last resort grill

fantastic. there is a reason last resort grill is no. 1 on urbanspoon. there is also a reason why i am so fond of reading reviews on restaurants before i try them.

my girlfriend and i went to last resort for the first time with very high hopes. we'd heard great things, and the occasion was special, so we wanted to celebrate.

for starters, our server - i really wish i remembered his name - was spectacular. he was prompt, friendly, courteous and extremely knowledgeable on the menu.

i ordered the firecracker filet mignon with mashed potatoes and my girlfriend ordered a pasta (though i don't remember which.)

when our server brought out the bread before the meal, i was floored. this wasn't a few rolls or a small loaf of bread to be cut into two pieces - it was an overflowing basket of bread. and did i mention it was absolutely delicious?

when our meals came out - in a very reasonable amount of time, might i add - i was very impressed, to say the least. it is still the best steak i've had in athens, hands down.

the prices are what you'd expect - $15-$25 - but you get exactly what you pay for.

like i said, there's a reason thisplaceis no. 1.

pricey and popular. we visited the restaurant on a thursday night after hearing about it, for a uga family celebration despite theplacebeing packed and no reservations, our party of five was seated in short order after the hustling and exceedingly friendly staff put some tables together for us. i ordered the salmon which was well-prepared but not great or huge, which seemed to be the case for all our meals with two notable exceptions: a specially-prepared tomato and pasta dish for our foreign-born guest, and my wife's tenderloin, a plate of perfectly prepared, melt-in-your-mouth, tender beef. extensive and pricey wine list. appetizers: good, not great southern goodness and pricey (crab cake, fried green tomatoes). hard to carry on conversations with all of the crowd, bustle, and noise, but most everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and in spite of the $200+ tab, we might give it another shot for a special occasion.

the best restaurant in athens!. i've never been disappointed with last resort. from their daily specials, to the fried green tomato appetizer, wonderful entrees, and freakin' amazing deserts...you can not go wrong.

my only 2 wishes for last resort would be:
1. freshen up the menu, even the specials are predictable if you dine there often, which i do. i guess that's my problem not theirs, eh?
2. just a little crowded with the seating arrangements. i do understand wanting to pack as many in as possible, but theplaceis already so tiny, so many tables so close together don't make for a very intimate date since you have to speak rather loudly across the table to be heard. but the food will make the date completely worth it and whomever you take surely won't be able to use the dining choice against you. the rest is up to you, my friend.

so that's all. go to last resort with in a week and you'll have good luck vibes, sent from me of course. and don't forget the desert, you'll thank me later :)

i have always enjoyed their fantastic food, devine handmade deserts, and a topplacein athens for sunday brunch. i rate for the food. who cares if a server was having a tough time or you had to wait. great places stay busy. if you want complaints. worse parking lot ever. parking has never affected our meal.

great welcome to athens. getting into athens last afternoon, i meet a friend and we head down to the last resort grill, recommendation courtesty of urbanspoon.

for a late sunday evening, i was impressed how busy thisplacewas. that's always a good sign for me. a short wait and we were seated by a polite host. i ordered the salmon and my friend has the fillet. theplacehas a very upscale feel and expectations were high.

the wait for the food took a while and i found myself getting full off the rolls. when the food came, my salmon was a little overcooked and dry, but overall not a bad meal. it was served on a rice pilaf with a mango salsa garnishing the plate. my friends fillet looked amazing and i was wishing i had ordered that. it was cooked perfectly medium and served over mashed potatoes and asparagus.

i also had the cheesecake, which is made locally. it was quite good.

the waitress was very friendly thoughout the meal, but seemed a bit irritated when we asked for seperate checks. i don't get that, but oh well.. not asking for much.

i would recommend this restaurant and may go back and try the fillet next time.

thisplaceis pretty good but everyone that i talked to hyped it up so much that i was almost disappointed. it probably been a lot different if we would have sat in the main dining room.

spent 7 years in athens and this was my favorite the whole time. i still dream about the spinach feta grill and the grits here. i've never found anotherplacelike last resort.

i was really excited to go on a date here but was extremely disappointed with how not gluten free friendly the menu is. my date felt awkward about it too. i had very few options. this is not a goodplaceto go if you have food allergies.

my favorite restaurant in athens. never had a bad meal nor poor service. desserts are to die for!
great dateplacetoo.

best meal in athens, ga. the last resort grill is by far the biggest staple of athens cuisine. the food is amazing, the staff is amazing. this is definitely theplaceto go to get a taste of the artistic culinary talent of athens.

today is mab's birthday and in honor of my sweet sister, i am posting my review of  last resort grill (184 west clayton street, 30601) in athens, georgia; it is her very favorite restaurant in town, and she was kind enough to share it with me! her words... "as if their exquisite food and desserts weren't enough, the last resort also serves its community well. among many other student groups and university-affiliated functions, last resort strives to maintain strong relationships with the surrounding community, which consists primarily of college students and sometimes their visiting families. each year, the restaurant hosts the newly hired orientation leaders for their first team meal, provides a full lunch for them during their extensive training week, and treats these student leaders to a full-course at the conclusion of the summer as a symbol of gratitude for their impact on the uga community." and now, my words... athens, georgia is a truly a wonderfulplaceto be; i first visited

thisplaceis so hit or miss. the quality has really gone down in the last year or two. ordered the low country boil. it came out with bread stiff enough to crack a tooth. broth left much to be desired. no seasoning. potatoes were burnt on bottom but not fully cooked. all around disappointing. i have had an equal number of good meals for every crap one, however, the price point isn't worth the risk

consistent. the best thing about this restaurant is that there are no surprises. the food is always great, and the waitstaff is always friendly. you can go there with friends or family and know that whenever you go, you won't hit this restaurant on an "off day."

the only two things i don't like about thisplaceis the huge portion sizes and the noise level. many like to take home a doggie-bag, but i always feel discouraged when my food appears in a bathtub-sized bowl. sometimes the noise level makes conversation at your table difficult.

but neither of these things would deter us from returning. it's easy to understand why thisplaceis a landmark.

just the best restaurant in the city of athens hands-down. we had brunch their today & it was exquisite. the 3 cheese & bacon omelette is outrageously tasty.

great service. theplacewas crowded, but the food came out in no time.
i can't wait to come back.

was here a couple if years ago and was great. was here last night 11/15/12 and food was really not good at all. potato pancake appetizer was a glorified over cooked waffle house special and was very greasy. chicken praline was so bad i sent back. was very blah. got chicken special and it wasn't much better and was way over priced.placewas packed but was probably one of the worst dining experiences i've ever had. server was great though.