Best Southern Food in Athens, GA (2026)
Athens sits at the crossroads of Southern food traditions, lowcountry, Appalachian, soul food, and the modern Southern cuisine that's become its own thing. This isn't a list of chains serving reheated mac and cheese. These are the kitchens where chefs actually know what they're doing with butter, bourbon, and biscuits.
Last updated: March 20, 2026
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Last Resort Grill is a landmark Southern food restaurant on West Clayton Street in downtown Athens, Georgia. The menu pairs southwestern-Southern fusion with local ingredients inside a former iconic music club space on the Clayton Street corridor. Over 2,200 Google reviews make it one of the most-reviewed Southern restaurants in Athens.
Mama\'s Boy Restaurant is a Southern breakfast-and-lunch spot on Oak Street in Athens, Georgia. The kitchen centers on house biscuits, biscuits-and-gravy, and classic Southern comfort plates in a modern setting. Weekend service runs busy past 10 AM, with the fried chicken biscuit a cornerstone menu item.
South Kitchen + Bar is an upscale Southern food restaurant on East Washington Street in downtown Athens, Georgia. The menu features elevated Southern fare, Sunday brunch service, and signature shrimp and grits inside an elegant stained-glass and marble-column dining room. The dressed-up Southern format fills a narrow niche downtown.
The Place is a Southern comfort food restaurant on East Broad Street in downtown Athens, Georgia. The brick-lined space serves classic Southern plates including fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese alongside craft cocktails and late kitchen hours. Late-service hours extend past most comparable downtown Southern kitchens.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is a Southern breakfast restaurant on Prince Avenue in Athens, Georgia. The menu features organic biscuits, cranberry apple butter, and all-day breakfast with a lighter Southern bent. The Prince Avenue storefront is the flagship Athens location for the regional breakfast chain.
George\'s Lowcountry Table is a lowcountry Southern restaurant on Macon Highway in Athens, Georgia. The kitchen covers shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, and traditional Southern breakfast plates in a laid-back airy dining room. Lowcountry specialties bring coastal Georgia flavors to an inland Athens menu.
Five and Ten is a James Beard-heritage Southern restaurant on South Milledge Avenue in Athens, Georgia, founded by chef Hugh Acheson. The seasonal menu features creative contemporary Southern cuisine alongside a Wednesday burger night. The James Beard-recognized kitchen has shaped the modern Southern category in Athens.
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is a second-location Southern breakfast spot on Epps Bridge Parkway in Athens, Georgia. The menu runs the same organic biscuits, Moon Dusted Pancakes, and weekend brunch lineup as the Prince Avenue location. A less-crowded setting keeps waits shorter across weekend morning traffic.
Lindsey\'s Culinary Market is a Southern lunch and catering operation on North Thomas Street in Athens, Georgia. Daily rotating lunch specials feature meatloaf, fried chicken, and scratch-made collard greens and sides. The small-kitchen format concentrates on scratch-made Southern plates across a compact menu.
Biscuit Basket Athens is a biscuit-specialist Southern breakfast restaurant on Boulevard in Athens, Georgia. The menu focuses on biscuit sandwiches with chicken, sausage, egg, and creative combination fillings in a grab-and-go format. Biscuit-only specialization sets it apart from the fuller Southern breakfast menus in town.
The Local Take
Athens has one of the best Southern food scenes in Georgia outside of Savannah. Last Resort Grill and Five and Ten set the standard for upscale Southern cooking that respects tradition while pushing boundaries. Mama's Boy owns breakfast. George's Lowcountry Table is the only place in Athens doing proper coastal Southern food. The real story is how Athens' Southern food scene blends with its farm-to-table movement, restaurants like Last Resort and Five and Ten have been sourcing locally since before it was trendy. The UGA agricultural program and nearby farms in Oconee County create a supply chain that most Southern cities would envy. If you're visiting Athens for the first time, eat at Last Resort Grill or Mama's Boy and you'll understand why food people take this town seriously. And don't sleep on Lindsey's Culinary Market, it's the kind of place locals keep to themselves.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Southern restaurant in Athens, GA?
Last Resort Grill leads with 2,224 reviews at 4.6 stars. Five and Ten (James Beard heritage) and South Kitchen + Bar (upscale) are also excellent. For breakfast, Mama's Boy is the clear winner.
Where can I get biscuits and gravy in Athens?
Mama's Boy is the gold standard for biscuits in Athens. The Flying Biscuit Cafe serves organic biscuits with cranberry apple butter. Biscuit Basket focuses entirely on biscuit sandwiches.
Is there good fried chicken in Athens, GA?
Mama's Boy serves an outstanding fried chicken biscuit. South Kitchen + Bar and George's Lowcountry Table both have fried chicken on their menus. Lindsey's Culinary Market rotates fried chicken as a lunch special.
Where is the best shrimp and grits in Athens?
George's Lowcountry Table makes the best shrimp and grits in Athens, it's their specialty as a lowcountry restaurant. South Kitchen + Bar and Last Resort Grill also serve excellent versions.
What Southern food is Athens known for?
Athens is known for elevated Southern cuisine (Five and Ten, Last Resort Grill), incredible biscuits (Mama's Boy), and a farm-to-table movement rooted in UGA agriculture. The food scene rivals cities twice its size.