Don’t hesitate, this is everything you are hoping your meal here can be!

Just had an awesome dinner at the Rookery. We arrived at 7:00 on a Wednesday to a 20 minute wait. You can join the waitlist online to skip the wait but it was no big deal - we just headed to the bar for a bit!

There’s an impressive beer and cider menu plus some great cocktails. The bartender here was not afraid to pour some liquor and our drinks were tasty and STRONG.

I had the classic bourbon and ginger beer cocktail called the Horses Neck. My friend drank a sweet and tart Eat a Peach martini but my very favorite was the decadently delicious Sweet Melissa - sweet tea, peach schnapps, vodka and lemonade. It was so sweet and smooth!

Everyone at the table picked a different appetizer because so many of them looked delicious. Really, you cannot go wrong with the pimento cheese dip or the artichoke and collard greens dip. Truly if you’d like spinach and artichoke dip this was very close to the same cheesy tangy goodness. The fried green tomatoes were also tasty.

For me the big winner was the solid gold soul rolls though - OMG - three sizable fried wraps stuffed with pimento cheese, chicken and collard greens are covered with a chili peach sauce. The sweet, salty, slightly spicy combo was TO DIE FOR!! Do not miss them, you will cry. I would drive three hours back to Macon just for another order of these things they were that good.

For dinner, I had the wonderfully named Walden Greenback burger, a juicy burger topped with tangy goat cheese, a fried green tomato, bacon and a sundried tomato remoulade. WHAT a flavor profile! The potato salad on the side was some of the best I’ve had.

I was already stuffed, but you cannot leave the Rookery without trying one of their amazing milkshakes for dessert. And if you’re a grown-up, don’t miss the grown-up variety! I had the Billy Carter - a banana and peanut butter milkshake with bacon and Jim Beam bourbon dear Lord what a boozy treat!

The location is great, and I really enjoyed the antiqued green walls and funky vintage lamps. The vibe is low key and warm, but there’s a giant tv too, so we were able to watch the Braves playoff game!Last but certainly not least, our server Kiki was A DOLL. So personable and funny. Just a gem.

I am only in Macon for three days, and I have a list of places I want to try out while I’m down here, but I’m tempted to scrap it so that I can come back to The Rookery and have another amazing milkshake and helping of those solid gold soul rolls. They are one of the best things I’ve put in my mouth all year!