Ranking iconic local restaurants: The history of famous Macon spots that help tie our community together

If you have been around long enough to remember the smell of the paper mill in the morning and you know how to correctly pronounce Houston Avenue, then you might have ordered the Pig Special at Fincher’s Barbecue.

If you wax nostalgic over the Green Jacket salad bar or have devoured a basket of hoe cakes at Jeneane’s, then you probably remember the time Oprah Winfrey dropped by the Nu-Way on Cotton Avenue and ordered two hot dogs all the way … and a Diet Coke.

You may recall those years when you drank iced tea from Mason jars at the H&H Restaurant. And laughed at all those witty signs on the marquee at Sid’s Sandwich’s Shop – named after poet Sidney Lanier, the city’s most famous wordsmith.

Saturday is National Iconic Restaurant Day, a day set aside to recognize and celebrate legendary eating establishments that have fed and nurtured us through the years.

It’s not about how fabulous the menu is or how fancy the decor is. Traditions and reputations have been built on much more than just food.

To make the iconic cut, you have to have been around a while. You have to have a little meat on your bones, so to speak. The shiny new lunch spot everyone wants to try does not get its foot in the door among the redwoods.

I have my criteria to be considered a culinary icon:
– The restaurant has to have been around for more than 20 years.
– It cannot be a chain. (Local franchises such as S & S, Nu-Way and Fincher’s are acceptable.)
– It must have a highly regarded reputation outside Macon and Middle Georgia.
– It must be a destination, a place where people make a point to break bread when they come to town.

This is a subjective list of 12 iconic Macon restaurants, a handful of honorable mentions, and three “emeritus” selections – famous restaurants that are no longer around.

You will agree with many of my choices. No doubt, you will rank some of them higher or lower. You may not be happy if I have left off one of your favorites.

Feel free to praise the chef or order from a different menu. And be sure to take my trivia column this week on iconic local restaurants.

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1. Nu-Way Weiners

James Mallis – “The Dogfather’’ – started Nu-Way on Cotton Avenue in 1916, making it the second-oldest hot dog restaurant in the country, one month shy of Nathan’s on Coney Island.

No other local eating establishment in Macon can boast such a strong history and sense of place. Co-owners Spyros Dermatas and Jim Cacavias, who are cousins, are from a long line of Greek ownership from the same family.

It is the most iconic of icons, a place where the word “Wieners” has been famously misspelled since 1937. There is even a book about it – “There Is More than One Way to Spell Wiener.’’ (I happen to know the author.)

Nearly everyone in Macon has a Nu-Way story … and even beyond the city limits. A woman from Metropolis, Illinois, once drove 478 miles to her hometown of Macon, pulled into the Baconsfield Nu-Way, and ordered 150 hot dogs “all the way.’’

Nu-Way has been featured on television shows and in national publications. It serves the reddest of red hot dogs. The chili recipe, which has been around since the 1920s, is a closely guarded secret. And its slaw dogs were voted No. 1 in the country by The New York Times in 2002. Even its ice is notable – Famous Flakey Ice.

The Nu-Way on Cotton Avenue – the “mother ship” – was destroyed by fire in 2015. There are five Nu-Ways in Macon, two in Warner Robins and one in Fort Valley. A former Nu-Way manager, Johnny Vastakis, opened his own hot dog chain called Johnny V’s.

2. H&H Restaurant

The mural on the side of the H&H Soul Food building is a tribute to the restaurant’s founders – cookin’ cousins Inez Hill and “Mama Louise” Hudson. They were as legendary as the fried chicken and collards they served at one of Macon’s great culinary melting pots.

H&H opened at the corner of Third and Hazel in 1959, then moved to the brick building on Forsyth Street at Six Points in 1971, just a block up Cotton Avenue from Capricorn Studios.

Mama Louise’s longtime friendship with The Allman Brothers Band – she fed ’em when they were young and broke — brought the restaurant a measure of fame. On the band’s second album, “Idlewild South,” they paid tribute to her cooking prowess in the credits: “Vittles: Louise.’’

The restaurant closed in December 2013 but reopened eight months later under the new ownership of the Moonhanger Group. In 2015, the website thrillist.com crowned the H&H as “Georgia’s Most Iconic Restaurant.”

I will never forget the first time I ate there in 1978. The waiter sat down at our table to take our order on notebook paper. It was the first time I ever drank sweet tea from a Mason jar. And, in those days, customers walked through the kitchen to pay for their meals at the cash register in the back.

