12 Best Restaurants in Southwest Georgia, Georgia

This award-winning cheese maker makes its home in Thomasville and operates this shop and café, where you can try the farm-fresh cheese, wines, cocktails, and craft beers, as well as peruse the collection of locally crafted jams, honey, and regional food items. You can purchase individual cheeses to go or select an artfully prepared cheese or charcuterie board for a sit-down sampling of the day's offerings. The shop also offers a selection of gourmet sandwiches, salads, and decadent desserts.

Housed in an old bank in downtown Plains, this café offers soup, salads, burgers, and sandwiches in a cozy hometown setting. Be sure to try the creamy peanut ice cream.

This longtime local favorite is the place to go for down-home Southern cooking in the area. The restaurant serves meals buffet style, with such Southern classics as buttermilk biscuits, golden fried chicken, and baked ham. Call ahead to get the specifics, as the dishes change daily, and be sure to save room for dessert. It's no longer located in the historic Bulloch House, but the restaurant continues to be a popular stop for tour groups, and there's a gift shop on-site.

You'll need a reservation at this longtime eatery housed in a quaint Victorian farmhouse, where the emphasis is on high-quality international fare and outstanding service. The menu features classics like escargots, lamb shank, grilled trout (a house specialty), and filet mignon served with garlicky mashed potatoes.

This upscale steak house is celebrated for its romantic ambience and masterfully prepared meat and seafood dishes. Menu favorites include coffee-rubbed filet mignon, cane syrup–glazed New York strip, and pan-seared gulf snapper with a crawfish cream sauce.

In a land where barbecue reigns supreme, Country's cooks with taste and style. You can eat inside the restaurant, a converted bus terminal decorated with '50s flair, or sit at a table in the 1946 bus turned diner. The barbecue, cooked over hickory and oak, includes not only pork but also chicken, beef, turkey, ribs, and brisket; buttermilk fried chicken is also on the menu.

Columbus’s only four-star fine-dining restaurant, this gem on the banks of the Chattahoochee River has racked up heaps of awards for its culinary chops, outstanding service and warm ambience. Chef-owner Jamie Keating and his wife Melissa have created a literary themed dining experience based on the freshest locally sourced and high quality ingredients. The menu is playfully organized like a book with a preface, chapters, and an index (dessert), guiding guests through a personalized four-course pre-fixe epicurean journey. For a true foodie experience, book the kitchen-side Chef’s Table with it’s ever-evolving tasting menu specially curated by Chef Keating. Reservations are recommended.

The fresh gulf seafood served at this longtime family-owned restaurant is as good as you can find anywhere. Try the broiled shrimp, cooked in olive oil with a smattering of fresh garlic; fresh mullet dinner; or combination platter with homemade deviled crab, shrimp, oysters, scallops, and flounder. The fried green tomatoes sprinkled with feta are cooked to perfection, and the burgers are a local favorite. Vintage music from the '40s plays on the sound system, and there's outdoor dining under umbrellas.

Housed in a historic bank building, this fun little café offers house-roasted coffee drinks, pastries, sandwiches, desserts, and other quick bites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or anytime in between. Grab a seat in one of the original bank vaults inside or a street-side table outside to enjoy your treat. In addition to coffee, there's also wine and beer.

Locals line up for a table at this extremely popular locally owned eatery where seafood is the specialty, of course. Jonah's signature rich and creamy white cheddar grits, Parmesan-crusted rainbow trout, and deep-fried catfish with hush puppies are customer favorites. There are plenty of options for landlubbers, and a kids' menu, too. Wash it all down with a glass of sweet tea—wine or beer is not on the menu. The service is prompt and welcoming to all.

With a flair for the unexpected, this bistro turns out a rotating seasonal menu with such updated Southern dishes as pork tenderloin with mashed root vegetable, chicken sausage, and prime beef tenderloin, as well as decadent small dishes for sharing. Liam's also serves a full cheese cart of various artisanal cheeses from Europe along with local selections. It's open kitchen, garden dining, and paintings by local artists create a cozy dining room.

Part shop and part café, this locally owned spot is a great place to grab a coffee, sandwich, or a big ol' slice of homemade red velvet cake or pecan pie. Check out the daily soup and sandwich specials for a variety of options.