The Colonnade — Restaurant in Atlanta

You guys the food used to be so amazing. Service used to be fun. Nowadays is just kind of older really old people And the institutionalized staff who don't look like those people; Read between the lines here. So yesterday I took my husband there for his birthday and we haven't been there for years since the pandemic.

The African American waitress and by the way I'm also African American - She didn't ask if it's our first time or are we regular customers. Instead she recommended Collard Greens before even asking us what we wanted to order. She said we have the most amazing collard greens. She obviously saw the SHOOKED look on my face. Then she said without me saying anything to her; she checked herself and said to me I say that to everyone I always recommend the Collard Greens.

Well, I watch her with other customers. I didn't see her recommend in college greens to the people who didn't look like her. Either way I ordered The chicken fried steak. They delivered an actual steak that was deep fried and battered. Of course I told my husband immediately when the plate came out this is NOT a chicken fried steak. The food the actual steak was hard and was not cubed or tinderized steak meat that was battered and fried it was an actual piece of steak. I eat my meat rare so deep fried rubber steak is NOT for me.

I would have shared this with the waitress. However when she came out to greet us she was so busy talking about stereotypical Collards Greens, and when I just didn't answer her or respond to her after that; she literally just threw my place setting in front of me.

The place setting was stuck so the napkin and service was under the placemat and placemat pointed up in the air and wrinkled and she didn't care. She just threw my stuff in front of me that left a bad taste in my mouth..

Then I watched as she shuffled to provide overwhelmingly service to all the "folks" who did not look like her or I. And even another Black staff member came to help that group of White women- OH, I saw you leaving and brought you a second bag." It was even her section. The staff is completely institutionalized-they need to #getout.

I didn't feel welcomed. The manager was standing by the door watching me nget out. Instead of asking is the meal okay.

Then eventually at the end of the meal she got that same manager. We told him this is a steak deep fried and NOT cube steak that is traditional used for chicken fried steak. He said that doesn't seem cost effective and apologized with removing the chicken steak off my bill.

I was opposed to them calling a manager. The fact that she threw my place setting in front of me I didn't even want anything to eat there at all. I may go back for the martinis because they're so strong I didn't have one on this day though.

I believe that they need to call in professional help to revamp this place completely. They also need to do away with the old staff members that have been there for 30 - 40 - 50 years. They need to update the decorum and the attitudes. This place caters to a certain crowd of old old old money and ideas in Atlanta. The table that was next to us was a table of white elderly women who were discussing blacks and negroes and what they could do in their community. They were talking very loud so it wasn't like they cared if anyone heard them. Next to them there was an elderly black couple who looked like they just waddled in from church. The vibe is just horrible and old and stuffy. The wait staff is conditioned and institutionalized believe you may you are not a priority to them unless you look like someone who does not look like them.

I may go back because it's a historical spot but the experience is hit or miss depending on the service and...

We may have caught them at a bad night, but you figure on Sunday night, they’d be on their game. The meal was a comedy of errors from start to finish. We ordered chicken livers as an appetizer and fried chicken dinners. After waiting for 25 minutes, We asked where they were and the waitress said she can’t control what comes out of the kitchen. I don’t know what to say to that so we waited. at the 30 minute mark they arrive, overcooked, grainy and smelling stale. We all had one and left the rest on the table. Waitress comes by and asks how they were. Told her they were overcooked, grainy and smelling stale. She takes them away. We wait some more and ask where our food is. She said it’s coming. At the 45 minute mark a young guy comes by and says there’s been a mixup in the kitchen and our food would be coming out shortly. I ask what exactly he means by “shortly”, and he says between 5-10 minutes. He also said that the meal would be comped because of the hassle. We wait 10 more minutes and the waitress disappears. I ask the busboy to get her for me and he disappears for 5 minutes after which the waitress comes by and delivers our food around one hour after we ordered. I tear into a leg and it’s OK, but it tastes like it was cooked in oil that should have been changed a couple of days earlier. I look on the plate, and the oil dripping from the food is a dark amber color. I take a bite out the thigh, and the joint is pink. I flag the guy who “comped” the meal for us and point it out. He says the chicken is cooked but that must have been a busted blood vessel or the chicken may have suffered an injury. I tell him “I don’t care what it is, I’m not eating medium rare chicken.” He takes it away and the waitress comes back with another tiny thigh - which is cooked properly.

As far as the actual food is concerned: Livers were overcooked and grainy. The chicken needed seasoning, was cooked in oil that was not fresh. The onion rings were cold. The mac and cheese was decent but needed salt. On the plus side, the baked potato and side salad were pretty good.

Even with the comped meal, it still cost $30 for drinks and a tip. There’s better chicken and livers at Folks and Popeyes is always outstanding.

I have eaten at the Colonnade twice. Both times I have received substandard food at high prices.

I know other people swear by the place, but I’m...

The Colonnade is one of Atlanta’s oldest restaurants, and even from walking up to the building from the parking lot, it exudes history and character.

Right inside there’s an a wall of the restaurant’s changes and accolades over the years. You can see menus dating back to like the 1930s, movie posters of different ones that have been filmed there and more. It’s super cool.

I think this place stays pretty busy, especially for dinner. If your party ends up having to wait, they have an extra room to the right side that has a bar where you can order a drink while you wait. But the bartender don’t mess around- if you don’t know what you want, she’ll move on to the next guest that does.

We were blown away by how good the prime rib was. One of the best cuts of meat most of us had had- and even my family from Wyoming that live on a ranch and raise their own delicious beef agreed. That’s a high compliment.

I tried the stuffed salmon off of the specials menu and it was okay- needed a little more seasoning but I still enjoyed it. Every guest also gets 2 pieces of bread while waiting for the entrees. Honestly I wasn’t impressed with a majority of the food, except for that dang prime rib.

We had a great waitress as well who made the experience that much better. It’s definitely an expensive meal but it’s a nicer restaurant in my opinion not a casual place so you can’t expect to pay casual prices. I will definitely be back to try the prime rib again and make sure it really was that good because it was almost...