The best restaurants in Athens, Georgia, make a compelling reason to stay beyond a game or a concert. A meal might begin with seasonal Southern cooking in a historic house, Thai-inspired plates in a converted mill, or a generous Ethiopian spread on the Eastside. This guide brings together 15 standouts within Athens, from downtown and Five Points to the Prince Avenue and Chase Street corridors. There are places for graduation dinners, an unhurried date, breakfast with visiting family, and an inexpensive meal between plans. Each selection offers a different way into the city, with signature orders and defining details to help you decide where to sit down. Where a restaurant has several branches, the neighborhood identifies the Athens location covered here.
The countdown runs from #15 to #1. Dishes and wines illustrate each restaurant’s cooking and selection; menus change, so check availability when booking.
Price guide: Approximate dinner cost per person, excluding drinks, tax, and tip:
- $ – under $25
- $$ – $25–$49
- $$$ – $50–$99
- $$$$ – $100+
#15 Maepole
Cuisine: Seasonal bowls and Southern-inspired comfort food
Neighborhood: North Chase Street
Price: $
Best For: A quick, balanced meal with plenty of vegetable choices
Must Order: The Boxcar plate or a seasonal tofu-and-vegetable combination
Why It Made the List:
Maepole’s Chase Street kitchen gives a quick lunch seasonal variety, from acorn squash and beet salad to kale and carrots. Combinations such as the Boxcar’s pork, sweet potatoes, and sriracha-honey sauce make the menu useful when diners want a filling meal without a long sit-down stop.
Known For:
- Build-your-own plates with several sauce options
- Tofu and vegetable-only combinations
- Cornbread and house-made lemonades among the additions
#14 The Place
Cuisine: Southern comfort food
Neighborhood: Downtown / East Broad Street
Price: $$
Best For: A straightforward Southern dinner near campus
Must Order: Shrimp and Gouda grits or chicken and waffles
Why It Made the List:
The Place gives a downtown Southern dinner a range of sweet, smoky, and tangy accents. An apricot-glazed pork chop with caramelized onions and a bourbon-glazed salmon with collards make it worth exploring beyond the familiar chicken-and-waffle order.
Known For:
- Southern bruschetta with pimento cheese, bacon, and tomatoes
- Black-eyed-pea hummus among the starters
- Gouda grits accompanying several main dishes
#13 Tamez Barbecue
Cuisine: Barbecue and Tex-Mex
Neighborhood: West Broad Street
Price: $
Best For: A substantial casual meal with barbecue and Tex-Mex choices
Must Order: A brisket plate or brisket quesadilla
Why It Made the List:
Chef Alejandro Tamez brings experience at Farm 255 and Greyfield Inn to this West Broad Street barbecue kitchen. Pork guisado and fajita plates with tortillas, rice, and beans give diners additional ways to explore the restaurant’s Tex-Mex side.
Known For:
- Smoked brisket served as a plate or in a quesadilla
- Barbecue meats sold by weight for take-home meals
- Breakfast service from a barbecue kitchen
#12 The Royal Peasant
Cuisine: British pub cooking
Neighborhood: Five Points
Price: $
Best For: An easy pub meal with the match on
Must Order: Fish and chips or bangers and mash
Why It Made the List:
The Royal Peasant gives a British pub meal variety beyond battered fish, with a ploughman’s plate of cheeses, cured meats, pickles, and bread. A lentil burger with Gruyere and pickled cabbage offers another substantial choice for a relaxed meal in Five Points.
Known For:
- Football shown in a British-pub setting
- Lamb curry alongside traditional pub staples
- Sticky toffee pudding for dessert
#11 Mannaweenta
Cuisine: Ethiopian and Eritrean
Neighborhood: Eastside / Gaines School Road
Price: $
Best For: An inexpensive meal with a wide choice of vegetables and stews
Must Order: Doro wot with injera and vegetables
Why It Made the List:
Mannaweenta has served Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking on Gaines School Road since 2015. Chicken tibbs with tomatoes and jalapeno, or lamb simmered with kibbeh and spices, offers a savory introduction to the kitchen alongside its vegetable dishes.
