Get to know Macon like an insider at these iconic restaurants

Macon has lots of great independent restaurants; you really can’t go wrong if you randomly pick a local place based on the type of food you’re craving. But if you want to know Macon — really know it from the inside — these are the places to try.

Mikata Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

Back when Macon didn’t have a lot of entertainment, Mikata on Riverside Drive provided a dinner theater with their heavily accented chefs and bad jokes. Almost every Maconite has watched their child laugh at the onion choo-choo and gasp as it suddenly goes up in a burst of flames. Regulars have sworn by the sushi here since before sushi was cool.

Jim Shaw’s

Jim Shaw’s reflects the dichotomy of most Maconites: We have a front porch side and a back porch side. If you go in the main door on Vineville Avenue, you’ll be greeted by a friendly host and served some of the best seafood in the whole county. But if you go to the left side door, order that same food from the bar window, and seat yourself by the fireside, you’ll get a feel of what Macon is really about.

H&H Restaurant

Hangout of the Allman Brothers, the H&H Restaurant on Forsyth Street was saved from demise by a local restaurant group who took its best aspects and amplified them like a Dickie Betts solo. Expect mouthwatering biscuits and red eye gravy, fried chicken, pimento cheese grits and smoked chicken poutin fries.

Fincher’s Barbecue

The barbecue you grow up eating is the barbecue you’ll always like best. Fincher’s has served so many generations of Maconites that we compare all other barbecue to their Super Pig sandwiches and vinegar-based sauce. Visit their Houston Avenue drive-in to travel back in time to their 1935 beginnings.

Nu-Way Weiners

Nu-Way’s skinny red hot dogs may not be haute cuisine, but they’ve received just about every national award given for hot dog joints. While their defunct downtown location was the truly iconic one, you’ll still get a feel of old-time Macon at any of their several Middle Georgia locations. Be sure to sit on the red vinyl stools.

The Rookery

The Rookery on Cherry Street is where local legends and truly excellent food cross. Their burgers, named after local legends themselves, are best enjoyed in a cozy upstairs booth or on the outside picnic tables with a thick milkshake. It’s fun, dark, efficient and worth the extra money. Get the Walden Greenback burger with fried green tomatoes and goat cheese with a Moon Pie shake.

Satterfield’s

Satterfield’s on New Street has whittled its hours to lunch only, but it’s worth planning your day around. One dollar bowls of salty boiled peanuts, a Pig Special on toasted bread, and homemade banana pudding or peach cobbler are all you need to see why Satterfield’s has been a Macon favorite for almost 35 years.

Jeneane’s at Pinebrook

Jeaneane’s at Pinebrook, located on Forsyth Road, is the go-to when Maconites decide not to cook at home. Everybody can get the homemade Southern cooking of their choice: meatloaf, pork chops, mac and cheese, and chicken with dumplings, with dressing or in a pot pie. Find your favorite food’s day on their website and give yourself a weekly vacation from meal prep and cleanup — and make sure to leave room for the pecan pie.

Read more reviews of local restaurants

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 7:07 AM with the headline "Get to know Macon like an insider at these iconic restaurants."