We were up in the Newnan area Friday night and before heading home we were looking for a dinning experience. My better half found Goldens on the Square, so we decided to try it out. Let just say we were not disappointed. Their friendly service is second to none. The young lady in front of us in line was on point with here recommendation. Everything was delicious and reminded us of what Granny use to make. If you dine in or even pick up to go, we recommend you stop in and see them. If you do dine in the restaurant is definitely family friendly. read more

Goldens On the Square - Fried chicken breast, fried okra,potatoes, Brussels sprouts, corn bread and caramel cake. - Southern Near Me - Newnan, Georgia

See all

Why have we never gone inside this place in the five years that we lived in downtown Newnan? So finally one day we saw our friends' golf cart parked in front and decided to go inside and check it out. We loved it, enjoyed the yummy food, the staff are really nice!! What a nice surprise from this crazy generation with its bipolar situation. We've been in twice already. And apparently every 1st of the month, it's free for military families. My husband is active duty Army. That day is today! So we will be coming by for lunch. Can't wait! The photos of the food were taken by my son- he's 7. LOL Let's give him some credit. read more

See all

Excellent southern cooking! Definitely going back . I especially recommend the banana pudding

We were referred here by friends who are regulars. There's parking on the street. When we opened the doors, we were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful loft-style space with an open ceiling in black and rich hardwood floors and booths/tables. It was clean and fresh. We picked up our trays and selected one meat, two veggies, cornbread or roll, drink, and a dessert. There was a nice selection of proteins and veggies (cooked with turkey). Call ahead to find out that day's food options. Portions are generous. The staff (from the servers and cashier to the lady bussing the tables) was super helpful and friendly. Husband: turkey and dressing 5/5, fried okra 5/5, green beans 2/5; banana pudding 3/5; and tea. Me: fried chicken leg and breast, 4/5 (the breast was boneless and mixed in with the bone-in chicken. I prefer a bone and didn't realize this until I sat down); crowder peas, 3/5; collard greens, 3/5; cornbread muffins, 4/5; blackberry cobbler, 3/5; and tea. ***Total cost: $32ish plus tips; very reasonable! We look forward to trying them again. I highly recommend you try them for yourself. We saw several people picking up their to-go orders. They are open 11am-8pm and closed on Saturdays. Goldens is ideal for Sunday after church, family outings and just because. read more

See all

Okay to avoid driving towards Atlanta headed to Columbus, we drove back roads through Newnan. Great move walking downtown and stopping at Goldens. This place is great! Fabulous atmosphere, very friendly service, and good southern food. Cafeteria setup with plenty of choices and very reasonable. This won't be our last time! read more

If you want Southern old-fashioned cafeteria style. This is your place. Reminiscent of the school cafeteria. I went to in the 70s. Pleasant clean efficient. I read it. You can take your kids and eat for free. Don't have any kids to take so I don't know about that one or how it works. Must be a favorite cause. It's been here a while. Seems to be trapped in time. read more

We love Golden's! You can choose a meat and 2, 3 or 4 sides. They also offer a vegetable plate. Cafeteria style line and very casual ambiance. Don't forget dessert! read more

While the restaurant is very clean, I felt the food was tasteless. Catfish lacked seasoning, green beans had bo flavor and the corn was watery. The chicken was average but good. The best thing they have in my opinion is the cornbread muffins and tea. Definitely gives southern food a bad rep. I don't think I'll eat here again. read more

Goldens On the Square - Catfish, green beans, corn, chicken and Corn Muffins - Made From Scratch Daily. - Southern Near Me - Newnan, Georgia

I love everything about this restaurant!!! The food is delicious and the employees are the best!!!!

Passing through and stopping. So glad we did! We loved our lunch. Simple, good eats in all the right ways.

