Eat like music stars at these four Macon restaurants

Macon has long been known as the birthplace of uniquely Southern music. Here are a few restaurants where some of our most famous Macon musicians hung out.

H&H

If you don’t already know about the H&H’s connection to the Allman Brothers Band, you should take a trip there to see Gregg Allman and the boys framed all over the walls, over several decades. Mama Louise’s recipes taste even better than ever, with a crazy good breakfast and a true down South lunch, with choices such as biscuits with red-eye gravy, fried green tomatoes and fried chicken every day. There’s also either caramel cake, bread pudding, or banana pudding each day.

Downtown Grill

It was Macon’s first French restaurant and had a different owner back then, but this was the location that Gregg proposed to Cher in 1975. Just like Le Bistro back then, the Downtown Grill offers a casual and still somehow elegant atmosphere. The menu includes maple leaf duck breast, bouillabaiss, and filet mignon, as well as several inventive desserts each night. Cigar lovers will enjoy their oak humidor and cigar lockers if you decide to become a regular.

The Tic Toc Room

Another Macon native son is Little Richard, who took the town by storm even before he was famous. One of his frequent performance venues back then in the 1940s was Miss Annie’s Tic Toc, restored and renovated into this new incarnation as just the Tic Toc Room. The New York Times called it “Macon meets Manhattan” because of its sleek decor and extensive martini menu while maintaining its small town charm and genuine service. Favorites here are the ostrich tenderloin, osso bucco and Chairman Reserve 16 ounce ribeye with black truffle butter.

The Rookery

Whenever the glitterati come to Macon, they almost always stop at the Rookery for a burger named for a famous Macon musician: the Allman burger topped with Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms, the James Brown with bleu cheese and the Big “O” with a fried onion ring and applewood smoked bacon. My favorite part about the burgers is that you can choose your patty — black angus beef, Moonhanger prime (for $3 extra), ground turkey or chicken, or even veggie. Make sure to look through the graffiti and you might find evidence that one of your favorite stars stopped by.

If you want to witness Macon’s future famous musicians, Parrish on Cherry Street, Bearfoot Tavern and Fatty’s Pizza on Second Street, and Taste and See on Poplar Street host live music on a regular basis. Find a favorite to cheer for on their way up to the big time.

Read more reviews of local restaurants

This story was originally published July 4, 2017 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Eat like music stars at these four Macon restaurants."