Known For:
- Ethiopian and Eritrean meat dishes with injera available
- Three-vegetable plates with lentils, split peas, and okra among the choices
- Ethiopian coffee and spiced tea
#10 Mama’s Boy
Cuisine: Southern breakfast and lunch
Neighborhood: Downtown edge / Oak Street
Price: $
Best For: A generous Southern breakfast with visiting family
Must Order: Georgia Peach French Toast or Truck Stop Biscuits & Gravy
Why It Made the List:
The original Mama’s Boy on Oak Street pairs counter ordering with table service for a substantial breakfast or lunch. A garden vegetable bowl with chive hollandaise and house-made banana bread with honey-poppy-seed butter broadens the appeal beyond the restaurant’s best-known breakfast plates.
Known For:
- Georgia Peach French Toast
- Salmon cakes Benedict with capers and chive hollandaise
- Sweet-tea-brined fried chicken in the Truck Stop breakfast
#9 Pretty Boy
Cuisine: Modern Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Prince Avenue / Bottleworks
Price: $$
Best For: Sharing an energetic dinner with a mix of familiar and unexpected dishes
Must Order: A crispy Vietnamese crêpe and chilled peanut noodles
Why It Made the List:
Chef Kenny Nguyen’s Pretty Boy brings Vietnamese street-food influences to a full-service dinner on Prince Avenue. Coconut-braised spare ribs with cilantro and lime, and street corn with coconut milk and fried garlic, give diners a flavorful route through the menu beyond noodles and pho.
Known For:
- Vietnamese crêpes and chilled peanut noodles
- Vegetarian choices including mushroom pho and tofu crêpes
- Pandan cake and sweet-potato chè among the desserts
#8 ZZ & Simone’s
Cuisine: Italian
Neighborhood: Five Points / South Lumpkin Street
Price: $$
Best For: A lively Italian evening with choices for the whole table
Must Order: Rigatoni alla vodka or the Amalfi-style lemon pizza
Why It Made the List:
ZZ & Simone’s pairs an Italian dinner with a choice of indoor, bar-room, and outdoor seating in Five Points. Nancy’s Sunday Sauce combines sweet and spicy Italian sausage with myzithra, while broccolini with peppadew peppers and breadcrumbs gives a shared meal a contrasting vegetable dish.
Known For:
- Lemon pizza alongside rigatoni alla vodka
- Meatballs made with golden raisins and pine nuts
- Rotating gelati and sorbetti plus tiramisu
#7 Last Resort Grill
Cuisine: Southern with Southwestern influences
Neighborhood: Downtown / West Clayton Street
Price: $$
Best For: A downtown dinner with a strong connection to Athens history
Must Order: Chicken in parchment and fried green tomatoes
Why It Made the List:
Last Resort Grill brings Southwestern flavors into a Southern dinner, with preparations such as pork belly with a nopalitos glaze and maple-smoked tofu with agave-roasted squash. These combinations give diners a reason to explore the menu beyond its established chicken and pasta favorites.
Known For:
- A name inherited from a music club opened in 1966
- Chicken baked in parchment with pasta, cheddar, and Dijon cream
- Fried green tomatoes with Vidalia-bacon dressing
#6 The Expat
Cuisine: Italian-inspired neighborhood bistro
Neighborhood: Five Points
Price: $$
Best For: An intimate date with pasta and a well-chosen drink
Must Order: Tagliatelle or lobster mafalda with a starter to share
Why It Made the List:
The Expat’s Italian menu gives vegetables the same attention as its richer pasta dishes. Fairytale eggplant with saffron ricotta and pecan pesto, alongside late-summer rigatoni with butter beans, tomatillos, and lardons, makes a seasonal dinner here feel specific to the kitchen.
