Taste local history at 25 of Atlanta’s longest-running restaurants

If you were to visit all 25 classic Atlanta restaurants on this list, you’d see a lot of the city and get to know the Southern hospitality that makes Atlanta special.

Each of these long-running restaurants has contributed to the fabric of Atlanta’s culture. Paschal’s Restaurant & Bar served as a meeting place for the Civil Rights Movement’s luminaries in the 1950s, while Canton House helped transform Buford Highway into a global dining destination in the 1990s. Bacchanalia set a new standard for Southern fine dining more than 30 years ago, then won a Michelin Star in 2023.

A photo from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's first review of Bacchanalia in its original location in 1993. (File)

These classic Atlanta restaurants run the gamut from cheap eats to fine dining, hyper-local to global and cafeteria-style to the epitome of full service. And no visit to Atlanta would be complete without trying some of its famous chain restaurants, like Chick-fil-A, which dates back to 1946, and Waffle House, first opened in 1955. Local chain Henri’s Bakery predates both thanks to opening the first of multiple locations in 1929.

What unites these restaurants is their longevity — the youngest has been in business nearly 25 years, but most much longer — and their accessibility by MARTA train or bus.

With that in mind, these restaurants are loosely grouped by geography.

Central Atlanta neighborhoods

Downtown, Midtown and the west side

This collection could be called the Soul Food District. You’ll find old-school Southern cooking at restaurants with bona fide Civil Rights-era credentials, like Paschal’s Restaurant & Bar and the Busy Bee Cafe near the Atlanta University Center, home to Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University. Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Midtown and Eats, now in the West End, also serve traditional Southern flavors, while Bacchanalia, located in Blandtown since 2017, has been on the vanguard of regional fine dining since the 1990s.

Exterior of Paschal's Motor Hotel and Restaurant in May 1987. (Joe McTyre/AJC)

In Midtown, you’ll also find a couple of classic fast food spots, like the Varsity at the corner of Spring Street and North Avenue, which first opened in 1927. Then there’s the Original JR Cricket’s, which first opened in 1982 and has been selling crispy chicken wings ever since.

• Bacchanalia. 1460 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. NE, Atlanta. 404-365-0410, starprovisions.com/bacchanalia
• The Busy Bee Cafe. 810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta. 404-525-9212, thebusybeecafe.com
• Eats. 1010 White St. SW, Atlanta. 404-254-2232, eatsonponce.net
• The Original JR Cricket’s. 129 North Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-968-9033, jrcrickets.com
• Mary Mac’s Tea Room. 224 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-876-1800, marymacs.com
• Paschal’s Restaurant & Bar. 180 Northside Drive SW, Atlanta. 404-835-0833, paschalsatlanta.com
• The Varsity. 61 North Ave. NW, Atlanta. 404-881-1706, thevarsity.com

Atkins Park Tavern in Virginia-Highland opened in 1922. (Courtesy of Atkins Park Tavern)

Near-east neighborhoods

Inman Park, Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland

A walk along North Highland Avenue would take you by a number of Atlanta’s longest-running restaurants, including one that claims the title of oldest restaurant in town: Atkins Park Tavern, continuously licensed since 1922.

Starting in Inman Park, the southernmost of these neighborhoods, you’ll find Italian restaurant Sotto Sotto, where Atlanta locals have fueled up on pasta since 1999. Next is Wisteria, a Southern gem that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Just a few hundred yards farther north is Manuel’s Tavern, a popular stop for politicians; it’s hosted Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and others since opening in 1956.

An image from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's initial review of Sotto Sotto in 1999. (File)

The Poncey-Highland neighborhood is home to the Majestic Diner, which has served simple, late-night eats since 1929. Continuing up North Highland Avenue, you’ll see Atkins Park Tavern, then run into a cluster of longtime restaurants near the intersection with Virginia Avenue.

Exterior photos of the buiding and signs of the Majestic Diner in Atlanta, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (Greg Rannells for the AJC)

Highland Tap, Moe’s & Joe’s and La Tavola Trattoria are all within stumbling distance of each other in the heart of the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. Dive bar Moe’s & Joe’s is by far the oldest, dating back to 1947. Highland Tap, the subterranean escape where nursing a martini is encouraged, opened in 1989, while the pleasant La Tavola Trattoria has been an Italian staple since 1999.

