There aren't a lot of things that I love better than a local unique bar & restaurant with huge space, swanky decor, and a few nice surprises. Folks come in very casual attire, some arrive in fully formal clothes, and everything in between. It's a really comfortable vibe and that's something that I appreciate. Maybe you do, too? The owners are a couple and chances are they'll be the ones waiting on you, preparing your food, and treating you love a neighbor who came out to have a good time. Locals who I know LOVE it here. The food is always great, and if the have homemade egg rolls, try them. They're amazing! Also, one of the best burgers I've ever had, and among the ways that we're spoiled in Athens, we have several places with GREAT burgers. Seriously. I mean, don't come to Athens just to eat at a chain. Come on downtown and try places like this and nibble around the edges of town for a few other treats. The name is appropriate. It's THE OPEN DOOR in "the friendly city" in a small, pretty, southern town fercryinoutloud. So I expected that and T.O.D. delivered. Well, I ate-in several times and I don't even know if they Door Dash. It's just an expression, OK? This is not the review to take literally. It's still honest. I've had steak, chicken, prime rib, burgers, the aforementioned egg rolls, and a catfish dinner and it was delicious EVERY time. Every damn time. Folks enjoy the drinks here and this place has huge extra rooms that they open when it's warranted. They don't always have enough staff to be like a chain restaurant/bar and they employ some intermittent staff for busy events, so I don't come expecting a hostess type greeting, white linen, and tables set and ready. They're usually hustling to keep up, take care of their guests who are, from my observation(s), usually friends and neighbors and regulars, and a few folks who are just visiting sprinkled-in for good measure. Yet, it's not so local that the player piano stops and everyone stares when you swing through the saloon doors. Well, through the pretty front door and IF it had saloon doors. It's friendly and welcoming without people being all up in your business. If you're feeling like you're in a hurry, take a deep breath and relax and maybe sit at the bar. read more

Absolutely the best food in Athens. Best hamburger you can find and incredible service.

Owner: How to turn this 3 star rating into a 5 star in a few simple steps: -Don't serve alcohol at any decent restaurant in PLASTIC CUPS. - Don't ask how I want my burger cooked and then say "I can only do it medium or medium well because it's difficult with ground beef". - Don't serve a burger on a clearly OLD bun that is crumbling apart. - DON'T SKIMP ON FRENCH FRIES! They are virtually FREE for you to serve and they fill your customer up and make them leave full and satisfied. If you put a small handful on my plate, all I'm going to remember is i was still hungry when I finished eating. read more

This place served the best Ahi Tuna sandwich I have ever had. The tuna portion was very large. If I had to estimate it was probably an 8 oz tuna steak, but perhaps 6 oz. It was cooked to perfection. I ordered it "medium." I also substituted the "dirty rice" for the fries. You should too. The dirty rice was amongst the best I ever had. I'm not 100% sure, but I think the owner cooked it himself/herself. I was there on a Tuesday, so it was hard to judge ambiance. But with it for the food regardless. read more

Wow. I know people gave bad reviews for service which made me hesitant to come here but I am so glad I did. There is actually a statement at the top of the menu that asks for patience because all their food is made to order. We order the fried mushrooms and green beans for appetizers and they were delicious and fresh! My husband wanted ahi tuna and let me tell you... it isn't easy in Tennessee! But this place had it. He ordered an ahi tuna sandwich and I had the steak, both seared. The seasoning was simple and the taste was amazing!! I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and home town feel. The food was definitely worth the wait. Don't let slow service be mistaken for bad service. We enjoyed a delicious meal at a casual pace. Don't miss out on this local small business. read more

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Single worst dining experience of my life. My daughter picked this place for her birthday. The food was terrible, the service was worse. They gave another table the wrong check and made us pay theirs (which was more expensive). I have never ever heard of someone having an experience as bad as the one I just had. I am writing this, sitting at the table 51 minutes after asking for the check, waiting for my card. No wonder there isn't a single customer here. They have customers in here trying to unscrew how bad this place is. Not even joking. read more

Open Door is easy to find with plenty of available parking. The team mates are very friendly and helpful. I ordered the Chicken Cordon Blu and it was wonderful. Well presented and served hot. I have a new favorite spot in Athens TN. On this visit, I ordered the Deep fried shrimp and it was great!!!! I ate at the bar again and it was pleasant. read more

Starting off the service was amazing. Super sweet couple own the place but also are the only workers really. She takes the orders and he cooks it up and let me say her mixed drinks are awesome and the food they prepare is simply amazing. Love the egg rolls and steak and veggies my husband loves the rack of lamb and lobster tail. This place is a hidden gem I wish they had more advertisement. They have pool tables darts music it's nice little set up very spacious. read more

