Best Eats In and Around Marietta

The Marietta Daily Journal's weekend  magazine COBB LIFE recently had an article about THE BEST IN COBB.... pointing out the best (in their opinion)  restaurants   and best this and the best that. 

Then, on the radio (WRAS 88.5), I heard Celeste Headlee, SECOND THOUGHT SHOW,  asked for listeners to tell what their favorite restaurants in Atlanta and Metro Atlanta are.

Jumping on the bandwagon, here are our favorite restaurants in and around Marietta:

Bramdi

Brandi's World Famous Hotdogs.   On Church Street Extension.   Brandi bought it from Betty, then it was Betty's World Famous Hotdogs.  The menu: hotdogs, hamburgers, french fries, and onion rings.  And maybe imported fried pies.  You can get chili and coleslaw added to your hotdogs and burgers.  Brandi's is  known for her spicy chili which she got the secret ingredients from Betty (part of the takeover deal).  Brandi always appears to be relaxed and laid back and more interested in the people she serves more than production.   It is a non-pretentious  joint that the parking lot if full most of the time.  In high school the old service station shape building by the railroad tracks was Marble Inn Barbecue.  Their menu was even more simple than Brandi's... you either want Sloppy Joe's BBQ or you don't, and if don't why are you here?  Brandi also has a food truck that shows up at events like car racing events, etc.  Brandi also owns her second hotdog place on Tennessee Street in Cartersville.

Sabre

The Red Eyed Mule.   The Red-Eyed Mule is just up the street from Brandi's.  The restaurant is ran by co-owner Sabre  (that may be spelled wrong).  Marietta food expert Alton Brown said they make the best hamburger in Marietta, and he might be right.  Sabre appears to know everybody and everybody knows her.   They do creative breakfasts and lunches.     Their breakfasts and burgers are delicious.  The fired egg and hamburger sandwich I had one time still brings up pleasant memories.

John Boys County Cooking Buffet.  It is owned by a Korean family.  The cook very southern style cooking, the type of food that attracts people that lived in the country and yearn for the kind of cooking they used to eat.  The John Boys cooks has it down pat.  A lot of people eat there every day.

Cecile

GC BBQ is on the sign outside, which stands for Grand Champion  Barbecue.  They have a Roswell, Georgia, address, but is only about 500 feet from where Marietta addresses end.   They are in the Publix Shopping Center at Johnson Ferry and Shallowford Roads. They have great barbecue.   The chefs aren't your run-of-the-mill back yard smoking type of barbecue - I think it is a three person partnership and they are graduates from culinary schools, at least one abroad.  But most importantly, they trained under the expert  local pit-master Sam Huff.    Cecile, above, is  the wife of one of the owner.  She has an accent.   But she still has the Southern Hospitality down pat.  She seems to be in control of the counter service.   I wrote a blog post about them once and she really appreciated it.  Every time we visit she spends some time with us and always asks whatever was pending from our last visit.  Once she asked did we finish remodeling our bathroom.  That was 9 or 10 months before.  She calls me by my name too, being invisible, that means a lot.  They were picked the the best barbecue in Metro Atlanta.  Their meat is delicious and costly.  It is worth it.

Righteous Que is a family ran BBQ place.  The owner is religious and donates a lot of his profits to families  struggling with a certain disease, I forgot which.   The meat is as good as GC BBQ and it is no wonder, the owner at one time worked for Sam Huff also.  They are at the Publix Shopping Center at East Piedmont and Roswell Roads.

BBQ #1, or of course, Barbecue Number One.  Is owned by Sam Huff, the local barbecue expert.  Sam was a lawyer.  When I was on the grand jury in the 70s he was an assistant DA under Buddy Darden, and I think he might have been a judge too later in his law career.  He cooks well, and he trains others well to be his competitor.  BBQ #1 is on Lower Roswell Road, just a shopping center past Johnson Ferry Road.

David Poe's Barbecue.  David Poe's BBQ was named BBQ #2 when he was partners with Sam Huff, which explains why his barbecue is very tasty.   David does a lot of community work, or "giving back" as they say.  David Poe's Barbecue is on Whitlock Avenue.  I have never been there at lunch that I didn't see a law officer eating there.  Cops know where the good food places are.

Gabriel's.  Gabriel  and Paula Dean are cousins.  She used to own a quality bakery and I suppose one thing led to another and  now she just bought the Old Mill Restaurant in Acworth.  For several years now she has owned and operated a restaurant/bakery and I think will continue  to do so.  The restaurant has a big staff with  fine southern cooking, and the baking department is as high quality as ever.  And, as costly as ever.   Like House of Lu, it is a place for OAMs, Old Affluent  Mariettans, such as mayors, congressmen, local politicians', and Yuppies to be seen.   Gabriel's is located on Whitlock Avenue in the shopping center at Burnt Hickory Road.

