Thumbs Up Diner

🚗 While walking near Georgia Tech’s campus, I came across Thumbs Up Diner — I already loved the name! There’s a big parking lot outside, but only a few spots left — looks like this place draws a crowd of food lovers. 👥 Inside, the place was packed — 80–90% of the tables were groups of two or more. Luckily, I was seated in under 5 minutes thanks to some open spots. The menu has two full pages, and for Atlanta city prices, it’s surprisingly affordable. The staff were super friendly and full of energy! ☕ Today I ordered a coffee blend, fried chicken tenders with waffles, and deep-dip French toast. 🧇 The waffle was soft and fluffy — slightly cool by the time it reached the table, but still warm enough to melt the butter. The chicken tenders were delicious — the crispy coating had a unique seasoning blend that felt like a house specialty. The scrambled eggs were super soft and creamy! 🍞 As for the deep-dip French toast — they came in huge slices! Personally, I’m not a fan of cinnamon, so I probably would’ve liked it more without the spice. But if you’re into cinnamon, this one’s for you!

This is some of the best breakfast I’ve had in Atlanta. I choose this location in particular for the ratings. The fried fish was made crispy and well seasoned so delicious. The grits were filling and the waffles had a vanilla undertone. 10/10. The price was beyond reasonable

This place, amongst the diners in Atlanta for breakfast, ranks to me among the top, because of its typical, original decor diner atmosphere. The food is cooked to order, and not of a wow moment, but definitely good. We have dined here few times, the service and the food has been consistently good, to make for a good dining experience. We will patronize this establishment again.

Came back to Thumbs Up after a bit of a hiatus and they've still got it! Friendly staff and the food came out super quick. The pancakes are HUGE so brace yourself. I love the thick bacon and the grits were seasoned nicely ( I didn't add anything). My eggs could have been scrambled a bit harder, but they were still good. Definitely a "thumbs up" in my book!

We enjoyed Thumbs Up on Saturday, Feb., 2025 @ 10AM. This was a good time to arrive as it became very busy after 10AM. Tibby was an excellent welcoming and customer focused server and checked on us frequently. We were offered coffee and OJ almost immediately after being seated and ordered pancakes, eggs, and crispy bacon. We enjoyed our 1st time experience and breakfast at Thumbs Up and we do recommend and will return. Thank you.

Recommended so we came in and tried it. Great! Honestly I grew up around catfish but NEVER considered catfish and eggs. I was wrong! Ann (our waitress ) said almost all her regulars have the fish. My friends had fried pork chops, grilled pork chops, eggs over easy, cheesey grits and whole grain biscuits. You got 3 thumbs up today, we'll be back for sure.

This was the best Thumbs Up diner experience I have had hands down! I have been going to multiple locations for about 10 years now starting with the Alpharetta location and east Atlanta. This was my first time coming to the west midtown location, and it was AMAZING! I like their grits but I have to add butter and salt, not these! They were excellent, customer service extraordinary from the minute you walk in the door! The steak was cooked to perfection! This will be the only location I frequent moving forward!

OMG!! I’ve been here a couple of times and the food is ALWAYS on point! The staff is friendly, I didn’t have to add ANYTHING to my food, it was perfectly seasoned and affordable! I love Thumbs Up Diner and I’ll DEFINITELY be back!

Really good breakfast. Fun atmosphere. Great waitstaff. Sometimes the wait is long but you can get on the waitlist from yelp before you arrive.

This is a hidden gem in Atlanta. I had a single egg, breakfast potatoes, and an everything bagel with cream cheese, but ended up taking that home. The egg was cooked exactly to my specification. The breakfast potatoes were perfect. My eyes were bigger than my stomach, so I will have to update with the result of the bagel later. My child ordered two slices of French toast. They came out perfectly, and my child loved them. The prices are more than reasonable. Definitely NOT Atlanta prices. Highly recommend this hidden gem of a restaurant. Did I mention free parking??

