Right on. St. Pete´s South Side institution serves up the soul food like no other restaurant in the Bay area. Hell, we´re willing to bet there´s not a place in the state that can beat it for taste, tradition, atmosphere and price. This isn´t some kitschy, stylish place where you can get ribs and slaw as well as just about every other damn thing that qualifies as American cuisine. Atwater´s is the real deal; traditional southern cooking is pretty much all they do, and man, do they do it right. We know folks who go there just for the greens, because nobody else does ´em as well. If you stop by, grab a tray and get into the serving line on any Sunday mid-morning, you´ll find yourself surrounded by well-dressed families who´ve been heading there straight from church every week for years.
Atwater´s Cafeteria, 895 22nd Ave. S., St. Petersburg, 727-823-7018.
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.
