Dining in Georgia: A Culinary Hit List
Georgia is famous for traditional Southern cooking, and you can find native cuisine on menus at casual eateries, fine-dining restaurants, quaint cafés, and even food trucks. Wherever you go, anticipate delicious food, warm hospitality and Georgia-grown ingredients. Among the biggest hits:
Boiled peanuts are sold at roadside stands statewide and at Jaemor Farms in Alto. Traditional or Cajun-style, this salty snack is a taste worth acquiring.
Buttermilk pie at The Yesterday Cafe in Greensboro is made from a family recipe that’s a favorite with “Southern Living,” “Good Morning America” and country star Carrie Underwood.
Fried apple pies at Hillcrest Orchards in Ellijay transform just-picked apples into hot, hand-held yum.
Fried chicken at Mary Macs Tea Room is crisp, lightly battered and has been an Atlanta standard for more than 70 years.
Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette are a bite of life imitating art, showcasing the iconic dish from the film “Fried Green Tomatoes.”
H&F Burger, the double-stack by James Beard Award-winning Chef Linton Hopkins, is a juicy sensation that first hit the menu at Holeman and Finch in Atlanta in 2009. It’s also now sold at three outposts in Turner Field.
Lowcountry boil – a one-pot tradition featuring shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn – at The Crab Shack on Tybee Island is an eat-with-your-hands feast that always satisfies.
Pimento cheese – a traditional Southern spread blending cheddar, mayo and red peppers – at The Rookery in Macon is creamy comfort food.
She Crab Soup at The Olde Pink House in Savannah is decadence in a bowl. With crab meeting heavy cream, it’s a match made in culinary heaven.
Shrimp and grits at Halyards Restaurant on St. Simons Island is a sublime rendition of lowcountry cuisine’s most ubiquitous dish, a menu staple all along the Georgia coast. The dish is so renowned, it has its own festival.
Trout is prepared a number of different ways at Harvest On Main in Blue Ridge, such as dusted with cornmeal, seared and served atop beef hash. Recipes change with the season, but they’re all delicious.
