The National

We loved it so much for lunch that we returned for dinner and brought our friends! The «power lunch» is a great vegetarian item that is amazingly flavorable, the the tuna salad is equally delicious. For dinner, we enjoyed the date appetizer, followed by the sea bass and daily fish special. Both entrees were a delicious blend of flavors with nice presentation. The chocolate-​fig dessert ended the experience on a great note. We will return on our next trip to Athens!

Another reviewer mentioned that The National is «too hip». I think that sums it up pretty accurately. It’s a hip looking place in a hip location with hip staff. In all that hipness, they seem to have lost sight of the importance of customer service.
Went on a slow summer weeknight. We were promptly given a table in a high-​traffic area about 7.5 inches away from another set of diners. In a near-​empty restaurant. There was no less desirable location in the place. Even the neighboring table noticed how strange this was.
The hostess brought us water and menus. Then we sat. For 10 minutes. Keep in mind that there were more staff than patrons in the place. At least 6 different servers/​hosts walked by us and not one stopped to greet us or to let us know when they would be over to wait on us.
Got up and left. Walked to the nearby Branded Butcher where we promptly received attentive and friendly service and had a great meal.
The National might get points for appearance but the service is nonexistent. I choose to patronize businesses that acknowledge and appreciate their customers.

A rich textured blend of flavors to say the least. Will not disappoint! Food and drink with heart and passion.

«Do you have any ranch or ketchup?» my friend asked for her juicy lamb and beef burger.
«Hmm, let me check,» our server answered in his oh-​so-​cool paisley shirt and moussed hair.
A moment later, he returns with neither ranch or ketchup, but a yogurt-​based sauce with dill and other artistinal locally-​sourced ingredients.
Yes, The National is that type of restaurant.
At Chef Hugh Acheson’s The National, the hipster vibe can be a little much — from the hostess with her high-​waisted faded gray jeans to the artfully mixed cocktails that arrives in petite glasses. This is Athens — not Brooklyn. Take the pretentiousness somewhere else.
I will say The National does vegetables right. I had the Power Lunch which consisted of a black rice bowl with over ten different ingredients. Veggies never tasted so good. Also tried the Super bowl which is another rice bowl with veggies and the portion was big enough for two. Prices are tad bit pricey for Athens.
The Lamb and beef burger was juicy and flavorful. Just wished it was served with french fries instead of chips.
Not sure who The National is trying to cater to since it’s too expensive for students and too hip for parents.

The great southern Chef Hugh Acheson knocked it out of the park with his Athens Georgia restaurant, The National.
Down for parent’s weekend at UGA (Go Dawgs!) we need a special dinner for Golda so The National was on the chopping block and as in the show Chopped Hugh Acheson reigned supreme and wasn’t chopped by Adler family judges.
We would have given 5 stars but didn’t because we had to eat alfresco in the misty rain.
The hostess and wait staff performed admirably, but the Chef excelled.
In typical Adler style, we ordered a variety of tapas, appetizers and main courses will forks and spoons dueling for dibs and critiques flying.
Our best dishes were: patatas bravas, boquerones, pizzeria, pan roasted barramundi and the King Salomon. Go Dawgs, go to The National.

Delicious… a little tip of the hat to California whether they know it or not (p.s. born and raised in CA on the central coast)…trip tip is a central coast delicacy that is served here, alknf with some good Santa baraba wines. Definitely a must try if in Athens!

Here is food to die for
Everything exceeded our expectations
The cucumber gazpacho was utterly divine
The salade nicoise a triumph

First off I want to praise the wait staff and the hostess desk. I came with a large group and at the last minute they re-​arranged their restaurant for a different time and a different seating. We ended up at a coveted round table instead of the rectangular, and they *snap* made it happen.
The food, first off, is excellent. The vegetable platter is huge (always a plus to see vegetarians and others with similar inclinations treated well).
The interior is great, calming, and even though it’s a small space feels quite comfortable. Full linen and glassware… really, no shortcuts taken. I appreciate that.
I would say, however, that the portion sizes are relatively small for the price. I ate pieces of a few different appetizers (so thus ate more than one appetizer myself) and could easily have eaten two of my entrees.
I don’t want to make this sound like a negative because the food truly is great.
Just don’t come here when you’re hungry.
This is a great place to go when you want to eat slowly, savor your food, and share your experience with others. If you want a nice restaurant to fill up after a long day, just be prepared to order a lot of food.

