Georgia's Appalachia Dining
It never fails, you get in your car and begin your adventure, driving over the mountains or through the valleys and foothills of North Georgia. Not far down the road your stomach starts to grumble and you just have to stop somewhere and eat. But you want something different, out of ordinary...something local. Well, we’ve tried to list places that give you the feel for Georgia’s Appalachia. They generally have family recipes handed down over the years or ones that are just tried and true, but they all will make your mouth happy. They are located in every kind of building imaginable from historic downtown buildings to old general stores. You’ll not find very many fancy eating places, but you will find a good meal, a smile and a whole lot of atmosphere.
ADAIRSVILLE
- The Adairsville Inn
100 S Main Street, Adairsville 30103
770-773-2774
Fine dining, steaks, seafood, daily specials, delicious homemade desserts. A regional favorite since 1991. Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 5-9 p.m. special menu $8.95, Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. All major credit cards accepted. Entrees: Lunch $6.45-$7.90. Dinner $9.95-$28. Wine served.
BLAIRSVILLE
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Blairsville Restaurant
229 Ernest Street, Blairsville 30512
706-745-6921
Southern country food, including biscuits, fried chicken, potatoes & gravy and pinto beans. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner…in a rustic atmosphere.
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North Georgia Hole-In-The-Wall Restaurant
90 Town Square, Blairsville 30512
706-745-5888
Country-cooking in a rustic atmosphere, buffet style, open since 1931. Great local hangout, people have been coming for 75 years. Breakfast & Lunch served year round and dinner served on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer and fall.
BOWMAN
- Berryman House Restaurant
101 Broad Street, Bowman 30662
706-245-0930
Located in 1915 2-story white house, they are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner year round. They serve a variety of freshly prepared meats, vegetables and desserts along with a "Meat n Three" special everyday.
CALHOUN
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Gourmet Day Café
Gordon Hills Shopping Center - Hwy. 41
Calhoun 30701
706-624-9001
www.gourmetdaycafe.com
This restaurant is located in Calhoun, about one mile south of the Court House. It is in the Gordon Hills Shopping Center, Hwy 41.
They have special lunches, Opened everyday 10:00 to 3:00 and on Friday 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
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B.J.'s Restaurant
Corner of GA Hwy 53 & Hwy 41 - Midtown Square
273 Highway 53 SE, Calhoun 30701
706-629-3461
B.J.'s Restaurant has been located in Calhoun for over 15 years. They are known for the buffet and the angel biscuits. Also,,a family owned restaurant, with meeting rooms and entertainment by the owner on the keyboards.
CARTERSVILLE
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Appalachian Grill
14 East Church Street, Cartersville 30120 ("Under The Bridge" in downtown Cartersville)
770-607-5357
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Saturday 5-10 p.m. All major credit cards accepted. Entrees: $7.95-$21.95. "A favorite of North Georgia." Arrive early if possible. It's worth the wait! Enjoy a drink at the adjacent Black Bear Lounge while deciding on your choice from the extensive menu of steaks, seafood, chicken and more. Delicious food and great service. Try the mountain trout! No reservations accepted, everyone seated on a first come first served basis. Directions: I-75 Exit 288, go west 2.5 miles to downtown Cartersville. Turn right at railroad crossing onto Museum Drive. Go 2 blocks to "Under the Bridge" The Appalachian Grill is to your right.
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Doug Jr's
300 S Tennessee Street, Cartersville 30120
678-721-4200
Opened February 2005 just 4 miles north of the original Doug's Place location on Hwy 293. Enjoy the same great cooking as the original location noted above. Hours: Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Credit cards accepted. No alcohol served. Directions: I-75 Exit 288, go west to the 3rd traffic light, turn left onto Tennessee Street. Doug Jr's is on the left just past the 2nd traffic light.
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Ross' Diner
17 Wall St, Cartersville 30120
770-382-9159
This Hometown Original began in 1945 and will celebrate its 60th Birthday around Labor Day 2005. Hours: Monday thru Saturday 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Entrees: $5. Serves breakfast and lunch. Lunch choices include meat/vegetable plates, burgers, hot dogs, fries, sandwiches and hot pies from the grill.
- The Four Way
Main Street & Gilmer Street, Cartersville. 30120
No phone…that's right they've never needed one!
This Hometown Original began in 1931 and was saved by its fans following a fire in 1993. Hours: Monday-Saturday 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.. Serves breakfast and lunch. Lunch choices include burgers with chili or gravy, steak sandwiches, hot dogs with all the fixins and hot pies from the grill.