Located in the heart of the square in downtown Newnan, Goldens on the Square or "Goldens" as the locals refer to it as, is an institution in the City of Homes and has been a staple in the Newnan restaurant scene for many years! My family and I have been to Goldens many of times over the years for random lunches/dinners and for special occasions such as birthdays, graduations and the occasional holiday. Goldens is a cafeteria style restaurant where you head down the line and pick out your plate which usually consists of a meat, a few veggies, cornbread or roll and of course a drink...usually sweet tea! When you enter Goldens you are fed right into the line that will take you down to the counter. Once you get the front you will grab your tray and silverware and then point out what you want. They load you up and send you down the line where you pay and collect your bread choice before setting off into the dining room to get your drink and find a place to sit. Food wise you will find all the comforts of any southern restaurant including friend chicken, fried/grilled fish, country fried steak, hamburger/salsibury steak, baked turkey to name a few...they have rotating meats and sides and run specials on certain days as well. Speaking of sides you can rest assured that you will always find macaroni and cheese, collard greens, fried okra, steamed cabbage and a few other delish southern sides every day here! And to cap it all off you can always get some of their famed banana pudding! I will warn you that while the southern charm of the place does lend itself to a slower pace of life, this place stays moving on those busy days...especially Sunday afternoons! Do not be surprised if you catch the line out the door and see people hovering over tables waiting for folks to get up. Goldens isn't the largest of places, so be prepared to wait in line and for a table. Parking can be tricky here as Newnan has no public parking garage around downtown and the spaces on the actual square are pretty limited. However, you can find open lots about a block off the square. Overall, Goldens isn't the best food I have ever had...it is honestly mediocre at best...but it is more than the food here, at least for my family. It is years of memories and a constant place that has been part of our lives for years and will hopefully continue to play that role! We will certainly be back soon and you should give it a try and experience a little of Newnan! read more

The fried okra was the best I have probably ever had at a restaurant. Everything else was just ok.

Goldens on the Square is our "Go To" restaurant. Their turkey and dressing would be a dish that I would serve at my table and be proud to claim I cooked it, it is very delicious! My favorite meal is the Fried Pork Chops on Wednesday. I can't think of a better meat and 2 or 3 vegetable restaurants any where! This is my favorite local restaurant, and I could eat there every day. The ladies on the serving line are always pleasant and they set the tone for the restaurant. Along with the brick interior and large windows it makes the restaurant a great dine-in location as well. read more

Staff was friendly. Waited in a very long line. After looking at some other reviews thought this place would have a good Thanksgiving meal. So disappointed! The turkey was in with the dressing and gravy mixed in all of it. They must have a lot of can openers because there was very little that was fresh. Lesson learned! read more

I love a cafeteria:) I didn't get any pictures but had a great hot lunch! I had a side salad and a hot plate with Roasted Chicken, collards and onion and potato bake very good! read more

Great food & service. The variety & portion was 'on point' for the price. My mom loved it!!!

The food is delicious!!! It's always fresh and seasoned perfectly. The service is excellent and the servers are very friendly. In top of all of that the prices are very affordable and you get a substantial serving enough to take left overs home. read more

Awesome southern cooking. Tip for the serving lines at register. Tip on the table for the busting of table on the table.

Love it! Good food, same sweet ladies and the ambiance is amazing. Hasn't changed since I was a little girl. We come weekly!

We were fortunate that the Pharmacy referred my wife and I to Golden's Restaurant on the Square. Their food was delicious, the Fried chicken and fried tomatoes were not greasy, the grease they used was fresh and not burned as most restaurants never change the grease. the Green beans taste like your grandmother's. they actually taste good, not just out of a can into the pot. My wife and I live in Douglasville, but we will continue to drive 45 minutes back to Golden's for lunch or dinner.. Wow you cannot go wrong. read more

Mmmm mmmm - the food at Goldens is nutritious and delicious! Why would you go to a chain home cooking restaurant when you can get scratch, small batch vegetables, proteins, fresh breads (especially those amazing hush puppies just like my mother used to make), and desserts/fruit cobblers. I have dreams of the food at Goldens and cannot seem to get my fill. My husband and I recently moved to Newnan ftom the west coast and the food at Goldens, alone, more than justifies the move. Cannot wait for my next Goldens meal. read more

Moving to Newnan I noticed a lot of restaurants downtown. I was looking for some food after a long hike happened upon Golden's on the square. I walked in with my sorority sisters and it was around lunch time. The line was not too long and as food was emptied they filled it back swiftly! The ranch was homemade not that bottled stuff... every EXCEPT the baked Tilapia was good. They had deep fried cauliflower and a fresh salad. It was also a great price. Everything was fresh. Tilapia just needs a blackened treatment lol. read more

To expensive for little choices & COLD FOOD grant it it was around 1:30 & everything was limited to choices they had no chicken thighs fried grilled or oven baked so got a chicken breast must of come out of the cooler "COLD" the only thing somewhat decent was the salad and it had too much dressing on it why not put it on the side will DEFINITELY not be back close to $30 wasted read more

