Oxtails at Climmie’s H&M Bar-B-Que and Soul Food THOMASVILLE The meat-and-three is a traditional Southern combination that seems to have fallen by the wayside, but Tyler Bailey, the chef at Liam’s in Thomasville , knows where you can find it. Bailey grew up in the City of Roses, leaving only briefly for a stint in Atlanta. One of his favorite restaurants in town is a relative newcomer: Climmie’s H&M Bar-B-Que and Soul Food . Owned by Climmie Mosley, a pit master, and his wife, Ashley Mosley, Climmie’s got its start as a backyard pop-up at the couple’s home on Saturdays and Sundays. After operating as a pop-up, the couple finally opened a brick-and-mortar in town in 2021. “They have all the Southern hits,” says Bailey of the restaurant that serves fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread. His favorite dish there, however, is the braised oxtail with rice and brown gravy, which comes with two sides. “It’s the more comforting things that I grew up eating that you don’t really see on Southern restaurant menus,” he adds. Bún bò hué at Pho Dai Loi FOREST PARK Though Bailey is usually found in Thomasville , he occasionally takes weekend jaunts to the North Georgia mountains, and one of his favorite stops is Pho Dai Loi in Forest Park . Forest Park is part of Clayton County, which has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in Georgia outside of Atlanta, and Pho Dai Loi is a family-owned restaurant that’s been open since 1997. It has expanded to other locations, but this is the original. It’s a casual atmosphere with a minimalist design made cozy with wood accents and traditional Vietnamese decor. Guests go for signature dishes like pho and spring rolls, but Bailey favors the bún bò hué, a rice noodle soup with a rich, spicy broth, pig’s blood, pig feet, and boiled beef. “It’s my favorite bowl of noodles,” he says of the flavorful, complex dish. 92 #EXPLOREGEORGIA FROM TOP: CLIMMIE’S H&M BAR-B-QUE AND SOUL FOOD, THOMASVILLE | DISCOVER THOMASVILLE; PHO DAI LOI, FOREST PARK | EXPLORE GEORGIA
Official State Travel Guide 2026 Georgia Official State Travel Guide: Page 92
