Costa Alegre Seafood and Grill — Restaurant in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Order: I honestly don’t know the names of all these pastries…just order what the owner tells you, we ended up with three different pastries and a ham and cheese empanada Price: $8 Pros: The bread/pastery itself was awesome, nothing was overly sweet, simple but delicious, owner was SO friendly, meat in the empanada was surprisingly good Cons: Very little (as in no) signage and its hidden down a road so you would never just see it and decide to stop in

Thoughts: We have some friends in Athens and during a recent trip here my wife declared that she had found an amazing pastry shop and that I had to try it. So after after plugging the address into GPS and driving around a bit we finally found it. It being a brick building with practically no signage, sort of a parking area, and nothing the says, NO REALLY WE HAVE THE MOST AMAZING PASTRIES FOR HUNDREDS OF MILES, STOP HERE NOW! Thats really my only complaint about this place, they is NO signage and it is not on a main road so you have to be looking for it or you will miss it; and missing this place is missing out.

Once we got inside we met the owner who was incredibly friendly and more than happy to tell us about the different pastries he had to offer, and there were so many of them. It also looked like the items on offer change rather often; so we did what I always think you should do when in doubt…ask the owner what you should eat and go with that. We ended up with several wonderfully delicious pastries a cookie thing, and a ham and cheese empanada. While the empanada was good it was the pastries that really set this place apart. They weren’t your normal, overly sweet standard American pastries, they were something you’d expect from a corner shop somewhere in South America.

While we were not in the store for long, it was so much fun to meet and chat with the owner, talk to him about his craft, and pick up some AMAZING pastries. I really wish they would get some better signage so that other could find them easier because it is definitely worth...

I wish 4.5 stars was an option. Not a perfect experience, but the food was delicious!! They were short staffed the day I came in and for that reason the waiter told me we could not sit outside (bummer). I also had to grab my own menus, silverware, and seat myself. Then I waited about 10 minutes before anyone came over to get my drink order. But after that everything was fine! I got the pork fajitas (basically carnitas) and my husband got the steak carnitas. Both were super flavorful and perfectly cooked. The pork was tender and a bit crispy on the ends just how I like it! The steak was tender, not chewy like some places, and clearly marinated in something yummy. The veggies served alongside were super fresh! I love that their beans were actual beans and not just refried mush. The lettuce was green leaf or romaine, not iceberg. Oh, and my texas margarita wasnt bad, I got the frozen type but it wasnt super frozen. Overall we were very satisfied and felt it was definitely worth the wait....

I didn’t order food this time, but I can already tell that Costa Allegra is something special. From the moment I walked in, it was clear that the place is filled with warmth and care. Martha, in particular, is a gem—her kindness and genuine attention to both her coworkers and customers really stood out. You can see how much she loves what she does, and it made all the difference in the experience. Although I didn't dive into the full menu, the chips and salsa were a delicious teaser of what’s to come. The green sauce that accompanied it was absolutely tasty and added a wonderful kick to the snack. It was a simple pleasure, but after a long day, it was exactly what I needed—comforting and just the right kind of pause amidst the busy pace of life. I’m already looking forward to coming back and exploring the food menu next time. If the service and atmosphere are this good without even ordering a full meal, I can only imagine how great the full...