What a great find! My husband and I took a drive to explore Athens, GA since we are new to Georgia. We had lunch at The Place. It was the week between Christmas and New Years. He got the chicken sandwich and said he would drive an hour to get that again. I am Southern and wanted traditional new years food. They were serving black-eyed peas and collard greens and it was delicious! It came with a really good corn muffin, too. We would definitely go here again. read more

This was our first time dining at The Place but it definitely won't be the last! The food was delicious and the service was exceptional.

Met up here for dinner to celebrate Christmas with my brother when we were in town. I had the shrimp and grits and wanted to lick the plate afterwards! read more

The Place - F A M I L Y - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Just had the worst experience at this restaurant. We were seated right away. Took 15 minutes to get a menu. Took an hour and fifteen for the food to come out. Food was cold and undercooked. Disgusting read more

The place is an Athens must. It's intimate & serves great food. I tried the fried green tomatoes BLT with fries. I know it's a staple and you can't really mess up a BLT & the place did not disappoint. It was delicious! read more

The Place - BLT and fries - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

I'm visiting from San Francisco CA and just had a terrific dinner here. This entire city is amazing and this restaurant is a little Southern Comfort Food/Fusion gem. Graham is an excellent waiter--friendly, well-informed and helpful. read more

Creative menu choices made with the freshest ingredients. We have been several times and very happy with the food and the experience for lunch that is delicious and creative.A hidden gem that deserves a visit. We look forward to our next visit! read more

Delicious spot In downtown athens. Think southern cooking with a little twist. The French toast and burger are delicious. The French toast comes with fresh berries and cream read more

Wow!! The menu is small but the food was great!! Their bruschetta SO GOOD!! The burger was amazing, along with the Gouda grits. Our service was great!! read more

Glad we stopped in. Nice staff, a little small I wouldn't go on a game day. I believe downstairs had family style seating but we sat upstairs at the bar. The drinks were great, but the food took a while to come out. There's was music and games on the TV tho so we didn't even notice. Check out my professional pics lol read more

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This is definitely "The Place" to eat in Athens! Even though I had a casual lunch here, the ambiance of the restaurant made it feel special. The interior is cozy and the owners really kept the historic feel of the old building while also decorating with a modern twist. If you sit upstairs you can watch their dumwaiter in action. It was quiet exciting to see the waiters open the door to the little elevator with plates of food on it, hoping each time that one would be for me! For lunch I ordered their buttermilk chicken sandwich and a side of mac and cheese. The chicken was expertly fried and the mac and cheese was crazy rich and cheesy. After eating this meal all I wanted to do was take a nap and dream about eating more of their mac and cheese. read more

The Place - Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich and Mac and Cheese - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Fig Mule. Bulldog Collins. Chicken sandwich. Onion rings.(Request the honey mustard.) Gouda Grits. Last but not least: The shrimp sandwich. All SO VERY GOOD. Do not pass on The Place! read more

The Place - Particular kids loved it!! - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Great ambiance...interesting menu. Great cocktails. Small and quaint. We really enjoyed ourselves and went many many times over the past several months. read more

Came here based on the Yelp reviews and was a bit disappointed. We brought our 5 year old, so we came in early around 5PM on a Sunday night. It was still busy and we got the last open table in the small dining room. I think there might be more tables upstairs, though. Menus are still via QR code and we had to ask if there was a children's menu (there is, the hostess just told us everything on it). Service was friendly, but a little slow. I think our waiter had too many tables. My kid ordered chicken tenders, my wife ordered a plate of sides, and I tried the hanger steak based on Yelp reviews. The food was okay. Mac and cheese, not great, same with the Cajun corn. Mashed potatoes were pretty good. Brussels sprouts were somewhere in between. I enjoyed my steak, but I thought it was a bit undercooked for medium rare and portion size wasn't impressive. The menu does not say how much the steak weighs. My kid couldn't eat her chicken or fries due because the seasoning was a bit peppery. I thought they were both pretty good, but that's how kids are. Kids meal came with plenty of food. My wife's and kid's meal were very nicely priced at $7 and $6 respectively, but my steak was $26 which felt like a poor value. If we needed in downtown Athens again, I'd find some place new to try. read more

Sweet attentive service. Had the grilled salmon, greens, and mashed potatoes. All very good. Will definitely be back when in Athens again

Love it! Perfect! Not super fancy, good prices, great food! Shrimp and grits, all the sides, and THE PORK CHOP

Awesome food, awesome service, love the pork chops, chicken, mimosas, and attention to customer's needs.

