11 Restaurants Serving Excellent Comfort Food Around Atlanta

With entrees like hoisin-glazed oxtails, served with vegetable basmati rice and sauteed ginger bok choy, it’s clear chef Deborah VanTrece knows global soul food. Comfortable classics get a fresh lift, like the southern gourmet grilled cheese with spiced sweet potato bisque. It’s not your mama’s grilled cheese sandwich — but just as homey. 

Since 1947, Busy Bee Café has arguably been the comfort food spot in Atlanta. The soul food institution that regularly served Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, Hosea Williams, Andrew Young, and Joseph Lowery was honored in 2022 as one of “America’s Classics” by the James Beard Foundation for its timeless appeal in its community. Busy Bee is the place to be for fried chicken, marinated for 12 hours and hand-breaded before frying. But don’t miss the ham hocks and fried catfish paired with soul-warming collard greens, creamy mac and cheese and golden-brown cornbread. Truly comfort on a plate. More info here.

At this Inman Park establishment, you‘ll find upscale down-home favorites like cornmeal fried gulf oysters, pimento cheese deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes and coastal shrimp and grits. It’s the perfect place to take a date, your dad, a colleague or a friend. Wisteria’s atmosphere is a blend of approachable neighborhood joint and hip new restaurant … that’s been a mainstay for more than 20 years.

Roll out of bed and over Home Grown for the Comfy Chicken Biscuit. Comfort is in the name — and there’s no better way to start your day in Atlanta than with this signature breakfast dish.  Get your fork and knife ready for strips of crispy fried chicken atop a flaky butter biscuit, smothered with sausage gravy. More info here.

Think of Ms. Icey as your grandma: Inviting you in, making you feel at home, cooking you some of the best meals you’ve ever had. That’s the vibe the team behind Decatur’s Ms. Icey’s Kitchen & Bar is going for — and with dishes like skillet cornbread with bourbon brown sugar butter and blueberry jam and etouffée with blackened shrimp, crawfish and andouille chicken sausage, they might be grandma’s top competition. (And pro tip: they have brunch, too!)

Sure, you could go eat at Table & Main, located in an adorable house on bustling Canton Street. Or you could take comfort food home with their 6 or 12-piece fried chicken bucket. Served with mac and cheese, coleslaw, braised greens and chocolate pudding, these comfort food staples are even more comforting when you’re eating in your comfy clothes on the couch. Watch out, Colonel Sanders. More info here.

You might already be familiar with Joyce Jones, Bertha Jones and Nora Wilcox, the Old Lady Gang featured on Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of Atlanta. And with three Atlanta area locations of the Old Lady Gang eatery, chances are you’ll soon become very familiar. Fried grilled wings with a signature hot sauce, barbecue rib tips with smashed potatoes and green beans, fish and smoked gouda grits and a classic cheeseburger and French fries are just a few of the classic Southern comfort dishes these ladies are serving up. 

When it comes to the Southern meat and three, The Colonnade has been satisfying soul food seekers since 1927 with fried chicken, warm rolls and nearly 30 side dishes–ranging from turnip greens to cottage cheese peaches–in a homey diner atmosphere. Yes, the fried chicken is famous, but don’t miss some of the other home cooked meals like the Roasted Turkey Breast, sliced and served over celery dressing with giblet gravy and cranberry sauce; because sometimes you need a Thanksgiving-style meal outside of November, right? The menu is big enough to find something you like, and familiar enough to keep you coming back for more comfort cooking. More info here.

When you marry a New York style grandma pie with a Detroit style pizza, add fluffy focaccia-like dough and a caramelized crispy cheese crust, you get Emmy Squared. Here, you’ll find the two ultimate American comfort foods — pizza and burgers. Try the Good Paulie pizza, with caramelized onions, sausage and smoked gouda or go classic with a Margherita. And don’t skip on the burgers, which are served on pretzel bun with pickle on the side.

If you’ve got a hankering for Cajun cooking, po’boy paradise awaits you here. Get a classic shrimp po’boy served simply with fried shrimp piled high on a french baguette. Or try the crawfish burger, an angus burger stuffed with crawfish, topped with pepper jack cheese and served with creole sauce. Fried food (like gator, okra and crawfish tails), burgers and sandwiches deliver Cajun comfort at four Atlanta locations around town. 

There’s almost nothing more comforting than sitting at the cozy BoccaLupo bar, sipping a glass of wine and twirling a forkful of handmade pasta. The menu at this Inman Park neighborhood restaurant changes daily, offering a revolving menu of Italian-American fusion dishes. But the ultimate comfort is to dive into the 20-yolk tagliatelle with mushrooms, kale kimchi and European butter, an (almost) always-on menu staple. With consistently high-quality food and service, BoccaLupo offers a relaxing and homey atmosphere with every visit.