Blayne Alexander has lived in Atlanta for nearly fifteen years, and her July birthday has taught her to embrace the city’s solstitial heat. That means you might spot the Dateline correspondent attending the Atlanta Jazz Festival in Piedmont Park, setting a new personal best at the Peachtree Road Race, or strolling the Beltline with her family on a sultry summer afternoon.
Because she works remotely, covering the South for New York–based NBC, Alexander does some of her best work at local coffee shops. The hum of people coming and going, a nearby table’s lively conversation, and the clamor of an espresso machine make for background noise that feels like the murmur of an old newsroom, she says. One thing she’s come to love is that every coffeehouse feels distinct, just as every Atlanta neighborhood has its own character; one day she’s writing her next investigative story from her favorite Midtown coffee perch; the next, a cafe in East Lake.
Whether for work or play, here are Alexander’s favorite spots for a pick-me-up in Atlanta.
Brunch
Gocha’s Breakfast Bar in Southwest Atlanta
Alexander is so earnest about brunch, her husband jokes that when she retires from NBC she’ll open a restaurant called Blayne Loves Brunch. Until then, she’ll continue enjoying the Georgia peach stack at Gocha’s: five peach pancakes topped with peach jam, cinnamon, and warm bourbon syrup. “I would be willing to put their pancakes up against any other,” she says.
Coffee Break
Prevail Union ATL in Blandtown
On the first floor of the Sentral apartments, Prevail is a coffee shop with a loungey feel. Regulars love the fig latte, which is sweetened with mission fig and cardamom, but Alexander’s go-to is the oat milk latte, which she orders hot no matter the season. (Bonus tip: Customers get two complimentary parking hours in the adjacent deck.)
Lunch
Little Rey in Buckhead
This Tex-Mex counter-service spot is beloved for its tacos and the spicy fried chicken sandwich known as the La Torta Diabla, but Alexander appreciates its family-friendly vibe. “Our friends with and without kids will meet there. We’ll get a lot of tables and food and have fun. Then there’s this little play area where kids can run outside and play.”
Sweet Treat
Kupcakerie in East Point
This shop in historic downtown East Point has the coziness of a neighborhood cafe, with a comfy couch and counter stools from which to sip lattes and cappuccinos. But it’s most celebrated as a pastry shop; Alexander swears by the Jazzy Jane, the three-layer, buttercream-frosted vanilla cake that has become a staple at her family birthdays.
Dinner
Oreatha’s at the Point in Cascade Heights
The patio at this soul-food fusion spot is the perfect place to gather for a catch-up with friends over a shared plate of collard green hush puppies and hot honey sauce. Inside, a lively bar welcomes diners into an intimate dining room. Alexander says everything on the menu is worth trying once, but her favorite is the catfish—a Mississippi take on Thai fish cakes, served with curry coleslaw and coconut-infused grits.
You can watch Blayne Alexander’s all-new Dateline this Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET