Located In A Small Georgia City Is A Restaurant That Jimmy Carter Loved

In the heart of Georgia, there's a humble spot known not only for its soulful menu but also for its most famous loyal patron, President Jimmy Carter. Located on Church Street in Plains, Georgia, the city where the late president was born and spent most of his life, Bonita's Carry-Out is a tiny but mighty eatery that serves made-from-scratch dishes for every appetite.

The woman behind the beloved establishment, Bonita Hightower (affectionately called "Mrs. Bonita"), is a former Army drill sergeant from New York who opened her namesake restaurant in 2000. Mrs. Bonita's food pays tribute to the heritage of Southern Black kitchens, where recipes are passed down like treasured heirlooms. Bonita's quickly became a local hot spot, including for Jimmy Carter, who remained a steadfast resident of Plains after his four years in Washington, D.C.

"President Carter left the White House and did even greater things," Hightower told First Coast News shortly after his death in December 2024. "The people that come in here to dine or just to come see where he's from, they call him 'the world's president.'" For several years, every Friday for dinner, he would order out Bonita's fried catfish with a side of hush puppies, coleslaw, and cheese grits (his all-time favorite food). His wife, the late former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, would opt for the baked catfish with vegetables.

The menu at Bonita's is a roundup of Southern comfort classics, most of which Mrs. Bonita cooks herself. Diners line up for crispy fried chicken, tangy cabbage, creamy lima beans, golden macaroni pie, and sweet, crumbly cornbread. Oxtails, candied yams, baby back ribs, pork chops, burgers, and steak smothered in gravy are also popular crowd-pleasers.

Breakfast entails classics like sausage, ham, bacon, eggs, omelets, pancakes, homestyle potatoes, and grits. For dessert, there's pound cake, Bundt cake, and banana pudding.

However, Bonita's is more than a place to grab a warm meal. It's where generations gather after church, families and friends enjoy each other's company, and curious travelers come to experience a taste of Peach State hospitality. Although President Carter is no longer with us, his compassionate spirit lingers throughout Plains. And — just as he deeply loved his hometown — Bonita's, in its own delicious way, continues his legacy every day.