ria's bluebird

ria's bluebird is a local legend with an incredible following.  the diner is small, leaving the parking lot filled with diners waiting for a table.  i was lucky enough to visit after the brunch crowd one day with a friend, to which we ordered brunch.  we decided to split a few of their specials.  the biscuits and gravy was quite good, the gravy being vegetarian.  the biscuits were buttery and soft while extremely filling.  thepancakeswere incredibly fluffy, though there was little syrup given (we likely needed more toppings to sweeten it).  the early bird special had plenty to offer, the eggs cooked to order with fried potatoes and bacon, a biscuit on the side.  the food was incredibly filling and the service was fast.  i'd highly recommend this restaurant, but be prepared to wait!

breakfast so delicious we went two days in a row!. my friend and i shared the breakfast burrito and pecanpancakeswith sides of bacon and skillet potatoes (and of course coffee). it was all so delicious we ordered the same breakfast two days in a row! the breakfast burrito has an amazing salsa verde served on top and the pecans were baked into the pancakes. yum! the coffee was great, and the atmosphere was charming.

here's some background from the ria's bluebird website about chef ria pell and her culinary experiences (rest in peace, chef!): "from berlin to san francisco, ria’s cooking has gained a cult following for her gourmet southern classics in the heart of the atl: light & fluffy biscuits, topped by a generous portion of thick, spicy milk gravy, just like grandma used to make. buttermilkpancakesmoist and delicate enough to prompt locals, and jane fonda, to tout them as the ‘best in the city’. and innovative sandwiches like the popular prosciutto, brie, dates & basil on toasted baguette. locally roasted coffee from batdorf & bronson acts as the bass note to ria’s creations. chef ria pell earned her stripes in some of the toniest kitchens of the city, like dish, mondo and chef annie quatrano’s

have been looking forward to trying this place for years and it did not disappoint. sadly, i didn't get to stop by before going gluten free, so i missed thepancakeseveryone raves about. but i did have their brisket, which comes in a big bowl with strips of the meat and two eggs over easy. it is also served with a baguette to soak up the broth, but i steered clear of that. the "soup" was delicious and the meat was tender and well seasoned. friendly service and was seated and had my food within 15 minutes at 12:45 on a sunday. can't wait to come back and try the huevos.

thepancakeswere indeed magnificent (i don’t think i’ve ever used that word before, but i’ve already used the word “fantastic” in this review, and “magnificent” seemed just a little bit better). fluffy on the inside – crispy/griddled to perfection on the outside – with just the right amount of butter and syrup – it really don’t get much better then this!

 here's the first, which is dedicated to our blogger pal sara , a current atl homegirl. diana, carrie and i were looking for a quick weekend trip together, and atlanta seemed just the place.  although it is pretty central to our three locations, and though we may have been swayed too heavily by a donut place we had espied on bakerella's blog , we quickly learned there were other fantastic eats and sights to experience also that made it the perfect destination spot. ria's bluebird was among them, noted in nytimes fun 36 hours article series as the bestpancakesin the world .  now that is something we all had to validate. ria's is notorious for long waits in the morning, so we made sure to arrive right when it opened.  within moments, the place completely filled up, and there

banana pecan pancakes. ria makes delightfully fluffypancakesbut it is hard to understand what the big deal is until you order them with caramelized bananas. get it with the works (pecans, chocolate chips and bananas) and your breakfast will be transformed from ok to something magical.

the pecans add texture, the caramelized bananas add flavor depth and a sugary, buttery goodness that will make you forget what the maple syrup was for and adding chocolate chips on top of that is decadent indulgence.

we eat at ria's every weekend, as there are no betterpancakesin town. the coffee is smooth and the people taking care of you cannot be beat. there is no better way to start the day!

lovely!. very, very good brunch. the menu has a quote that proclaims "world's best pancakes" from n.y. times. normally, i wouldn't give this much weight; however, they were right. at least, these were the bestpancakesi have ever had, and i have had my share of pancakes! the cakes were light, fluffy, and cooked perfectly. i got to try the lemon poppy cakes they had on special. yum. very limited seating inside, but there is also a shaded outdoor patio.

bestpancakesever...ever!! i'm a bit of a pancake connoisseur so take my word for it. however i do agree with some of the other reviewers about the undercooked grits. i did not enjoy those at all. as i write this review i'm planning my next pancake run!

worth the pilgrimage.. traveled all the way from orlando to visit a friend with only one goal in mind for the trip: eat at ria's. we split three entrees; my friend is vegetarian so we had the bionic breakfast, thepancakeswith caramelized bananas, and the fish and grits (fish in my half, without for him).

on a scale of one to ten, where
5 is "i like it"
6 is "i really like it."
7 is "mmmm wow this is good."
8 is "i'm in love."
9 is "i would move to have this every day." and
10 is "i would probably inject this into my uterus with a syringe in hopes that my babies would come out this awesome."

thepancakeswere probably a 9-10. the fish and grits were somewhere around an 8-9 and the bionic breakfast was a hard 6.5. (the flavorway was great, but the potatoes seemed a little undercooked--dry and grainy, which was odd.)

something special about the pancakes: i tend to eat quickly when excited about food andpancakesin particular tend to be thick and mealy and gum up in my throat, which is extremely uncomfortable (maybe i have a slight gluten allergy?). these were so easy to eat, not only the flavor and the texture were incredible but the sheer ease and comfort was just amazing. these are by far the bestpancakesi've ever tasted. i can't think of any that hold a candle.

the fish and grits were also incredibly awesome, but at the risk of waxing poetic again i'll let you discover them for yourself. i would gladly wait in the heat and the rain for another meal here.

absoultley amazing. went in yesterday and loved it! i had the pepper turkey sandwich on marble rye and cream of squash soup. the soup was amazing!!!!! i like to think of myself as a soup connoisseur if you will...
my boyfriend had the pancake's and can i just tell you.. they were some of the bestpancakesi have ever put in my mouth... oh ms. ria... how i love your food and your funky bluebird decor... nifty little place if ya ask me and we will definitely be back soon!

bestpancakesin the world.

it isn't sunday without ria's. mmmm.... the early bird, the omelets, the burritos the granola, thepancakeswith bananas. you just can't go wrong.

my favorite thing is taking new people to ria's and having them enjoy it just and much as m and i do. one time we brought a friend and he started with the brisket, he liked it so much he ordered the chocolate chippancakesfor round two!