We had brunch today at Thumbs Up Diner for the first time at the Atlanta downtown Marietta location. Boogie was our server and she was super nice and efficient! We sat in a big red comfy booth and had our coffees within five minutes of arrival. We had the following: Southwestern Omelets- filled to the brim and delicious! French toast- super fresh and grilled with yummy warm syrup. Cheese grits- just the right amount of cheese and not too salty. Tofu and veggie scramble-sautéed seasoned tofu with grilled veggies on a bed of fresh spinach. Super healthy and filling. I asked for salsa to add to it and it was no problem. The only problem we had was loading g their menu on the phone... was slow to load so I used yelp's menu. Will come back again to order the waffles next time!

It's a small intimate diner. The place was clean. The ambience is like an L shape seating booths. The menu was diner food with good breakfast. The wait staff and hostess were very nice. I had the double deep fried French toast because it appeared to be the only thing that was unique about their breakfast menu. Very good. The grits told a story ... they were basic and watery nothing spectacular. I had one taste and left them.

Great good! They were very busy so a bit slow. Many vegetarian options, even veggie sausage. I always bring my out of town guests here. Very close to the MLK historic sites. Perfect if you're craving brunch!

They don't miss. The service (minus one or two at each location who seem like they don't like people). The food (especially the catfish). The value. I always enjoy a visit to Thumbs Up.

Updating my review because they have entered the 21st century. The food has always been great. The service has always been amazing. When we arrived we put our name in using the Yelp waitlist. It only took like 15 mins to get seated. We sat outside because it was nice. Highly recommend Thumbs Up Diner. You can join the waitlist before you arrive and you can pay with a credit card now.

I was excited to try this place because of what the locals have told me. I purchased the shrimp and grits from Uber Eats. It wasn't my favorite. It tasted like soup on top of grits. To me it wasn't seasoned really well. However, the shrimp was cooked to perfection! I will give it another try, but maybe something else next time

Amazing. The catfish was awesome and the pancakes big and tasty. Perfect refuge during the downtown water crisis.

The food was ok here. I got the chicken and waffles eggs and Lou's coffee. The waffle and eggs were just regular but the chicken was pretty good. Also the Lou's coffee was good as well

I always have a great time here. Tables turn pretty quickly and you cannot beat the prices. No longer cash only!! I went on Sunday around 11am and only had a 20 minute wait. The waffles are sooo good and the smoked wings too! Highly recommend this spot

We visited on a Saturday around 2pm. We were greeted and seated immediately. Not long after ordering, we received our food. My sister and I both ordered the fish and grits. She swapped her grits for "spuds". The fish was fried perfectly. The food was delicious, however, the service was lacking. Our server Tippy was very quick and short with us. Overall 4/5.

Nothing crazy but good diner experience with great service. My omelette was yummy and definitely had leftovers to spare. Multigrain biscuit was slightly odd though. Will be back to try more!

My breakfast burrito was great my husband said he couldn't find the sausage. Coffee was great. The waiter was preoccupied with his friends and service was meh . Overall I liked it better than anything around and I would go back. Parking was full but the restaurant wasn't

I've ordered twice from this location through Uber eats. During the most recent visit, I ordered potatoes, cheese grits, a pancake (huge!) and veggie sausage. The potatoes and grits were under seasoned. I had to add some salt and pepper. Also, there were too many little burnt odds and ends in the potatoes. Don't get me wrong--I love those and they add a little razzle dazzle, but these were the type that you couldn't chew through or break. Definitely ruined the potatoes for me. The pancake wasn't the best, either. Could've been slightly undercooked. I'm not sure about this location, but what I do know is the one in Old 4th is pretty solid! Overall, it's still one of your best bets for breakfast, and Ill probably revisit.

This place holds a special place in my heart for brunch food. You really just can't go wrong with any of the food on this menu, and I have never been disappointed. Be warned, this place is cash only and it can be a pain to get a table on the weekends but it is so worth!! Always start off with a cup coffee, the basics. For the main meal, I am huge fan of the skillet meal with bacon and it is just cheesy, potato and egg goodness. The biscuits are also amazing and I highly recommend them with honey and butter. Absolutely in love with this place and it tastes just as good to go!!! You really can't go wrong here as everything is amazing. 10/10 only wish it was easier to get a table and served.