3. Fincher’s Barbecue

Folks can make a strong case when they claim Fincher’s Barbecue is out of this world. In November 1989, astronaut Sonny Carter, climbed aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, taking with him freeze-dried containers of Fincher’s barbecue from his hometown of Macon.

The mission may have been classified, but the menu was historic. It was billed as the first barbecue in space. Discovery traveled some 1.8 million nautical miles on its five-day trip. How’s that for a take-out order?

The Finchers got a lot of mileage out of the space venture. The city’s oldest barbecue restaurant marketed T-shirts that said: “First in Space, Best in Taste.’’

Four generations of Finchers have run the restaurant, and Tucker’s BBQ on Broadway has the same Fincher bloodlines. The original Fincher’s opened on Houston Avenue in 1935 and was replaced by its current building in 1951. It will celebrate its 90th anniversary next year.

4. The Rookery

It has been a landmark on Cherry Street since 1976, the same year Jimmy Carter was elected president. So it only fitting that the menu would include a hamburger named after him and topped with peanut butter. There also are headliners that pay tribute to James Brown (Black and Blue Burger) and Otis Redding (Big “O” Burger), as well as a patty melt called the Little Richard Pennimelt.

The Rookery was once on the shortlist for Garden & Guns magazine’s “South’s Best Burgers.’’ Folks still buzz about the time actor Harrison Ford was in town shooting the movie “42” and signed his name on the wall of a booth. It also is where I went with a friend on my first visit to Macon. Years later, I took my wife there on our first lunch date.

There is an upscale restaurant on the second floor above The Rookery. Dovetail opened in October 2012.

5. Sid’s Sandwich Shop

Macon’s longest-running text messages have been going up on the marquee at Sid’s Sandwich Shop for the past 40 years.

Owner Bob Berg and his staff have posted puns, jokes, congratulations, and other food for thought on the interchangeable sign at the bottom of the hill on Forsyth Street – one of the city’s main gateways into downtown.

Bob was manager of the old Macon Health Club before opening a sandwich shop at 336 Second Street in 1981. It was the same building where Macon’s Sidney Lanier – one of the most celebrated poets of the 19th century – practiced law with his father and uncle in the 1870s.

Sid’s Sandwich Shop was the perfect name, not to mention continuing the clever “s” alliteration of selling soup, salads and sandwiches on Second Street. It opened its doors on Forsyth Street in 1984 in the former location of The Varsity and Cottage. Sid’s gained a large and loyal following by hamming it up in the name of ham sandwiches.

6. S & S

To say that Smith & Sons Cafeteria has fed more folks in Macon zip codes for almost a century would not be an outrageous claim. Generations of Middle Georgians have pushed their trays down the serving line at S & S, tempted by steamed vegetables and sugary pies baked from sixth-generation recipes. There’s the traditional, tasty and affordable kid’s meal, too.

At the end of World War I, James A. “Smitty” Smith opened a sandwich shop on Cherry Street called “Smitty’s Hole-in-the-Wall.’’ It was so small his customers had to turn sideways in the door to get around the counter and had to eat standing up. He would deliver sandwich orders to local businesses in baskets lowered from second and third-story office windows.

He moved to Miami in 1924 and opened a restaurant and drug store. Both were destroyed by a hurricane two years later. He returned home to Macon and opened Smitty’s Barbecue and Luncheonette and later the Wisteria Cafe. He would look out his front window and notice there always seemed to be patrons at the Macon Cafeteria across Cherry Street.

 He eventually convinced the cafeteria owner to sell it to him, and he turned it into the S & S Cafeteria in 1936. Macon is the corporate headquarters, with cafeterias on Riverside Drive (opened in 1972) and Bloomfield (opened in 1984). There are also S & S cafeterias in Augusta, Charleston, S.C., and Greenville, S.C.

7. Ingleside Village Pizza

In 1992, Tina Dickson and Saralyn Collins each borrowed $25,000 and opened Ingleside Village Pizza. They had $100 left. It’s a miracle they didn’t starve to death, but at least they could have survived on cheese and pepperoni.

Saralyn later opened Good To Go, a successful downtown take-out and catering business. It then became Grow, a popular farm-to-table restaurant that features some of the freshest fare in town.

