Wanted: Your memories about Atlanta icon The Colonnade!

ATLANTA - It’s been an institution in the Atlanta dining scene for nearly a century — and now, you can help preserve the fascinating history of The Colonnade for future generations.

The Colonnade first opened in 1927, which current owners Paul Donahue and Lewis Jeffries say makes it the city’s second-oldest restaurant. Originally located at the corner of Lindbergh and Piedmont, the restaurant moved to Cheshire Bridge Road in 1962 and continues to draw diners with a taste for nostalgia. Famous for its Southern comfort food (we’re talking pot roast, chopped steak, fried chicken, and collard greens), The Colonnade was purchased by longtime patrons Donahue and Jeffries last year.

"[We’ve] been coming here for years and years," Donahue told Good Day Atlanta last year, during an appearance on Burgers with Buck. "We love all the people that are here, and they were so special to us, that we were like, ‘We can’t let The Colonnade change.’"

The restaurant is planning to release a book commemorating its upcoming 100th anniversary, to be penned by Ardmore Avenue publisher and Atlanta journalist Rich Eldredge. To gather material for the book, Eldredge and the restaurant owners created a public Facebook group called "Memories of Atlanta’s Colonnade" — and they want people to join and post their stories and photographs. The restaurant also hosted a "storyteller session" last Saturday, inviting guests to stop in and share anecdotes about The Colonnade; they plan to host more of the sessions in the future. 

The Colonnade is located at 1879 Cheshire Bridge Road Northeast, and regular hours are 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. For more information on the restaurant and to check out the menu, click here. And click the video player in this article to check out our morning at The Colonnade, celebrating this true Atlanta icon!