Ro's Grille — Restaurant in Athens

This is one of those places where, for me, the food really only deserves 3 stars. But, thanks to very lovely service and what I feel is a fun, creative, interesting menu, they get a 4.

Ro's is a smaller restaurant; there's even less seating on the inside than you'd think there would be looking at it from the outside. Decor is relatively simple but clean and comfortable. Our waiter was a very pleasant young man who wore his long hair in a sort of ponytail/bun thing. I didn't catch his name, but he was warm, pleasant, patient, and took the time to answer all our questions and meet all our requests. He did a really great job!

We had the hush puppy appetizer, or the Bearded Stuffed Pups: their hush puppies loaded with cheese and bacon bits. They were served with some kind of creamy sauce that was a little on the ranch-y side but wasn't ranch. Super peppery. The pups themselves were pretty good; a little low on the bacon bits but crunchy. These are the sweeter sorts of hush puppies, which I like. However, they did have a sort of weird after taste. Also, I will mention that we really wanted the Rueben egg rolls, but they were out. Sad face.

My parents split the fish and chips and a side salad. They said the salad was fresh and tasty. The fish in the fish and chips actually turned out to be catfish, which they weren't expecting. My mom doesn't really like catfish, but she said it was actually pretty good. The fish pieces weren't super big, though.

My boyfriend and I both had the chicken fingers with toast and fries. One other cool menu option is you can make fries or chips loaded (with cheese and bacon bits) for an extra dollar. I opted to try that. Overall, I thought the chicken tenders were, again, a little on the small side. It's weird -- there was too much food, yet...they still felt kinda small. I dunno. Maybe I'd call it an issue with presentation? I'd rather have 2-3 meaty tenders than 4 wimpy ones. At any rate, the breading wasn't super crispy or flavorful, but it was alright. The house made ranch was tasty. I didn't like the toast at all; it wasn't especially crispy and didn't have much flavor. Sadly, the loaded fries were a bit of a miss, too. There wasn't much bacon and the melted cheese got cold and gloopy really quickly.

Overall, though, thanks to outstanding service and a creative, flexible menu, I'd revisit Ro's if I was given the...

It is the sort of place you don’t so much find as inherit—passed down not in blood but in taste, in memory, in the way a man might pass a hymn or a secret fishing hole to his son. RO’s Grill, tucked there off the edge of the day in Athens, Alabama, doesn’t shimmer or shout. It doesn’t have to. It waits. And the hungry come.

Not the trendy, not the passing-through, not the polished and hollowed-out. No, RO’s is for the working man, the wide-hipped grandmother with a story and a pocketbook full of coupons, the high school boy still in cleats, sweat dried on his back, staring down a plate of meat and three like it’s the first real meal he’s earned. It's for folks who know how to eat, not just how to dine.

The walls hold heat and time. The kind of heat that lingers like memory after a funeral. The kind of time you don’t measure in minutes but in meals—the catfish Fridays, the baked spaghetti Thursdays, the daily rhythm of what’s cookin’ written in grease-pencil across a board that changes with the weather and never disappoints.

And Lord, the food. The chicken is fried like it was born to be—golden, honest, proud in its crispness. The burgers are thick and seasoned with a kind of dignity you don’t often find in ground beef. And the sides—oh, the sides—collard greens that could cure what ails you, pintos that speak the language of Sunday suppers and long silences, mashed potatoes that might just make you believe in comfort again. You don’t eat at RO’s, you return—to something primal, something slow and Southern and sacred.

The iced tea is sweet enough to count as dessert. The desserts—banana pudding, cobbler, cake thick as a summer evening—are made like someone’s mama is watching.

But more than food, RO’s Grill serves belonging. It is a place where the waitress calls you “hon” and means it, where nobody rushes and nobody pretends. It is a warm place in a cold world, a fixed point in a town that’s changing faster than it ought to. It is the kind of place that will outlive strip malls, outlast fast-food franchises, and never once apologize for being exactly what it is.

So come sit a spell. Come empty, leave full. Come unknown, leave recognized. Come home.

Because RO’s Grill ain’t just a restaurant. It’s a Southern truth wrapped in paper napkins and...

Ro’s Grille has a great reputation and presents a charming atmosphere that initially promised a delightful evening. The decor and overall atmosphere was quite appealing, setting a positive first impression. However, our dining experience turned out to be a mixed bag, with some notable highs and lows that ultimately left us somewhat underwhelmed.

Let's start with the positives. My wife's meal (Lamb chops, side of rice) was a standout, showcasing the kitchen's potential. She raved about the flavors, quality of ingredients, and artful presentation. Unfortunately, my own dish was a disappointment. It arrived at the table cold, requiring me to send it back to be reheated. The broccoli although understandably cooked on a grill was burned more than cooked. This not only disrupted the flow of our meal but also raised concerns about the kitchen's attention to detail. Adding to the inconsistencies, the children's meals were not prepared according to our requests, which was frustrating.

The service also left something to be desired. From the moment we walked in, we felt rushed. We were immediately asked for our drink orders before we were even seated or had a chance to look at the menus. Furthermore, we had too gather our own menus, and arrange our silverware, which is not the level of service one typically expects in a restaurant of this caliber. The staff seemed hurried and inattentive, failing to provide the relaxed and welcoming atmosphere that enhances a dining experience.

In conclusion, Ro’s Grille has the potential to be a great dining destination, but it needs to address several key areas. Consistency in food quality is crucial, ensuring that every dish is prepared to the proper temperature and according to customer requests. The service needs to be more attentive, relaxed, and customer-focused. By addressing these issues, Ro’s Grille can transform itself from a place with potential to a consistently enjoyable...