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Where to eat in Athens, Georgia

Athens is the University of Georgia's town, and it eats like the South with a college town's appetite: biscuits at brunch, fried chicken, oysters at happy hour and long Saturday lunches before football. A few chefs, led by Peter Dale of Five & Ten and The National, set the tone, while small family places cook Latin, Ethiopian, Thai and Vietnamese food within walking distance of campus. Go for a fall weekend, eat downtown and along Prince Avenue, and shop the Saturday farmers market.

Athens, Georgia at a glance

What to eat
Buttermilk biscuits; Fried chicken; Raw oysters; Fresh pasta and focaccia; Vietnamese plates and pho.
When to go
Best: April and October. Also good: March, May, September and November.
Top tables
This guide lists 1 award-winning restaurant, starting with Puma Yu's.
Where locals eat
Local favorites off the prestige lists include Cali-N-Tito's, Mannaweenta, Puma Yu's and Pretty Boy.
Markets
Athens Farmers Market.
Buttermilk biscuits

The dish to eat here

Buttermilk biscuits

Tall, flaky biscuits made with cold butter and buttermilk, split for jam, gravy or fried chicken.

The best three: Mama's Boy, The Farmcart, Bread Basket.

Where to eat it, and the recipe →

25places in Athens, Georgia, ready to save to your trip
What is in the 25
1 award-winning12 local favorites1 hot right now1 markets6 walking tour stops10 chef's picks4 sandwich shops3 romantic dinners5 breakfast spots4 new openings11 dish spots

Browse all 25

Food walking tour: Finley Street to Hancock Avenue: an Athens eating day10.0 hours on foot, 6 stops, in eating order. Add the whole tour to your trip, then give it a day.
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Chef Amazing picks: where to eat in Athens, Georgia

Peter Dale's two Athens dining rooms and its brunch line for the classics, then the counters and small rooms that show how Athens eats now.

The well-known five

Five & Ten

Five Points
Seasonal Southern

Order: The seasonal menu, or Sunday Supper with fried chicken and tomato pie

Hugh Acheson's flagship since 2000, sold to Peter Dale in 2024; it sits in the century-old Hawthorne House.

Best for: special occasion · Reserve: book ahead

1073 S Milledge Ave, Athens, GA

Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.

The National

Downtown
Mediterranean

Order: Sharing plates and a cocktail

The date-night choice locals name first: dim lights, Mediterranean plates, good cocktails.

Best for: date night · Reserve: book ahead for Friday and Saturday

232 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA

Mama's Boy

Oak Street (east of downtown)
Southern brunch

Order: Biscuits with jam, biscuits and gravy, or the Georgia peach French toast

The town's brunch, now in two Athens locations and Watkinsville; the original on Oak Street has a line on weekends.

Best for: brunch · Reserve: no

197 Oak St, Athens, GA

Last Resort Grill

Downtown
Southern with Southwestern touches

Order: Lunch or brunch, and a dessert

A downtown corner restaurant since 1992, long a reader favorite for dessert, lunch and brunch.

Best for: lunch · Reserve: no reservations; first come, first served

174-184 W Clayton St, Athens, GA

Seabear Oyster Bar

Prince Avenue
Seafood

Order: Oysters at happy hour, fried clams

Oysters from a changing list in a former bottling plant; reviewers in 2025 call happy hour the best value.

Best for: drinks and oysters · Reserve: walk in

297 Prince Ave, Athens, GA

Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open.

The discoveries

Puma Yu's

Athens
James Beard semifinalist 2024Thai small plates

Order: Mushroom pad see ew, fried whole branzino

A 2024 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast, with a cocktail bar to match.

Best for: dinner with drinks

Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open; we do not have a verified street address.

Cali-N-Tito's

South Lumpkin Street
Latin American$

Order: Cuban sandwich, empanadas

Readers' most uniquely Athens restaurant in 2026, on a patio near campus.

