Best meat-and-three (or -two)
Meatloaf, sweet potato souffle and Hoppin' John are just a few of the choices at Mary Mac's Tea Room, an Atlanta tradition and your pick for best meat-and-three (or -two). Photo: Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com
YOUR PICKS
1. Mary Mac’s Tea Room
You say, “Mary Mac’s Tea Room – best for taste, family atmosphere, and value” and “A Southern tradition.”
2. Carver’s Country Kitchen
3. Matthews Cafeteria
4. The Colonnade
5. Busy Bee Café
6. Doug’s Place
The tasty collard greens at Greenwood's on Green Street in Roswell. Staff photo.
OUR PICKS
1. Greenwood’s
The AJC dining team’s specialist in Southern and Neighborhood Fare Jenny Turknett says, “At Greenwood’s, you can’t go wrong — everything on the menu is fresh and delicious. My favorites are the scrumptious pork chops with sage butter served with collards and creamed corn just like my grandmother made.”
2. Home Grown GA
3. Matthews Cafeteria
4. Mary Mac’s Tea Room
5. Busy Bee Cafe
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346 comments Add your comment
BBQ
March 29th, 2011
2:56 pm
Carvers
SouthernGirl
March 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
Walter’s on Cleveland Ave
Q’s Restaurant on Main St (East Point)
and for the cafeteria-style lovers, S&S Cafeteria
Southern Eagle
March 29th, 2011
3:01 pm
If you’re ever on the Southside…Willingham’s in McDonough has the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten and I’m from South GA. I’ve eaten at the Beaver House and Lee’s Kitchen in Statesboro and Chatters in Lyons. Willingham’s….hands down.
Sally Sue
March 29th, 2011
3:01 pm
Home Grown ga so good… so busy….. just good honest country food……..real roast beef…
real mashed potatoes I could go on and on……
Ang
March 29th, 2011
3:01 pm
Didn’t ya’ll just ask this question a few weeks ago????
Brian Smith
March 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
Longstreet Cafe, Gainesville
Ang
March 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
That photo is a poor depection of a southern meat and three (or two) – -a true Southerner would have a glass of Sweet Tea and not coffee with their meal! Must have been a yankee setting up that photo shoot! Lordy Mercy!!!
Carolinagrl
March 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
Homespun in Suwanee
Bacchus
March 29th, 2011
3:05 pm
Mary Mac’s or Rexall in Duluth.
Mary Mac’s will be around for a while, but the old drugstore lunch counters are disappearing. My Granddad took me to Rexall when I was a kid. Meatloaf, beans, mashed potatoes and sweet tea was payment for mowing the lawn and generally sweating in the yard at their house.
Mr. M
March 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
Our Way Cafe in Avondale – I’m counting the days until they reopen and I can get me some meatloaf with tomato chutney, mac & cheese and fresh creamed corn. Yum!
Todd843
March 29th, 2011
3:09 pm
bbq Lover,
Don’t know where you’ve been, but the Colonnade DOES serve sweet tea!!!
Nee Nee Leakes
March 29th, 2011
3:09 pm
CHILE! BUSY BEE ain’t nuthin changed Boo Boo
Big Earl
March 29th, 2011
3:10 pm
GABRIELS IN MARIETTA!!!!
Know for their desserts, but for lunch today I had super sweet cream corn, mixed turnip and collard greens (maybe the best I’ve ever had, don’t tell my mama), crispy fried okra, cornbread and sweet tea. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! I walked out with my eyes closed to avoid being tempted by THE BEST DESSERTS ANYWHERE!!! I’m so glad I go by it every day on my way home.
John
March 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
Mom’s Table in Roswell and Woodstock — not the traditional meat-and-three, but it’s all home-cooked food, all to-go so you take it home to heat and eat, and it’s DELICIOUS!
Patti Jo
March 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
“Simply Delicious” Caribbean Cuisine, right here in Smyrna, GA. You have to try it.
Doug V
March 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
“Big Daddys” Old National Hwy, everything is good! They have it all, if you desire it, they have it!
Steven Daedalus
March 29th, 2011
3:14 pm
Doug’s Place in Emerson without a doubt.
Gotta Love It
March 29th, 2011
3:14 pm
Definitely Mary Mac’s!!! I have to give props to Miss Wilkes in Savannah…..yes I know it is not in Atlanta, but it is so good that I had to give credit where credit is due!
BuzztheKiller
March 29th, 2011
3:18 pm
I miss Bobby and June’s on 14th!
Susie Taylor
March 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
Definitely, Mary Mac’s!
Heather
March 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
Po Folks in Woodstock! Absolutely DELICIOUS!
