The best meal is a great one from a clean kitchen. So we went looking for the Columbus restaurants that have both.

These 34 restaurants scored a perfect 100 on their most recent Georgia health inspection and hold 4.5 stars or higher on Google, with at least 50 reviews each. 23 of them have never scored below 100 in any inspection on record.

It's a short list for a reason. About half of the restaurants inspected in Columbus in the past 15 months earned a 100 on their latest visit. Plenty of places are highly rated on Google. But very few have both, and the ones that do run tight kitchens that diners love.

Every restaurant below links to its full inspection history on the Columbus Times Restaurant Scores lookup.

By the numbers

• 820 Columbus-area restaurants and food service places were inspected in the past 15 months.
• 408 of them, about half, scored a perfect 100 on their latest inspection.
• 407 of those 820 have been matched with Google ratings so far.
• 118 of those have 4.5 stars or better.
• Just 34 have both a perfect latest score and 4.5+ stars from at least 50 Google reviews.

We're still matching the rest of Columbus's restaurants with their Google ratings, about 100 a day. Expect this list to grow. See "How we made this list" below.

The perfect 5.0

The Emeralds Touch BBQ
📍 5156 River Road, Suite F · 5.0 stars (206 reviews) The only restaurant on this list with a flawless Google rating and a flawless health record. It's scored 100 on all five inspections since May 2024. In our barbecue rankings, diners named the ribs, brisket, collard greens, mac and cheese, yams and oxtail. Reviewers praise the family that runs it as much as the food. Inspection history

4.9 stars

La Garita Restaurant & Bakery
📍 1230 Fort Benning Road · 4.9 stars (307 reviews) A restaurant and bakery with the highest rating on this list among places with 300-plus reviews. Its latest inspection was a 100, and it's never scored below 96 in seven inspections since 2022. Inspection history

Chilango Pride
📍 3501 Hamilton Road · 4.9 stars (75 reviews) Three inspections since February 2026, three perfect 100s. Inspection history

La' Sammich
📍 4820 Armour Road, Suite A-6 · 4.9 stars (68 reviews) Perfect on all three inspections since August 2025. Inspection history

4.8 stars

Frank's Alley
📍 1246 Broadway, Uptown · 4.8 stars (469 reviews) This Uptown hot dog stand serves quarter-pound all-beef hot dogs named for cities, on Martin's potato rolls, plus its own Scrambled Dog. Four inspections, four 100s since June 2025. Inspection history

Darby's Patrol Base
📍 4018 Victory Drive · 4.8 stars (268 reviews) Perfect on all four inspections since March 2025. Inspection history

Tacos and Thangz
📍 5520 Forrest Road, Suite E · 4.8 stars (199 reviews) Three for three on perfect scores since August 2025. Its latest 100 came on Oct. 2. Inspection history

Lou Lou's Bistro and Foster's Bar
📍 1350 13th St. · 4.8 stars (54 reviews) A newer name on the inspection rolls, it scored a 100 on its first inspection in July 2026. Inspection history

4.7 stars

Mabella's Italian Steakhouse
📍 14 W. 11th St., Uptown · 4.7 stars (1,827 reviews) An Uptown date-night standby with more Google reviews than any other independent restaurant on this list. Diners recommend the steaks, salmon and lasagna, and say the cheesecake is a must. Latest inspection: 100. Inspection history

Dave's Hot Chicken
📍 5279 Whittlesey Blvd. · 4.7 stars (1,424 reviews) Its latest inspection was a 100. It's scored 99 or better on all five inspections since January 2025. Inspection history

The Animal Farm
📍 105 12th St., Uptown · 4.7 stars (1,062 reviews) Casual, Southern-inspired and a popular brunch stop. Diners name the shrimp burger, crab dip and banana pudding. Its latest inspection, in August, was a 100. Inspection history

Epic Restaurant
📍 1201 Front Ave., Suite E, Uptown · 4.7 stars (515 reviews) One of Columbus's best-known fine-dining rooms. Epic has scored 100 on all eight inspections on record since April 2022. That ties it for the longest perfect streak on this list. Inspection history

Chattabrewchee Southern Brewhouse
📍 1301 Sixth Ave., Unit C · 4.7 stars (203 reviews) Four inspections since May 2024, four perfect scores. Inspection history

Santo Corazon Mexican Gastrobar
📍 8186 Veterans Pkwy. · 4.7 stars (138 reviews) Perfect on both inspections since November 2025. Inspection history

La Tacita
📍 6517 Kitten Lake Ave., Suite W-5, Midland · 4.7 stars (135 reviews) Four inspections since November 2024, all 100s. Inspection history

4.6 stars

11th and Bay Southern Table
📍 1050 Bay Ave., Uptown · 4.6 stars (1,299 reviews) Seven inspections, seven perfect scores since June 2022. With nearly 1,300 reviews, it's the most-reviewed independent restaurant on this list with a perfect score on every inspection. Inspection history

