Fave Five: Atlanta’s best southern restaurants
Dubbed the “capital of the South,” you would expect Atlanta to have excellent southern food. And you would be absolutely right. Atlanta’s selection of southern restaurants is so impressive, in fact, that it was difficult to pare it down to just the top five. But I tried my best, and my list of favorites is below.
Keep these options in mind next time you’re craving fried chicken or need to impress a first-time Atlanta visitor. Restaurants number 2 & 4 on the list will come especially handy if you want to have a themed dinner before seeing a show – like “The Color Purple” – at the Fox Theatre, since they’re located the closest to it.
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| (c) Matthew Murphy |
“The Color Purple” tells the story of a young African-American woman living in the South at the turn of the 20th century. Grab a proper southern dinner before the show and enjoy the Tony Award-winning musical October 24-29 at the fabulous Fox Theatre.
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| (c) Matthew Murphy |
And if you’re going to a Sunday afternoon show, be sure to check out restaurant #3 on the list below for a pre-show brunch option (tickets are still available).
The original Ford Fry restaurant has the best fried chicken in Atlanta, at least in my humble opinion. Cooked just right and served with collard greens and buttermilk biscuits, it would be the perfect start to an evening of southern food and art.
Located just half a mile from the Fox Theatre, this restaurant is as authentic as southern food gets in Atlanta. No matter what you order as your entrée (think classic dishes like chicken and dumplings, roast pork and rainbow trout), get the mac & cheese as your side. It’s some of the best in Atlanta.
When you want down ‘n dirty southern breakfast food, you come to this place and you order the comfy chicken biscuit: A giant plate of fried chicken, sausage gravy, and an orange slice. There is most definitely a wait on the weekends, so come early (like, 7 am) if you want to be seated right away.
This is a classic Atlanta restaurant where you take someone you want to impress. Chef Zeb Stevenson knows what he’s doing when it comes to southern food. Everything on the menu is mouthwatering, so don’t feel bad if you fill up on the starters, like deviled eggs, pimento cheese and heirloom tomato pie.
If you’re up for some delicious soul food, come to this west Midtown restaurant. Chef Deborah VanTrece puts her own spin on authentic creole dishes with creations like chitterling sausage, low country boil loaded baked potato, and stuffed turkey wings with Cajun cornbread.