Tam
March 29th, 2011
3:22 pm
Matthews Cafeteria
Fancy Red
March 29th, 2011
3:25 pm
Blue Willow Inn, Social Circle. Mary Mac’s in ATL…
Jackie
March 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
The Colonnade by far!!! LOVE THOSE CHICKEN LIVERS!!
Dude
March 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
Carvers. Hands down.
Nancy
March 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
Carver’s on West Marietta, go on Thursday’s, the best Turkey and dressing you’ll ever put in your mouth
livininATL
March 29th, 2011
3:38 pm
WILLINGHAMS in McDonough! Worth the trip to the Southside!
Constantine
March 29th, 2011
3:38 pm
Carver’s Grocery is the greatest.
Swaga1
March 29th, 2011
3:38 pm
LMAO@ THIS IS IT….actually, THAT AINT IT. ‘This is it’ is garbage i can tell some of you guys don’t know good food when you taste it.
cw
March 29th, 2011
3:47 pm
Colonnade, Blue Willow, Smith House (Dahlonega), Dillard House,. All fabulous!
casius-caligula
March 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
The Busy Bee on Martin Luther King is the kind of soul food restaurant that might cause a happy, but violent reaction. One meal from that place, along with a glass of “half sweet tea and half lemonade” and you might smack your grandma! Now that’s Southern Soul done “REAL RIGHT!”
Tinky
March 29th, 2011
3:52 pm
I agre with Bill and Ann and I love the atomsphere but Big Daddy’s has the best variety of whatever your in the mood for
joe mac n cheese
March 29th, 2011
3:57 pm
REXLALL DRUGS IN DULUTH
sad
March 29th, 2011
4:01 pm
i know homegrown will win hands down…. but in addition to homegrown, i’d submit Q’s in east point. Of course the AJC reviewers won’t go out there, and oakwood cafe at the farmers market. Oakwood Cafe is using canned veggies, but dang it’s good. And Q’s has veggies that are not covered in animal fat.
up here
March 29th, 2011
4:02 pm
DP’s Soul Food Cafe in Buford is hard to beet!! Best collards around!
Shonda
March 29th, 2011
4:03 pm
Mary Mac’s Tea Room – best for taste, family atmosphere, and value
Harvey B.
March 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
Matthew’s in Tucker …..Great home cooking,like Mama made.Breakfast,lunch and especially dinner.
We eat there 2 to 4 times a week….eat in or get to go.big portions, sometimes have enough for 2 nights.A institution in Tucker,Stone Mountain area for many years
Nonna
March 29th, 2011
4:09 pm
This one really is good, but my favorite is Mary Mac (sp?) in Atlanta
jofjonesboro
March 29th, 2011
4:18 pm
Ditto for both Ann & Bill’s in Forest Park and Eats on Ponce.
jj
Hog Jowl
March 29th, 2011
4:21 pm
Quinnie’s on LaVista (RIP)
DW
March 29th, 2011
4:31 pm
Busy Bee
Best food, service, prices
March 29th, 2011
4:34 pm
Family Traditions both locations, Woodstock and Canton. Service is great, the food is home cooking at its finest, and no one makes better fried okra. They also support local charities and events. The son owns the one in Woodstock, the mom and dad own the one in Canton. I know this is about the meat and 3’s but their desserts, especially their cobblers are to die for and their breakfasts are awesome, especially their biscuits and gravy and their omelets.
tukute
March 29th, 2011
4:47 pm
Michon’s on Virginia
Fire Frank Wren
March 29th, 2011
5:09 pm
Where else except Carver’s Country Kitchen?
Love to Eat!
March 29th, 2011
5:16 pm
I love the Colonade, Busy’s Bees, and Mary Macs. Heck, any place where you see “big” women in the kitchen cooking!
lisa
March 29th, 2011
6:10 pm
1) Matthew’s in Tucker
2) Carver’s
3) Bar b que Kitchen in College Park
Now I”m hungry…
Tommy W
March 29th, 2011
6:39 pm
The Colonnade, Matthews, Ann & Bills, Mary Mac’s. As a salesman, I eat at all of them if I am in the neighborhood. They are the greatest and I can’t pick one as the best. If one has the edge it might be the Colonnade because their portions are bigger. Although not a meat and 2 or 3 or for me, 4, Journey’s End buffet (formerly owned by the owners of Blue Willow Inn) is pretty awesome also.
Tommy W
March 29th, 2011
6:40 pm
Whoops I forgot Kellies in Loganville. It is great also
SweetDarlin'
March 29th, 2011
7:21 pm
Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle…Great all you can eat southern buffet!
SweetDarlin'
March 29th, 2011
7:22 pm
Oh, and if you happen to be in Augusta…Maryland’s Fried Chicken