This Georgia Meat-And-Three Cafeteria Has Side Dishes That Quietly Steal The Spotlight
Tucked away on Forsyth Street in Macon, H & H Restaurant has been serving soul food since 1959, and while the fried chicken gets all the glory, I’m here to tell you the real magic happens on the sides.
Most folks walk in expecting a standard meat-and-three experience, but they leave raving about the vegetables and fixings that somehow manage to outshine even the best entrees. These aren’t your average afterthought sides either.
They’re cooked with the kind of love and attention that makes you forget you’re eating vegetables in the first place.
Mac And Cheese That Defies All Logic
Walking past tables at H & H, I noticed something peculiar. Nearly every single diner had ordered the mac and cheese, and they were treating it like the main event rather than a supporting player.
This isn’t the boxed stuff your college roommate made at midnight. The cheese sauce clings to every elbow, often pairing it with fried chicken or catfish, but the mac steals the show every time.
Rich without being heavy, creamy without being gloppy, it’s the kind of comfort food that makes you understand why people drive hours to get here.
Collard Greens With A Kick You’ll Remember
Some folks find these greens a little too enthusiastic in the spice department, but that’s exactly what makes them memorable. Cooked low and slow until they’re tender but not mushy, these collards pack enough heat to wake up your taste buds without sending you running for milk.
I’ve always believed that greens should have personality, and H & H’s version has plenty to spare. A friend told me they were too spicy for their wife, which honestly just means they’re seasoned properly for the rest of us who like our vegetables to fight back a little.
The pot liquor at the bottom is worth sopping up with a biscuit. Paired with cornbread or as part of a veggie plate, these greens remind you that vegetables can be just as satisfying as any meat.
Lima Beans That Convert The Skeptics
Lima beans get a bad reputation, mostly because people remember the chalky frozen ones from childhood cafeteria nightmares. H & H changes that narrative completely with their version, which shows up on veggie plates and wins over even the most dedicated lima bean haters.
Butter beans, as they’re affectionately called in the South, arrive creamy and rich, swimming in a savory sauce that makes you want to lick the plate clean.
Cooked until they’re tender but still hold their shape, they’re proof that proper seasoning and patience can redeem any ingredient. When I visited, I watched a regular order a double portion, which speaks volumes about their reputation among the locals.
Squash Casserole Worth Fighting Over
Casseroles often get dismissed as potluck filler, but this squash version earns its place as a legitimate side dish contender. Yellow squash gets mixed with onions, cheese, and a cracker topping that turns golden and crispy in the oven, creating textural contrast that keeps every bite interesting.
It’s comfort food that doesn’t apologize for being indulgent. The ratio of squash to cheese is perfectly balanced, so you’re not just eating a cheese bomb disguised as vegetables.
Sweet, savory, and just a little bit decadent, it’s the kind of dish that makes you reconsider your entire relationship with squash.
Green Beans Cooked The Old-Fashioned Way
Forget everything you know about crisp-tender green beans with a bite. H & H cooks theirs the way grandmothers across the South have done for generations, simmering them low and slow until they’re soft, savory, and completely transformed.
Seasoned with pork and cooked down until the flavors meld together, these beans taste like Sunday dinner at your favorite aunt’s house. Get them as part of beef tips plate, and the combination makes perfect sense when you taste how well the bean broth complements rich, meaty dishes.
There’s no crunch here, just pure comfort in every forkful. The cooking liquid alone is worth ordering extra cornbread to soak up, turning a simple side into something you’ll crave days later when you’re back home eating sad desk lunches.
Butter Beans That Deserve Their Own Fan Club
Yes, butter beans appear twice on this list, but under different names because they’re just that good and deserve the recognition. These show up in reviews so frequently that I’m convinced H & H has perfected some secret family recipe passed down through generations.
Creamy, rich, and cooked with enough seasoning to make you forget you’re eating something healthy, they’re the ultimate comfort side. The texture hits that sweet spot between firm and falling apart, with each bean soaking up the flavorful cooking liquid.
When I asked a regular what makes them special, she just smiled and said some things are better left mysterious, which only made me want another serving.
Cheese Grits That Redefine Breakfast Sides
Grits might technically be a breakfast side, but at H & H they’re available all day because people demand them beyond morning hours. Stone-ground and cooked until they’re impossibly creamy.
They load them with enough cheese to make you question whether you’re eating a side dish or a religious experience, these grits have converted countless skeptics.
The consistency is smooth without being gluey, and the cheese flavor comes through without overwhelming the corn’s natural sweetness. Paired with anything from fried chicken to scrambled eggs, these grits prove that simple ingredients executed perfectly beat fancy cooking techniques every single time.
Deviled Eggs That Vanish From Plates
Calling deviled eggs a side dish feels almost insulting to their status at H & H, where they function more like edible gold. Creamy yolk filling piped back into perfectly cooked whites, topped with paprika and whatever secret ingredient makes them disappear from plates faster than anything else in the cafeteria.
The filling strikes that perfect balance between tangy and rich, with enough mustard to give them character without making your face pucker. Traditional Southern deviled eggs are serious business, and H & H treats them with the respect they deserve.
They’re the kind of side that makes you order extras to take home, even though you know they won’t survive the car ride.