Pimento cheese is to the south as lobster rolls are to New England, which is to say you can find it on tons of menus, and everyone has an opinion on which one they like best.
Here, eight places serving up their take on pimento cheese for you to try over Masters weekend and the rest of the year.
1910 Public House. It doesn't get more "treat yourself" than the pimento grilled cheese from this Lilburn spot. You'll find the restaurant's housemade pimento cheese, topped with pecan-smoked bacon, fried green tomatoes and chipotle aioli sandwiched between two slides of grilled sourdough. Not enough cheese for you? You'll find other opportunities to indulge on the menu including the pimento cheese fritters and a pimento cheese plate, plus find it as a topping on the Southern Chicken sandwich and the 1910 Public House Burger.
107 Main St., Lilburn. 770-564-6911, 1910publichouse.com/
Empire State South. Looking for a classic version of this staple? The pimento cheese here is served as part of the restaurant's In Jar appetizer, which features boiled peanut hummus, deviled ham with pickled mustard seeds, trout mousse, pimento cheese with bacon marmalade and pickled vegetables.
999 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-541-1105, empirestatesouth.com/
Garden & Gun Club. AJC food editor Ligaya Figueras sang the praises of the Southern small plates at the Battery lounge, including the pimento cheese, which is served with crackers and sliced vegetables and is also available in sandwich form.
2605 Circle 75 Pkwy, Atlanta. 770-726-0925, gardenandgunclub.com/
Home Grown. Traditional southern cuisine is the name of the game here, and the delicious housemade pimento cheese shows up several places on the lunch and brunch menus. Try it on its own as part of the pimento cheese sandwich served on Texas toast or joined up with fried green tomatoes and bacon on the Grant's Stack or melted over salmon patties, fried green tomatoes, spinach and tomatoes on the Lynne Stack. You can also give the Gum Creek Farms Hamburger a kick with pimento cheese for an extra $2. Want to take some of the magic home? Atlanta-area Kroger stores stock Home Grown pimento cheese.
968 Memorial Drive, Atlanta. 404-222-0455, homegrownga.com/
The Imperial. This neighborhood pub has found a way to make pimento cheese even more indulgent in the form of La Poutine de Georgia, which takes French fries, covers them in po'boy gravy, then melts pimento cheese on top of it. Not over-the-top enough for you? Then go crazy and add diced bacon for an extra $2. The housemade pimento cheese also makes appearances on the menu in the pimento cheese sandwich and The Southern hot dog and The Southern Living burger.
726 W. College Ave., Decatur. 404-464-5698, imperialdecatur.com/
The Mill Kitchen & Bar. The pimento cheese at this Roswell spot isn't meant to be dipped or spread. Instead, it's fried into fritters and served with bacon marmalade and homemade comeback sauce. Looking for something more traditional? You can also find the restaurant's pimento cheese on the Mill Burger, the Mill Omelet and the Pimento BLT.
590 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell. 770-817-9345, themillkitchenandbar.com/our-menu/
Southbound. With the word "south" in the title, you know this restaurant has some clever tricks up its sleeve. Its macaroni and cheese is made with pimento cheese and topped with bread crumbs, then baked. It's also served as a started on a board with green tomato chutney and bacon jam.
5394 Peachtree Road, Chamblee. 678-580-5579, southboundatl.com
SweetWater Taproom. The newly-opened taproom at SweetWater Brewing Co. features a menu from chef Nick Anderson that includes several dishes made with beer and beer byproducts. That includes the pimento cheese, which sees Dukes mayo mixed with, peppadews, green onions and toasted spent grain. Spread it on Saltines and wash it down with one of the 30 beers on tap.
195 Ottley Drive, Atlanta. 404-691-2537, sweetwaterbrew.com.
--Krista Miller contributed to this report
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