Easy checkin service. Friendly staff. Good food at reasonable prices. Great portions! You get your food quick! So many good options. The tables were clean. Not your average diner but better! If you're in the Atlanta area definitely worth trying! Parking can be very tight but we ended up paying to park in a separate parking lot.

The food especially the catfish and grits are amazing! Brought my Mom here while she visited and she always says she needs to come back and go there first.

The food was amazing per usual . I had strawberry French Toast, Smoked wings and cheese grits. My server Aaron was amazing and the place was clean.

Excellent meal today, July 6, 2023, At Thumbs Up. Everything was absolutely delicious. No complaints at all. We were seated immediately. Of course, it was a weekday and was not crowded. The parking lot is next door and you just walk into the restaurant from the parking area. Otherwise, there is street parking. The food was delicious .

Came in around 10:40, was seated immediately. It's an old school family diner atmosphere, gentle background music kinda thing. Food came out pretty fast. I had the double dipped French toast and the fried chicken breast. The chicken breast coating is so good. Double dipped French toast is a really big portion for the price, has a great crunchy coating and a toasted coconut-y flavor. I'll be back for more for sure. Low Heap Skillet was rated 9/10 by my friend, again great portion size, lots of potatoes, big pieces of shrimp, scrambled eggs are cooked to her preference, 9/10 rating because too much potatoes compared to the other ingredients.

First 2 hours ARE FREE PARKING. FRENCH TOAST huge slices. The smothered potatoes... I could have gotten an order to go. Ketchup and hot sauce plez. CAsSH ONLY. They have an ATM on site

This isn't my first or won't be my last. I love the basa but this time it was overcooked.. hopefully next time it will be better.. but my potatoes were good as always. Service was good.. and it wasn't crowded in there, so that was good. We were seated quickly..

This was my first time visiting this restaurant during my trip to da ATL and I found it from a quick google search of "breakfast near me" but I must say that it did not disappoint! There was a bit of a wait since I went on a Saturday around noon but my party and I were actually seated within about 20 mins. The French toast and smoked wings were amazing so much so that I actually ordered extra smoked wings to go! Our server Kevin was nice, pleasant, and personable and he provided quick and accurate service. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal and chill vibe and would also visit again should I come back to Atlanta. Also even though there is a sign on the building near the door that says "cash only,"they do accept credit card payments and they also have an ATM on site. I made the mistake of reading that sign before entering and left to go to the bank to withdraw cash that ended up not even being used. Also, the parking is FREE even in the lot behind the restaurant. Good job Thumbs Up! You definitely get from me!

Food was pretty good. Not exceptional, but good. I was starved so that added to it tasting that much better. Cool diner spot. Affordable. I had shrimp & grits (regular grits, not cheese grits). My friend had pancakes which were really good, even without syrup. The batter had a sweet taste. Would I go back? Sure. Customer service was really good.

I don't know if they got different cooks or what happened to this location, food isn't up to par might as well go to the Edgewood location..

I have always liked Thumbs Up, but this visit was disappointing. Normally, the service is great there, but our server last week was too busy on his phone to care about us. He got both of our orders totally wrong. We couldn't get refills either. We both ordered buckwheat pancakes, mine with blueberries. Big mistake! I guess we don't like buckwheat, but we have liked it at other restaurants. The pancakes at Thumbs Up tasted like sour dirt. This is the best way to describe them. We both thought they were horrible, with and without the blueberries. We both only ate two bites, and although we obviously ordered the wrong thing, the server never asked if there was a problem or even noticed that they were virtually untouched. He just didn't care or couldn't be bothered. I won't be in a rush to go back.