CHATSWORTH
CHERRY LOG
CLARKESVILLE
- Batesville General Store
11081 Highway 197 North, Clarkesville 30523
706-947-3434
Breakfast and lunch are served in this 100 year old General Store. Specialties include biscuits, cinnamon rolls and cheeseburgers. Open every day except Christmas and New Year's Day. Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday (and Thursday's during the summer and fall).
CLAYTON
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Clayton Café
50 North Main (Old 441), Clayton 30525
706-782-5438
Claims to be have the "Best Fried Chicken in the World", as well as wonderful fish dishes. Serves breakfast and lunch with country-style fare including biscuits, country ham, and gravy. It's located in Historic downtown Clayton since 1931, is decorated with pictures from 1920's and 1930's and is a local hangout.
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Clayton Pharmacy's Soda Fountain
Main St., Clayton, 30525
706-782-3211
You can find this gem in the old downtown pharmacy. Enjoy sandwiches, shopping and old time atmosphere with daily specials at a real soda fountain.
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Oinkers BBQ
Highway 441 S, Clayton, 30525
706-782-7010
Great chopped BBQ and ribs. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
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Lake Burton Cafe
Highway 76 West, Clayton 30525
706-782-6184
CLEVELAND
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Black Bear BBQ
2650 Highway 129 South, Cleveland 30528
706-219-3820
Award winning BBQ Pork, Chicken, and Ribs. Get a plate or sandwich, They also have salads, desserts & more. Catering available. Wednesday - Sunday 11 am -8 pm
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Cleveland Country Cafe
14 West Jarrard Street, Cleveland, 30528
706-865-1212
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Turner's Corner Cafe
10 Turner's Corner Road, Cleveland 30528
706-865-6150
Dine alongside the Chestatee River in a 1928 Gas Station. Lunch & dinner served year round in the rustic main room of the gas station and on a deck overlooking the river. Memorabilia on the walls take you back to a time gone by. Specialty is the Blue Ridge Trout.
COMMERCE
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D & W Cafe
788 South Broad Street, Commerce 30529
706-335-3266
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Parham's Restaurant
2195 North Broad Street, Commerce 30529
706-335-3345
"Meat n Three" and the best breakfast around!
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Ronnie's Place
401 South Elm Street, Commerce 30529
706-335-3728
BBQ, huge handmade hamburgers and "Meat n Three" platters so satisfy the heartiest appetite!
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Sherm's Famous Wings N More
788 South Broad Street, Commerce, 30529
706-335-5915
BBQ and the Best wings in town!
CUMMING
- The Foster House
305 West Main Street, Cumming 30040
770-887-9905
www.foster-house.com
To eat here is like visiting your grandmother when she would use her very best - with simplicity and perfection. The food is delicious and the homemade desserts cannot be beat. Many of the dishes are named for older ladies from the churches around who developed the recipes for church gatherings. The Foster house was built in the 1800's and restored by the present mother and daughter owners Patricia and Amanda Hamby. Complete with front porch swing, rocking chairs, a Wedding Chapel created out of the Old Carriage House and stone patio out back to have lunch under the 100 year old shade trees. Often live music is a part of the experience, acoustic guitar and other mountain instruments. A Big Fourth of July Barbecue compliments Cumming's Annual Fourth of July Steam Engine Parade.
DAHLONEGA
- The Smith House
84 South Chestatee Street, Dahlonega 30533
706-867-7000
www.smithhouse.com
Henry and Bessie Smith bought the Victorian house in downtown Dahlonega in 1922. The Smith's turned their home into an Inn with seven rooms for travelers. The price of a room and meals was $1.50 a day. And so The Smith House had its beginning with their world-famous family style dining, 16-room inn and specialty shops.
DALTON
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Dalton Depot Restaurant
110 N. Depot Street, Dalton 30720
706-226-3160
Dining in the atmosphere of an antebellum train depot where over 30 trains per day pass by; transportation and Civil War heritage site; circle of nails in the original wooden floor indicate the beginning survey point for laying out the City of Dalton in 1848; unique menu of American fare and specialty dishes.
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Oakwood Café
201 W. Cuyler Street, Dalton 30720
706-270-9664
A long-standing icon in historic downtown Dalton featuring home-cooked type meals; traditional gathering place for the locals; artwork depicting various building and houses in Dalton line the walls.
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Curt's Restaurant
332 Northgate Drive, Dalton 30721
706-278-1159
A family-owned typical cafeteria-style "meat and three" restaurant found in Southern small towns.
DANIELSVILLE
DAWSONVILLE
- Dawsonville Poolroom
78 East 1st Street, Dawsonville 30534
706-265-2792
www.dawsonvillepoolroom.com
The poolroom has been made famous by hometown racing hero BILL ELLIOTT and Pool Room owner GORDON PIRKLE and his nostalgic collection of automobile racing memorabilia. Patrons enjoy the best hamburgers (including the "Bully" Burger) in town, while watching videos of the latest Elliott competition as well as other NASCAR events.
