Guy Fieri knows all the hit spots, and in Atlanta there is no shortage of options. Although these restaurants all have a similar southern flair, they’re all worth checking out and each feature their own special dishes. If you’re in the mood for brunch, these are some of the best restaurants to fulfill your cravings. If you want barbecue, Fox Bar-B-Q is the right choice. You can find all-day breakfast at Folk Art, as well as brunch, lunch, and dinner options. Honestly, I wish I was in Atlanta right now.
1. Buttermilk Kitchen
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Buttermilk Kitchen is my go-to on this list. Well, at least for breakfast and lunch since that’s all they serve here. Not only is it impossible to choose what to order, but it’s pretty reasonably priced as well, making the decision of what to eat all that more difficult.
Breakfast and brunch options include grits and eggs, a lox plate with the works, a fried chicken breast on a biscuit with red pepper jelly, grits, and pickles, or a fried egg BLT. The list could go on. For lunch, try their fried green tomato and pimento cheese sandwich or a pulled BBQ chicken sandwich with a side of grits, cornbread, or fries.
The weekend brunch menu has a few specials worth noting, including breakfast tostadas and cinnamon roll French toast with cream cheese icing. If you’re lucky enough to catch their monthly fancy fried chicken dinner, do it.
2. The General Muir
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The General Muir serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast, they specialize in different kinds of bagel platters that include handmade, baked-daily bagels, with different “schmears” and your choice of fish (lox, sable, baked salmon salad, or smoked trout salad). If you’re not that big on bagels, try their pecan-crusted French toast or poached eggs and grits.
For lunch, choose from an array of sandwiches like a classic tuna melt or a roast beef sandwich (and you can still get bagel platters, too). And if you’re eating brunch on the weekend, you get the best of both the breakfast and lunch menu. Soups, salads, and sides of poutine or French fries are also available. For dinner, bigger is better. Try the brisket or fried chicken with a side of sweet potatoes or roasted Brussels sprouts.
3. Joy Café
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Joy Café serves both lunch and a weekend brunch, but don’t let that fool you, because their menu is loaded with so many options you’ll probably be sitting there for an hour trying to decide what to order. For lunch, you could opt for a Greek or Cobb salad if you’re getting tired of the heavier Southern foods. If not, check out their deli-style sandwiches and create your own epic sandwich. If you’re too indecisive to create your own, try out their specialty sandwiches like the grilled chicken bacon provolone or choose from one of the 6 different grilled cheese sandwich options.
Their weekend brunch menu consists of the classic staples (granola, pancakes, waffles, breakfast pastries, and different egg options) as well as more amped up choices (steak and egg tacos, biscuits and gravy, and shrimp and grits).
4. Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q
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Fox Bros Bar-B-Q is a true, Southern barbecue. And you can’t live in or visit Atlanta and not have that. The menu is immense and is filled with dishes like fried chicken, wings, ribs, fries, and pickles. Highlights include the chicken-fried ribs, fried pickles and jalapeño chips, and plates of beef ribs, pulled pork, or rib racks. They have it all: any barbecued or fried meat, however you like it.
5. Folk Art
Photo courtesy of @julieecc on Instagram
First off, Folk Art serves breakfast all day, which means you can eat their cinnamon pecan sticky bun, French toast, peanut butter banana pancakes, or eggs and grits for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Although the all-day breakfast menu is slightly limited, they go all out if you’re eating at actual breakfast time.
Try their sweet potato pancakes and waffles or the challah bread French toast, all of which come with their own sub-options like s’mores waffles or banana nut French toast. If not, go for some huevos rancheros, Eggs Benedict, or jumbo grilled biscuits. If you’re there for lunch or dinner and and don’t want breakfast foods, treat yourself to burgers, salads, or sandwiches with a southern twist, like the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich.
And don’t worry, you can come for their weekend brunch as well, where you’ll probably have an even harder time deciding what to get since you’ll have choices from both the breakfast and lunch menus.