The service was impeccable. Our server was Jason, he added value to this review with his personable service and timely check ins to our table. He made other tables feel comfortable and pleased to have him as the waiter as well. The food always speaks for itself. I had the Surf and turf that came with 2 whole smoked wings , eggs scrambled with cheese, grits and a fried catfish. I can tell you now it was big portions and worth the money spent. The lady received the seaside breakfast that came with catfish, sassy scrambled eggs, small shrimp and grits and a toast for around $18.37. Once the lot fills up for parking it's best not to block the bike lane as the ticket can be excessive by the city of Atlanta. Enjoy the pictures as much as i enjoyed the food

Great food with a fun laid-back local vibe. Get ready to put your name on the waitlist for brunch on the weekend. There's an option to add your name before you arrive - highly suggest. Choosing counter service was way quicker than waiting for a table. plates are really big. I had enough pancakes from the pancake special for breakfast the next morning.

I don't know if thumbs up diner has gotten better or if this location is just better. It's been a few years since I've eaten at a thumbs up diner. It's always been fine but this time it was phenomenal. The server was incredible. She was one of the nicest servers I ever had, was punctual, very good, and knew the menu like the back of her hand. I thought they had a lot of unique scrambles here and I got the Philly scramble. There's very good portion size which was surprising considering how low the prices are. The whole thing was absolutely delicious. Eggs as well as peppers are both things that are not good if cooked too long or too short and a quick serve restaurant it doesn't always come out great. They absolutely nailed it here. Eggs are soft and fluffy and cooked consistently throughout the entire dish. Peppers were softened and starting to caramelize without being overcooked or charred. The meat was tender and easy to chew with great flavor. Lastly I got a multi-green biscuit as well which was unique and also delicious. Not a single complaint or thing wrong here.

Food is always great!! Service can be spotty at this location!! Tippy needs to work on his attitude and shortness with customers. Especially if he wants his tips!!

Was very excited to try this skillet meal. I believe this is my third time at this location. It seems to me that over the years they've stopped seasoning the food here. The potatoes were awful. They were hard, and didn't seem fresh. The shrimp was cooked well, but so flavorless. I seasoned my eggs with salt, and pepper... I guess that's standard. The jam that comes with the bread was good. Bread texture wasn't pleasant. Was hoping to eat outside. Unfortunately outdoor seating doesn't seem to be offered at this location anymore. They should really get rid of the junk they have sitting in that area. Takes away from sitting in booths by that window. The diner definitely has a clean feel. Service was okay, not bad. I do plan on trying other locations again to see if the same seasoning issue persists.

A late breakfast, great food. Homestyle cooking, no frills, no fuss, just fine cooking, like from my Mamma's kitchen. Small parking lot. Service was on point, friendly, fast and efficient.

I was impressed. Small establishment with small lot. Connected to another lot you have to pay for. Overall, good was good although my pancake seemed a little too well done. I attempted to try most of the house favorites/ French toast (AMAZING) , house pancake (overcooked but tasted like cake, and my party ordered fish and grits and pork chop and eggs. Oh, I also had the Kov (?) omelette - veggie sausage and potato w/ pico de gallo. The potato's in the omelette weren't seasoned though. Their blueberry pancake special looked delicious though- soft and fluffy unlike my pancake.

I used to live in Atlanta and dined at Thumbs Up west of Downtown often. And the fish and grits was my favorite. My wife and I were passing through on a road trip on a recent Sunday morning and ordered two fish and grits to go. When we arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes later, our order was ready to go, so I handed the very polite employee a $50 and expected a little more than $3 change for these two breakfasts. On the Yelp app full menu (not a photo) the price for the fish and grits is $10.79, so I had expected a charge of $30 or less. The receipt was on a handheld screen which I briefly viewed. The meals were $15 and change each and I did not have time to see what else added the other $15 to the bill. Looking at the restaurant website, the price is $15.37 and substituting potatoes for grits added $1.19 (never paid extra for potatoes before). I found the total price shocking but settled up and learned two lessons; don't trust price information on the Yelp app, and never eat at Thumbs Up again. As for the food, it was hot and fine except the fish was way too salty this time.