We just went here for the first time and our breakfast was fantastic. The egg and cheese biscuit was great, and the stuffed French toast was one of the best breakfast items I've ever had. The cheese grits were creamy, and the smoked Gouda gave them amazing flavor. I'm going back the next time I'm in Athens. read more

really good food and drinks. plus the staff was super nice. i had fried chicken, asparagus, gouda mac and cheese and collard greens. I had NO complaints. will return read more

We had a quick jaunt today Athens to meet up w/a client. Seeking a late lunch, the Yelp reviews lead us to choose The Place. SOOO GOOD! It's basically (not basic) a "Meat and 3" but with FLAIR! I had the Chicken & Waffles. Hubby practically inhaled his Fried Pork Chop with Collards, Smoked Gouda Mac-n-Cheese and Black-Eyed Peas. I just with the Waffle and chicken entree portion was a bit larger, given the price. But I still gave 5 stars because everything we ate was scrumptious. And our server was knowledgeable and attentive. Will be back! read more

The Place - Old-Fashioned cocktail - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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False advertisement!!! If you've seen this featured on gameday the menu has nothing they showed. Very selective menu with no banana pudding. Fries were cold and crunchy, bread was so hard it cut the roof of my mouth. Maybe just hit it on a bad day but wouldn't recommend. read more

I'm a southern comfort food snob - and The Place checked all the boxes. Absolutely nothing negative to say. Wonderful food and service. Good menu variety. Good service. Highly recommend for lunch. Very pleased. read more

We had to stand outside and wait 20 minutes to get a table for two, but it was worth it. We each had the glazed salmon on a grit cake on a bed of collard greens. It was Southern heaven. The salmon was beautifully cooked but it was the grit cake that stole the show. It was unlike anything I have had before. It was fried and brown on the outside but creamy on the inside. The well seasoned greens placed just underneath it married the dish together perfectly. I can't wait to go back to try some of the other dishes that competed for my order on this night! read more

I've eaten here several times and the food and service is always good. I recommend eating upstairs.

We were in town visiting and decided to stop by based off reviews. It was an excellent decision! I ordered the fried shrimp, Mac and cheese, and greens. My husband ordered the chicken sandwich. The food was great. read more

This Place has great food. Everyone at the table was very happy with the dish they ordered. I had the Salmon and substituted for Grilled asparagus and mashed potatoes . Excellent ! The only reason I left a star out is the seating. We made reservations and were seated in front of the kitchen. A make shift table that was not even with the table that is used on the floor. We seen a booth clear out and asked to sit there, I guess it was ok. Some of the party said they were not happy we moved. This is not a big place, the table that they sat us first , in front of the kitchen door area. I was always getting bumped by someone going by. So if you want reservations, when you call, tell them you want a booth. We had a party of 6. But this food is great. Give it a try I am sure you will be delighted. Our served was great, she attended to us and was very expeditious in getting us the food. read more

My husband and I took our UGA sophomore granddaughter to eat here on Saturday for lunch. We had reservations, but we arrived thirty minutes early. They were able to seat us, and the hostess was very pleasant. I had heard good reviews about the fried chicken and waffles with blackberry syrup. My husband and I had not eaten inside a restaurant in two years, and the meal was a real treat. We shall return for sure! read more

The Place is located in the lovely downtown district of Athens, Georgia. The restaurant's environment is pleasant and comfortable. I ordered the famous chicken sandwich with the Gouda grits. I was underwhelmed by the chicken sandwich, to be honest. I love pimento cheese but there's wasn't that great. The chicken itself was good not great. I really enjoyed the Gouda grits! They were delicious! I ordered a Mischief Managed beer of their draught list and it was very tasty! read more

The Place - Mischief Managed - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Consistently great food with knowledgeable bartenders and observant servers. One of our short list go-to restaurants.

Great service, fun ambiance, and tasty food :) The Place is a fun take on a southern vibe overlooking UGA's north campus.

We sat upstairs at the bar and the bartender was very friendly. Great drink selection. The buttermilk chicken was perfect with the smoked Gouda grits. The shrimp burger was huge and excellent read more

The Place is a family-owned modern southern restaurant in Athens. This time, I got the: Chicken biscuit with a side of breakfast potatoes($6.50) and added their Tabasco-glazed bacon($2). I also added a side of their Gouda grits($2), which is the same grits used for their Shrimp and Grits. Review: The biscuit was fluffy, but held together. The chicken was flavored well, but unfortunately, the Tabasco-glazed bacon did not add the spice I was looking for. The breakfast potatoes were seasoned extremely well, but a bit heavy-handed with the chili powder. Note that these are soft potatoes, not crispy. Last but definitely not least, the Gouda grits. I love Gouda so they were definitely the best part. The grits were cooked perfectly and not mushy at all. I definitely recommend calling in and getting take-out from The Place. Their Chicken and Waffles along with their Shrimp and Grits are great as well! read more