Cool looking building. Food wasn't that appealing. Fried mushrooms was ice in the middle still and the cooking oil tasted old. Salad look like old lawn clipping and taste even worse. I'm sad that nothing was good enough to visit again. read more

Best food in Athens. Their ribeye, tuna and salmon are all spot on and they have an actual bar! Blair and Oneyang (owners) are great. C

It's over priced for average food and the decorations are a bit outdated. Maybe if they remodeled the place it would bring in a good crowd but the aesthetic doesn't really make sense. read more

I'm giving Open Door Cafe a 2 star rating only because the service was very good. The food on the other hand was very mediocre. Our salads were soaked in water, the fried green tomato's were flavorless and our steaks were insanely over priced for the quality that they were. No seasoning but at least they got the temp right. We were looking forward to a good steak dinner, but I would say it was very far from. Mediocre is putting it nicely. read more

Very disappointed! First off we ordered fried oysters as an appetizer it was complete mush. I ordered the sushi and was delicious, but took over an hour to be served! My husbands fried catfish was undercooked. When we went to pay they had A DOG IN THE KITCHEN! read more

Open Door Cafe - American Near Me - Athens, Tennessee

Love love love this restaurant. I've been coming here since they first opened. I've been able to watch it grow from super small dining into the staple of Athens. Blair & Oneyang are amazing!! I always love the food, drinks, atmosphere and sass and if they ever leave Athens will forever have a hole missing. The old fogey Athens board members despise this place, but open door brought the fresh air the town needed. Thank you Blair for standing your ground and giving the town what it needed. It's been loved and treasured. read more

Food was great as usual. Lots of beer choices. We were so glad to step into a place where we could see everyone's faces. Thanks Open Door Cafe for not falling for the F*a*k*e N*e*w*s! We love this place, bring our family here when they come to town, and visit every year for our anniversary. The secret of the locals is you have to ask for their awesome beef rolls. It's Not on the menu! read more

This place is fantastic. Exceptional service from Marshall and Laura. The manager lives to talk beer and they have some that you won't find anywhere within 40 miles. The portions are generous and not frozen. I was in town for 5 nights and ate here for 3. The ahi tuna is off the chain. The catfish was delectable and not farm raised and having the kobe burger tonight. The beer menu is very diverse as well as the menu. Everything from fresh seafood, steaks pasta to burgers all done right. Can't go wrong here! read more

This place has some of the best food in athens Tennessee.... I would 10/10 recommend coming here. Great drinks as well. Very friendly staff and delightful bartender! We will be back read more

The food is good, burgers are great! Service is good and friendly. The old hotel is really neat and can be much cooler when other areas are completed. I would love to explore the rest of it. All they have are the fancy craft beers, no regular domestic beer which I can't understand. Prices are very high for this area. I will return as there are few other options in this town. read more

People who doesn't love this place is white trash to compare it to the double 00 or double Cc is very uneducated trailer park trash who can't afford a good steak or lobster so you need to go to the double Cc where you get your frozen hamburger & hot dog two for a dollar meal and call it a meal . Your not welcome in a friendly environment with local friend's who like higher quality food and service so if you can't afford good service and food stay at the Double Cc or double OO read more

I'm giving this place 5 stars because the bar area is nice , service is fast and friendly. And they have craft beer on tap!!! Even high gravity beers! I've never ate here so this review is for the bar and beer selection. ... I'm thankful not to have to go all the way to Knoxville or Chattanooga every time I want a good beer now. read more

I absolutely love their burgers. It is huge, 1/2 lb of real meat, no fillers added. Always clean and offers a wide selection of choices for downtown Athens. If you are into tasting different types of beer they have a large variety and some really good ones. You should make a point of checking this place out . read more

A little pricey but worth it. Excellent steaks. Excellent seafood. Really - really good! Service was also prompt and friendly and courteous. Surprisingly for a place this pricey and food this good the "sides" were not all that great. Standard fare, nothing very tasty, even salads were blasé. Also half the tables in the place had the chairs up on the table as if they were mopping and we interrupted or something. That's really weird and damaging to the ambiance of eating. Also the plates were diner type. Thick, ugly. I'm just saying that this place has incredible potential and the food and service is GREAT. With a tiny bit of care and pizazz it would easily be a five star. It really is that good but it lacks "something" in making it a really nice dining experience for these prices. The name "cafe" is all wrong too. This is a first class steakhouse and seafood place. It's in. I way a "cafe". I'll definitely go back. read more

Oooo my gosh the reviews were right sooooo slow my gosh how do they stay in business the bartender is overwhelmed and there are four people at the bar she said she forgot haha still waiting for her read more

The Open Door Cafe is wonderful restaurant!! I love their food and the owners! They even have my favorite beer on draft which is Delirium's Nocturnum. Food is excellent and any local or traveler should go here!! read more

Very nice place with tons of options to pick from for whatever your appetite may be craving. Salmon was to die for!

