The Grit

Still the very best Vegetarian and Vegan food that it hearty, full of fiber and protein, and won’t break the bank.
The vibe is crunchy and kitsch and welcome to all. It’s lovely to see the varied families and individuals that frequent the joint. This place will please protein/​meat lovers, alike.
The golden bowl is a good go-​to for protein lovers. Their white bean burgers and TLTs never disappoint. Love their beer list and cocktail inspirations. Burritos will fill you up big time. Be careful about over-​ordering — this ain’t skimpy vegetarian food.

This place is the jackpot for vegans/​vegetarians! So many awesome options.
The hummus appetizer is awesome served with an array of fresh veggies.
I got the meatloaf (vegetarian) special and it was amazing… served with Kale and delicious mashed potatoes.
Definitely do not have to be vegan/​vegetarian to come here, they have great options with meat, as well.

I have been going here for five or six years on a regular basis, and my husband has been accompanying me for four. We love the food, and it was a pleasant and delicious introduction to vegetarian food for my carnivore husband. The only substantial issue I take with the The Grit, and it is a big one, is the service. Takeout service is usually good; I haven’t personally had issues, at least. But my husband has encountered rudeness multiple times when picking up food. As far as the sit-​down service goes, we’ve been snubbed, ignored, and supposedly «forgotten» by servers too many times to ignore. It’s been getting more and more obvious that the staff has a problem with my husband; he is a camo-​hat and fishing-​shirt wearing kind of dude, and he gets a lot of dirty looks. He stands out in the usual crowd of hippie patrons (like me) and locals. But we always tip at least 20% and are kind to our server and other staff. Tonight, we waited twenty minutes at a table in the half-​empty restaurant and no one paid us any attention. A hostess ended up bringing us water, and we got no more service than that. We waited a few minutes longer and left after observing a new table of four get immediate service. I like this place’s food enough that I was patient through years of mediocre (at best) service, but this was the last straw. We are too generous with our tipping and our years of patronage to be treated like this. Oh, and maybe consider doing something about the staff members who are obviously stoned out of their gourd. I will miss the food, but not the awful service, and it is a pity this place doesn’t value their loyal customer base.

How have I not given the Grit a rave review yet? I love this place. Kind, engaging servers who know how to make their customers feel at home. Good food. The desserts are the best. My favorite place in Athens!

I had a good veggie burger (black bean) at The Grit. Service was fine. The food was filling and healthy, but probably not worth going out of your way for.

Good solid vegetarian food. Nothing too interesting but probably the best choice in Athens for lunch.

Not. A. Fan.
I will start out by saying that I’m not a vegetarian/​vegan and I was not told that this was that type of restaurant before entering.
The pancakes I ordered were not good and I never received the «fake bacon» that I ordered. Thankfully, I was not charged for that item.
I was just not impressed.

Can I give six stars? One of my favorite resteraunts in Athens. Great service, great atmosphere with artwork shifting frequently, great prices and huge portions. All vegan/​vegetarian. As a meat-​eater I’d reccommend going with dishes that don’t use meat substitutes like seitan and instead are just naturally meat free. Though my vegetarian friends swear the Grit has the best seitan-​and I believe them-​nothing can really compare to the real thing. The Grit does do tofu really well though, and I am already a tofu fan myself as it doesn’t try to be something it’s not. Rotating noodle bowls are fantastic. Brunch is choice. The grilled cheese smelt with spinach and tomato is amazing thanks to The Grit’s homemade thick bread. I love so many things here

The Grit is a must for anyone visiting the Athens area. It’s vegetarian but you would never know. The food is INCREDIBLE and make sure to bring an appetite because they don’t skimp on size! Also the death by chocolate cake is super fantastic (and surprisingly healthy), definitely try that or another one of their fabulous desserts.

There is a vegetarian Jesus out there, because our answers have been answered with «The Grit.» Went here for breakfast and absolutely no regrets. For the first time in over 18 years, I was able to enjoy biscuits with gravy. Tried both the brown and white gravy. If only I could transplant the grit to the San Francisco area. *sigh*

I really want to love this place. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, and I’ve eaten here more than once so it’s not like I don’t come back. The service is always amazing, very friendly and engaging staff.
My only issue is the food is hit or miss. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
I can’t tell what it is exactly that causes this. I guess a lot of the food is just mediocre compared to other stops I regularly go to.
At the same time I would definitely tell an out of towner to check out this restaurant for the novelty. I took my sister here and she is obsessed with it.
One dish I would recommend is the veggie nachos. I like it with black beans, cheese, sour cream and salsa.

An Athens establishment that I haven’t been back to in over 15 years until recently. Even carnivores will enjoy the vegetarian goodness of the grit.
And save room for dessert– cakes and pies are to die for.

I usually come for their teriyaki tofu wrap, but it’s not on the menu anymore :’(
I was not a fan of their «bacon.» I think it consisted of soy beans?
However, the cheese grits were just the way I like my grits and the chalkboard special «quiche» was yummy.
If you want a light, yet fulfilling meal, try this place out.
FYI, there’s no meat on the menu. I think people forget it’s a vegetarian restaurant.