DILLARD
- Dillard House
768 Franklin Street, Dillard 30537
706-746-5348
www.dillardhouse.com
Carrie and Arthur Dillard founded the present Dillard House in 1917. It began simply enough when a circuit riding minister, Rev. Henry Byrd, became the Dillard's first guest in their modest mountain home. Carrie Dillard was a wonderful cook, a gifted gardener, a winning hostess, and a hardheaded business woman. Carrie's guests were part of an enlarged family. She treated them like family. Since that time hundreds of thousands of guests have enjoyed the wonderful freshly prepared Southern style food at the Dillard House. The Dillard House Inn and Restaurant have become justly famous for featuring the foods, tastes and hospitality that are the result of their two-hundred year heritage. The restaurant features legendary Southern cooking served "family style" for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
EAST ELLIJAY
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Colonel Poole's Georgia Bar-B-Q, Inc.
P.O. Box 690, Craig Street, East Ellijay 30539
706-635-4100
A favorite stomping ground for local & national celebrities, the Pig Hill of Fame offers barbecue & a chance to immortalize your name on the fabeled hillside.
ELBERTON
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Banks BBQ
1008 Hartwell Highway, Elberton 30635
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Beaverdam Marina Restaurant
1155 Marina Drive, Elberton 30635
(706) 213-6462 or (706) 283-5823
www.beaverdammarina.com
Located on Richard B Russell Lake, dine in the casual atmosphere of this lakeside restaurant. Open Thursday through Sunday for lunch and dinner with a view of the lake. Memorabilia throughout is fun and interesting.
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McIntosh Coffee Shoppe
20 N. McIntosh Street, Elberton, 30635
706-283-6527
Gourmet Wraps & Sandwiches
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Jittery Joes Coffee
Located inside a seven thousand square foot Antique Mall on historic McIntosh Street, serves lunch daily until 2:00 PM, coffee and desserts all day.
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Richard's Restaurant
19 N. McIntosh Street, Elberton, 30635
706-283-9060
An Elberton Icon, located in downtown Elberton for over 20 years. Home to the famous "Richard's Burger" and slaw dogs. Fun for all with pool and five TVs.
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Clara Belle's on College
92 College Avenue, Elberton, 30635
706-283-0640
Located in an historic Victorian home, Clara Belle's On College serves a daily buffet and has a special night menu. Great atmosphere and full service bar.
EMERSON
- Doug's Place
696 Hwy 293, Emerson 30137
770-382-9063
One of the best meat-and-threes around! Enjoy delicious food in this unique diner decorated with local photos of days past. Choose from 6 meats and 10 veggies for lunch and dinner, plus salads, choices from the grill and scrumptious homemade desserts. A meat and 3 veggies costs $4.94. Hours: Mon.-Fri. 6AM-2PM, Sat. 7AM-2PM, Wed-Fri. 4:30-9PM. Credit cards accepted. No alcohol served. Directions: I-75 Exit 283, go west approximately 2 miles to Emerson. Doug's Place is on the left just past the caution traffic light.
FLOWERY BRANCH
- Flowery Branch Cafe
4755 Atlanta Highway, Flowery Branch 30542
770-967-0990
This small local gathering place is just down the road from the Atlanta Falcon Headquarters. Occasionally players stop in and eat. Country style buffet and menu items.
FORT OGLETHORPE
FRANKLIN
- Captain Billy's Fish House
West Court Square, Franklin 30217
706-675-3183
A famous and favorite gathering place for all of west Georgia serving traditional seafood.
GAINESVILLE
- Frasers Country Style Restaurant
405 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville 30501
770-534-3466
Once a drive in that served hot dogs and hamburger, it is now a local gathering place where you get "Meat n Three" plus a whole lot more including biscuits and sausage gravy. Open for breakfast and lunch.
HARTWELL
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The Bluegrass Express
57 Depot Street, Hartwell 30643
706-376-3551
A live music & radio show every Saturday night. Show Time 7:00PM $5.00 admission We have the Bluegrass Express. It is a music establishment that is open on Saturday evenings in downtown Hartwell. It does not serve alcohol and is very family friendly.
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Swamp Guinea Restaurant
New Reed Creek Road, Hartwell 30643
706-376-5105
Serves Family Style "Traditional Southern Fare" ~ OPEN Wednesday & Thursday: 4:30pm-9:00pm and Friday & Saturdays: 5:00pm-10:00pm. It is a non-smoking establishment
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BackStreet BBQ
290 West Franklin Street, Hartwell, 30643
706-377-6465
Great pork BBQ, chicken, ribs, and homemade cakes! Open Thursday-Saturdays year round. Eat-in or drive thru/carry out.
