Matthews Cafeteria in Tucker, Georgia has been feeding DeKalb County since 1955, operating as a classic Southern cafeteria where you slide your tray down the line and fill your plate with fried chicken, mac and cheese, butter beans, cornbread, and whatever else the steam table is offering that day. It appeared in Season 3, Episode 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Where the Locals Go,” which aired June 23, 2008. Guy Fieri found exactly what the episode title promised: a restaurant where the people eating are locals who have been coming for decades, not tourists chasing a recommendation. The food is the reason they keep coming back, and it has been for 70 years.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Matthews Cafeteria
City: Tucker, Georgia
Cuisine: Southern Comfort Food
DDD Season: 3
DDD Episode: 11
Episode Title: Where the Locals Go
Original Air Date: June 23, 2008
Address: 2299 Main St., Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: 770-939-2357
Website: https://www.matthewscafeteria.net/
Status: Open
About Matthews Cafeteria
Matthews is the kind of cafeteria that defines Southern comfort food at its most honest: simple proteins, farm-style vegetables cooked the way Georgia grandmothers cook them, scratch-made cornbread, and desserts that taste like they came from a church potluck. The cafeteria format means you see everything before you commit, which rewards the hungry and curious in equal measure. The regulars have their standard orders. First-timers are always told to get the fried chicken.
What to Eat at Matthews Cafeteria
The Fried Chicken is the signature and the dish most visitors are directed toward first. The Macaroni and Cheese, Butter Beans, Collard Greens, and Cornbread are the sides that complete a proper Southern cafeteria plate. The dessert section, particularly the cobblers and pies, is worth leaving room for.
If the Matthews cafeteria approach inspires your own Southern cooking, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Cluckin’ Chicken Dry Rub brings serious seasoning to your next fried chicken session.
Plan Your Visit
Matthews Cafeteria is open for lunch Monday through Saturday. Check the website for current hours.
Address: 2299 Main St., Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: 770-939-2357
Website: https://www.matthewscafeteria.net/
Status: Open
Triple D Essentials
Stream the Where the Locals Go episode on Amazon, and find a great Atlanta-area hotel on Booking.com for your Georgia DDD run.
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Matthews Cafeteria appeared in Season 3, Episode 11 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Where the Locals Go,” originally aired June 23, 2008. The cafeteria has been open since 1955.