Mary Mac's Tea Room
Southern restaurant (US) · Atlanta ·
Southern institution serving fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, yeast rolls
Southern institution serving fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, yeast rolls
"Celebrating an incredible 80 years, Mary Mac’s Tea Room remains one of the city’s most well-regarded Southern and soul food restaurants—dubbed “Atlanta’s Dining Room” by Southern Living—and even though it has expanded to six dining rooms over eight decades, I found the recipes, charm, and hospitality unchanged; the same simple corn-shucking and bean-snapping happen in the kitchen today that started in 1945. I made sure to order some “table wine,” aka sweet tea, with my meal." - Tori Allen
"Expect to find this Southern classic on Ponce packed with weekend tourists. Mary Mac’s is an old school meat-and-two where you write down your own order on a menu card. And where else will servers announce, “Comin’ in, honey” before setting down a plate of delicious fried green tomatoes? Plus, it’s one of the few places where you can still get potlikker (think: chips-and-salsa starter but with collard broth and cornbread). The setting feels nostalgic—homey rooms lined with photos of famous guests (yes, that’s the Dalai Lama) and old floors that creak with a Southern accent." - nina reeder, juli horsford, jacinta howard
"Yes, this Southern food classic on Ponce gets all the attention, but it is a meat-and-two experience worth checking off your Atlanta list. And Mary Mac's has been Black-owned since 2020." - jacinta howard, juli horsford
"Depending on the day, this Southern landmark on Ponce is either packed with out-of-towners or colleagues at lunch. They come for the nostalgia of the original 1940s tearoom, which is valid. Name another meat-and-two stop where you write down your own order on a menu card. And where else will the waitress announce, “Comin’ in, honey” before plopping down a pretty decent pot roast and fluffy sweet potato soufflé? We’ll wait. And while we do, we’ll dip our cornbread into a cup of their brothy collard green potlikker (a fading Southern tradition that’s still very much the right move here)." - demarco williams, nina reeder, juli horsford, jacinta howard
"A longstanding Midtown tea-room institution on Ponce de Leon Avenue that was purchased in 2020 by Fresh Hospitality (led by Harold Martin Jr.) after more than 25 years of ownership by John Ferrell; it now operates alongside the group's other regional brands." - Henna Bakshi