Best for: cheap lunch · Reserve: no

1427 S Lumpkin St, Athens, GA

Pretty Boy

Prince Avenue (Bottleworks)
Vietnamese

Order: The street-food plates

Kenny Nguyen of Top Chef cooks Vietnamese food his own way.

Best for: dinner

247 Prince Ave, Athens, GA

Condor Chocolates

Five Points
Chocolate and cafe

Order: Chocolate milkshake

Bean-to-bar chocolate made in Athens.

Best for: afternoon treat · Reserve: no

Worth confirming: hours and that it is still open; we do not have a verified street address.

New and buzzing in Athens, Georgia

Restaurants that opened or relaunched recently, from current opening guides. In no ranked order.

Hot or Not Chicken Co.

New opening reported

East Broad Street · Fried chicken

A tenders shop from Baddie's Burger House owner Joe Nedza, in the building where Weaver D's served soul food for about 40 years.

Order: Chicken tenders, Cajun fries, banana pudding

Seen in: WSB-TV
Directions

Pompeii Italian Restaurant

New opening reported

Downtown (401 E Broad St) · Italian

An Italian restaurant in the former downtown DePalma's space.

Directions

Union Fare

New opening reported

Downtown (166 W Clayton St) · American bar food

A downtown restaurant and bar whose bar snacks include a giant baked pretzel with melted French cheese.

Order: Pretzel and fondue

Directions

Cielito Lindo

New opening reported

Baxter Street · Mexican

A Mexican restaurant known for its decor, birria and cocktails.

Order: Birria

Seen in: Flagpole
Directions

New places change fast. “Provisional” means a guide or directory lists it as new but we have not confirmed the opening date. Check hours and book ahead before you go.

Memorable breakfasts in Athens, Georgia

Five places chosen for the food, the room, the history or the local character. In no ranked order.

Mama's Boy

Oak Street

Order: Biscuits with jam, or the Georgia peach French toast

The brunch Athens readers vote for every year.

Lines on weekends, about an hour before home games; takeout is faster.

Directions

Big City Bread Cafe

North Finley Street

Order: Pastries and fresh bread

A bakery cafe a few blocks from downtown.

Directions

The Farmcart

Baxter Street

Order: A biscuit sandwich

Locally sourced biscuit sandwiches from a former market cart.

Directions

Ideal Bagel Co.

Athens

Order: A bagel sandwich

Red & Black readers' best bagel in 2025.

Directions

Donderos' Kitchen

Milledge Avenue

Order: Breakfast burrito

A weekday breakfast regular near campus.

Check hours; our newest source is a 2026 Yelp list.

Directions

Orders are suggestions, not guaranteed menu items. Confirm opening hours and morning service before you go.

Sandwich shops in Athens, Georgia

Five sandwich counters worth the trip: delis, bakeries, market stalls and local styles. In no ranked order.

Athens Cooks

Downtown
Market cafe

Order: The club

Yelp's top sandwich spot in Georgia in April 2025.

Inside a kitchen shop and market at 100 Prince Ave.

Source: Athens CEO
Directions

Cali-N-Tito's

South Lumpkin Street
Cuban

Order: Cuban sandwich

The crowd favorite at a Latin counter open since 2000.

Directions

The Farmcart

Baxter Street
Biscuit sandwich

Order: A biscuit sandwich

Built on buttermilk biscuits with local fillings.

Directions

Big City Bread Cafe

North Finley Street
Bakery cafe

Order: A sandwich on house bread

Burgers, sandwiches and baked goods on a shaded patio.

Directions

Picks come from press and guide coverage. We have not confirmed opening hours or current menus for every shop, so check before you go.

Romantic dinners in Athens, Georgia

Ten tables that come up again and again for date night, anniversaries and quiet candlelit evenings. In no ranked order.

ZZ & Simone's

South Lumpkin Street
Romantic dinner
Listed by Athens Scoop
Directions

Picks come from romantic-dinner lists on booking and review sites. Confirm dinner service, menus and availability before you book.

Food walking tour

Finley Street to Hancock Avenue: an Athens eating day

A bakery breakfast, a market sandwich, Vietnamese plates, oysters and a Mediterranean dinner, all on the north edge of downtown.

Start 9:00 at Big City Bread Cafe, 393 N Finley StTime 10.0 hoursDistance about 2.0 kmBest days Thursday to Saturday. Hours for most stops are not in our sources, so check each one, and book The National ahead.

Downtown Athens and the bottom of Prince Avenue sit within a few blocks of each other, so a day of eating needs no car. Start with bread and pastry on Finley Street, pick up a sandwich at a kitchen market, eat Vietnamese plates in the old Bottleworks, have oysters next door at happy hour, and end with dinner on Hancock Avenue.

Open the route in Google Maps
  1. 1

    Big City Bread Cafe

    Bakery North Finley Street

    Order: A pastry and coffee, and a loaf to take home.

    A family-run bakery cafe a few blocks from downtown, open for breakfast and lunch.

    Around 9:00 · 45 min

    393 N Finley St, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions
  2. ↓ on foot (approx.): Walk east toward downtown to Prince Avenue at its downtown end.
  3. 2

    Athens Cooks

    Market Downtown

    Order: The club sandwich, or browse the kitchen shop and gourmet groceries.

    A kitchen shop and market whose sandwich topped Yelp's Georgia list in April 2025.

    Around 11:00 · 40 min

    100 Prince Ave, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions
  4. ↓ on foot (approx.): Walk up Prince Avenue to the Bottleworks.
  5. 3

    Pretty Boy

    restaurant Prince Avenue (Bottleworks)

    Order: Two or three of the street-food plates to share.

    Top Chef cook Kenny Nguyen's Vietnamese restaurant, readers' best new spot of 2025.

    Around 13:00 · 60 min

    247 Prince Ave, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions
  6. ↓ on foot (approx.): A short walk further along Prince Avenue.
  7. 4

    Seabear Oyster Bar

    Bar Prince Avenue

    Order: A half dozen oysters and a drink.

    Oysters from a changing list in a former Coca-Cola bottling plant; happy hour is the best value.

    Around 16:00 · 60 min

    297 Prince Ave, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions
  8. ↓ on foot (approx.): Walk back down Prince Avenue and into downtown to Clayton Street.
  9. 5

    Union Fare

    Bar Downtown

    Order: The giant pretzel with fondue, if you are still hungry.

    Readers' best new restaurant of 2026, in the middle of downtown.

    Around 17:30 · 45 min

    166 W Clayton St, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions
  10. ↓ on foot (approx.): Walk two blocks north to Hancock Avenue.
  11. 6

    The National

    restaurant Downtown

    Order: Mediterranean sharing plates and a cocktail.

    The downtown dining room locals pick for a night out.

    Around 19:30 · 90 min

    232 W Hancock Ave, Athens, GA

    Worth confirming: opening hours.

    Directions

Pacing: Share everything after breakfast. Skip Union Fare if the oysters filled you up.

Plan B: If Seabear is closed, have a drink at Puma Yu's; if The National is full, try Five & Ten in Five Points, a short drive south.

Avoid: Home football Saturdays (in 2026: Sept 5, 12 and 26, Oct 3 and 17, Nov 14 and 28), when downtown is packed and tables are hard to get.

Bring: Comfortable shoes and an appetite spread over the day; the walks are short.

Skip it if: Skip this route on a home football Saturday.

Ends at: The National, 232 W Hancock Ave, downtown.

Walking times and distances are approximate, and opening hours change: confirm before you go.

Hot right now in Athens, Georgia

What people are lining up for and posting about this month. Entries expire after about four months unless they are reported again.

Always a lineLast confirmed Oct 2026

Mama's Boy

Oak Street

The thing: Biscuits and Southern brunch

The line: Out the door on weekends; about an hour before home games

The brunch Athens has voted best for years.

Crazes move fast. “Just spotted” means one report so far, and most entries rest on a single source: confirm hours and expect a wait.

