This is one of my favorite places to eat. Five Star’s been around since before the millennium and they still serve up some of the best food downtown. Their fare isn’t true soul food, more like old timey Southern food with a little gourmet flare. One of my favorite things on their menu is the Mac & Cheese with Gouda, I could eat a pound of it. They have a rotating list of daily specials which includes both meats and sides. During the spring/summer this is an awesome place to sit outside and people watch (it overlooks the North lawn of the UGA campus).

The Grit is one of the best restaurants in Athens and has been around forever (well over a decade). The food here is all vegetarian and most of it is also vegan. Everyday there is a different list of specials up on the board and you can get a huge plate of veggies for about 6 bucks. REM frontman, Michael Stipe, is known to frequent this place when he’s in town.

This is an Athens institution and still one of the cheapest places in Athens to get some lunch. The food here isn’t as good as some of the more authentic Mexican joints off Prince in Normaltown but it’s right across the street from the campus and the food isn’t bad. At night the place turns into a typical college bar with lots of pitchers of beer and chips and salsa. The cheese dip and chicken burrito deluxe are highly recommended.