Last Resort Grill Review

The brunch is great! The dinner is great too but can be on the pricey side. They have a good wine selection, and some bottled beers. They have decent desserts.

Definitely in the top 10 best dinners I have ever had. Jaamy, one of the owners, was great and very knowledgeable about the wine. A definite recommendation.

This is my absolute favorite restaurant! The service is always amazing for large or small parties. It is pricey, but not for the quality of food that you get. I come back again and again and never get the same thing twice. They always make specials based on the freshest ingredients they can get and the menu changes out at least twice a year.

They have amazing food. But they the best part is all their staff is friendly and they make sure you are having the best experience. They also make sure that everything is well clean.

Second time eating here and can't rave enough about the delicious food and service. Please try a dessert as well. You won't be disappointed.

We celebrated my mom's birthday there with 11 people in our party. The staff was very kinda and accommodating. The food was delicious! The meat was juicy and full of flavor. Cooked to perfection! The only thing I wish we could have been warned of is the food portions. My sister and I decided we would share. BIG mistake. Know that the food you order is enough for one person, and only one person. The food is pricy ,especially for the amount of food they serve you. But I really loved the food so I will eventually go back there.

Great place for drinks, dinner, or dessert. Have never been let down by this place. No matter what you go for make sure to leave room for a piece of cheesecake.

The Food was only ok for the high price. Server was inattentive and dismissive. Our drinks stayed empty most of the time there. Service was extremely slow. They forgot a portion of my meal and after being asked about it, finally I had them take it off the bill once I was done and still didn't have it. Server was dry with no sense of humor and appeared to be way less than a people person. The waiting area gets so crowded and loud up front where my party of 16 happened to be sitting that we couldn't hear the person beside us talking and the people waiting were so close to our tables their butts were inches from our food. No one on staff asked them to politely move even after we expressed dislike for the closeness. Like I said, the food was "meh" and there weren't many choices on the menu. In fact, MEH is how I would accurately describe the entire visit.

The food is delicious, the place is clean and neat and the prices are reasonable!

We enjoyed the service and atmosphere very much. However portion size just didn't seem adequate. My fiance got the scallops and I got the hanger steak. The food was very good. But just left us wanting more then we received.

Last Resort is located in downtown Athens at the corner of Clayton St. and Wray St., and the spot has become a landmark for area foodies. It's almost impossible to dine at Last Resort without having to wait for a table. I've been on a Saturday night and waited over an hour, and recently went on a Monday night and had to wait 20 minutes. There is even a small wait if you go during lunch. Unless you're there when they open, waiting is inevitable. Whenever the restaurant is open, people flock to get in.

This place is perfect for Athens. The atmosphere is vibrant and lively, but also rustic and elegant. The ambient noise can be a bit loud and the place gets warm because of an open kitchen, but the environment can still feel intimate. The tables are filled with all different types of people - college students bringing their parents for dinner, families with young kids, and older couples back in town to visit their old college town. It's the sort of place that can accommodate a large group having a celebration while also hosting a couple looking for a romantic evening.

The food at Last Resort is outstanding. The menu is refreshingly creative without delving into the realm of bizarre and showy. The ingredients are simple, but they offer a twist that reflects a unique dining experience. Last Resort uses many local vendors and farmers to supply their ingredients, enabling them to highlight the best local food Athens has to offer. Personally, I would recommend the Adobo Salmon, Praline, or Rockville pasta. That being said, I doubt you could go wrong with anything on the menu. And don't forget to leave room for dessert. Last Resort serves cakes from the legendary Cecilia Villaveces (I actually think they're overrated except for the German Chocolate) and cheesecakes from Blackbird Bakery.

For most restaurants like this, it's tough to have a meal without paying $25-$30 per person. Last Resort goes against the grain and serves great food at a reasonable price. Most dishes range from $12-$17 and are served with bread and a side salad (the homemade dressings are amazing). Not to mention, Last Resort might be the best lunch value in town with many of the dishes being in the $5-$8 price range.

I could go on and on about Last Resort. It constantly receives great reviews from food critics and has been talked about as one the best restaurants in the south. I don't doubt it. Ironically, Last Resort doesn't need any good publicity or promotion. The quality speaks for itself.

First Time. Food was great. Server forgot my drink refill twice but I finally got it!

