The Colonnade is Atlanta’s second-oldest restaurant, after Atkins Park. The Mid-Century landmark is a reliable favorite for comfort food and classic cocktails, beloved by locals and tourists alike. Not many other places can claim customers who have been coming in for over 70 years and employees who have stuck with it for over 50 years.
Established in 1927 by Frank Tarleton at the corner of Lindbergh Drive and Piedmont Road, The Colonnade moved to its present location at 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road NE in 1962. Longtime owners Jodi and David Stallings decided it was time to retire last year and sold the business to Lewis Jeffries and Paul Donahue, who plan on keeping things true to the formula that has made it such a success, retaining popular menu items and bringing back old favorites.
Fried chicken is the star attraction, but a wide variety of meat-and-three favorites is on the menu, including pot roast, served with mashed potatoes, carrots and English peas. Tomato aspic (not pictured) is also a classic menu item that’s quite popular.
The wedge salad is served with pickled beets, tomatoes, onion, bacon, and blue cheese.
The yeast rolls get their own plates…
The Colonnade is always busy but it’s worth the wait. And they don’t take reservations.
The bar serves classic cocktails, wine, and beer, and if everyone doesn’t know your name right away, they’ll remember you.
According to “The Soul of Georgia”, an fascinating digital exhibit curated by Evan Leavitt for Georgia College Special Collections, Lillie Adam Bell opened this location as a juke joint known as the Diner’s Club in 1955.Since her death in 1971, the club has been owned by Clifford Holsey. The original structure has been expanded by additions throughout the years, but retains its roots. The business is now known as Soulmaster’s BBQ Lounge, but locals still refer to it as “The Diner”.
I always make an effort to “eat local” when traveling, and while in Dawson at lunchtime on a recent trip, searched my phone for restaurants. Glowing reviews of Paul’s sent me in their direction and I wasn’t disappointed, to say the least. The building itself was rather plain and with cars and trucks lining both sides of the street outside I wondered how in the world everyone could fit inside such a relatively small place. It was packed but not so crowded as to be uncomfortable.
The buffet line at Paul’s
In the best way possible, Paul’s is just an unassuming soul food joint. But what’s better than the food that feeds your soul? Meat-and-two, meat-and-three…Southerners know the drill. Entrees here change from day to day but there is almost always fried chicken prepared by people who really know fried chicken. The greens were perfect, not too salty and not overcooked, at least to my Southern palate. And the fried cornbread and tea were top notch. They don’t put sugar in the cornbread, thank God, and the sweet tea isn’t so sweet it will cross your eyes. And you get your own pitcher.
Locals enjoying lunch and catching up on the latest news
Raymon Huston Paul (1928-1993) and Laverne “Nanny Paul (1935-2024) were married in 1955. In 1969 they bought a supermarket and named it Paul’s Little Supermarket. In 1989, they transformed the business into Paul’s Restaurant. After Mr. Paul’s death in 1993, Mrs. Paul developed the restaurant into the local landmark it is today. She didn’t just build a successful business, but rather a family. The community thought of her as a grandmother to all, including her employees and her customers. That’s about the highest praise one can hope for, in my opinion, a true legacy based on love and kindness.
The line at Paul’s
When you go into a local restaurant that isn’t local to you, you often feel like an invader from Mars. Those of us from small towns know you can spot an outsider a mile away. But you don’t feel that at Paul’s. It’s a truly welcoming space. Further evidence of Mrs. Paul’s ethics and continuing legacy.
Stacy Paul George with her beloved grandmother, Laverne “Nanny” Paul (vintage photograph)
Mrs. Paul’s granddaughter, Stacy Paul George, is one of the main reasons her grandmother’s legacy remains intact. She is continuing the business just as it was intended, and her energy is infectious. Stacy doesn’t meet a stranger and personally welcomed me and my friend to Paul’s. She genuinely cares about her customers and has a great sense of camaraderie with her employees. A recipe for success, no doubt.
Stacy Paul George and Deborah at the front lines. Virginia is in the background
As most of you who follow Vanishing Georgia know, I rarely “endorse” businesses, but Paul’s Restaurant has my seal of approval. If you ever find yourself near Dawson around lunchtime (I think they serve breakfast, too), eat here. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget.
Thanks are due to Stacy and all the wonderful staff at Paul’s for the food and the hospitality.
This photograph also dates to 2010. The building is gone now, and I just call it “Chicken Dinner” because that’s what the sign says. It probably had another name. There’s a Carter’s Fried Chicken on this site now. I mostly liked the Mid-Century architectural vibe of this little restaurant, and the globe lamps inside. I don’t know if you could eat inside or if it was simply a walk-up-and-order kind of place. I do recall the place being open in the late 2000s. It was located across the street from the Piget, another local landmark that is also gone.
