Atlanta: Thumb's Up Diner

Thumb's (!) Up restaurant came highly recommended by at least 4 people, including my fellow redhead/food blogger Sara (of NYCNOMNOM). Their main claim to fame? They serve breakfast alllll day. I'm in!
Note--The grammar geek in me decided this restaurant clearly means that ONE thumb is up, and I'll leave it at that.
We squeezed in an EARLY breakfast at this cash-only diner, and were able to walk right in and get a booth for the 5 of us.
Don't let the signs on the door scare you off (they warn that the diner is not responsible for anything that happens to your car/possessions while you're there)-- it's not in the fanciest part of town, but we were just fine.
We started with coffee for ABF & me, and a hot chocolate for my friend Angela. The coffee was not so great, which I found to be pretty consistent in Atlanta. My friend who lives in Georgia offered the theory that sweet tea reigns supreme in Hotlanta, so who cares about coffee? (HINT: ABF & I DO!!)

Angela didn't finish her hot chocolate-- I'm not sure if it was too sweet or not sweet enough. But people don't flock here for the cocoa....

Sara heaped her praise upon a dish aptly named The Heap: a skillet filled with eggs, assorted veggies, crispy potatoes, and cheese, cheese cheese. My friend Liz ordered that and it was pretty tasty. I bet the leftovers she took home were even better the next day!

I honestly couldn't make up my mind--there were so many delicious sounding options. After a good 20 min of menu madness, I opted for the Sassy Scramble: 3 scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, cream cheese, onions and 'fresh herbs.' I didn't ask which ones. Turns out they meant dill, and a LOT OF IT. Fresh dill is probably one of my least favorite herbs, but there was so much delicious salmon and tangy cream cheese that I didn't mind. And no way could I finish this, even with ABF's help. Also? Cream cheese in scrambled eggs? BRILLIANT!!!!!

My breakfast came with a choice of bagel, toast, or biscuit. Hello, BISCUIT! Theirs are multi-grain, and they are AWESOME. They taste almost exactly like the ones my very own muthah makes-- they are crunchy on top, fluffy inside, and just so, so, good. These biscuits were much better than the ones we had that same week at Flying Biscuit (review HERE)!

ABF went with the Greek scrambled eggs--black olives, feta cheese, tomatoes and a marvelous mess of scrambled eggs. A bright, tasty mix of flavors.

Angela (who ordered the cocoa) opted for the chicken and waffles (which she also got with scrambled eggs), but it wasn't quite what we all pictured. It's fried chicken strips with the waffle, not whole, bone-in, chicken pieces. She was hoping for a bit more chicken. This dish was tasty, the waffle looked fresh and tender, but she wanted more chicken-- so keep in mind you may not want to share this dish!

LaShauna ordered the omelette with cream cheese. Brilliance on a plate, I say. She very much enjoyed it, and I was so taken with the combo (also in my dish) that I now routinely add a light shmear of cream cheese to my breakfast eggs. SO. GOOD.

We also ordered a few pancakes to share with the table. The diner's pancakes are famous, and we found it's for good reason! They are sweet, fluffy, almost cake-like, and the diner serves real maple syrup. I'm honestly not a food snob 99 percent of the time, but I will not use fake syrup. I'd rather eat a dry pancake than 'flavored syrup.' This was the real deal, and it was fantastic. Yum! Thanks, ABF, for sharing!The food was great, service was very friendly, and we were in and out in no time. Remember, this place is CASH ONLY, but it is also extremely affordable. I'm going to officially file it under cheap eats. Which is great, because I would go back there in a flash (and I can't wait to visit Atlanta again!)

Thumbs Up Diner
826 Marietta Street
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 745-4233

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