We looked this place up on google maps and looked at the menu. We saw some dishes that we would like and the prices seemed very reasonable so we decided to try it out. Looking at the menu in the restaurant is way different than on google maps. They do not have several items on the menu and the prices are about 5 to 6 dollars more than online. When we asked the server about it she said that was very old and did not understand why it was not updated. So we stayed. We got the Fried green tomatoes $4.50 and pork belly $9.50 as apps. You get 2 small pieces of pork belly and the tomatoes had very little breading. Our meals consisted of Braised short ribs $21.95, Praline Chicken $18.95, Shrimp pasta $17.95 and the 6 hour pig $19.95.
The Braised short rib dish tasted like pot roast and the green beans were not cooked enough.
The 6 hour pig was not bad. It did have too much chorizo and not enough pork. Grits were good. But the sauces they put on the plates of everything are unnecessary.
The Praline chicken was way too sweet. I recommend the servers suggest that sauce being on the side. My sister in law called it a TV dinner. The potatoes were all she liked on her plate.
The Shrimp pasta was good. It was the only meal that did not have an issue.
Long story short is this place try's way to hard to be an up scale restaurant. A lot of the flavors do not go.
Also update your menu on Google Maps. This is how a lot of people find you and it needs to be up to date.

A visit to Athens wouldn't be complete without dinner at the Classic City's best restaurant: Last Resort Grill. Featuring a novel menu of Southern-themed dishes with a Southwestern influence, Last Resort also features a unique ambiance, excellent beer and dessert options, all at a reasonable cost. I highly recommend Last Resort Grill to anyone visiting the Classic City.

Excellent service, excellent food, wonderful desserts!!

The service and food are absolutely top notch! No wonder the place is so busy. Make reservations or be prepared to wait for a table. Luckily, the drink menu is good too.

Service fast & efficient. Food unique, but good. Cocktails a little too "innovative".

The meatloaf patty melt is pretty fire don't expect to have more than a half ounce of dressing on your salad tho they stingy with the sauce

Absolutely amazing food. Very friendly staff. And you must look at the dessert case and get at least a piece of cheesecake. Just yummy!

We enjoyed our food and the service was great. I feel like everyone was very attentive to customers, so our drinks were always full and our empty plates were quickly wisked away. I recommend getting dessert - the cheesecake was excellent!

Freaking delicious, awesome service, and they make a damn good Bloody Mary.

Skip the entree and jump straight to the cake! Last Resort used to be one of my favorite restaurants in Athens. I have praised this establishment and spent thousands of dollars here in the past, each time leaving satisfied. Following my last visit I left in disbelief. Last Resort, is now the actual last resort!

If you're part of this liberalized, millennial ecosystem that now plagues most of America's college towns, disregard this review. You have survived on Ramen noodles and positive reinforcement long enough for your standards to be bust. You will most likely take no value in the traditional entente of food and service. If not, please consider the following...

Firstly, this restaurant over-books their tables. This is the root of my discontent. Due to the fact they overbook, you're constantly in a state of rush! They employ an army of quick fingered troglodytes to grasp your half eaten appetizer the very minute you relax to take a sip of your paltry wine selection.

Secondly, the food is over-embellished. Your market price filet will most likely be a execrable cut that was cooked outside of your preference, the pork belly appetizer you ordered to impress your father-in-law will be dry/underwhelming, and your server (while appearing totally woke with their progressive hair style) will mostly likely not understand why a salad should not be delivered with the entree.

If you're planning to bring you parents to Last Resort so you can show them how much you've blossomed as an adult while in college, reconsider. Save some face, get some tacos from the Georgia theater while enjoying the rooftop vibes, and maybe a cocktail and some cake from Last Resort afterwards. Bon appetit!

Very nice restaurant with good quality food. But waiting time is little bit long for us.

One of our favorite restaurants in Athens, the menu is small but covers a good variety of flavors, love the food and service, always a superb culinary experience, do not miss the amazing variety of desserts, a must for special occasions.

Though the only time I can afford to eat here is during their lunch specials, this dance-club turned local-vore food spot is a great place to have a seasonal veg or two. In fact, I can't think of much here I wouldn't eat and they manage to make little slots of time where even a broke kid like me can treat himself to something decent. Their beer selection is high-class as well though a little out of my price-range. Staff is excellent and, though it gets a little crowded due to its popularity, the ambiance is top notch. Careful not to stop by when they're closed early-afternoon preparing for the next service, but it really is worth the wait.

Good verge awesome service was OK I go there again Park in sucks

Words cannot express how amazing this restaurant is. We read the reviews before going and had high expectations. The service we received blew this expectations through the roof. Love this place and will drive back to athens just for this restaurant. Shout out to the team. You guys are doing a great job!