The Chicken and the Egg.  It is fine dining.  We have eaten here several times for birthdays and maybe a few other times and we have only been disappointed once.  That is when we were seated behind a pillar which caused our waiter to keep overlooking us (what else is new?).

Henry's  Of Louisiana is on Main Street in Acworth.   When  I think of Chef Henry He reminds me of a  "Raging Cajin"   He is very active in keeping the people in his restaurant entertained.  I love his Cajun  menu items.   We have been there for birthday parties and lastly at brunch with a friends Joe and Christine Jenkins to see other friends' daughter Melanie Denard singing the blues.   Nice.

Marietta Pizza.  Marietta Pizza is on the southwest corner of the Square in Downtown Marietta.  Before Marietta Pizza, years ago, it was Atherton's Drug Store where I used to frequent as a teenager, hanging out.  On Halloween night, Halloween night, 1963 there was an explosion in the basement, as leaking gas main, killing and injuring a number of people.  I never had a Marietta Pizza pizza.  We go fairly often have their Company Salad with grilled chicken.  It is good and wholesome - and their honey-mustard salad dressing - Man!  I'm not sure it is a requirement for the serving staff to have tattoos or not.   And, there is a floating balloon shaper artist... he or she will make little figures for you or your child.  Another plus about Marietta Pizza our dog Willow can dine with us if we dine outside at one of their sidewalk tables.

Oyster King.  Oyster King is located in on Cobb Parkway (or "The 4-Lane" as us older natives say) between Kennesaw and Acworth.  It is ran by a Korean family.  Everybody that has eaten there, us included, say they  have the best jumbo shrimp or prawns  in Cobb County.

Trackside Grill.  Main street Kennesaw, with the railroad tracks behind it.  It is a nice upscale dining experience.    We have been there several times.

The Varsity.   I was trying to keep from talking about franchised or chain restaurants - but I have to throw the Varsity, which has developed into a chain over the years.  The food is the same.  If you like hotdogs you will like the Varsity.  The people behind the counter  normally shout at you "What-da-ya-what-da-ya-have?"  with a sense of urgency but take your time and get it right, it may appear they are not listening, but they are.

Louise's.  Is at the base of Kennesaw Mountain at the corner of Kennesaw Avenue and   the Old 41 Highway.  .  On TV news, etc.  The restaurant used to be named Bill's and Louise'  but Bill died.  Now, Louise had died and I think I read that their daughter runs it now.    I remember they lived on a hill behind the restaurant and used to have a mailbox high up on a pole and a sign saying "For Airmail".   And other corny stuff inside.  Their specialty is southern cooking breakfasts .

Cazadores Mexican Restaurant.  Sandy Plains Road.  We love their Chicken Soup.  Every time we have a cold we head for Caadores for their chicken soup.

Greek to Us.  On Church Street extension, just down the street from Brandi's.  Very good and filling gyros.  Yum!

The Lunch Basket.  The Lunch Basket is on the Cherokee Street near Cherry Street.  I don't think anybody in any lunch counter operation makes chicken salad sandwiches as good as  these ladies.  They have all kinds of sandwiches but the only other kind I have tried is their corn-beef sandwich.  It was good too.  There are three or four ladies, sometimes their operation reminds me of a church booth at the fair and sometimes not.  They opened a Lunch Basket #2 near Sessions and Rose Lane.  We ate there not long ago on a day we were going to doctor and they are doing well too, they have more room, more elbow room, so to speak for the diners.  I think both places the bulk of their business is the professional medical people in and near Wellstar Hospital.

Crooked Tree Restaurant.    Is on the 4 Lane (aka North Cobb Parkway).  They have breakfast and lunch  and close up for the day about 3pm.  We have been there for breakfast, brunch, and lunch several times.  The food is good and the waitresses remembers seeing  you and something about you, like to Anna, "How's your mom?"

Swallow in the Hollow BBQ.  Green Street in Roswell.  They have good barbecue and sometimes, weekends I think, they have entertainment, it reminded me of The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, although the Swallow is in an old house and Bluebird is in a storefront in a shopping center.

Guston's.  There are two Guston's Bar and Grill.  One in Kennesaw and the one we frequent is in Woodstock.  They come out with weekly  specials.   I think they always have a spicy dish on special.  The food is good, and only once or twice did we complain.... I remember the baked potato episode.

Marietta Diner Group:
Marietta Diner
The Marietta Fish Market
Cherokee Cattle Company
Pasta Bella

  The Marietta Diner is owned by Greek family that owns several other restaurants in the family:  Cherokee Cattle Company, Pasta Bella, and The Marietta Fish Market.  They are all good with reasonable prices.  I tend to gravitate to The Marietta Fish Market whenever I have a say.

I deleted about 5 or 6 because they might have been good but seemed like yuppie magnets and/or they lacked character or eccentricity.  I am sure there are some I overlooked.  And they will return to my memory as soon as I publish this.