Celebrity hairstylist turned Atlanta restaurateur serves up must-try pancakes at Gocha's

Our Morning Menu takes us to Gocha's Breakfast Bar, a southwest Atlanta restaurant where the pancakes are served golden, light and fluffy.

Brian Sago and his wife visit the restaurant about twice a month — and they do not share their pancakes.

"The pancakes! Me and her got two orders of pancakes so we don't have to share," Sago said. "They're the best pancakes in Atlanta. The pancakes have crispy edges and are nice, light and fluffy. The syrup and butter is a complement."

Gocha Hawkins opened Gocha's Breakfast Bar in Atlanta in 2018 after her friends encouraged her to turn her love of cooking into a business.

"I always cooked, and my friends always told me to open up a restaurant," Hawkins said.

Before entering the restaurant industry, Hawkins worked as a celebrity hairstylist and operated Gocha's Salon.

"I didn't know anything about running a restaurant, but I knew how to run a business," Hawkins said. "Food was my passion."

Gocha's Breakfast Bar serves a variety of breakfast and brunch dishes.

"Popular dishes are Cajun-Creole shrimp and grits, pancakes and omelets," Hawkins said.

As demand grew, Hawkins expanded the Atlanta restaurant into part of a neighboring space that became available last year.

"The dining room experience was overwhelming," Hawkins said. "Now, AT&T left last year, and I took half of the space. That's how we expanded this location."

Gocha's Breakfast Bar now has two locations: one in Atlanta and another in Fayetteville.