Food not particularly special. Dining room cramped. Service is spotty. Expect $$$ for dinner.

We chose Last Resort Grill based on reviews posted on this site. We called ahead and were seated within 10 minutes. The service we received was excellent, and the food was too. My husband ordered the Last Resort Chicken. I ordered the Cornmeal Encrusted Trout. We both thoroughly enjoyed our selections. We took our dessert to go and later splurged on the German Chocolate Cake and the Caramel Cake. The slices were huge, easily shareable; I finished my Caramel Cake with my next-day's morning coffee, but my husband ate every bite of the German Chocolate which reminded him a lot of his birthday cake baked for him each year by his now-deceased mom. We loved our dining experience at Last Resort...By the way, it should never be your "last resort." It should be your first choice in Athens!

Fast, friendly service, great food, cool atmosphere! I enjoyed the stuffed French toast at Sunday brunch.

Delicious, thoughtfully prepared food at a reasonable price. Wait times can be long, so we were glad to get a table quickly on this rainy summer day.

Our favorite upscale restaurant in Athens. Even the lunch menu is awesome, service is great and prices are very reasonable. Reservations are recommended because this place can get packed.

Good food, very reasonable prices for a brunch. Service is good and fast.

Best food in Athens.....and that is saying something!!

Really, really good salads. Staff is extremely friendly and very helpful. The tres leches cake is also to die for!

Indeed very similar to 2 Dog in Gainesville GA. Cool atmosphere, interesting takes on traditional American fare. Good martini!

The food here is wonderful and affordable! I have loved everything I've ordered. The chicken praline and the grits are especially delicious. Don't fill up too much on dinner to miss out on their wonderful selection of fresh made cakes and pies. The red velvet cake is top 5 for me and I've had a lot of red velvet cake!

We just stopped for dessert, which was delicious. White chocolate cheesecake, to be exact. The service was exemplary.

Good food, but everytime I have been there, it has been small portions for the prices they charge.
The staff is mostly friendly.
Today was my friend's birthday and I mentioned it to the manager onceas well as our waiter twice.
We ordered one piece of cake after lunch and they provided a tiny candle
But we paid for the slice of cake.
Hmmmm.
Does not encourage me to visit again.

Enjoyable atmosphere, excellent wait staff and the food is fabulous.

Always a favorite. The recipes have changed over the years but the food is still great. Salmon and grits you simply can't go wrong!

The food start to finish was incredible. We ordered the pork belly appetizer, a salad, the black bean soup, scallops entree and stuffed pork chop entree and would recommend each of those! Can t wait to go back!

American food... super satisfying. The staff was very friendly and kind.

The food was delicious! Although the outside looks sort of old and sketchy, don't let that fool you. My girlfriend and I had gone for lunch, a bit pricey but the portion sizes were perfect. They were enough to fill you up but not enough to make you walk out hating yourself.

I ordered the Ravioli and it was phenominal. It was the most tasteful ravioli I've had. My girlfriend ordered a pasta with shrimp and salmon.. I don't remember its name. She said it was really good too.

Inside it feels very upscale and the service was astounding. Our waitress was extremely kind and a joy to be with. Definitely a must if you're in Athens.

Devine, this is the only word that I can use to describe the experience. The wait staff where very attentive and friendly.

Now to the food. Wow! This is real food prepared by a real chef. From the artistic and appetizing presentation and the unique flavors that all come together perfectly for a taste you will not expect to the perfectly camalized onions and inspired sauces. You will quickly realize that this was prepared by someone who loves what they do and are passionate about your job.

Thanks for a wonderful experience! I will be back.

We had a g eat waitress, but my Belgian waffle was room temperature and not warm or hot like it should've have been.

Food was excellent. We were visiting from out of town, and stopped in for dinner.

My wife and stopped in for lunch at the recommendation of an Athens friend. It did not disappoint. Fantastic meal.

A cozy restaurant with creative menu. Vegetarian selections available. Place gets very busy and main room can be noisy. Cake slices to-go were very popular.

Great atmosphere. Place is always busy, so get there early to grab a seat. Order the meatloaf sandwich, it's out of this world good!

Do NOT eat here. Super over priced, I ordered a Caesar salad and got 5 pieces of lettuce with cheese for 8 dollars. When I complained waitress was rude. Literal last resort

Beautiful setting delicious food outstanding service with a smile i love it...really really 10 stars service

Had a great experience and meal with my mother. The atmosphere was chill yet upscale and the food was a creative centerpiece. The tables are really close together and today, a Wednesday evening, the restaurant was packed but there was no wait. The menu is pretty small but has a nice variety of fish, pork, chicken, beef etc. You won't regret eating here!

