Restaurant review: Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles

We took a trip down south last week - way down, to Atlanta, Georgia.  I was told by my friend Jen that a trip to Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles was inevitable and mandatory.  I wasn't going to fight it - I love fried chicken, I love waffles, how can you go wrong?  I've often been curious about this pairing - while I'm all on board for each one separately, I'd never eaten them at the same time, and felt I should wait for the right opportunity just in case there was some hidden nuance I might miss if I just threw it together myself.

what you came for

Certainly, fried chicken is a passion in the south, and you will rarely be disappointed.  While the restaurant has a full and impressive menu, I had to go for the signature dish, and Gladys did not let me down.  Four hefty and delicious fried legs of chicken and a flawless waffle.  I'm not sure if I was enlightened as to the original purpose of the pairing, but it all came together like magic.  I had to order a corn muffin just because and it was just plain great.  To be honest, I would have liked to camp out a while and work my way through the menu, there was so much that was beyond tempting.  Others at our table had crispy fried catfish (fantastic), jerk and chipotle chicken spring rolls (ridiculous), sauteed corn with jalapenos (drool) and gravy smothered chicken (gaaaaaa).  We were so well fed we officially didn't get to dessert, but I insisted we get a sweet potato cheesecake to go to have later - so glad I did, it was simply great, even out of a box.

smothered chicken, corn and macaroni

The decor is what you might expect, memorabilia and photos from the career of one of soul music's great artists along with shots of some of the more notable visitors over the years.  Our meal was graciously watched over by Stevie Wonder, 50 Cent and George Clinton - not bad company.  

Pay Gladys a visit at 529 Peachtree st. NE, Atlanta, Georgia.  Give her a call at 1-404-874-9393.  Get there early as a line forms fast.