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What to eat in Athens, Georgia, and where

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Buttermilk biscuits

Big, square and split for jam, gravy or fried chicken; Athens eats them at brunch

The 2 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    Mama's Boy
    Oak Street (east of downtown)

    Order: Biscuits with the house jam, or biscuits and gravy

    Readers' pick for best brunch year after year, with big square biscuits and a line on weekends.

  2. 2
    The Farmcart
    Baxter Street

    Order: A biscuit sandwich

    Started as a farmers market cart in 2015 and opened on Baxter Street in 2019; it builds locally sourced biscuit sandwiches.

Fried chicken

Sweet-tea-brined breasts on biscuits, Sunday supper plates and hot tenders

The 3 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    Mama's Boy
    Oak Street (east of downtown)

    Order: Fried chicken biscuit (sweet-tea-brined breast)

    The menu splits a buttermilk biscuit around a sweet-tea-brined fried chicken breast.

  2. 2
    Five & Ten
    Five Points

    Order: Sunday Supper fried chicken breast

    Mimi Maumus, who ran home.made, cooks a Sunday Supper menu here; her fried chicken breast and tomato pie are its fixed dishes.

  3. 3
    Hot or Not Chicken Co.
    East Broad Street

    Order: Chicken tenders, Cajun fries and banana pudding

    Opened in spring 2026 in the old Weaver D's building, selling tenders at your chosen heat.

    Seen in WSB-TV

Raw oysters

A rotating list on the half shell, cheapest at happy hour

The 2 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    Seabear Oyster Bar
    Prince Avenue

    Order: A half dozen from the day's list, at happy hour

    A seafood bar in the old Coca-Cola bottling plant with a changing list of oysters; reviewers in 2025 say go at happy hour.

  2. 2
    Five & Ten
    Five Points

    Order: Ask what raw seafood is on the seasonal menu

    Peter Dale, who runs Seabear, bought this seasonal Southern restaurant in 2024.

Fresh pasta and focaccia

The town's Italian dining rooms bake their own focaccia and roll their own pasta

The 2 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    ZZ & Simone's
    South Lumpkin Street

    Order: Focaccia, then a pasta

    Readers' favorite Italian restaurant in 2025; Flagpole calls it suavely casual and it added Sunday brunch in 2025.

  2. 2
    Osteria Olio
    Athens

    Order: The house focaccia and the fish of the day

    Its focaccia and fish of the day are the dishes reviewers single out; pizza and pasta can be made gluten-free.

Vietnamese plates and pho

A Top Chef cook's street-food menu and an Eastside pho house

The 2 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    Pretty Boy
    Prince Avenue (Bottleworks)

    Order: The street-food plates and a cocktail

    Top Chef cook Kenny Nguyen's Vietnamese restaurant, opened in September 2024; readers' best new restaurant of 2025 and best Asian of 2026.

  2. 2
    Athens Pho
    Eastside

    Order: A bowl of pho

    Opened in 2025 in the old Crab Hut; one of Flagpole's best new restaurants of the year.

Chocolate milkshakes and scoops

Bean-to-bar chocolate in a shake, or a cone in Five Points

The 2 best places to eat it in Athens, Georgia

  1. 1
    Condor Chocolates
    Five Points and downtown

    Order: A chocolate milkshake, or truffles to take away

    An Ecuadorian bean-to-bar chocolate maker with a cafe in Five Points since 2014 and a downtown cafe and factory.

  2. 2
    Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
    Five Points

    Order: Brambleberry Crisp

    Visit Athens points to the Five Points scoop shop for its bold flavors.

The most celebrated tables

The top 1 restaurants in Athens, Georgia, per 2026.

More award winners

Puma Yu's

Athens · Thai small plates · Chef Pete Amadhanirundr
James Beard semifinalist, Best Chef: Southeast (2024)Flagpole readers' best Asian restaurant 2025

A wine-and-cocktail bar with Thai small plates built on Thai technique and seasonal produce; Ally Smith runs the bar.