Good selection of items including vegetables. Just not the taste I was hoping for. Service fast and friendly. On the square, brick walls vintage. Carrot salad a definite no. read more

I had lunch at GOTS two days ago. I'll be returning, but not for the food. When I went in, I was surprised to find that it was a cafeteria. No worries. The Country Fried Steak was okay. Salt & pepper helped. I'm likely to have that next time. Mac & Cheese was overcooked, but not bad. If you request the Side Salad, you'll be asked which toppings you want. Options are croutons, sliced cukes, carrot, black olives & mild chili, shredded Cheddar, cherry tomatoes, and raisins. I requested all except raisins. All ingredients were fresh and good. I requested Bleu Cheese dressing; it was quite good. The chocolate pudding was surprisingly good. It contained a bit of cake as one might find in tiramisu, and crunchy nuts of some sort. And a buttered roll, which was good. Drink options -- all the same price -- were iced tea, water, and Coke products. Don't look for no Pepsi products this close to Atlanta! All of the above --shown in my photo -- cost $10.74. I added a $2 tip, and later left a $1 tip for the gal bussing tables. The stalls in the ladies' room are a bit tight for someone of my girth. Next time I'll make other arrangements. GOTS has old school southern charm -- lots of hons, sweeties and dearies -- spacious dining room with worn wooden floors. Several elderly ladies working there. Cloth napkins + sturdy metal flatware. And it's a place where a single gal can dine alone without discomfort. The kind of place if you've eaten there once, then you're a regular. I simply love it. read more

Goldens On the Square - Typical meal: Southern Fried Steak, Mac & Cheese, Side Salad, Buttered Roll, Coke, and Chocolate Pudding - Southern Near Me - Newnan, Georgia

This business has gone downhill since COVID19. Besides plastic utensils, the food was not hot and the cornbread was greasy. My wife used to love this place and now may not go back. It's really too bad for the change. read more

Southern cooking the way it should be! Always fresh and delicious I highly recommend this place. It's located on the corner in the old Kessler Building each time I go there it brings back memories! read more

Walked in to Golden's just after seeing what kind of food they have. I was not disappointed! The food was hot, seasoned, and delicious. The staff that served the food was kind, bubbly, and eager to help customers out. I thought the placed looked very clean and it's nice to go the cafeteria route every once in a while. read more

Had dinner at this location,food was good and you received plenty of it. Restaurant was clean and employees were very friendly.

Historic Newnan Cafeteria. You get the impression that the city fathers may have eaten here and major decisions have been made within these walls over a glass of sweet tea and some hoppin john. In my ever quest to find something new and different and stunned that I had never heard of this place, as I was walking down the street looking for a place for lunch, saw this and thought why not. First off... they totally expect you to be a regular. There are literally few signs telling you what to do or where to go or how to order. And when you ask, the (elderly) ladies working the lunch counter look genuinely surprised that you don't know how to go about ordering. So my tip: Go in the door and walk the long passage to the back of the restaurant to the cafeteria line. The rate is fixed based on the # of side veggies and the entree you choose. Or the typical 4 veggies for X. Not very expensive but just a little more than you'd expect for the same. Most of the food has been made in the morning and it is what it is when you get it depending on how long it has been sitting there before you showed up... ergo, not super fresh and could be well cooked. You get a choice of roll or corn bread included with every option. It is all fresh from the stand point it isn't from a can and if you are a fan of "Southern Style Cooking" then this is your place. I went for the veggie plate... Black eye peas and Collards were GREAT, just like my mama used to make. The Fried Green Tomatoes were a disappointment, limp and greasy and soggy. Would I go back, probably not, just because there are so many neat food options in Newnan now and other cafeteria/diners with fresh home cooking that are better. I enjoyed feeling the richness of the history while I was there so very glad I gave it a try... worth a visit just for that. read more

Goldens On the Square - 3 veggies. ..home cooked. Fried green tomatoes are a little limp and greasy, but still delish if you have a hankering. Lima bean are great! - Southern Near Me - Newnan, Georgia

See all

We visited Goldens for the first time on Thanksgiving day since it was just my wife and I. I read so many reviews stating how delicious the food is and how it reminds folks of their grandmas cooking etc. the staff were nice and the establishment has their system down. However, the food is no where close to true southern cooking. I feel like we missed having Turkey because we didn't get any slices like when cooking at home. The Mac n cheese is like something out of a box. Same for the broccoli n cheese. I hear good things about the fried chicken, so may give it one more try but my wife and I left very disappointed in the quality of the food. read more

Their fried chicken and chocolate pudding was delicious. The macaroni and cheese was okay.

