While many Southern traditions and expressions mystify outsiders, eating collard greens on New Year’s Day is about as straightforward as it gets.
The thick, floppy green leaves, which do feel a bit like cash when they’re fresh, represent “folding money” and the hope of prosperity in the new year. But even if you chalk up the traditional Southern New Year’s Day meal to superstition, eating more collards might have something to do with prosperity in the long run.
There are few vegetables as sustainable, inexpensive and nutritious as collard greens. The hearty greens, which can withstand both heat and cold, are grown throughout the state and produce crops twice a year, according to Georgia Grown. They’re usually braised in stock until tender, but collards are also being used in more creative ways at some restaurants around Atlanta: In the collard green spring rolls at Negril Village, the mussels with collard greens at Southern National and the legendary Southern ramen once offered at BoccaLupo.
At home, collards make an excellent side dish for large gatherings because they can be braised slowly all day or be prepared ahead of time and reheated. A single bunch of grocery store greens, often locally sourced even at the major chain grocery stores, can also produce a huge amount of food.
I love making collards in a crockpot because I can set the pot outside for most of the cooking process and prevent the smell from overwhelming our small home. It also leaves room on the stove for other dishes, and it’s hard to overcook the greens to mush with the gentle slow-cooking process. I tend not to use a recipe and just throw some thoroughly washed greens, which I cut into strips about the width of dollar bills, into the slow cooker along with a halved onion. Then I cover the vegetables with good chicken stock and set the crockpot to high for several hours until the greens are tender.
For those who don’t want to cook but might still be looking for a little prosperity in 2024, here’s a list of restaurants around Atlanta where you can find excellent and interesting examples of collard greens:
Eats
The legendary holdout on Ponce De Leon Avenue is known for its jerk chicken, and collard greens are a permanent side item. Even though the prices are a la carte, Eats is a classic meat-and-three-style restaurant where you can build your own traditional Southern New Year’s Day meal any day of the year. But it’s also open on Jan. 1.
600 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-888-9149, eatsonponce.net
Wood’s Chapel BBQ
Known for infusing its traditional barbecue menu with various flavors from cuisines around the globe, the greens at Wood’s Chapel are surprisingly traditional. They serve a mixture of braised greens, though they mostly use collards, cooked with smoked pork. The side dish has a vinegary sharpness that doesn’t require much dressing up. You can go crazy with the okonomiyaki tots and the jalapeno-Oaxaca cheese smoked sausage, but the side of greens will keep you grounded.
85 Georgia Ave. SE, Atlanta. 404-522-3000, woodschapelbbq.com
Paschal’s
For a more upscale take on collard greens, Paschal’s has been setting a soul food standard in Castleberry Hill since before the Civil Rights Movement, when the restaurant hosted Martin Luther King Jr. and other luminaries. The full-service restaurant is a place for celebrations and gatherings, and hardly a plate leaves the kitchen that doesn’t have collard greens available as a side. Paschal’s is open on New Year’s Day, but walk-ins will want to arrive early; online reservations are already fully booked.
180 Northside Dr. SW, Atlanta. 404-835-0833, paschalsatlanta.com
Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food
Located near the Battery, Rodney’s Jamaican Soul Food brings both Caribbean and Southern cuisine to the table. Its unapologetically messy dishes like brown chicken stew and oxtails, both of which pair well with collard greens, are plates of pure comfort food brimming with flavor. At Rodney’s, you can find familiar soul food along with some fun, tropical delights, and it’s open on New Year’s Day.
2453 Cobb Pkwy. SE, Smyrna. 770-272-1956, rodneyscuisine.com
Desta
Collard greens are cultivated and eaten all over the world, including in East Africa where stewed collards known as gomen wat are popular. With multiple locations now around Atlanta, Desta is an excellent place to get a version of collard greens made in the Ethiopian tradition. While you won’t find other traditional Southern New Year’s Day dishes like Hoppin’ John at Desta, their locations are open for lunch and dinner on Jan. 1.
Multiple locations. 404-929-0011, destaethiopiankitchen.com
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