Five Stories Highlight Historic Southern and Ohio Restaurants

Several longstanding restaurants across Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Ohio are keeping traditional dining alive, from Tennessee supper clubs with fireplaces and live entertainment to a compact Hopkinsville grill serving locals and travelers around the clock. Dayton’s Pine Club, open since 1947, is known for its unchanged atmosphere and menu, strict no-reservations and cash-only policies, and porterhouse for two. Atlanta’s last original tea room from its postwar era has served Southern comfort food since 1945, while an Ohio steakhouse established in 1949 continues its customary welcome of free bread and pickles alongside hand-cut steaks. Together, these establishments stand out for preserving local history and familiar ways of dining rather than chasing restaurant trends.