Fountain City Coffee
📍 1007 Broadway, Uptown · 4.6 stars (973 reviews) The Uptown coffee shop's latest inspection was a 100, and it hasn't scored below 96 since 2022. Inspection history

Freeze Frame Yogurt
📍 1100 Broadway, Uptown · 4.6 stars (489 reviews) Perfect on all five inspections since January 2022. Inspection history

Jamey's Hot Wings
📍 1908 Floyd Road · 4.6 stars (426 reviews) The comeback on this list. Jamey's scored as low as 89 in past inspections, and its latest, in July, was a perfect 100. Inspection history

Normitas Latin American Restaurant
📍 2036 Fort Benning Road · 4.6 stars (181 reviews) A fresh 100 on Oct. 7, and 99 or better on all six inspections since September 2024. Inspection history

4.5 stars

The Beehive at Clearview BBQ
📍 4222 River Road · 4.5 stars (1,575 reviews) Four inspections since December 2024, four perfect 100s. Inspection history

Minnie's Uptown Restaurant
📍 104 Eighth St., Uptown · 4.5 stars (1,254 reviews) An Uptown soul food standby, where a plate with one meat and two sides is $12.99. Perfect on both inspections this year. Inspection history

Neicy's BBQ
📍 359 23rd Ave. · 4.5 stars (1,019 reviews) If it's ribs you want, this is the place diners point to. Three straight 100s, in February 2025, September 2025 and April 2026. Inspection history

Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q
📍 5710 Whittlesey Blvd. · 4.5 stars (933 reviews) Known for slow-cooked meats and its cheese biscuits. Perfect on all three inspections since August 2025. Inspection history

13th Street Bar-Be-Que
📍 5506 Veterans Pkwy. · 4.5 stars (611 reviews) The Columbus location of the Phenix City barbecue favorite. Seven of its eight inspections since 2022 were perfect 100s. Inspection history

Chicken Salad Chick
📍 2511 Airport Thruway · 4.5 stars (506 reviews) Six perfect scores in seven inspections since October 2022. Inspection history

18th Amendment
📍 1026 Broadway, Uptown · 4.5 stars (299 reviews) Perfect on all five inspections since March 2022. Inspection history

Roz Cafe & Catering Services
📍 3418 Buena Vista Road, Suite A · 4.5 stars (169 reviews) Seven inspections, seven 100s since February 2022, one of the longest perfect streaks on this list. Inspection history

Lily's
📍 6597 Whittlesey Blvd., Suite B · 4.5 stars (143 reviews) The soul food spot that topped our Best Soul Food list, known for turkey wings, oxtails, whole catfish and mac and cheese. Six for six on perfect inspections since July 2024. Inspection history

Gray's Bar
📍 1778 S. Lumpkin Road · 4.5 stars (80 reviews) Four inspections since April 2024, four 100s. Inspection history

Taranovas Pizza
📍 4640 Warm Springs Road, Suite B · 4.5 stars (74 reviews) Perfect on both of its inspections this year. Inspection history

Plus 3 Chick-fil-A locations

Columbus's Chick-fil-A restaurants are some of the most-reviewed places in the city, and three of them made the cut:

Wynnton Road · Whittlesey Blvd. · Midland

The longest spotless streaks

23 restaurants on this list have scored 100 on every inspection in the state records we track, which go back to 2022. These have the longest streaks, at five or more inspections:

How Georgia grades restaurants

Restaurants are usually inspected about twice a year. An inspection is a snapshot of one visit, and many problems are fixed while the inspector is still there. A restaurant with a 96 can be every bit as safe as one with a 100. That's why we also note each restaurant's record over time.

How we made this list

• Health scores come from Georgia Department of Public Health inspection reports for Muscogee County, which Columbus Times updates daily in our free Restaurant Scores lookup. We counted restaurants inspected in the past 15 months whose most recent score was 100.
• Google ratings come from Google Maps, checked Oct. 9–14, 2026. Ratings change over time.
• We required at least 50 Google reviews, so a handful of glowing reviews can't put a place on the list.
• We left out hotel breakfast counters, event halls, a food bank and other places that aren't restaurants, and we counted food trucks with more than one permit only once.
• The list will grow. We've matched about half of Columbus's inspected restaurants with Google so far and are adding about 100 a day. If your favorite spot is missing, it may not be matched yet. Look it up at columbustimes.com/restaurants.
• Restaurants in Phenix City and other Alabama towns aren't included, because Alabama inspection records aren't part of our lookup.

Rate them yourself

Every restaurant page on our Restaurant Scores lookup now lets you leave a Columbus Times reader rating. Eaten at one of these 34? Tell other readers what you thought at columbustimes.com/restaurants. You can also sign up to get an email whenever a favorite restaurant is inspected.

Restaurant owners: proud of your score? Share your page with your customers. If you think a score is wrong, contact Muscogee County Environmental Health at (706) 321-6170.