When to go and what is in season

Athens, Georgia food calendar: month by month → What is in season, what to eat and the food festivals each month.

Peak Apr, OctShoulder Mar, May, Sep, NovHard —
Why these months

Spring and fall are mild and the Saturday farmers market is full. Home football Saturdays (in 2026: Sept 5, 12 and 26, Oct 3 and 17, Nov 14 and 28) fill hotels and restaurants for the whole weekend, and so do move-in in August and graduation in May (UGA athletics). Summer is quieter once students leave.

In season

Food events

Closures to plan around

From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month

Every place we have in Athens, Georgia (25)

Search or filter, then tap Add to my trip. Places you add go straight into your trip planner.

Secret discoveries

Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.

classic

Cali-N-Tito's

South Lumpkin Street · $

Order: Cuban sandwich, empanadas or fish tacos

A Latin American counter serving Athens since 2000, with a big patio; readers voted it best Mexican and Latin American and the most uniquely Athens restaurant in 2026. Long known as cash only and BYOB, so check before you go.

family-run

Mannaweenta

Eastside (Gaines School Road) · $

Order: A combination platter with injera

An Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant nearing ten years, known for its injera and Ethiopian coffee and tea; readers' best international restaurant of 2026.

bar

Puma Yu's

Athens

Order: Mushroom pad see ew or the fried whole branzino

Thai small plates and serious cocktails; the chef was a James Beard semifinalist in 2024.

counter

Pretty Boy

Prince Avenue (Bottleworks)

Order: The street-food plates

Top Chef cook Kenny Nguyen's take on Vietnamese food, with deep-cut dishes and cocktails.

family-run

Athens Pho

Eastside

Order: Pho

A 2025 opening on Barnett Shoals Road that Flagpole named among the year's best.

Seen in Flagpole 2025 restaurant roundup, Flagpole · worth confirming hours before you go
bakery

Condor Chocolates

Five Points and downtown

Order: Chocolate milkshake, truffles

Ecuadorian bean-to-bar chocolate made in Athens, with two cafes.

bar

Seabear Oyster Bar

Prince Avenue

Order: Oysters at happy hour, fried clams

A seafood bar in a former Coca-Cola bottling plant from Peter Dale, owner of The National and Five & Ten.

Seen in Visit Athens GA · worth confirming hours before you go
counter

Maepole

North Chase Street · $$

Order: Build a plate: a base, two sides, a protein and a sauce

Peter Dale's quick-service cross between a Southern meat-and-three and a bowl shop, mostly vegetables.

family-run

The Farmcart

Baxter Street

Order: Biscuit sandwich

A farmers market cart turned breakfast and lunch shop, built around buttermilk biscuits.

Seen in The Red & Black, Yelp (2026 breakfast list) · worth confirming hours before you go
bakery

Big City Bread Cafe

North Finley Street

Order: Pastries and bread in the morning, a sandwich at lunch

A family-run bakery cafe near downtown with a shaded patio, open for breakfast and lunch.

Seen in The Red & Black, Explore Georgia · worth confirming hours before you go
family-run

Cielito Lindo

Baxter Street

Order: Birria and a cocktail

One of Flagpole's best new restaurants of 2025, noted for its room, birria and drinks.

Seen in Flagpole 2025 restaurant roundup · worth confirming hours before you go
market

Athens Cooks

Downtown (100 Prince Ave)

Order: A club sandwich at the coffee bar

A kitchen shop and gourmet market that Yelp ranked Georgia's No. 1 sandwich spot in April 2025; it also runs cooking classes.

Seen in Athens CEO, The Red & Black · worth confirming hours before you go

Food markets in Athens, Georgia

Plan a food trip to Athens, Georgia All 131 food citiesExplore the 250 food markets

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Awards come from the guides named on each listing (2026). Researched November 7, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.

Chef Amazing’s lists for Athens, Georgia: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Athens, Georgia: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.

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