Sometimes the best meal is the one that you grew up eating. I’ve eaten hamburgers up and down the East Coast, I’ve ordered them abroad, I’ve had Atlanta’s beloved Holeman & Finch burger and when I was little the “hamburguesa con queso” was the only thing I’d order at Mexican restaurants. But the burger I grew up with is still one of the best-kept secrets in the Metro Atlanta area.
Wells Cargo Café in downtown Stone Mountain is a hole-in-the-wall family-run restaurant. The hours are elusive – sometimes it’s open and sometimes it’s not – so your best bet is a visit on a Friday or Saturday night. In a stone building off the Village’s quiet Main Street, Wells Cargo Café’s hodge-podge décor is part of its small(ish) town charm: a shelf on the upper wall runs the length of the restaurant, featuring parts of a toy train and other knick-knacks. License plates, clocks and Georgia signs adorn the walls. Two model airplanes hang from the ceiling. Shelves and dressers line the walls, heavy with glassware, books and mementos. The lighting is always low and the tables are set with silver candlesticks.
This is casual eating at its coziest: find your seat at one of the mismatched chairs and tables and choose your entrée from the restaurant menu or a chalkboard specials list. Their regular menu is a rotation of American classics like club sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken parmesan, with specials like prime rib or beer-battered shrimp. Plates are priced just right, with everything typically less than $20, and portions are hearty.
Amongst their burger offerings are the main street burger ($7.50), a sautéed onions-bedecked patty melt ($8.50) and the bacon-swiss ($8.50). All burgers are served with a heap of hand-cut fries. The main street burger is a classic diner burger: a half-pound of 100 percent ground beef served on a toasted sesame bun with lettuce, tomato and a dill pickle on the side. Seared on the outside for that smoky crunch and juicy on the inside, it’s the burger I most often crave: simple, all-American and done just right. So often diners and restaurants strike out on the quintessential hamburger, but Wells Cargo Café serves up the perfect all-taste, no-frills hamburger every time.
If you’ve just spent the day conquering Stone Mountain Park (and maybe taking the Skyride down because your legs collapsed on the ascent), try Wells Cargo Café for a burger. If they’re open, you’ll get a taste of one of Atlanta’s best-kept secrets. If they’re closed, there’s always the Village Corner German Restaurant down the road. Sounds to me like a win-win.
Wells Cargo Café
953 Main St.
Stone Mountain