Hard to see in the dark from the road BUT once we found it we had a great experience! Our server was friendly and efficient. Coffee was very decent and super hot --which is key. Food came out very quickly and it was absolutely delicious. My double dipped French toast was so tasty. My son's chicken and waffles --wow. The chicken tenders were breaded in cornmeal breading and were so juicy and flavorful. The sides of fruit were obviously freshly cut rather than the weird cut melon and mushy grapes that other restaurants scoop from buckets. Loved our breakfast and will be back in the future when we are in Atlanta. Thank you

I like Thumbs Up in West Midtown and now that they take credit card and are not cash only I feel there is zero reason not to pick them over something like Silver Skillet. Go here if you want French Toast or their cast iron Skillet Heap. Their breakfast potatoes really hit the spot. The last time I was there I snagged the Ultimate Seaside breakfast and it was delicious. In fact, I got so much food and got so full that I boxed the catfish and had it for lunch while at work which is impressive because I am a big eater. Great food at great value.

I had a burger w/ fries with a sweet tea and grilled cheese. They were great was well as the service.

Tippy was a gracious host and the food did not disappoint. They know southern food! Catfish, smoked chicken, homemade peach jam smothered on their fresh made biscuits. Loved the old style diner and can't wait for another trip!

I'm glad this place is just as good as I remembered. There is a private lot next to the diner that is paid for parking. There was no wait coming in at 9:30 on Saturday morning and were seated right away. Our server was friendly and alert. We ordered a farmers omelette and the skillet heap with sautéed veggies and poached eggs. The best part of this meal was the biscuit! Definitely a solid place and one of the best Atlanta institutions that locals continue to visit.

The hubby and I had an amazing breakfast here at Thumbs Up! The atmosphere and the greeting was beyond hospitable! I recommend this to everyone!

This was my second time trying Thumbs Up. The first time I had it was at the East Point location and it was great, but the Atlanta location was pretty good. Maybe it was what I ordered. The Smoked Wings and waffle with scrambled eggs and cheese. I would come back again!

This is one of the best places I've eaten on my trip in Atlanta. The service was fast and well mannered and the food, out of this world. I ordered the steak and eggs, and the eggs were unbelievablely fluffy, and the steak was juicy as ever! I almost couldn't believe how good it was! The ambiance is cozy and has variety. I 100% recommend this place to have a great breakfast!

Thumbs up diner is the perfect place for a good breakfast/lunch! This place is CASH ONLY! But they do have an ATM inside the establishment for convenience. The prices are great, food is fresh and staff is very friendly and accommodating. They are social distancing inside so there might be a small wait time. I definitely recommend the skillet heap which is potatoes, eggs your way and you can add additional toppings. It's very tasty and such a large portion. I'll definitely be back soon to try some of the other menu items. This is a hidden gem!

I've been coming here for about the last 15 years and the service is always good. I know the staff well and they greet me by name whenever I come in. The food is awesome! You definitely won't leave hungry! Make sure you try the fish & Grits, the ultimate platter, and the sassy scramble.

Let me tell you.. that damn fried fish.. was sooooooo good. You don't even need to dip it w anything. I still put some hot sauce on it though and it was amazing. It came out so hot and crispy. So flavorful. I got cheese grits and cheese eggs and the grits were kind of plain.. but w the fish it was great. The pancakes were alright but to be fair I'm not a big fan of pancakes so I can't tell a good pancake from a bad one. The syrup comes in little sauce tubes.. I've never seen that before. They seated us right away and the service was very fast.

Food and services were great! The fish sandwich was outstanding - definitely worth the visit

I was with my family about a month ago and as always the food was good!!! I got something different this time and it was really good! Their shrimp and grits! Excellent!!!

The food and service is always good every time I go here. My favorite is the fish and grits and my son loves the French toast.

Upon arrival there was a wait list that moved pretty quick. Our waiter was polite and the fish and grits were amazing!