last resort grill

fantastic. there is a reason lastresortgrill 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 lastresortfor 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 this place is no. 1.

definitely crowded, but so worth it. granted, it's always always always crowded there, there's a reason. it's classy/laid-back/southern/hip way has always made it really feel like the anti-thesis of athens (for me, at least). growing up, i didn't really think much of it but wisdom, as they say, comes with age ;)

so yes, it's super crowded but my best advice is just have a glass of wine by the bar and just chill out. when you (finally!) sit down to eat, there's a lot of great things on the menu. i recommend the crab cakes or the hanger steak or the u-10 scallops. another reviewer here said he didn't like the hanger steak and wouldn't recommend it, i fervently disagree. it was cooked perfectly and the glaze was delicious; it's also a chile glaze, not a honey glaze.

i also recommend the gorgonzola dressing. it's freshly made too, if i'm not mistaken.

the lastresortmight take forever to get you seated, just savor the wine and anticipate a delicious meal.

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 lastresortwould 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 the place is 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 lastresortwith 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 :)

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

for a late sunday evening, i was impressed how busy this place was. 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. the place has 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.

full disclosure, i have a lot of fond memories of this place.  it is where hubs was a bartender for a year or two and where we had our wedding reception many years ago (bonus – the owner let us ‘rent’ the property for nothing!).  while there are any number of fantastic and original restaurants in the college town of athens, ga the lastresortgrill is one of my absolute favorites.

we ate at the lastresortgrill on sunday nov 1. the food from the appetizer (fried green tomatoes) to the bread to the main dish (praline chicken) was all excellent! the waiter, although very nice and friendly, virtually forgot about us. we had to wait for everything! we would have stayed for dessert and coffee (because the dessert display looked amazing!!) but we just didn't have another hour to waste. will definitely return to this gem next time i'm in town, however.

lastresortnah!. nice atmosphere in historical building. service was friendly and food came out fast. i had the spinach feta grill and must say was very pleasant. the eggs were poached perfectly and the spinach feta sauce had a great texture and well balanced flavors. could have been served a like warmer for my taste but still overall good dish and looked pretty on my plate. the dish had a tomato sauce topper that really kicked it up could have used


-----22 mar, 2015-----

lastresortnah!. nice atmosphere in historical building. service was friendly and food came out fast. i had the spinach feta grill and must say was very pleasant. the eggs were poached perfectly and the spinach feta sauce had a great texture and well balanced flavors. could have been served a like warmer for my taste but still overall good dish and looked pretty on my plate. the dish had a tomato sauce topper that really kicked it up could have used another spoonful of that. the other dinners had the standard sunday which you could not go wrong with. our one child dinner wanted just plan pancakes and didn't get what he ask for instead got some mickey mouse chocolate crazy thing ( i know what kid would not love ) this one. got some new cakes and all was good in the children's universe. overall i would love to try more dishes here when back in town and work my way through the menu.

not worth the hassle. lastresortis a well-run kitchen with very good food that is not worth the long wait or the hassle for diners 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. lastresortdoes 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. lastresorthas 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 lastresortin 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.

best meal in athens, ga. the lastresortgrill is by far the biggest staple of athens cuisine. the food is amazing, the staff is amazing. this is definitely the place to 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  lastresortgrill (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 lastresortalso serves its community well. among many other student groups and university-affiliated functions, lastresortstrives 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 wonderful place to be; i first visited

smaller to-go cake slices. one of the good thing about lastresortis that they carry cakes from cecilia's. whenever i go there i'll always order a slice of cake after my meal. i usually just go for the cake, actually. however, i've been noticing that whenever i order a slice of cake to go, they're always much thinner than the slices i would get at the restaurant. sometimes it's just ridiculous. it's not a one time occurrence, it's an every time type of situation. i don't appreciate getting smaller portions just because i don't see it until i get home. i feel cheated. it's the principle of the situation, not just the cake.

honestly a last resort. when i first came to school at uga the lastresortwas "the" date place. and it was honestly great in so many ways: service, food, and atmosphere. years later the food scene in athens has changed and lastresortis one of the traditions of athens but changes in service and food quality need to be changed and upgraded to compete with the new gastro pubs popping up.

a must-visit in athens. we've been to the lastresortgrill twice now on college visits. the service is excellent and the food is fantastic. the atmosphere is very cozy and pricing is just right.

lastresortmight be the best lunch value in town with many of the dishes being in the $5-$8 price range.

lastresortoffers a twist on traditional southern food-from pecan crusted blue trout to salmon and grits and to fried green tomatoes, and opened for both lunch and dinner, you can't help but to fall in love with their unique local flavor that has customers lining out the doors daily. and with affordable prices for lunch, it's quickly become one of my fav