The Place — Restaurant in Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Great Brunch & Cocktails in Downtown A!

Overall: hit this place up on Sunday morning bon way out of town after spending a glorious weekend in Athens, downtown and visiting some friends for some local music (finally!). This was an excellent choice!! We had a lot to choose from, but went here and glad we did. We expected it to be crowded when we went but it wasn't too bad and got seated pretty quickly upstairs. Menu is unique, coffee is good, food is tasty, and good cocktails with sheik and rustic Interior and theme. Great customer service led this to an awesome brunch experience.

Food: B got the fried chicken sandwich with a side of fruit. Sandwich was tasty and yummy and fruit was fresh with a good mix. I got the biscuits with gravy and it didn't disappoint (I admit to being a sucker for biscuits & gravy). It also came with bacon and fried egg on it as well. How could this fail? It didn't. Gravy was solid, not my favorite all-time, but good. Fried potatoes were good. Like mine a tad on crispier side, but still good flavor and taste. Overall really good food.

Beverages: coffee and cream was really good, but the item that stole the entire show was a Tropicalia Margarita (infused with local Creature Comforts premiere brews). It was truly excellent, unique and super flavorful. Probably could've downed quite a few of those on a different day 😁.

Service: excellent all the way around!! Attentive, friendly, and helpful including the host and the waitress we had!

Interior/Scene: a little crowded downstairs, but to be expected vin such a prime location downtown Athens. Upstairs is a little more expansive with a bar and several tables. Best interior with a mix of modern and rustic design and art. Beautiful natural light pours in. This is a place (second pun ;), you could hang awhile, eat and drink if you could.

Overall: excellent brunch spot with great good, cocktails,...

Come. Eat. Leave. I visited this restaurant for the first time last weekend and although the food and drinks were decent I would never go back after we were asked to leave after being there for not even two hours because they needed to make room for another party. When we arrived the restaurant was pretty empty. We ordered several cocktails, appetizer, entree and desert. We had just ordered another round of drinks as a party of nine people gathered around us and waited while got up to leave. The "general manager" Matt explained that they are a small restaurant and needed to turn over tables quickly. The experience was frustrating and embarrassing. He offered to serve us drinks on the house outside. We accepted and left our table without making a fuss about it but I would never return or recommend this place to anyone. There is nothing posted on their website or in the restaurant, because we asked, that guest would be asked to leave or are expected to dine in only for a certain amount of time.

I live in the heart of Atlanta and would consider myself quite the foodie. I have sat in overcrowded restaurants until the kitchen closed and NEVER have I been asked to leave because they needed to give my table to other guest. It really made for a horrible experience. I was born and raised in Athens so I know how quickly these downtown restaurants come and go. They should commit to offering a better experience and maybe they will stick around for a while longer. Additionally, there is not regard for COVID in this restaurant as they allowed the bar to be completely full and every table occupied and closely seated. Something to consider should you...

The Place is easily one of my favorite spots for dinner in Athens. I first had them when we ordered them late one night off of Bulldawgs because they seemed cool and I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with Chicken & Waffles after a really rough day of nonstop work. Even delivered a decent distance away it tasted AMAZING.

The restaurant itself is pretty small but it also has an upstairs seating area where the bar is. I'm still a fledgling when it comes to alcohol so I can't attest to whether it was good or bad but I'll reckon they're good from the one I had!

Staff has always been friendly and welcoming; I've only ever had one issue on my visit for my anniversary where our waiter was rather slow/didn't appear very often, but honestly the food and atmosphere made up for it (and it was minor to begin with) so its not factored into my rating at all. The time I visited for my birthday, our waitress (or the kitchen themselves) arranged my plate into a smiley face which was absolutely adorable.

Food has never once let me down, and the best thing to get is easily the Chicken and Waffles. I'd go as far as to say you can't find better in Athens, frankly. I don't even like grits and I still make my way through the ones the plate comes with!

All in all The Place is comfy, with great staff, food and atmosphere and is almost always my top choice for dining downtown. Pick up a shirt from them as well, it's the softest T-shirt I own and I hope they never ever change what they print it on. There's no better shirt in existence than a bear ready to tussle with a...