In the fall of 2005 I took a road trip from Nashville to Chattanooga, and then through Georgia, spending time in Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, and Savannah, then seeing the great Okefenokee Swamp before continuing to Florida for the annual Hukilau tiki event. In this and the next couple of posts I will recap some of the restaurants and bars I visited on the trip.
Georgia has a lot of great home cookin’ “soul food” places, and Atlanta is no exception. My favorite during my visit was The Colonnade, which opened in 1927, then moved to its present location in 1962 and is still going strong. In the 80s they expanded (and it looks like they remodeled then), adding a full bar with fireplace.
The decor is nothing very special, but the food is. Everything is homemade, including the salad dressings, sauces, desserts, and their famous yeast rolls, the best dinner rolls you will ever eat! Seriously, they are so fluffy and flaky and they melt in your mouth.
Colonnade’s iceberg wedge salad with Thousand Island dressing, yeast rolls, and sweet tea
They are especially famous for their juicy fried chicken, so I ordered that of course. On the menu you have 32 different side dishes to choose from, including such classics as tomato aspic and Waldorf salad. I wish I was more hungry so I could have tried several of them, but I ended up with just one. A great choice though – sweet potato soufflé, which was recommended on Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood.com, and was creamy and delicious. The fried chicken was some of the best I ever had. Mmmmmmm!
Colonnade’s fried chicken and sweet potato soufflé
This place was very popular when I went, so you may have to wait. The service was friendly and efficient, like most places in the south that I visited.
The Colonnade
1879 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta, GA 30324
(404) 874-5642
Open Mon-Thurs 5pm-9pm, Fri 5pm-10pm, Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 11:30am-9pm
I’m so glad that you profiled the Colonnade. It’s a spectacular dining experience with extraordinary food. Thank god I included it in my directory of classic restaurants for Georgia. Keep ’em comin’!
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