If your idea of a good breakfast doesn’t align with places like Waffle House or Chick-fil-A, finding something to eat early in the morning in Athens isn’t exactly easy, especially in the post-Mayflower era. Fresh coffee, hot biscuits, and a decent bowl of grits are basic needs that seem easy to fulfill, but there are surprisingly few places in the city that can make it so hassle-free.
Like anything worth visiting, Strickland’s Restaurant & Catering is not particularly convenient to get to by car and has limited hours, but the peace and quiet that awaits you there are worth it. Strickland’s is located at 4723 Atlanta Hwy. (behind all the car dealerships) and is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. And there’s a reason the restaurant has been around for over six decades.
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The name Strickland’s comes from original owner Essie Strickland, who opened the restaurant in 1960 at its original location on Broad Street before selling it to her nephew Paul in 1975. After a few decades on East Broad, Strickland’s moved to its current home on Atlanta Highway in 1995. The restaurant is still owned and operated by the Strickland family, who know how to make their guests feel welcome.
The decor at Strickland’s seems to be almost evenly split between the dining area and the kitchen, and the ordering process is cafeteria-inspired. When the Banner-Herald stopped by for breakfast, there was an old plastic menu on the wall behind the counter (always a good sign) and there were paper menus to look at before ordering. Guests grab a tray, have the staff fill their plate, and choose a table in the dining room.
The menu at Strickland’s changes daily, and breakfast and lunch plates are available throughout business hours. Strickland’s menu is divided into categories such as breakfast plates, lunch plates, biscuits and sandwiches, and also offers a section for freshly made pancakes that are delivered to the table in a short amount of time. Vegetable plates are also available, and the side menu is full of classics such as country ham or sliced aged cheese.
When the Banner-Herald stopped by, we ordered a single biscuit with gravy for $2.76, two pancakes and hot links for $8.50, and $2.69 for a large cup of iced tea. Sliced in half and served smothered in sawmill gravy, the giant biscuit was a masterpiece of Southern simplicity, offering a satisfying balance of texture and flavor. The hot links were seriously hot, and the pancakes were prepared with a passion that is clearly lacking at chains like IHOP and Cracker Barrel, places where people wait longer and pay more for food that can’t hold a candle to Strickland’s.
To view the daily menu at Strickland’s, visit stricklandsrestaurant.com.
