If you’re in Douglasville seeking a meal filled with brunchy delights, head over to Gritz Brunch Bar for Southern and soul food takes on the meal. Think salmon croquettes, fish and grits, chicken and waffles, and smothered pork chops with sides of creamy grits and collards. Prepare for a wait on the weekends, as this restaurant doesn’t take reservations.

The ride outside I-285 to Cascade Road is nothing when it ends with anything-but-boring dishes at Gocha’s. Owned by celebrity hairstylist Gocha Hawkins, the menu is inventive and totally satisfying. There’s no question that the golden brown-fried jalapeno shrimp and grit cakes not only sound good, but are good. The same goes for Gocha’s Cajun-Creole lump crab fish and grit plate, fried green tomatoes sprinkled with feta, and smoked salmon BLT. Desserts here, such as a fruit-filled fried pie, offer even more brunch sustenance. There’s also a location in Fayetteville.

Having taken over the former Kafenio Greek restaurant space in College Park, the Breakfast Boys is the latest restaurant from the owners of nearby Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen and chef Lorenzo Wyche. Expect an upgrade on classic brunch dishes here, including jerk chicken atop sweet potato waffles, grits with both fried catfish and shrimp, coffee-rubbed steak and eggs, and green eggs and lamb empanadas topped with chimichurri. Some brunch cocktails on the menu are a bit strong, particularly the French Connection, made with vanilla Cognac, Grand Marnier, and crisp prosecco. 

West Egg Cafe has been serving breakfast and brunch all day, every day on Howell Mill Road for more than a decade. It’s tough to beat sour cream pancakes with syrup and spiced honey butter or the simple comfort of the blue plate (two eggs, biscuit, choice of breakfast meat, and roasted garlic grits or skillet potatoes). Don’t skip the steak and eggs here or the fried chicken hash. On the Emory side of town? Check out the General Muir, too, partially owned by the folks behind West Egg, for Jewish deli-style brunch staples like smoked pastrami hash or pecan-crusted French toast with spiced honey butter. Make sure to order one of the open-faced bagels on the menu there, like the Avenue A with smoked salmon, grapefruit, avocado, red onion, cucumber, dill, and schmear. There’s a location of the General Muir now open in Sandy Springs.

The latest addition to city’s growing collection of all-day brunch restaurants, T’s Brunch Bar leans into all things Atlanta on the menu. Expect dishes like fried fish and spaghetti called Spaghetti Junction, 75 South fish and grits, and Piedmont Park steak and eggs. There’s Georgia peach cobbler French toast, too, and a drinks menu with a section dedicated to a variety of mimosas.

Chef and owner Suzanne Vizethann’s non-stop breakfast and brunchery has been a Buckhead crowd-pleaser since opening in 2012. The bright blue building is known for starters that might as well be entrees. It’s too easy to fill up on the biscuit basket, which comes with ATL’s own Banner Butter, or the fried pickled green tomatoes, or even the cornbread loaf. But find room for the stone-ground grit bowl, with garlic spinach and chicken sausage or the pimento omelet with Benton’s bacon and red pepper jelly. For brunch on the unique side, stop by on Fridays before 3 p.m. and order the special waffle burger: a 50/50 blend of pork sausage and beef with bacon, maple aioli, and pepper jack between two buttermilk waffles. Wash it all done with a mimosa or a morning mule made with bourbon, tequila, or vodka.

An uber-popular corner post for breakfast and brunch, as well as scene-y daytime socializing, Breakfast at Barney’s has been packing them in for brunch and a bit of luxury since opening last summer. Open daily at 7 a.m., the menu here features French toast drizzled with bourbon apple cider syrup, Creole-sauced salmon croquettes, and cornmeal-crusted catfish and grits. Make sure to try the 24-karat pancakes topped with edible gold.

Open daily from 7 a.m., Osiris Ballard and chef Anthony Sanders brought their popular downtown Atlanta restaurant Atlanta Breakfast Club to Auburn Avenue in 2020. This location leans toward the local crowd and into its name, offering variations on buttermilk fried chicken and Belgian waffles on the menu. But the Georgia Peach version, with its warm peach cobbler and buttered-crumbled shortbread, is the star here. With all of that sinfully sweet and savory starch, make sure to order a caffeinated pick-me-up. That’s where nitro coffee beverages from Duluth’s Phoenix Roasters come in handy, like the medium roast Panama Black.

Pancakes and waffles served all day? That’s the premise behind the menu at Pancake Social at Ponce City Market. Open daily at 8 a.m., head here for stacks of lemon ricotta, banana oat, or apple-spiced pancakes paired with sides of sausage links, bacon, and grits topped with scallions. Other brunch favorites here include an open-faced bagel sandwich with smoked salmon, a BEC topped with a fried egg on an English muffin, and a savory grits bowl served with a fried egg, chives, cheddar cheese, and bacon on top.

Chef Virgil Harper opened Toast on Lenox in early 2021, and it’s dedicated to all-day brunch. Kick off the meal with Cajun seafood dip with a roasted garlic baguette, before moving on to entrees like Mississippi fried catfish and grits, salmon croquettes, or crab cake benedict. Be sure to order a side of pimento cheese grits and honey butter biscuits. A second location is now open on 14th Street in Home Park.

There was a sense of dread that ran through the city in spring 2020, as Home Grown publicly weighed staying open or closed on social media as the pandemic spread. Thankfully one of ATL’s most popular all-day breakfast and brunch spots is thriving once again and serving its famous comfy chicken biscuit. There’s now a parking lot patio, too, for warm weather dining. Everything is homestyle here, from the kitschy decor to the folksy vibe of fellow diners. It’s hard to ignore the undeniable flavor appeal of the humongous comfy chicken biscuit smothered in pork gravy, and even the chicken sausage breakfast dog link, the cream cheese-iced cinnamon Wafflebon, or the chorizo, cheddar, mozzarella, and ranchero sauce breakfast enchiladas.

Brunch is served Wednesday through Sunday morning until 2:30 p.m. at this Avondale Estates restaurant. Rising Son is dedicated to Southern comfort and brings fresh seasonality to brunch. Start the meal off with a panko-crusted fried green tomato or breakfast dumplings filled with ground pork, ginger, and cilantro topped with a soy maple glaze. Don’t miss out on the fried trout and grits, the chorizo and scrambled egg tacos, or the vegan grit bowl with potlikker gravy. Brunch is a relaxed and delicious affair at this congenial spot.

New to the all-day brunch scene in Atlanta, and already a popular spot for the meal, Belle and Lily’s on Chamblee Tucker Road gives brunch a Caribbean twist. Look for conch fritters, fried parrot fish served with sweet plantains, and halal jerk chicken and buttermilk pancakes served here. Pair brunch with a passionfruit mimosa.