Known For:
- A 1930s cottage in Five Points
- Lobster mafalda and sweet-pepper crostini
- Roman-style artichokes with lemon-garlic aioli
#5 Osteria Olio
Cuisine: Modern Italian with Southern influences
Neighborhood: North Athens / Rivet House
Price: $$$
Best For: A polished Italian dinner for a group celebration
Must Order: The chef’s family-style experience or house-made pasta
Why It Made the List:
At Rivet House, chef Alejandro Tamez gives an Italian dinner a seasonal Georgia accent. Hamachi crudo with melon and Marcona almonds, or prosciutto with wood-fired Georgia apples, makes the opening courses worth exploring before the larger plates arrive.
Known For:
- Scratch-made pastas and pizzas
- An Italian wine list alongside creative cocktails
- Cacio e pepe and pasta with clams among the choices
#4 Seabear Oyster Bar
Cuisine: Seafood and oyster bar
Neighborhood: Prince Avenue / Bottleworks
Price: $$
Best For: A convivial seafood dinner without a formal dining-room mood
Must Order: Oysters from the current selection and scallop fried rice
Why It Made the List:
Seabear gives an oyster-bar meal an unusually personal setting, with furniture and artwork made by friends and local craftspeople. A lobster roll with herb mayonnaise and potato-chip crumbles, or a fish sandwich with sauce gribiche and pickled red onion, broadens the appeal of a seafood dinner beyond the raw bar.
Known For:
- Original tile and pressed-tin ceilings in a former Coca-Cola plant
- An oyster selection alongside scallop fried rice
- Crab-topped crispy scallion pancakes
#3 Puma Yu’s
Cuisine: Thai-inspired seasonal cooking
Neighborhood: Southern Mill / Oneta Street
Price: $$
Best For: An animated dinner built around bold flavors and shared plates
Must Order: Crispy rice salad and duck breast panang
Why It Made the List:
Puma Yu’s balances richness with sharp, aromatic accents across a Thai-inspired menu. Fried tofu with peanut satay and ajaad, or duck panang with peppers and makrut lime, gives diners good reasons to explore beyond a single signature dish.
Known For:
- A Southern Mill location with a covered patio
- Low-intervention wines and a substantial cocktail program
- Gulf-shrimp toast with fermented chili
#2 The National
Cuisine: Mediterranean-inspired seasonal cooking
Neighborhood: Downtown / West Hancock Avenue
Price: $$
Best For: A relaxed dinner that moves comfortably from small plates to a main
Must Order: Stuffed dates and the seasonal vegetable plate when offered
Why It Made the List:
The National offers a Mediterranean dinner that can begin with several small, contrasting bites before a larger plate. Chickpea fritters with caper-Calabrian chili mayonnaise and a salatim plate of labneh, eggplant, and muhammara give diners a varied introduction to the kitchen’s approach.
Known For:
- Mediterranean plates built around seasonal Northeast Georgia produce
- Manchego-stuffed dates
- Covered patio beside the Cine arthouse cinema
#1 Five & Ten
Cuisine: Contemporary Southern
Neighborhood: Five Points / South Milledge Avenue
Price: $$$
Best For: A celebration grounded in the ingredients of the South
Must Order: The current fish preparation and cast-iron cornbread
Why It Made the List:
Five & Ten gives Southern ingredients room to travel, as in halibut with kabocha squash, coconut milk, and berbere, or crispy eggplant with honey and benne yogurt. Chef Burns Sullivan’s menu makes this a rewarding dinner for diners who enjoy familiar produce in less familiar combinations.
Known For:
- Dinner in the historic Hawthorne House
- A daily menu naming local farms and producers
- Pimento cheese with green tomato caramel
How we chose
We selected these restaurants for distinctive cooking, a clear sense of place, and a dining experience worth seeking out. Our editorial review considered current menus, official restaurant information, and local dining coverage, with attention to both special occasions and everyday meals. The ranking reflects editorial judgment rather than a numerical score.
Planning your next meal
Menus and seasonal preparations change; use the restaurant links to check the latest offerings and make reservations where available.
More dining advice
For help choosing a bottle with dinner, read our guide to ordering wine at a restaurant.
More Georgia restaurant guides
Continuing your Georgia trip beyond Athens? Explore our guide to restaurants in Atlanta.