Wow. Whiny people who don’t think that vegetarian and vegan foods can be amazing? Close your mouths and go straight to The Grit. Go straight there.
So. I might be in love with this place. I know there are about 10 things on the menu I still want to try… and with the daily veggies and daily bowl combos? I definitely have a lot more visits.
This place is cute and friendly people work here. And the food? Oh yes… yum, yum, yummy. Seitan bahn mi? Ah-​mazing. Seriously. Perfectly seasoned, on a perfect roll and served with the sweetest, crispest, not-​a-​hint of greasiness sweet potato fries that I’ve ever had in my life? Yes. Yes!!! Sign me up for many more visits. My friend enjoyed my meal too… I had to slide my plate away.
He opted for a bowl special and it was amazing; so many flavor jammed up in one little bowl. That night they had kale, millet and tofu with a pineapple compote. Might sound dull, but the things that kitchen did with those ingredients blew me away. I really can’t wait to explore more.
Lovely beer offerings, and my hummingbird cake was totally moist, perfectly spiced and topped with a generous smear of cream cheese frosting. Love, love, love!
This place is worthy of every single exuberant review.

The shining jewel of Athens, regardless of whether or not you’re vegetarian.
Decent quantity, fair pricing, and freshly prepared in a reasonable amount of time.
What more could you ask.

The Grit is it! It’s what I’ve been looking for most of my vegetarian life! The setting is so relaxed and cool. This place made me wish I lived in Athens, GA.
My hubby and I had the «Indian Feast» and it was just that. You get so much food; I’m glad we decided to share. We had a side of collard greens (delish) and a side of potato salad (wasn’t my favorite, but I’m not complaining). The main dish of the Indian feast is a veggie «lamb» and potato dish. Y’all! You have to try this! Can I say «slammin’»! And I must give a shout out the the wait staff. I wish I would have gotten names but maybe next time. They were great. Very courteous, friendly and helpful. High five to each of you! The cool guy with the dark beard served us. Thanks!
If you’re ever in Athens, Georgia, please don’t miss an opportunity to eat at The Grit. It’s my favorite restaurant ever! And I’m serious!

Had the queso, which tasted ok, but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of quantity of the filling – a lot of fairly empty calories without much substance.
On the plus side, the salsa that came with the chips tasted homemade, bright with a bit of spice in it. I liked it quite a lot. I would go back again and try the falafel or maybe the burger, but for what I had, I can’t say I was wowed.

The Grit is definitely the place to go in Athens if you’re looking for vegetarian and vegan foods. They also offer gluten-​free options as well. I had the privilege of having the «deluxe quesadilla» with vegetables and cheese and for dessert, the «chocolate death» cake. My friend had the chick pea fritters along with Mac and cheese. Everything tasted amazing and light. They served enough food so they didn’t leave you feeling hungry after your meal.
The staff was friendly and accommodating even when it was busy. One warning is that the food does take a little while to make because everything is made from scratch. However, if that means I get to have freshly made food, I can sure be patient with my food. I just advise don’t be hangry before coming in.
The ambiance is contemporary meets hipster. It’s very cozy and I would recommend coming here for any occasion.

I love visiting new places and finding vegan or vegetarian restaurants. I was thrilled with this one.
When you walk in, there’s a counter area and several tables. Then, there’s another room with a lot more tables. There’s a chalkboard with all the day’s specials, be sure to look at it.
I had a veggie platter: collard greens, «sausage» stuffing, and garlic mashed potatoes (yeah, I got what would make me feel the fattest!)
The garlic potatoes were insanely delicious! They come with a side of yummy gravy. The stuffing was good, but a little dry-​ish and I didn’t care for the «sausage». The sausage didn’t taste bad, it was kinda like a hot-​dog in the stuffing; I just didn’t care for it — someone else might love it. The collard greens were very good and proof that you don’t need to cook collard greens with a pig-​foot to make them taste good.
I also had a delicious southern sweet tea.
This restaurant has a cool vibe with all its music history. The décor is simple and basic, and I loved all the character of the building. The restaurant is very clean, and the service was excellent!
You most definitely do NOT come away hungry from this place. The portions were plentiful and it is stick-​to-​your-​ribs food. The prices are really reasonable and you get a lot of food for your dollar. Wifi was free, and there is street parking all around the restaurant. I didn’t have any trouble finding a spot at all.
When I find myself in Athens again, I will definitely be back.
Suggestion for something to do while in Athens: If you are eating here, you must be in Athens. Might I suggest something fun to do? There is a «Walking Tour of Athens Music History» that you can get off the Internet (the public library might also have a map?). It lists many, many buildings in the downtown historic area and tells you a lot of the building’s music history. It’s free and something really fun to do (and get some good exercise). I printed it out, then followed the map and enjoyed learning about these buildings’ incredible histories. This restaurant, The Grit, is on the list — and everything is within walking distance.

What to say about the Grit?
Is it a refer? Yes
Is it «always» crowded? Yes
Is parking a issue? Yes, unless you know where to park
I enjoy The Grit.
One thing I suggest is try to arrive early as you will wait.
If they run out of their specials make sure you have an alternate selection.
I really enjoy their Black Bean Burger
And I really enjoy The Grit!