Tina moved IVP across the corner at Ingleside and Corbin, where it has become a cult favorite and one of the most eclectic pizza restaurants in Macon’s history.

IVP’s dining area is a shrine to Elvis Presley, who shares the same birthday (Jan. 8) with Tina. In the restaurant’s back parking lot is a large hackberry tree adorned with pizza peels – the long-handled utensils used to turn the hot pies in the oven – and a few aluminum chairs, which makes it a “chairy” tree, I guess.

Although IVP has a neighborhood feel to it, it draws hungry patrons from every corner of the city.

8. Jeneane’s

Jeneane’s has been a beloved meat-and-two dining destination for 35 years. Its unofficial slogan is “Southern Cookin’ Makes You Good Lookin.’’ No one can argue with the results. (Of course, macaroni and cheese is listed as a vegetable on the menu.)

On most days, you can order and get your food quicker than at a fast food hamburger place across the street. It often can take longer to socialize than it does to eat your meal.

Jeneane’s put down roots downtown on Mulberry in 1989 when Jeneane Barber opened her restaurant in the former McCullough’s Cafe. Six years later, her father helped her secure a loan to move a half block down the sidewalk into the former site of Loh’s Cafe, at one time among the city’s most popular restaurants. Loh’s began as the Crystal Cafe in 1892 and is believed to be the first electrically lighted building in the city.

Jeneane’s quickly started writing its history as a local favorite. The business crowd would line up for lunch every day, and a think tank that called itself the “Liars Club” used to gather in a busy corner to drink coffee and solve the problems of the world.

Jeneane, who still spends most of her time in the kitchen, opened the Pinebrook location in 1999 and later a short-lived venture, specializing in seafood at the corner of Northside Drive and Forest Hill Road. It closed after 15 months and, sadly, the downtown Jeneane’s later closed. It is now La Bella Morelia Mexican restaurant.

9. Jim Shaw’s

Not many restaurants make their stage debut in an old theater, but Jim Shaw’s has been taking its bows for almost 40 years as the longest-running seafood show in town.

After cutting his teeth learning the restaurant business on St. Simon’s Island, Macon native Skipper Zimmerman opened “Skipper’s” in a warehouse-style building on Riverside Drive at the headwaters of First Street, not far from the Ocmulgee River. It was the original home of Macon Little Theatre.

From there, he moved upstream on Riverside … or so he thought. The restaurant was among the businesses around Pierce Avenue that suffered water damage during the Great Flood of 1994. He moved to higher ground on Vineville Avenue across from Vista Circle. (Vista means “view” and that part of town was among the highest in elevation in the city.)

Longtime Macon diners remember the low-slung building just a few feet off the curb as the LaVista restaurant. He rebranded Skipper’s as Jim Shaw’s Seafood, combining the names of his grandfather and son.

Jim Shaw’s has limited seating in the cozy dining room and there is usually an overflow crowd waiting to get in the doors. Shrimp and catfish are among the most popular menu items, and there is an oyster bar on the side with the usual libations.

Jim Shaw’s said its nuptials with Satterfield’s Barbecue on the banks of Lake Tobesofkee in 2005 to open a satellite restaurant known as Fish N Pig.

10. The Downtown Grill

The upscale Downtown Grill is tucked away in the back alley in Mulberry Street Lane and has been considered one of Macon’s treasures since 1997.

It also stands on the shoulders of the other restaurants that occupied the red brick building in previous lives.

Built in 1890, it was the home of the Saratoga Restaurant from 1937 until 1971. The Saratoga had a reputation for its excellent steaks and chargrilled burgers. Pete Rose and Jack Nicklaus were among the celebrities who once dined there.

Frank Fenter was a successful music executive in London and co-founded Capricorn Records with Phil Walden. When Macon became the epicenter of Southern rock ‘n roll, Fenter hired British chef Paul Harpin and manager Peter Marriott to open a restaurant called Le Bistro in the Saratoga building. It served continental food and catered to the city’s vibrant music scene.

Harpin once cooked for the likes of Mick Jagger, Judy Garland and British royalty. Le Bistro opened in September 1974. Harpin introduced the European concept of having a couple of booths with curtains for private dining. He was in the restaurant the night that Greg Allman proposed to Cher in one of the booths.

Le Bistro eventually fell victim to Capricorn’s financial difficulties and closed in 1977. Harpin later became the head chef at Leo’s for restaurateur Leo Asimakopoulos. Among the celebrities who dined at Leo’s were former President Jimmy Carter, Bette Midler, Andy Warhol and Martin Mull.