The Place - Chicken biscuit($6.50) and added their Tabasco-glazed bacon($2). - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Absolute gem in downtown Athens!! Always has great service and delicious food. I've been here multiple times over the course of 3 years and haven't had a single bad experience. read more

Have eaten here twice in the last 6 months. Our daughter will start at UGA in August. Both lunch and dinner were delicious. Service is excellent. Cocktails are wonderful. Looking forward to many more enjoyable meals at The Place! read more

This spot has decent service, as well as good prices for the food they serve. I always get the fried chicken sandwich- it's usually pretty tender, but sometimes it's slightly over cooked and dry depending on the day. I end up coming back to see what else I can try, but one time I had a short, brown hair in my mac and cheese. This was a while back, so before quarantine. I'm sure they're taking preventative measures now, but it did gross me out a little bit. I think I was probably unlucky. I'm recommend giving this place a try just because of the service and reasonable prices. It definitely fits the budget of college students, which is great since it's in Downtown Athens. read more

The old Five Star Day Cafe location is now "The Place". A colleague said that this restaurant is typically crowded most days, so lunch today in holiday-deserted downtown Athens seemed a good opportunity. Looks like new ownership here, or at least different human names listed on the website (http://theplaceathens.com/place-about.html) than those listed on the still-active (as of today) Five Star website (http://www.fivestardaycafe.com/about.html). Where Five Star boasted of "authentic regional southern cooking," The Place promises "fine southern fare" in their slogan. On the surface, this sounds like the same restaurant. The Place is an upgrade at first notice in presentation, with a cleaner, more vibrant ambiance and the addition of upstairs dining and bar. Many of the dish pictures look similar to what I might have eaten in the old restaurant. Today I ordered Nana's Salad, at the subtle recommendation of my dining companion. Nana makes some good salad. It's no tuna salad at Last Resort up the street, but it holds its own at $9. A nice Creature Comforts brew really brings the room together. Why not five stars? I left just a little hungry today. Maybe Nana should include a few more slices of that andouille sausage on her salad. I got just five or six small slivers. read more

The Place - Upstairs bar area - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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We loved this place! We were in town for a tennis tournament and checked in with Yelp. What a find! Our waitress was Caitlyn and she was wonderful! She gave great recommendations on food and beverages. The chicken and waffles, bouborn salmon with grit cakes, buttermilk chicken sandwich, shrimp and grits were all divine! The grits are creamy and yummy. The friend vegetable appetizer was great! Drinks including margaritas and a fruity little cocktail were spot on! If you are in Athens stop by and enjoy!! read more

i can't believe we have driven right past The Place so many times without stopping in. Very pleased that we did today. Really nice atmosphere with plenty of room at the table for visiting with friends and family over a meal. Friendly and attentive staff were helpful and efficient. We started with the fried southern vegetables which came quickly and were hot fresh and plentiful. Three of us had the famous buttermilk chicken sandwich, fried (picture attached), and they were terrific. One of us had the shimp burger. We could hear and smell our food being cooked and it arrived immediately from the kitchen. Everything was delicious including the homestyle sides, gouda grits, mac&cheese, fries, and onion rings. We'll be back another day to try more of The Place's fantastic menu. read more

The Place - Buttermilk chicken sandwich at The Place - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

This is what I would define as the perfect pork chop! It was cooked to perfection, fork tender, a little crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The Mac and cheese, collards and the potatoes were good as well. It's also the perfect definition of a hole in the wall that will amaze you. Very friendly and fantastic service! I'm not sure I'll eat anywhere else while I'm Athens. Thanks again for the great food and service! Thanks Haley great service and recommendation on the cheesecake. I've spent a large portion of my career on the road and I appreciate places like this that make you feel at home! read more

The Place - This was a by definition the perfect pork chop! - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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We went for dinner on a Saturday night and everything was wonderful. We neglected to call ahead but luckily were able to be seated at the bar. We never felt abandoned by the bartenders even though they were busy, and the host was super polite and friendly as well. I ordered the grilled bone-in pork chop and my boyfriend got the shrimp and grits. We both ate our plates clean. Everything was wonderful- it tasted great, the portion sizes were spot on, and prices were reasonable. We will definitely be back! read more

The Place - Grilled marinated bone-in pork chop with apricot glaze. Served with grilled asparagus, caramelized onions, and mashed potatoes. - Southern Near Me - Athens, Georgia