Mary Mac's Tea Room

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My fiancée had eaten here previously and wanted me to try it when we were in Atlanta. Glad we went. Mary Mac's, established in 1945, is sectioned into several dining areas with the wall of the corridor leading into the main dining room filled with photos of celebrities - from all generations and professions - who have visited the establishment. After all, it is "Atlanta's Dining Room," the place where southern hospitality meets made-from-scratch classic Southern foods, like fried chicken, greens (turnip and collards), and mac-n-cheese. Oh, and don't forget the complimentary serving of "potlikker," which is the flavorful broth of stewed collards; good for soaking those complimentary scratch yeast rolls and cornbread in. My fiancée ordered chicken and dumplings with collard and turnip greens, and the broccoli souffle. I ordered fried chicken liver as a starter, and for dinner I had fried chicken with sweet potato souffle and collards. We both ordered a half-and-half (half unsweetened tea, half sweet tea) to drink. The chicken and dumplings was good, though my fiancée said it was a short on dumplings and long on chicken. The greens were delicious, some of the best collards I've eaten, but the broccoli souffle had too much breading. The sweet potato souffle was good, but a bit too sweet for me - which is to be expected with the marshmallow topping. The fried chicken was deep fried with a cornmeal/flour crust, which was crunchy but not greasy. Same with the chicken livers, which were not dry at all. Thoroughly enjoyed them. We ordered banana pudding for dessert. It was a delicious real deal treat with bananas, vanilla wafers, pudding, and meringue. The food portions were large (we boxed up), but everything was hot and delicious. The service was also excellent. The restaurant's aesthetic, while dated, has a homey feeling to it and let's be honest, no one is going for the aesthetic anyway. Definitely returning when in town again.

— Jordan