When I first photographed this location in January 2010, it looked like a busy place. That may have been due to the fact that there was an automotive detailing shop next door that only charged $8 for cars and $12 for trucks. The restaurant was once known as the Corner Kitchen and I’m not sure if it was even still open when I photographed it. I imagine it was a good soul food restaurant, a meat-and-three kind of place, and considering the lack of restaurants in Cuthbert, was probably quite popular. The building looks to have originally been a neighborhood grocery store.
Shenita Hunt with her mother and Miller’s Soul Food matriarch, Nadine Miller Hunt
If you’re a fan of home-style Southern cooking you should put Miller’s Soul Food in Dublin at the top of your list to visit. They’ve been serving up food and a strong sense of community here for several generations, and you can feel the history and the love in every dish. It’s the oldest restaurant in Dublin and one of the community’s most successful Black-owned businesses.
Inside Miller’s Soul Food
Mrs. Nadine Miller Hunt’s mother established the restaurant in 1955 and Nadine has been running the place for over 30 years. When her husband, James L. Hunt (1934-2023), passed away recently, her daughter Shenita Hunt, who has lived in the Miami area for many years, came home to help with the restaurant’s operation. Mrs. Nadine isn’t slowing down and is the very definition of a gracious Southern lady. In 2022, Miller’s Soul Food was the only Georgia restaurant awarded a Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
I had a fried leg quarter, a baked leg, turnips, and rutabagas. Both the fried and baked chicken were perfect. The photo, made on the fly, doesn’t do the food justice, so you’ll have to see for yourself.
In the pantheon of Southern restaurants, the meat-and-three is king, because everyone is looking for food like their mamma made. In my experience, the search rarely yields acceptable results. But sometimes you come across a place so good that you want to share it with the world. Miller’s Soul Food isn’t just any meat-and-three. Nothing is too salty, nothing too greasy, and nothing too sweet. Perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. None of this dumped-out-of-a-can buffet stuff here. There are plenty of regular customers who will tell you it’s the best restaurant in Dublin and I believe them.
Miller’s Soul Food, Dublin’s Oldest Resturant
Of course they serve all the staples, like fried chicken, ribs, fried mullet, and sides like turnips and rutabagas. I’m more a mustard and collards fan, but on the advice of a regular customer, I got the turnips and they were cooked to perfection. For the more old-school customers, they serve up oxtails, pig’s feet and other soul food classics. Each meal comes with corn muffins and an old-fashioned hoe cake, also very good.
Longtime customers make a selection. It’s all so good, it’s not easy to choose.
When I first walked in the door, I was warmly welcomed by Shenita Hunt. In addition to being dedicated to the legacy of her family’s business, she’s an accomplished singer, has toured professionally, and is passionate about her work. She was happy to play some of her recordings and she’s very talented [my favorite was her cover of “At Last” by Etta James]. Her work is available for purchase at the restaurant and online. Her family also owned a nightclub, Miller’s Country Club, about ten miles outside town, and she learned many standards of American music from listening to their jukebox and watching the musicians who worked with her parents. That’s where she got the music bug. Her family strongly embraced and encouraged her artistic interests.
Miller’s Soul Food is only open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, so you’ll have to plan. But really, you should pay them a visit.
Dublin Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Inez Hill and Louise Hudson, affectionately known as Mama Hill and Mama Louise, opened their H & H Restaurant on the corner of Hayes and Third Street in 1959, moving to Cotton Avenue for a time before finally settling at the present Forsyth Avenue location. The establishment soon became a Macon favorite and would go on to acquire iconic status for its association with the Allman Brothers Band. In their struggling early days, the band members came into H & H and were so broke they had to share plates. Mama Louise, sensing they were hungry, made them all their own plates, free of charge. The musicians never forgot her act of kindness and promised to make it up to her when they made it big. In 1972, they took her on tour.
For serious fans of the Allman Brothers Band, no trip to Macon would be complete without a visit to H & H. It was the hospitality of Mama Louise that helped put the place on the map and nearly fifty years later people still make their way here to feel a connection to rock history. The memorabilia-lined walls never fail to amaze. The Marshall Tucker Band, Wet Willie, and countless others were H & H regulars in Macon’s musical heyday of the early 1970s. It was also an important meeting place for Macon’s civil rights leaders and activists.
Of course, people come for the history and legend but return for the excellent food. Known as Macon’s “fried chicken specialist”, H & H also offers items like country fried steak, fried fish, oxtails, and more. The meats are great, but the sides are even better. I’m not a fan of collards, but I like H & H’s. Their mashed potatoes are creamy [not runny] and the squash casserole is as good as you’ll find anywhere. They top it with cheese to make it perfect.
Mama Hill collapsed while working in the restaurant in 2007 and died the next day at the age of 92. H & H briefly closed in 2013 but reopened in early 2015. It’s been called Georgia’s most iconic restaurant and while it fits the bill, it’s not a pretentious place. You’ll feel right at home when you walk in the door, with locals and tourists alike. The staff are some of the best you’ll find anywhere and the food will not disappoint.
