I visited for a meal about a week ago while in the area. This is a small, older diner located on…read morethe edges of downtown Athens. It's easy walking distance from the square and I enjoyed wandering a bit on my way over. Parking is street parking but I didn't find it too challenging, at least on a week day. The inside is showing its age but was clean enough. The restaurant is a little narrow and cramped though. One of the waitresses spoke to me loudly from where she was seated at a table near the back of the restaurant and told me to sit where I liked. She brought me a menu shortly after. The menu is somewhat limited, with basic breakfasts and lunches, to include omelets, biscuits, hamburgers, club sandwiches, etc. I like a simple menu done well. It was a little early for lunch, so I wound up ordering two scrambled eggs, which comes with biscuits and gravy or toast with grits. Any other side is basically a la carte, which isn't necessarily my preference but ultimately the pricing comes out to about the same as if you'd had a more extensive meal combination, so I suppose it works out nicely for those who want smaller, simpler breakfasts. I don't care for biscuits and gravy so I ordered toast and grits, then added on bacon and an order of hash browns. Sweet tea to drink. My meal was ~$15 when all was said and done, which I think is acceptable. The inside of the diner is kind of echo-y. Three other patrons were inside, all seated at different tables but all conversing with each other rather loudly (and seemingly not eating anything??) the entire time I was there. This isn't WSD's fault and I don't hold it against them, just want to make others aware of the atmosphere in case they're looking for an extra quiet location to eat. Service was adequate; not super friendly and more reactive than proactive (eg, no one ever came to check if I liked my food okay or if I needed a refill; pretty much the only time I got any attention once my food was dropped off was when I stood up to walk to the register). But they weren't rude or anything and my food came out in a timely manner. I didn't need anything special so it worked out. My food was okay. The toast was cooked well but wound up a little soggy somehow. I don't like grits much but I gave these a try; they weren't bad as far as grits go. The bacon was cooked fairly well. The hash browns were my favorite part and were actually quite crispy, which is how I like them. The eggs were the weak point and were fairly unevenly cooked, with some bits being thin and crispy and others so runny even I was a little skeptical (and I like my scrambled eggs on the softer side). The sweet tea was also a little watery. I'd give the food a 3.5/5 overall. Decent place for a local diner meal.

Absolutely abysmal. The staff was unfriendly, to the extent that we felt as though we were putting…read morethem out by spending our money there. Arrived at 1:15 (door and Google said they closed at 2). Disappointed that this "diner" didn't have soup on their limited menu, but after a quick glance at the menu ordered a simple cheeseburger and fried bologna & cheese sandwich. My GF asked if they could do grilled onions on her burger, and got an grunted "we could do that". The server then asked whether we'd like chips or hash browns with our sandwiches and we opted for chips. I added an iced tea. The food was dropped off (still not a smile or welcoming word spoken). The smallish burger was slightly larger than a McDonald's single burger and the bologna sandwich featured a single 1/8" slice of bologna and a single slice of Kraft American cheese. The burger was reportedly fine and my sandwich was something my 4 year old granddaughter could've prepared. It was explained that the chips were additional (we didn't ask for them, they were casually offered). Never implied that they were an add-on. The unhappy server spent the entire time which we were there (20 minutes total) with her jackets on and bag on the table, staring at us to finish this subpar, overpriced, lunch. I am not one to slam a small business (see my 200+ reviews). My recommendation would be to chose ANYWHERE ELSE to support in Athens. The attitude was poor, the food below average in quality and low on the value scale. Really a bad experience overall. These ungrateful folks don't deserve your time or money.

talk about a comeback…read more The Southern Table staff and management sought to ensure we had a great experience this time and excelled. Great customer service and I greatly appreciate their accountability/ willingness to make up for our previous visit. Last night we started with the crab croquettes, STELLAR. Absolutely loved and devoured these. The crunch on the croquette was to die for, topped with a refreshing crab salad, perfect. For my entree, I had the lamb rack with house potatoes & broccolini. My boyfriend had the blackened catfish with the grits. Both dishes were phenomenal . To finish up we tried their new chocolate strawberry bread pudding, so rich and delicious. This restaurant is quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in Northern Alabama. Go give them a try! We'll 100% be back.