It became the Downtown Grill in 1997 under the ownership of a talented restaurant proprietor named Tom Noelke. Current owner Richie Jones took the reins in 2008 and has developed a large and loyal patronage with an upscale menu, a popular cigar lounge and a well-stocked bar.

11. Natalia’s

Macon’s restaurant scene changed forever on January 23, 1984, when Natalia del Basso-Orsini opened her Italian restaurant at Riverside Plaza.

A native of Abuzzo, Italy, her name became synonymous with a high-end dining experience and her food reflected the finest offerings of old-world Italian cuisine.

Natalia’s was a fine-dining destination along Riverside Drive for 26 years before relocating to Providence Village on Bass Road in 2010. She sold the restaurant to the Moonhanger Group in 2018.

Her daughter, Natasha Phillips, now owns and operates Fountain of Juice and Romo’s Pizza in the Prado shopping center on Forsyth Road.

12. Polly’s La Mesa

Polly’s is Macon’s oldest Mexican restaurant. It opened on Pio Nono Avenue in South Macon in 1976, the same year as The Rookery opened its doors on Cherry Street.

It was named after the late Florence Ailene “Polly” Smith Carranza, who started the business with her husband, John Carranza. He died in 1986.

Polly operated the business for 16 years before retiring in 1992. She often supported local law enforcement officials by offering them discounts on their meals.

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ICONIC EMERITUS (Restaurants that are no longer with us)

Len Berg’s

Len Berg’s was started in 1908 by Leonard Berg, the son of a German Jewish immigrant, in the old Wall Street alley. That was the same year Henry Ford rolled the first Model T off the assembly line.

It was located in a tiny red-brick building, with green-and-white-striped awning, pocket-sized rooms and a sign on the roof that said: “Good Food.’’ It was later owned by the Barry and Amerson families. It closed in 2007.

This hole-in-the-wall favorite was an unforgettable character in the city’s restaurant scene. There were small, intimate dining rooms on the sides and a counter with stools in the middle. You would order by “letter” from the menu. There was a doorbell you could ring as you were leaving to let the cooks know you enjoyed your meal.

At the start of every summer, Len Berg’s put up billboards around town with the six letters, “H.M.F.P.I.C. You Know Where.’’ It stood for “Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream.”

In 2012, Marie Amerson, whose husband, Jerry’s family once owned the restaurant, published a 132-page book, “Remembering Len Berg’s Restaurant” and included many of the restaurant’s most popular recipes.

Pig N Whistle

 Like Len Berg’s, the Pig has gone on to that great diner in the sky. I never had the opportunity to go there. It closed a few months after I arrived in Macon in 1978. But I’ve heard enough stories to feel as if I’ve eaten a “Pig Special” while sitting in a ‘57 Chevy over on Georgia Avenue.

It opened in 1928, almost a century ago. Little Richard and Otis Redding were once carhops at the Pig. Elvis once ate there. And playwright Tennessee Williams, on his visits to Macon, would walk down the hill from College Street. While there, he wrote parts of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.’’

Young people would gather and cruise the parking lot. Plenty of romances were kindled at the Pig. Even a few marriages.

Green Jacket

The Green Jacket still holds a special place in the hearts of many Macon diners. It opened on Second Street, across from the Bibb County courthouse, in the mid-1970s. In 1982, it moved to an area bounded by the Terminal Station and what is now the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and Capital City Bank.

It was known for its prime rib and gigantic salad bar, with a signature house dressing. Playing on the Green Jacket golf theme, it featured a “U.S. Open” onion, its chicken dishes were known as “Birdies” and seafood items were categorized as “Water Hazards.”

It closed in 1999, briefly became known as the Symphony Restaurant in 2000, then reopened as the Willow on Fifth in 2002. It closed in 2006.

Honorable Mention – Tokyo Alley, Bear’s Den, Fresh Air Barbecue, Grow, Satterfield’s, Players Club, Tucker’s Barbecue, Cox Cafe.

Emeritus – Len Berg’s, Pig & Whistle, Green Jacket, Cag’s.

Now that you’ve read about Macon’s iconic restaurants, try your hand at Ed Grisamore’s latest Local Knowledge here and see how well you know Bibb County’s most legendary eateries.