly baked doughnuts. A crowd favorite that day seemed to be the Detroit-style pizza from Nina & Rafi’s on the Beltline, with people raving about the layers of decadent cheese and sauce atop the thick crust.
According to Gustin, restaurants on the tour don’t change much from week to week. It depends on the openings and closings of restaurants along the tour route – or if someone has a food allergy.
“The goal of the tour is to show people restaurants that they haven’t been to before and that they might want to visit again,” she said.
The Food and Street Art Tour encompasses a variety of murals and sculptures, with brief yet informative backstories provided by Gustin. While brainstorming exactly what the tour would look like before it launched nearly four years ago, she witnessed artists working along the Beltline. Hearing their stories prompted Gustin to include art on the tour.
“I love the idea of combining food with the history of various cultures,” said Trina Bell, a regular tour participant. “It’s a fun and different experience and gives you an appreciation of just how awesome our city is, and a look at what lies ahead.”
Another tour regular, Joëlle Gracia, enjoyed learning about Tiny Doors ATL – a public art project that installs mouse-sized entryways all over the city. She especially loved hearing Gustin’s retelling of interviewing artist Karen Anderson Singer.
Next, the group walked into the graffitied Krog Street Tunnel, where Gustin offered people cans of red and blue spray paint and invited them to leave their mark on the walls and pillars.
“I talk to the artists behind different murals and installations on the Beltline to gain insight into their work and share the stories behind their art,” Gustin said. “Many people walk past art on the Beltline never knowing the meaning behind the murals or that Atlanta is home to talented street artists, such as ArrrtAddict, Greg Mike, and Brandon Sadler.”
She hopes people come away from the tour with a greater appreciation for the artists featured along the Beltline and for Atlanta’s thriving art scene.
Beyond learning more about the art on the Beltline, both Gracia and Bell said the BiteLines tours have helped expand their palates, too.
Gracia, who tends to favor more savory dishes, said she really enjoyed the “warm, sweet, and delicious” beignets from a shop included on the tour. It’s a place Gracia wouldn’t have otherwise considered going to on her own.
Bell said she primarily leans toward eating American, Italian, Japanese, and Mexican food and was surprised how much she enjoyed the fried green tomatoes from a Southern restaurant.
For pizza lovers, the Atlanta Pizza and Beer Crawl is a chance to sample different types of pizza in the city, from Neapolitan to New York slices to Detroit deep-dish.
A self-described pizza aficionado, Gustin remembers only having pizza from chains as a kid growing up in Marietta. That changed as an adult — and after moving away from Atlanta for a few years. Gustin found herself sampling every type of pizza she could.
“I created this crawl because pizza is one of my favorite foods, and every time I visit a new city, I try out their pizza,” she said. “In the past decade, we’ve seen an explosion of independent pizzerias in Atlanta. Our pizza scene is now rivaling cities like New York, Boston, and Chicago.”
She launched the Doggie Crawl in March 2023, which includes a few light bites for humans and treats for their dogs. There’s even a Barkarita cocktail for dogs at one of the stops on the tour. Gustin said she wanted to offer a tour for people to bring their dogs. Her boyfriend suggested just making the tour all about the dogs, treating them like BiteLines tour customers
Birthdays for pets have become so popular on the tour, that Gustin created a special package to include a party hat, bandana, and a birthday treat for the celebrating dog.
Each BiteLine tour can last up to three hours, with tickets including food and drinks and Gustin’s guidance along the route. Prices range from $69 to $79 per person, depending on the tour. For now, Gustin said she doesn’t plan to launch additional food tours at BiteLines.
As for who attends Gustin’s tours, BiteLines attracts locals and visitors to Atlanta, even a few regulars like Gracia and Bell.
“We get a mix of people,” Gustin said. “People from OTP will come to see more of the Beltline. And for some people, it’s just something fun to do on the weekend.”
Check out BiteLines Atlanta Food Tours online to learn more about each tour.
