Mary Mac's is a colorful Atlanta institution, a bastion of classic Southern cuisine that has been patronized since 1945 by everyone from truck drivers to bank presidents. Jimmy Carter sometimes came by for lunch when he was governor. You'll find a glass of pencils on your table; check off menu items you desire (they change daily) and hand your selections to your server.

Now opening bright and early, customers can get a rib-sticking southern cooked breakfast featuring country ham, grits, and several omelet choices. Among the famous lunch and dinner entrees are fried chicken dredged in buttermilk and flour, country-fried steak, and chicken pan pie topped with thick giblet gravy. Steaks, chops, and burgers all come with a choice of side dishes, including expertly prepared fresh veggies. You might also select corn bread with pot likker (ham broth made with turnip greens), black-eyed peas, fried green tomatoes, whipped potatoes, fried okra, macaroni and cheese, or sweet-potato soufflé. Fresh-from-the-oven corn and yeast rolls are served with lunches; at night, there are hot cinnamon rolls, too. Desserts include peach cobbler and banana pudding--a favorite with locals. There's a full bar, but the drink of choice is sweet tea (sweetened ice tea). Mary Mac's can seat groups of up to 150.