One description said this had a hunting lodge atmosphere. I suppose that's true If your hunting…read morelodge looks like an early 20th century brick building with a few deer heads grouped in one spot on the wall and a small black bear above the door. This seemed to want to be a foodie destination. The half, fried chicken included a small drumstick, small wing, piece of breast, and another piece that was unidentifiable but might have been a thigh. It had a spicy sweet sauce covering, which we opted to have on the side. That was a good choice because the hint of cayenne was still too much for one diner. We asked about the slaw -- whether it had a cream or vinegar dressing. The server described it as a "creamy vinegar." It made no difference because the dressing was so understated that the side tasted more like chopped cabbage than anything else. Disappointing. Finally, I asked the server whether the grilled green beans were actually that. I was more curious than anything else because grilled green beans would take longer to cook. She said yes, they were grilled. I don't think so. They came out fairly quickly and were pretty universally blackened all over like they were cooked in a skillet. Once our food was delivered, we never saw our server again until I asked for the check. So, what I believe was intended to be an elevated dining experience was simply under executed.

My favorite sister and I had a great belated birthday lunch for her here at Salty Cod on a fairly…read morequiet and fairly slow Friday that I took off work for - which is rare for me! She enjoyed two lovely cups of their coffee and then I think water, and I had some vino since she was driving. We split a 10 ounce filet mignon (which is not on the lunch menu but is available if you ask for it) and it was beyond delicious! I trusted our excellent server (I think her name was Holly) to select the cut of meat for sister and me from the butcher shoppe, Corkshire, and it was beyond excellent!! It was just as good, if not better than the filet I split with my Sorority Sister when we came here for my birthday in February! Sister and I also shared their take on a bruschetta. It was good; however, for me, it was the "weak link" - I like a traditional bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella, balsamic, fresh ripened tomatoes, etc., and this was more akin to a charcuterie board on toasty bread slices. It looked beautiful! The meat topping was plentiful and lovely, it had more fat on it than I care to have. There was a sort of berry relish on another layer and that's where I called it quits on the bruschetta. My sister did enjoy it, though, which is what mattered! We ordered two mac and English cheddar cheese fritters for Sister, and she really really loved those! They were presented wrapped individually in their to go box, to keep each one warm, and again, Sister, loved them! Neither of us had room for desert which, since Salty Cod has a separate bakery/gelato shoppe, would have offered some delicious options! Thanks, Salty Cod, for another memorable, relaxing birthday celebration!

The Easter buffet was the best!…read more It was the usual sausage and scotch eggs, but it was very fun to taste the special event! The fresh cream of the French toast was fresh and very delicious！

What a neat venue. We came here after an event for a family meal. They have great area for larger…read moregroups, and even though we were a group of 10, they very easily accommodated a larger party at the same time, and there was plenty of room for more. Smaller tables were closer to the front so the large groups didn't bother/overwhelm with the noise. We had several shareables for the table including the pimento cheese balls, the Bavarian pretzel, and the loaded bar chips that could have easily been a meal themselves. I had the Reuben (surprise) and the sweet potato fries. The were a treat, and after all the shareables, I was able to take some fries and part of the Reuben home with me. Would love to go back and sit on the patio for happy hour one evening.

Met my son and his family for what we thought would be a good meal but was very disappointed in…read moreeverything. It took about 45-50 minutes to be seated and then about 40 more minutes to get our food. I wanted to leave but other in our party wanted to wait it out. My food was cold and so was another in our party. The tacos were good and hamburger good. I understand that things happen that are beyond the owners control but they could have at least given us a discount or maybe a free appetizer while acknowledging the delay. We found out later that they were short handed. But wish they would have told us this upfront so we would at least know what we were in for.

Burger is great! Easily, one of the best in Athens. Chips are provided with burger. Would love for…read morethem to consider fries!

