Film and Food: Georgia Restaurants with 'Connections'

Local eateries with film and television connections

If you’re a film fan and a foodie, there is no better way to experience the best of both worlds than by visiting a few of Georgia’s iconic dining locations – that also have a special relationship with the big screen.

Whistle Stop Café, Juliette

Film Tie: “Fried Green Tomatoes”

The Whistle Stop Café is popular for serving up the best southern cooking in the town of Juliette, but it is also well-known for the major role it played in the 1991 film “Fried Green Tomatoes.” After filming was complete, Robert Williams, who had inherited the building, decided to make it into a real café where fans and locals can enjoy fried green tomatoes from the “Original Whistle Stop Cafe.”

Mystic Grill, Covington

Film Tie: “The Vampire Diaries”

The Mystic Grill is a one-of-a-kind restaurant inspired by “The Vampire Diaries” as the main hangout for the show’s characters in the fictional Mystic Falls. The television series, which filmed in Covington, inspired partners John & Angi Beszborn and Ronnie & Kelley Johnston to bring the onscreen restaurant to life.

The Waking Dead Café , Senoia 

Film Tie: “The Walking Dead”

The Waking Dead Café is an extension of The Woodbury Shoppe that opened on October 31, 2014. Senoia, GA was the filming location for Season 3 and currently Season 5 of AMC’s hit TV series “The Walking Dead”. The Café was built with the help of Riverwood Studios where the series is filmed. It contains cell doors and a re-creation of the prison buildings in Season 3 along with hints of the road to Terminus and a large wall. The café serves Starbucks coffee.

Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah 

Film Tie: Stratton Leopold’s film career

Family-owned since 1919,  Stratton Leopold heads up this historic Savannah business and is also an active member of the Hollywood motion picture community, serving as a producer on films such as “Mission Impossible 3”, “The Sum of All Fears”, “The General’s Daughter”, and “Parker” to name a few. Props and posters from these films can be found in the shop today.

Also, there is a fun music tie – famed lyricist Johnny Mercer grew up a block away from Leopold’s and was a faithful customer when he was home from Hollywood.  He even penned a famous song about Leopold’s “Tutti-Frutti” ice cream, which had become a Leopold’s hallmark and Savannah’s favorite.