Good Eats: The Silver Skillet

ATLANTA — Since opening in 1956, the Silver Skillet has become an Atlanta institution.

It’s hard to say just what made it such an institution — perhaps it’s the red-eye gravy or the country ham or the biscuits and gravy. Without a doubt it’s the good food and the atmosphere — really, one couldn’t go wrong ordering anything off this menu.

George and Louise Decker purchased the Skillet in 1956, and George ran the diner until he died 21 years later. Today, Decker’s daughter, Teresa Breckinridge, and her husband, Jeff, are continuing the legacy of serving up some of the best Southern fare the city has to offer.

From the moment one steps in the door, it’s apparent this place is special. There is no host or hostess to take names and offer up a wait time. No, diners simply wait their turn for an open booth and take their seat at the appropriate time.

Over the years, the Silver Skillet has won it’s fair share of accolades and been named to a number of lists and guides, including being a must-visit place during the 1996 Olympics and the Super Bowl in 2000. But, it’s the restaurant’s mantra that best sums up the restaurant’s spirit: “Use a little sugar and stir like hell, we don’t mind the noise.”

If that doesn’t work, just take a gander a one of the many pictures posted of the celebrities who have stopped in the Skillet over the years. You’ll certainly be in good company.

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