Really more like a 3.5, FWIW…read more Took a lil roadtrip out to Athens with my folks on a day off last week. We wanted to try this place. Since it is in the main part of downtown, super close parking is a bit of a big ask; we parked at a public government building about two blocks down and walked over. The inside is very small and only has a couple of two-seater tables and one bench setup, but there are multiple nice metal tables outside to sit at if the weather is good. Fortunately, we lucked out in that regard, as it was a nice day. The inside of the restaurant smelled absolutely amazing, so I was excited to order. Their lunch menu mostly consists of sandwiches and burgers, with limited sides like chips, broccoli salad, soup of the day, and so on. Bottled drinks and a couple of desserts round it all out. My parents split a Philly cheese steak sandwich with pasta salad; I got a chicken cheese steak with a cup of the soup of the day (potato), and we shared a slice of strawberry pretzel salad for dessert! The employees were nice enough to bring our food out to us while we were at a metal table on the patio, so that was sweet. Food came out relatively quickly and was definitely fresh. Overall, it was fine! My favorite thing was probably the strawberry pretzel salad; I wish I'd had a little more but I should've ordered my own portion! lol. The potato soup had really nice garlicky croutons on top that I enjoyed, though I wish there'd been bigger chunks of potato in it. I liked my chicken Philly just fine though I feel like it was missing some sort of flavor somewhere. My parents felt the same about their regular Philly. Unlike me, though, my mom unfortunately got several gristley bits she had to spit out. The chicken didn't have that same problem. Overall, a pleasant enough experience though I wouldn't say our socks were knocked off, haha. I'd return and try other menu options if I come back in the future.

I visited here while in Athens last to grab some caffeine for the ride home. This is a newer…read morecoffeeshop in the area. There are lots of cute bonsai trees in the front window. The vibe is cozy and comfy with lots of different seating arrangements: couches, tables and chairs, whatever might best suit your needs. Service was in the back for a couple minutes when I entered but was super pleasant when they came out. They did initially forget to get me the muffin I ordered but were apologetic and made it right quickly when I reminded them. The atmosphere is overall welcoming and polite. I ordered a s'mores latte - one of their seasonal drinks - and a pumpkin muffin. The latte was beautiful, with swirls of what looked like marshmallow and a generous sprinkle of graham cracker on top...but to be honest, it tasted pretty generically coffeeish and was a little on the bitter/acidic side for me. It wasn't terrible, but not really what I was hoping for. The pumpkin muffin was moist and fluffy and I enjoyed that. They have drinks besides lattes (tea, matcha, I think I saw dirty sodas) and some simple food items too. I'd probably order a different drink if I were to return, and maybe ask for extra pumps of whatever flavoring was in it, but on the whole, a decent enough experience that served the purpose I needed it to.

Very underground coffee shop in Athens! In a weird location to me but they have everything you'd…read moreexpect from an "indie" coffee shop. Guitars, a public record player, and of course, coffee.

Arrived a few minutes after 6 am for breakfast. After I got my order, the cook began cleaning the…read moregrill. Customers were told as they walked in that it would be 15 minutes before the grill was ready to start cooking again. I don't understand this, seeing it is a peak time for breakfast. There were only eight customers in the restaurant. I had to ask for a coffee refill. Once I got it, the coffee was totally different from the 1st cup. I asked the waitress about it. She said she wasn't sure what the deal was...maybe it was because the coffee was at the bottom of the pot. However, I heard her telling another customer that they were out of regular coffee. I usually ask for a coffee to go, but that second cup was so bad, I opted not to do that!

I've lived here 4 years and refused to go to Waffle House until now due to pre-conceived…read moreprejudices, for which I am apologetically regretful. We had the most perfectly cooked, delicious breakfast I've had in about a decade. I had Pumpkin Spice Waffles (is there a fan club I can join?), gorgeous over-easy eggs, bacon, grits, toast and tomatoes. Sorry no photos; I was too busy trying to find something wrong with my meal: I found nothing. I did notice when we walked in that the entire staff looked experienced and engaged. It came through as love in the food, care in the preparation and friendliness in the staff. Forgive me, Waffle House. I have been humbled, and am now a grateful fan...