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THE ABANDONED RAILROAD buildings and empty meat-packing warehouses along Walker and Peters Streets in Castleberry Hill called to Atlanta's artists, and they came. This historic district in southwest Atlanta nestled nicely behind Philips Arena has become an enclave for area artists, and with them come galleries and restaurants.

So far Castleberry Hill is home to far more of the former than the latter, but hanging out here is fast becoming one of the hippest things to do in Atlanta.

Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Wasabi Sushi Wine and Sake Lounge has the right vibe for Castleberry Hill, with solid food to match, including the bull's eye roll (above) and cherry blossom sushi (below).
Becky Stein/SPECIAL (ENLARGE)
Frank Niemeir/Staff (ENLARGE)
The historic district is fast becoming a hip social hangout thanks to places like No Mas! Cantina, where Mexican cuisine is served among flowing fountains and lush greenery.
Elissa Eubanks/Staff (ENLARGE)
At Baltimore Crab & Seafood, you can order a flavorful shrimp and crab platter and then head down the hall to the plush Pearl Restaurant & Lounge.
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A lot of Atlanta history hovers here, but the young urban pros who linger on the patio at No Mas! Cantina sipping margaritas are anything but focused on the past — the district is alive with a strong, beat-to-a-different drum pulse that is vibrant and addictive. Loft living, art galleries, nightclubs and day spas are sprouting up throughout the district.

Start on a sunny afternoon and plan to park and spend some time walking around galleries (call for hours first), taking a loft tour, then spending the evening hitting a few of the restaurants. Here's a look at a few of Castleberry's best spots for dining.

Wasabi Sushi Wine and Sake Lounge has the right vibe for the neighborhood, and on Friday and Saturday nights this tiny sushi spot is teeming with folks who've come to visit galleries or who live in one of the many nearby lofts.

The tone of the ambience is modern and stark, with white chairs and tables accented by bright red-pink on the walls. The sushi bar is itty bitty, but a good perch for dining and watching owner Nhan Le roll maki and slice fish. A transplant from L.A., Le is young, hip and approachable — an attitude that transfers well to his restaurant. He cuts good fish, and his rice is the right temperature.

This is not the best sushi in Atlanta, but it's a far cry from the worst — and that's saying something since sushi has become as ubiquitous here as iced tea. Le's best efforts are in his specialty rolls, many of which take a Hollywood posture: A box sushi called cherry blossom is pretty in pink, layered with minced spiced tuna, sliced tuna and dotted heavily with tobiko. The best is a hot combo of eel, tempura-like crunchies and sliced avocado blanketed with hamachi and then crowned with a thin slice of jalapeno pepper. In the center is a dot of hot sriracha sauce, creating a bull's-eye, which is how the maki is named.

Nigiri and sashimi are where the menu falls flatest — saba is silvery thin but too fishy, and maguro (tuna) lacks the luster of toro.

Away from fish and rice, the sunomono — here basically cucumber salad — is light and fresh, thinly sliced and even better with bits of tender octopus. Edamame is perfect for starting a little nosh fest, especially with a sake cocktail of peach sake and Cava. Cocktails are a draw here, evident in that the drink bar is as big and busy at night as the sushi bar, when customers actually spill out onto the sidewalk, drinks and dogs in hand.

Just a short walk around the corner down Haynes Street is No Mas! Cantina, an extension of No Mas! Productions, a popular furniture gallery specializing in Mexican collectibles of many sorts.

The restaurant offers edible goodies, and is one of the prettiest places to drink a margarita in the city, with flowing fountains and lots of lush greenery. Everything from the tables and chairs to the blown-glass barware is for sale, and if that's not enough to get you sniffing for a home furnishings sale, the showroom next door offers even more.

Stick to guacamole and chips as well as an occasional cheese flauta for nibbles and sip a margarita or slurp a Modelo. The rest of the menu gets bogged down in its effort to offer upscale Mexican at mid-range prices, making the whole experience seem more like an Epcot adventure than anything authentically Mexican.

Continuing on Haynes Street, turning left on Peters past the old meat-packing warehouse, is Pearl Restaurant & Lounge, fronted inconspicuously by Baltimore Crab & Seafood. The catch is to order a mess of fried scallops or a salmon cake, or maybe a catfish hoagie, and head down the hallway to the sleek, sophisticated look of Pearl, because while Baltimore Crab & Seafood is the perfect spot to load up on some fried or boiled seafood, there's no place to sit.

But if it's after 4 p.m., look no farther than the menu at Pearl, which serves up seafood snacks of its own — the boiled shrimp taste like the kind at a backyard boil: plump and full of the flavors seasoning the boiling pot. Crab cakes are the real deal, too, fat and hand-formed with lots of feathery meat and few fillers. The best is fried catfish strips, dusted lightly with cornmeal and dipped in a horseradishy tartar sauce.

Drinks are fun, and if you can't find your favorite martini du jour on the list of Neapolitan nectars, the bartender will happily mix something up that's more to your liking. A patio out back is still in the works, but will be ready by summer.

THE 411

Wasabi Sushi Wine & Sake Lounge, 180 Walker St., Suite C, Atlanta, 404-574-5680, www.wasabiatl.com

No Mas! Cantina, 180 Walker St., Atlanta, 404-574-5678, www.nomascantina.com

Baltimore Crab & Seafood, 253 Peters St., Atlanta, 404-523-2121.

Pearl Restaurant & Lounge, 253 Peters St., Atlanta, 404-523-2121.