• Atkins Park. 794 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-876-7249, atkinspark.com
• Highland Tap. 1026 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-875-3673, facebook.com/highlandtap
• Majestic Diner. 1031 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-875-0276, majesticdiner.com
• Manuel’s Tavern. 602 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-525-3447, manuelstavern.com
• Moe’s and Joe’s. 1033 N. Highland Ave, NE, Atlanta. 404-873-6090, moesandjoesatl.com
• La Tavola Trattoria. 992 Virginia Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-873-5430, latavolatrattoria.com
• Sotto Sotto. 313 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-523-6678, sottosottoatl.com
• Wisteria. 471 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-525-3363, wisteria-atlanta.com

The Brick Store Pub in Decatur set up for St. Patrick’s Day in 2020. (Contributed by Mia Yakel)

Farther east neighborhoods

Decatur, North Decatur and Tucker

While downtown Decatur, easily accessible by train, is home to quite a few excellent restaurants, you’ll have to hop on a MARTA bus or take a car to get to some of the area’s oldest restaurants.

In downtown Decatur, you’ll find the Brick Store Pub, a grandfather of Atlanta’s craft beer movement which opened in 1997. (Bonus restaurant: Cafe Alsace, the humble French restaurant just around the corner, opened the same year.)

Athens Pizza opened on Clairmont Road in Decatur in 1966. This photo was captured in 2019 for an article about restaurants open 25 years or more. (File)

North of downtown Decatur is Athens Pizza, the casual Greek restaurant that’s been delivering pizzas and salads since 1966. Those who want to experience a truly old-school, Southern-style meat-and-three will need to head outside the Perimeter to Tucker, where Matthews Cafeteria is on Main Street. The beloved cafeteria has been run by the same family since 1955.

• Athens Pizza. 1341 Clairmont Road, Decatur. 404-636-1100, athenspizzaatlanta.com
• Brick Store Pub. 125 E. Court Square, Decatur. 404-687-0990, brickstorepub.com
• Matthews Cafeteria. 2299 Main St., Tucker. 770-939-2357, matthewscafeteria.net

Tthe Colonnade is pictured on Friday, March 1, 2024. The diner has been running since 1927 in Atlanta, Georgia . (Olivia Bowdoin for the AJC).

Northern neighborhoods

Morningside/Lenox Park, Buckhead and Buford Highway

These neighborhoods are home to some of Atlanta’s most esteemed fine-dining destinations and best-known international restaurants.

Starting at the southern edge of this area in the Morningside/Lenox Park neighborhood, you’ll find two Atlanta institutions on Cheshire Bridge Road. The Colonnade serves classic Southern fare, including trend-bucking dishes like tomato aspic. The kitchen has a magic touch with their deep fryer, and the bar is known to serve classic martinis in bulk.

Taken in 1974 of the front of the original restaurant location, showcasing its traditional Japanese aesthetic. (Courtesy of Nakato Japanese Restaurant)

Just down the street, Nakato has grown into one of Atlanta’s premiere destinations for Japanese cuisine under multiple generations of family ownership. The restaurant, which first opened in 1972, recently invested in itself with a multi-million-dollar renovation.

Farther north in Buckhead, two long-running fine-dining restaurants have kept their standards high for decades. Aria, which was purchased by its longtime general manager last year, remains relevant with its regularly updated menu and elegant service. Now in its 26th year, Aria was named a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Hospitality this spring for the second year in a row.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's initial review of Bones Restaurant after it opened in 1979. (File)

Bones Restaurant, one of Atlanta’s most iconic steakhouses, opened in 1979 and still provides an amazing all-around dining experience. Many Bones servers have worked there for decades and the restaurant provides arguably the best service in town. Both Aria and Bones were ranked in the top 10 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s list of the 50 best restaurants in Atlanta last year.

For a more casual Buckhead destination, check out the White House restaurant. The humble strip-mall spot serving breakfast and lunch began operating 1958.

Dim sum at Canton House on Buford Highway, which opened in 1994. (Becky Stein)

A visitor to Atlanta could spend days on end visiting the wide-ranging restaurants along Buford Highway, but two stand out for their longevity. Canton House has served traditional dim sum in Chamblee since 1994. A bit farther up the road in Doraville, El Rey del Taco has served Mexican food from beneath its pink marquee since 2002. The consistent quality and welcoming atmospheres of both restaurants helped establish Buford Highway as a dining destination for cuisines from across the globe.

• Aria. 490 E. Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta. 404-233-7673, aria-atl.com
• Bones Restaurant. 3130 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta. 404-237-2663, bonesrestaurant.com
• Canton House. 4825 Buford Hwy. NE, Chamblee. 770-936-9030, cantonhouserestaurant.com
• The Colonnade. 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, Atlanta. 404-874-5642, thecolonnadeatl.com
• El Rey del Taco. 5288 Buford Hwy., Doraville. 770-986-0032, elreydeltacoatl.com
• Nakato Japanese Restaurant. 1776 Cheshire Bridge Road NE, Atlanta. 404-873-6582, nakatorestaurant.com
• The White House Restaurant. 3172 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta. 404-237-7601, no website