Sara and Tommy Haygood opened The Silver Skillet in 1956 in Midtown Atlanta when 14th Street was a very different road than the skyscraper corridor it became. Jimmy Collins — the same man who helped design the original Dwarf Houses that became Chick-fil-A — transformed the building into its current Mid-Century diner appearance. George and Louise Decker purchased it in May 1967 and ran it as a family operation. George’s daughter Teresa Breckenridge has kept it running since her father’s death in 1988. The Silver Skillet appeared in Season 5, Episode 8 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Just Like Yesterday,” which aired January 26, 2009. Guy Fieri found grits and country ham that he called his favorite of the segment. The Lemon Icebox Pie was voted one of the “5 Best Pies in the USA” by Life Magazine and one of the Top 100 Foods in the World by Saveur in 2012. The diner’s vintage interior has made it a filming location for dozens of productions: Remember the Titans, Anchorman 2, Ozark, Travis Tritt’s music videos, and TLC’s “Destiny” among them.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: The Silver Skillet
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Cuisine: Southern / Breakfast
DDD Season: 5
DDD Episode: 8
Episode Title: Just Like Yesterday
Original Air Date: January 26, 2009
Address: 200 14th St., Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404-874-1388
Website: https://www.thesilverskillet.com/
Status: Open
About The Silver Skillet
The Silver Skillet sits on the corner of 14th Street and Northside Drive in Midtown Atlanta, surrounded now by high-rises that make its one-story Mid-Century diner silhouette stand out like a time capsule. The interior is largely unchanged from the late 1950s: boomerang Formica tables, chrome details, checkered floors, and a kitchen visible from the counter. Regular customers have included Zach Galifianakis, Peter Weller, Melissa McCarthy, Walter Goggins, and Denzel Washington during film productions. The service is team-based — all servers share responsibility for the dining room, keeping coffee cups full without being asked. Hours are breakfast and lunch only.
What to Eat at The Silver Skillet
The Skillet Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy is the signature that Guy called his favorite — salt-cured country ham with the pan sauce made from ham drippings and black coffee. The Grits are the essential companion, stone-ground and properly seasoned. The Lemon Icebox Pie is the dessert that earned Life Magazine recognition — tart, creamy, cold, and worth leaving room for. The Chicken Fried Steak, Fluffy Biscuits, and Corned Beef Hash complete the Southern diner canon. Breakfast is served all morning and the lunch menu runs until close.
Bring the Silver Skillet Southern spirit home with Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Cluckin’ Chicken Dry Rub for your own Southern prep, and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip with Recipes for the broader inspiration.
Plan Your Visit
The Silver Skillet is open Monday through Friday 6:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Breakfast and lunch only. Find an Atlanta hotel on Booking.com.
Address: 200 14th St., Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404-874-1388
Website: https://www.thesilverskillet.com/
Status: Open
Flavortown Approved
Stream the Just Like Yesterday episode on Amazon. Atlanta’s DDD map is worth a full day — More Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives maps out the stops.
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The Silver Skillet appeared in Season 5, Episode 8 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Just Like Yesterday,” originally aired January 26, 2009. The diner has been open since 1956 and is one of Atlanta’s oldest continuously operating restaurants.