14 Classic Georgia Meat-And-Three Cafés Perfect For A Sunday Drive
Georgia’s backroads hide meat-and-three cafés where comfort food rules and Sundays feel a little slower and sweeter.
I drove through towns to find spots where plates arrive piled high with savory meats, fresh sides, and recipes that taste like home.
Each café offers hearty flavors, friendly chatter, and a welcoming vibe that makes the journey as satisfying as the meal itself.
These classic spots prove why locals love a Sunday drive with a full plate in hand.
1. Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room
Savannah’s most famous communal dining experience has strangers passing bowls like long-lost cousins since 1943.
You’ll sit elbow-to-elbow at big tables while fried chicken, collard greens, mac and cheese, and about fifteen other dishes rotate around you.
No reservations, no menus, just pure Southern hospitality served family-style. The line wraps around the block before lunch, but trust me, it moves faster than you’d think. Cash only, so hit the ATM first!
2. Minnie’s Uptown Restaurant
Columbus’s soul food royalty reigns from a cozy spot where the sweet tea flows freely and the yams are candied to perfection.
Opened in 1986, Minnie’s quickly became the go-to for politicians, celebrities, and regular folks craving authentic home cooking.
Their oxtails practically fall off the bone, and the cornbread dressing could make a vegetarian reconsider their life choices.
Sunday crowds pack the place, so arrive early or prepare to wait. Worth every single minute, though!
3. Loretta’s Country Kitchen
Tucked in Oakwood, this unassuming café serves the kind of cooking that makes you understand why Southerners get misty-eyed about food.
Loretta herself might greet you at the door, and her meatloaf has achieved legendary status among locals.
The turnip greens are slow-cooked with just enough pork to make them dangerous, and the banana pudding disappears faster than gossip at a church social.
Small-town charm meets big-time flavor here. Don’t skip the squash casserole!
4. Rabbittown Cafe
Gainesville’s Rabbittown community’s best-kept secret sits in a renovated gas station that now pumps out fried pork chops instead of unleaded.
The quirky name comes from the neighborhood’s history, and the food comes straight from generations of family recipes.
Their chicken and dumplings are thick, hearty, and absolutely soul-warming on a chilly Sunday afternoon.
Locals guard this spot like a state secret, but word’s getting out about those incredible green beans cooked with bacon. Arrive hungry, leave happy!
5. OK Cafe
Atlanta’s retro diner throws you straight back to the 1950s with checkered floors, chrome stools, and waitresses who call everyone honey.
Since 1987, this Buckhead institution has been slinging blue-plate specials that’d make your grandmother jealous.
The meatloaf comes with a tangy tomato glaze, and the mashed potatoes are whipped to creamy perfection.
Open daily, so your Sunday drive can easily include a stop here. The pie selection alone deserves its own road trip!
6. K & K Soul Food
When Atlanta Magazine keeps naming you one of the city’s best soul food spots, you’re obviously doing something right.
This family-run operation in East Point has been feeding folks since the 1990s, and their fried catfish is downright addictive.
The collards are seasoned perfectly, the cornbread is slightly sweet, and the peach cobbler will have you scraping the dish like nobody’s watching.
Generous portions mean you’ll probably take half your meal home. Their hot sauce has serious kick, fair warning!
7. Buckner’s Family Restaurant
Jackson’s Sunday tradition since 1978 serves buffet-style country cooking that’ll test your self-control and your waistband.
The carved roast beef is tender enough to cut with a fork, and the creamed corn tastes like summer in a bowl.
Families pack the dining room after church services, creating a warm buzz of conversation and clinking silverware.
The salad bar offers a token nod to vegetables before you pile your plate with fried okra and biscuits. Save room for their legendary coconut cake!
8. Honey From The Rock Cafe
Augusta’s hidden treasure sits in a converted house where the porch still has rocking chairs and the food tastes like somebody’s beloved grandmother cooked it.
Their pot roast practically melts on your tongue, swimming in rich brown gravy that demands to be sopped up with cornbread.
The lima beans are buttery perfection, and somehow they make Brussels sprouts taste good, which should qualify as a minor miracle.
Cozy rooms create an intimate dining experience that feels like eating in someone’s home.
9. Ruth’s Family Restaurant
Summerville’s breakfast and lunch spot has been filling bellies since the 1980s with no-nonsense country cooking at prices that won’t empty your wallet.
Their country fried steak is crispy, peppery, and smothered in white gravy that could fix just about any bad mood.
The turnip greens come with chunks of ham, and the sweet potato casserole topped with pecans is basically dessert masquerading as a side dish.
Friendly service and generous portions keep regulars coming back weekly. Try the pinto beans!
10. The Colonnade
Atlanta’s oldest operating restaurant opened in 1927 and still serves Southern classics in a dining room that oozes vintage charm.
Their fried chicken is legendarily crispy, and the baked spaghetti is an unexpected menu star that keeps folks debating its place in Southern cuisine.
The creamed spinach is silky smooth, and the yeast rolls arrive warm enough to melt butter on contact.
Old-school waitresses in uniforms provide efficient service with just enough sass to feel authentic. Cash or check only, seriously!
11. Harvest Moon Cafe
Rome’s farm-to-table approach to meat-and-three cooking brings fresh ingredients straight from local farms to your plate.
Their pot roast features beef from nearby ranches, and seasonal vegetables actually taste like they were picked that morning.
The mashed potatoes are made from real potatoes (imagine that!), and the green beans snap with freshness.
Located in downtown Rome, this café proves you can honor tradition while embracing quality ingredients. Their blackberry cobbler changes with the seasons!
12. Fordham’s Farmhouse
Set in Statesboro in southeast Georgia, this family operation treats every customer like kin visiting for Sunday supper.
Their fried chicken is brined overnight and fried to golden perfection, creating a crust that shatters satisfyingly with each bite.
The butter beans are creamy and rich, and the squash casserole achieves that perfect balance between vegetable and comfort food.
Desserts rotate daily, but the chocolate meringue pie has developed a cult following among regulars. Portions are genuinely enormous here!
13. RC’s Southern Cooking
This Marietta establishment proves that strip mall locations can house serious soul food magic.
Their smothered pork chops swim in onion gravy that’ll have you licking the plate when nobody’s looking, and the mac and cheese is baked with three kinds of cheese until golden and bubbly.
The collard greens have just enough vinegar tang to balance the richness, and the cornbread muffins are slightly sweet and perfectly moist. Locals pack this place daily for lunch specials that won’t break the bank.
14. H&H Soul Food
Macon’s most famous café fed the Allman Brothers Band back in the day and still serves the kind of soul food that inspired rock and roll.
Their fried chicken has been called the best in Georgia by multiple publications, and honestly, they might be right.
The rutabagas are unexpectedly delicious, and the peach cobbler celebrates Georgia’s official fruit in the most delicious way possible.
Mama Louise ran this place for decades, and her legacy lives on in every perfectly seasoned dish. Music history meets culinary excellence!