HELEN
- North Georgia Barbeque Co
663 Edelweiss Strasse, Helen 30545
706-878-5753
HIAWASSEE
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The Deer Lodge Restaurant
7900 St. Hwy 17-75, Hiawassee, GA 30546
706-896-2726
Rustic
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GA Mountain Restaurant
425 North Main Street, Hiawassee 30546
706-896-3430
HOSCHTON
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Hoschton Café
30 Bell Avenue, Hoschton 30548
706-654-1380
Country breakfast and 2 meats with vegetables lunch.
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Peckers
City Square (on GA 53), Hoschton 30548
706-654-5400
Located in a historic downtown building and serving hot wings, salads and chicken…"You'd have to be a rooster to get a better piece of chicken"!
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Winner's Circle BBQ
21 City Square, Hoschton 30548
706-654-5617
Homemade biscuits, country breakfast, 1 meat & 2 vegetable lunch specials, BBQ and Brunswick stew.
JEFFERSON
- REDD House
2267 Thyatira Brockton Road, Jefferson 30549
706-367-4074
LAVONIA
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Greenwood's on Grogan
830 Grogan Street, Lavonia 30553
770-992-5383
www.greenwoodsrestaurants.com
Georgia Chef, Bill Greenwood will open in the Spring 2005 with an award-winning menu featuring such favorites as local trout in lemon chive butter sauce, crunchy honey-fried chicken, boneless pork chops grilled in sage butter, homestyle fresh vegetables along with nightly specials such as handmade pasta and fresh seafood. Along with the generous portions of Southern, American cooking, leave room for the creamy ice cream or flaky pies (featured on Turner South's Blue Ribbon Show).
- Gumlog Bar B Que and Fish Lodge
Lavonia 30553
706-356-4061
RESACA
- Bowman's Restaurant
868 County Line Road, Resaca
706-624-3255
The first one is a new one in Resaca, just two miles off GA Hwy. 136. It is call Bowman's Restaurant and is a family operation. They have great barbecue and home made dessert's. The vegetables come out of the garden next to restaurant in the growing season. They will have a website within the year. They are opened on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm; Sunday, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. It is out in the country, but worth the stop.
RINGGOLD
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Aunt Effies
5287 Alabama Highway, Ringgold 30736
706-935-6525
Serves a variety of delicious eats including vegetable plates, chicken fingers, and desserts.
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Bailey's Barbeque
5540 Highway 41, Ringgold 30736
706-935-2969
Yummy! Delicious barbeque plates, hamburger steak, or enjoy a great home made breakfast.
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CHOWTIME
7444 Nashville Street, Ringgold 30736
706-935-3546
Folks have been enjoying this hamburger stand since 1955. No burger in town like a Chow-burger.
ROYSTON
- Roystonian Restaurant
1160 East Main Street, Royston 30662
706-245-7243
TALLULAH FALLS
- Isabelle's Restaurant
US Highway 441 S, Tallulah Falls
706-754-5614
Casual dining in a 120 year old Victorian home overlooking Tallulah Falls.
TOCCOA
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Mill Creek Gather Place
Rt. 2 Box 2306, Toccoa 30577
706-779-3123
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Shirley's Sole Food
212 West.Currahee Street, Toccoa 30577
Toccoa, GA 30577
706-297-7739
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Toccoa Cafe
143 East Doyle Street, Toccoa 30577
706-827-9968
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The Rebel
148 East Doyle Street, Toccoa 30577
706-886-5801
Although the building is over 100 years old, previously and old grocery store, 45 years ago it opened and became a local downtown hangout. Grill type lunch items served.
WINDER
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Dave's Dawgs
53 North Jackson Street, Winder 30680
770-867-7953
Located in a historic downtown building, thi eatery is decorated with UGA memorabilia, this guy sells a bunch of hot dogs with all kinds of toppings. He is in an historic building in downtown.
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Hogsed Barbecue & Grill
188 North Broad Street, Winder 30680
770-307-0050
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Magnolia Place
41 West Candler Street, Winder 30680
770-307-0061
All-you-can-eat country cooking in a Greek columned history house that was built by the Jacksons, one of Barrow County's Revolutionary families.
YOUNG HARRIS
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The Barn Door Restaurant
6223 Highway 76, Young Harris 30582
706-379-4100
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Brasstown Valley Resort
6321 US Hwy 76, Young Harris 30582
706-379-9900 or 800-201-3205
www.brasstownvalley.com