Restaurants in Macon

Hibachi grills crackle with roaring flames and razor-sharp knives glimmer as they slice through fish—affording diners glimpses of the culinary skills the master chefs at Shogun Japanese Restaurants have been honing for more than a decade. Rustic exposed-brick walls and Japanese art pieces surround patrons, but all eyes are on award-winning chefs as they sizzle up choice beef, vegetables, and seafood at tableside grills. Behind the sushi bar, sushi artists swiftly chop fresh fish into 78 types of specialty rolls, and in the kitchen, pots bubble with udon noodles and soups that also fill the antiburglar cauldrons lining the restaurant’s roof. Behind the bar, mixologists top lavish cocktails with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Traditional Jamaican flavors abound in Island Paradise's casual dining room, where a predominantly Caribbean staff revs up the sense of authenticity. Amid bright red banquettes and paintings of the tropics, tables populate with coconut-dusted fish fillets, jerk chicken, and spicy marinated pork. After diners pass around entree plates of oxtail and curried goat, they can bury forks in a sweet Jamaican dessert or utilize the eatery's dangling bead curtains as guitar strings for a three-piece zydeco band.

Flames from a glowing hibachi grill flicker beneath China Inn's expert chefs, who incorporate fresh ingredients into their selection of Chinese and Japanese noodle dishes. They drizzle signature teriyaki sauce across yakisoba noodles and tailor the spice level of hot braised wings to each diner’s desires.

With churrasco steaks, grilled red-snapper fillets, and shredded flank steaks rubbed with Cuban spices, it's hard to tell which dish earned Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Grill the tile of Best Cuban fare in 2010 and 2011 from the readers of Creative Loafing Atlanta. It could have been owner Rey Regalado’s recipe for pork marinade passed on from his father. Brought to America in a harrowing tale of escape from oppression, the signature sauce now trickles beneath layers of smoked pork, ham, swiss cheese, and dill pickles on the cuban sandwich or traditional masitas de puerco made with tender cubed pork. Selecting from a stash of family recipes, chefs fill plates with bold flavors and cap meals with such sweet treats as coconut flan and rice pudding. As the sun falls out of the sky on Fridays and Saturdays, live salsa music populates the dining room with toe-tapping beats and digestion-aiding rhythms.

Flashing knives and spurting flames dazzle diners as the chefs at Kuma Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar theatrically sear entrees on the tabletop hibachi grills. Equally comfortable with cooking vegetables and meats, the chefs can shuffle a number of them across the grill's iron surface, including scallops, chicken, or filet mignon. Meanwhile, the sushi chefs gingerly slice pieces of fresh salmon and tuna behind their bar—unlike traditional bartenders, who rarely slice bottles into neat sections. Their work does not stop there, however, because they also carefully layer orders of salmon nigiri that can emerge alongside a familiar or inventive sushi roll, which arrives in either six or eight bite-sized pieces.

Long hailed for a mastery of ham far beyond the skills of mere mortal meat cookers, the meat mavens at HoneyBaked Ham invite you to put their newly honed turkey skills to the test with today's Groupon: a whole roasted turkey breast for $12 (an up to $25 value). Get your moist turkey breast unadulterated, or let the HoneyBaked masters finish your bird with crackling sweet glaze, which may or may not be cooled by having volunteer glaze-pixies fan it with their wings. Call one of HoneyBaked's participating locations (found here and in the sidebar to the right) to reserve your order, and pick up your juicy bird.