The Colonnade, Atlanta GA (take two)

We’re so pleasantly surprised to see that the Colonnade, one of Atlanta’s oldest restaurants, not only continues to thrive, but continues to attract a young and vibrant customer base. While it’s not quite unique in this regard, it’s certainly in the minority. Most of the time, these “timelost” restaurants picked up most of their audience in the 1970s and slowly age with them. You sort of envisage some of these places finally closing the doors and turning the key when their last patron passes away. The Colonnade has the look and almost the feel of one of those creaky old-timers, but its admiring crowd is enormous. Young and old alike wait for an hour or more for a table on Saturday evenings, once they’ve found a parking place, anyway.

One Saturday evening last month, Marie and I came here with our son, who was in one of his very rare “eat everything” moods. We ordered four sides for him; he inhaled them all, along with some chicken livers and some of Marie’s really great fried chicken. Honestly, I’m not as wild about the fried chicken here as many are. Plenty of people believe that this is among Atlanta’s best, but I’m clearly in the minority, so you should probably check it out. I had the salmon croquettes, and they were very good.

The Colonnade first opened in 1927 and moved to its present address on Cheshire Bridge Road in the early 1960s. About twenty years later, they expanded the building somewhat, but it’s still not large enough to handle the crowds. This being a springtime visit, we were amused by the number of couples who chose this place for their prom dinner.

We last visited this place about five and a bit years ago, and then, they didn’t take credit cards. They finally started accepting them in 2014 and it was thought newsworthy enough to make the papers. It’s still a terrific place for a good meal, made fresh, whether you’re looking for fried foods or lots of fruits and vegetables.