Goldens is a good old fashioned cafeteria idea that needs better management. There is no signage telling you to get in a line and select your food. Secondly they have no staff on the food line, so the food you get is tasty and cool because the line is too slow. Come on. If you have a food bar you should have a team working behind the food to serve customers. read more

Ny place to go when I am in town as it reminds me of Mamas and Grandmas cooking. Love my southern cooking. Never had a bad meal here. See you soon. read more

Goldens has food that you can eat but you have to pay for it. That's about it. In all seriousness though, the food isn't much here. We're a couple of westerners from AZ and we have a pretty low standard for southern cooking, this should've been easy. We shared a meat + 3 plate (~$10), I would've hated to pay that much for just me. We got the drumsticks (about same or less quality than a mediocre KFC or grocery deli) with carrots (pretty good!), Mac & cheese (so watery), green beans (the only actually enjoyable part of the meal) with cornbread (so dry and devoid of flavor). We really wanted to love this place, my wife lived in Newnan and has fond memories of visiting here with her family. It's a cool, old-timey cafeteria but it really disappoints. The ladies working are incredibly sweet and helpful, though. Perhaps to a fault - there was a man wandering the tables soliciting people to buy him a meal and when someone went with him to pay for his meal they laughed and scolded him for "doing that again". So this man regularly does this, from the side of management they are allowing homeless (but kind) people walk around and interrupt patrons' meals to ask for a free meal. I'm a charitable man and would've also helped the gentleman out, but it irked me to know that he does this regularly and they allow it. Goldens has amazingly nice employees but the food is horribly lacking. I wouldn't come back if we were in town. read more

Goldens On the Square - Food looks good but disappoints - Southern Near Me - Newnan, Georgia

This southern girl loves a good meat and three, and Golden's is a hometown delight. The steak and gravy is great with brown or white it is tasty and filling. The potato salad tastes just like somebody's mama made it and so does the sweet southern coleslaw. The pinto beans were good and so was the cornbread, you get two small cornbread muffins and they were tasty. The sweet potato soufflé had raisins which I did not mind, but I know some do. The only complaint with the caramel nut cake is that it was too small and left me wanting more. My husband loved the fried chicken, green beans, Mac and cheese, black eyed peas, and red new potatoes. He loved the banana pudding and it was a more generous portion than expected. You don't have to get 4 sides, but we did, so don't judge we love our side dishes. I can't believe we just found this place it's served cafeteria style and apparently prime rib is a menu staple, so you can never go wrong with that!!!! Go get a belly full and thank me later. Again we support local and love a no frills hole in the wall so know before you go. read more

Had lunch here today and it was fantastic! Reasonable prices for a good portion size. Everyone was super friendly and helpful. I do wish there had been some signage telling us where to go, as we had never been and the buffet is kind of hidden at the end of a long walk--other patrons had to tell us where to go. Also, I wish their covid policies were a bit more strict--they had circles on the floor for distancing but did not enforce it, and many workers had their masks under their noses, though I did appreciate they were wearing gloves. Overall it was a good experience and I would definitely come back here. read more

Great place to get home cooked food like my grandma used to make. This Texas girl will hopefully be back

My childhood restaurant, where do I start? I recently came here again for nostalgic reasons and I was not the least bit disappointed. One disclaimer, is that Golden's serves cafeteria food, if you are expecting anything more you will be disappointed. Other than that the Banana Pudding is the highlight of the menu; oh, and the cornbread isn't bad either. So enjoy! read more

Happened to be in Newnan, GA and asked the person I was doing business with "If You go to Newnan, where do you have to eat before you leave?". This was their answer. It has a great atmosphere and being located in an old southern town square, offered a very unique ambiance. The food is served cafeteria style. Had I known, I probably would not have gone. I'm so glad I did. It was definitely homemade food. The banana pudding and the broiled Brussel sprouts were my favorite. Yes brussel sprouts, they were tender and had great flavor. I picked up a couple of butters to put on the corn muffins, but after biting into one I realized I wouldn't need any. They come already coated in butter. My buddy got the fried chicken and loved it. I had Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes as well. Those were the weak point. Better than school cafeteria, but lacking luster. Mashed taters had good texture, but flavorless. Probably reduced salt content for those avoiding sodium. All that said, if your only going to eat in Newnan once....you can't go wrong with Golden's. read more