Super spot. Great food but chaotic service and meal.

Always a pleasure. When I'm lucky enough to be in town, I always eat here, take new people here to show it off - it's a gem. Awesome food beautifully served, creative flavor combinations, plenty to eat and the staff are great. This is upscale dining without pretentiousness.

The best place to eat in Athens. Wait is always worth it.

Found them on Google, looked good, was not disappointed. Friendly, efficient staff, great presentation of my cocktail and meal. Met Mary and Andy from West GA, had a great time!

Last Resort is a well-run kitchen with very good food that is not worth the long wait or the hassle for diner's seeking a weekend meal. Reservations are not accepted, and diners can expect to wait more than an hour for a small to moderate dining group (2 - 4 diners). In many circumstances, long wait times for a weekend dinner can be a good thing. They often give patrons more opportunities to converse among themselves. Not so with Last Resort. The bar and waiting area is cramped, and waiting patrons often overflow into the dining area near the entrance of the restaurant. Waitstaff and patrons fighting their way through the crowd often interrupt conversations.

There is also one particularly annoying peculiarity regarding the payment process at Last Resort: the waitstaff will not split checks other than by dividing the table's check into equal portions. Last Resort does not impose this limitation on large parties only (which is a perfectly reasonably industry practice); it affected my dining party of just two couples, and would even affect parties of only two diners. In order to split a check, diners must walk to the register, and explain to someone else how to divide the check. While this would make a perfectly acceptable end to a late night stop at Waffle House, it does not suit a restaurant where one expects to spend $25 - $50 per person. When asked why the waitstaff does not split tickets for even small parties, the person tending the register responded that such a process would use "too much paper" and would be a "hassle" to the waitstaff. Last Resort has thrust that "hassle" upon its customers rather than having its waitstaff fulfill an aspect of the dining experience that would be expected of nearly any other full-service restaurant.

Granted, the food is very good, and the ambiance is comfortable (unless you are seated near the restaurant entrance). The service prior to the payment process is merely average. Were Last Resort in a different small city, I would say that its long, crowded wait and annoying reluctance to split small parties' checks are worth the price for the restaurant's positive attributes. Athens, however, has plenty of better options with a similar price point; several of which are within walking distance of Last Resort.

I thought it was great. Service, service, service!!!!! Everyone was fantastic. First the call in. No reservations but we have a list. You're on 316 at the Oconee county line, ok we'll see you in 25 minutes. And there was our table waiting for us. Oh you would rather sit in the front room. No problem we are clearing a table now.
Then our server was great. Knowledgeable and attentive. I'm on keito, my son has food allergies, no problems. Keito substitutes on the dinners. Holding out ingredients so my son can enjoy the appetizers.
Nice crabcakes, no lump crab but very crabby and cooked to perfection, lightly browned and no oiliness to put you off. The fried green tomatoes were battered just right and pulled out in a timely fashion so they still had a bit of the tooth of a fresh green tomato.
The pork belly came in a very tasty broth, again kitchen, well done. Every one liked the entrees. I had the hanger steak and tasted the scallops. Again food that is very easy to eat. If you like okra substitute for one of the standard sides. Simply cooked and not stewed. You can cut it with a knife and fork and get the firmness of fried okra without the oil and breading. And the manager was terrific. He bottled up our remaining wine personally and made sure it was just right so it would pass muster for the drive home.
Good food, great service and feeling appreciated when you leave. That's a good place to go.

A lively place, good food. The fried green tomatoes and hanger steak were great.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this restaurant! Hmmm....where did our love affair with Last Resort start? Perhaps it was over twenty years ago when we were students? (Moderately priced enough that a student can afford to enjoy a meal out on occasion.) Or when we moved back a few years ago, and made this our very first stop in terms of brunch on a Sunday? (Food is amazing enough to satisfy even the most discerning, older foodie.) Either way, the food, service and desserts have ALL remained consistently amazing over the years. It was so nice to move back to Athens after being gone for over sixteen years, and find that some things never change....like how incredible Last Resort Grill is.

I ve lived in Athens, GA since 2014, and this was my first time at Last Resort Grill. The atmosphere in the restaurant was great, we received quick, friendly service, and the food was phenomenal. I had the crab cakes and my boyfriend had the black bean burger. We both were very happy with our food and the experience and will definitely be returning in the near future!