The Barbecue Kitchen is practically around the corner from Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport, making it a wonderful first stop for arriving travelers. The barbecue is swell, but in fact the real allure is southern vegetables. Collard greens, rutabagas, squash casserole: Each is a shot in the arm. The collards are plain and leafy and powerfully GREEN; the rutabagas taste of sweet earth and fresh-dug roots; the squash is falling-apart soft and innocent.
Vegetables come in their own little bowls atop a partitioned unbreakable plate, the largest section of which ought to be filled with rough-chopped barbecue painted with tangy cinnabar sauce. The meat is yeomanly, although the biggest pieces tended to be dry (thank God for the sauce). Given a choice of cornbread or biscuits, go for both, the former not the least bit sweet (a perfect companion for those greens), the latter a good moppin’ sop for the last of the barbecue. Of course, the proper beverage to pair with this meal is ice tea, served in a tall tumbler.
It all comes ultra-fast, delivered by a waitress who is one of a team of veterans whom diner aficionados will love. I envision these birds back in the days before smoking was evil, toting meals to a table with an unfiltered Camel precariously dangling from their lips, never letting ash hit a customer’s plate (unless the customer deserved it).
Sunday | 7am - 8pm |
Monday | 7am - 8pm |
Tuesday | 7am - 8pm |
Wednesday | 7am - 8pm |
Thursday | 7am - 8pm |
Friday | 7am - 8pm |
Saturday | 7am - 8pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Fresh Air Barbecue
Jackson, GeorgiaA Georgia BBQ country classic, Fresh Air’s menu is a no-frills hall of fame: smoke-cooked pork, meaty Brunswick stew, creamy/crisp cole slaw. Cheap, good, fun.
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Charlie Joseph’s
LaGrange, GeorgiaA LaGrange, Georgia, landmark, Charlie Joseph’s first started selling hot dogs in 1920. Chili topping is a best bet, as is spicy relish.
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Big Daddy’s Dish
College Park, GeorgiaFried chicken, spare ribs, catfish, etc. accompanied by expertly-cooked vegetables and Georgia peach cobbler make Big Daddy’s an Atlanta best bet for soul food.
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Blue Willow Inn
Social Circle, GeorgiaSocial Circle’s Blue Willow Inn is the best Sunday Supper restaurant every day. Huge buffet includes fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, countless desserts.
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Mamie’s Kitchen Biscuits
Lithonia, GeorgiaFleecy biscuits, still warm from the oven, sandwich every imaginable ingredient at Mamie’s, a legendary breakfast stop near I-20 east of Atlanta, Georgia.
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Matthews Cafeteria
Tucker, GeorgiaMatthews Cafeteria is a Main Street restaurant popular among locals who come for fried chicken, meat loaf, or catfish sided by well-cooked Southern vegetables.