- 3 stars if I could. The place is clean and looks like a good establishment/ HOWEVER, the service was not good at all. The so called wanna be owner of what he thinks is a great place in his own head only,,did nothing but trash talked all other establishments in town. Great way to not get ahead in life. It takes all kinda I guess. They only serve craft beer with is fine by me but not good for overall business especially when the bar tender acts like domestic beer is only for trashy people.The girl bartender was a snob about everything we asked about the town. There was no pool tables or anything to entertain the common customer. Good customer Service is everything I don't care how good the food or beer is. The place was empty as well and I can see why. You couldn't pay me to eat or drink here. Surprised this place made it this long in TN. There was one cool waitress that gave us good info about the town. I have talked with many other locals from the town and they had nothing nice to say about the open door crap-A. If your looking to hang out with real people and have a good time I would hit the DOUBLE O about 5 miles to the west. It was way better than t open door bullshit. Oh and why do they need 8 no smoking signs out front. At first I thought that "NO SMOKING" was the name of the bar. Don't waist your time here unless it's under new ownership or it closes and turns into a donut shop. I don't recommend this place read more

My favorite restaurant and bar to visit on the courthouse square in Athens with plenty of parking! They make the best sashimi, sushi rolls and egg rolls. read more

The worse service I have ever had. My food was cooked wrong and returned wrong. Took 30 min to get my wine. I would be embarrassed !!!

My family and I eat at the Open Door Cafe regularly and enjoy it every time! The food is good quality and the staff has always been friendly. The menu is very diverse and should satisfy any craving. read more

Two words, raw filet. Three more words. Bad customer service. After seeing that I had a raw steak, the waiter told the manager who can't out, inspected my plate, tried to say it wasn't all raw and that I ate half. This wasn't true. The waiter bright the adjusted ticket out. They took off 20%. 5 freaking dollars. After complaining to the other manager, they took off half. What a joke. Never going again. Worst meal I have ever had and worst service ever to top it all off. read more

Very nice folks that own this place, it's alway very clean. I usually have the tilapia, come with wild rice and veggies its very nice, it has a lot of spices but I love that. I definitely would recommend. read more

Located in a historical section of Athens. Worth visiting the restaurant if you like History. Inside leaves a little to be desired-reminded me of a library. Mostly older people dining. Food was decent and drinks were good. Nice quiet place for a date, though. read more

This has to be one of my favorite local diners for late night bar food. The owner's wife makes some of the best spicy chicken eggrolls I have ever had. They are absolutely out of this world. If you eat nothing else order those. The seafood menu is a little overpriced for a small town bar room so I would stick with your typical bar food here. Overall the food is good and they also serve high gravity beer - another plus in my book. read more

I was in Athens for a week on business and asked one of the hotel employees where I could get good food and a good craft beer selection. She suggested Open Door. My co-worker and I have now been the past 3 days and if I wasn't going home tomorrow it would be a fourth. Outstanding beer choices, service and food. I highly recommend this place and will certainly come back the next time I am in the area. read more

Great dinner house in a refurbished late 1800's hotel in old downtown Athens, TN. Chef owners. Steaks, surf and turf, your favorite Italian dishes. Friendly service as only you can find in Athens. read more

This old hotel or whatever it was, is now a restaurant & bar that serves great food & drinks. It has a semi dim & creepy but warm feel to it if that makes sense. They have a good selection of seafood, sandwiches, salads & appetizers. If you are up for a drink, try one of their craft or high gravity beers as well as a glass of your favorite wine. I love their egg rolls, Ahi tuna, steak & burgers. When you pair it with a loaded bake potato, you will be almost complete. If you have a sweet tooth, both their moist carrot as well as chocolate cake are delicious! The owners wife is one of the sweetest gem but he may come across as standoffish. Don't let that stop you from going as I have always enjoyed coming here for dinner when I get the chance. This is the only true bar I know of in downtown Athens, TN that has music, darts & pool tables for your entertainment. It's a mom & pop which I truly support! read more

We have only lived in Athens for a little less than a year, BUT... WHY HAVEN'T WE EATEN HERE SOONER???? All 3 dishes that my family ordered were fantastic!!! The atmosphere was nice and quiet. Music at just the right volume. Even better, there was no wait to be seated on a Friday night. Food was far better than anything we would have gotten at a local franchise restaurant where we would have had to wait for a table. Ingredients tasted fresh and of good quality and service was timely and friendly. We will definitely go back! read more