Where to Eat Italian in Atlanta

Has eating something ever not been enough? Like, you'd only be truly satisfied if you also could crawl into the bowl and be physically surrounded on all sides by the food? Such is the experience of eating the Sorrento lemon roast chicken at Gio's Chicken Amalfitano. Rubbed with salt and seasoned simply with olive oil, chopped garlic, and wild oregano, the chicken is served in fist-size chunks in a big bowl and garnished with flatbread, potato wedges, and lemon slices. There is also a sauce in this bowl, an insanely aromatic broth emanating with the bright perfume of Sorrento lemons. Dip the rich chicken in it; let the potatoes soak it up ? they're thick enough to handle it ? and leave none behind.

A critically acclaimed yet oft-overlooked neighborhood favorite, this cozy Va-Hi trattoria has been serving up locally-sourced Italian fare since it opened back in 1999. All pastas are made fresh in-house, and the squid ink spaghetti is one of the best in town, tossed with marinated calamari, pan-toasted anchovy soffrito, garlic, calabrian chilis and a Thai basil pesto that balances the subtle blend of spice and brine. $18.

A bright, tart red sauce coats impossibly thin spaghettini that just begs to be slurped up greedily. Baseball-sized meatballs combine veal and pork, and manage to achieve that perfect meatball flavor — lighter than sausage, heftier and juicier than meatloaf. Mamma mia. $16.50.