One of My favorite spots in Athens! Every time my parents come to town this is the only spot they will go. It’s never a bad choice

Perfect way to spend my last night in Athens. Nice tapas selection. No complaints on my hanger steak! Pro tip — grab at pint at Creature Comforts across the street before dinner.

My boyfriend and I stopped here during the twilight festival. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to get a seat in the bar area. The atmosphere was pretty laid-​back, I really liked the lighting and the colors in the bar area, deep blues with twilight lighting.
I ordered the hummus with the gluten-​free flatbread, and I believe it was the spring salad but I’m not positive of the name. My boyfriend ordered the turkey burger. Our food was very good, nothing to complain about. My salad had goat cheese and favs beans with pesto on top, a very nice combination. The flatbread was warmed for my hummus which was very smooth, garnished with paprika on top.
My boyfriend enjoyed his turkey burger, and he actually ate it with all of the toppings that it came, with something he never does! He did say it was a little too fancy for his tastes with all the toppings, but the fact that he actually ate it like that says something.
I definitely want to come back and try the vegetable entrée. That’s next on my list for the national

Dates — were delicious. simple. yummy.
Brussel Sprouts — were the best I have ever had
Georgia Chicken — yum
Tart — was just okay (the only part of the meal that wasn’t phenomenal
Brownie — was «melt in your mouth» fabulous
Gelato — we got cherry and had it with the brownie. superb.

I’ve had food here a number of times. The food pretty much always tastes good, though the portions can be a bit meh for the price. One dessert – chocolate goat cheese cheesecake – was extremely good. Another one, a chocolate brownie, was sadly not good at all – I didn’t even finish it. They’re still a good restaurant, but if I’m spending a bunch of money, there’s a few other places I’d rather go.

Eating dinner at the national was good. We enjoyed his other restaurant a little more. 5 and 10. Appetizers were patatas bravas. Fries with tomato sauce and cream. Local lettuces were great with feta cheese. Crispy squid. Could of just said calamari. Average. Pizzette was a flatbread pizza with chorizo. Was good. Brussels sprouts were warm and lots of flavor. Better than last night.
Bibo Pilsner beer from Athens all around. Dinner was lamb shoulder special. Trout from North Carolina and pork tenderloin. Trout was the best. Lamb had lots of gristle. Pork was fair, but good

THIS PLACE!
Fine dinning in the downtown footprint, yet unpretentious and approachable. The ever changing, seasonal menu is sheer perfection. Everything is done correctly and the staff know what they are doing.
Go to The National. Tell ‘em Big Texas sent you.

First of all, I would like to say I love the light and freshness of the food here. Would recommend this place of dinner but not so much lunch. At least for me, I feel that lunch was not worth the price paid here.
I went there for a quick dinner on a date and we ordered:
Mushroom bisque — vegetarian but oh-​so-​good! It was creamy and the flavor of the mushroom stood out. A must try. I felt that it needed a bit more salt but my date didn’t think so (but hey, that’s why they provide salt on the side, everyone’s different). A definite recommend!
Vegetable plate — ummmmm… I don’t know what the hype about this is. Vegetable, good but it was mediocre. It felt like everything was kind of piled on. Definitely need to work on the presentation of the dish. It was just not that appetizing. I really like the squash salad on the dish but the other things had a lot of vinegar. It was ok. I think if presentation is better (maybe on a bigger plate and spread out a little?), it might had been better. The felafel on top was really not that good, the sauce was… was that Siracha? I really don’t know, but I don’t think I will get this dish again. Maybe the next season? For now, I don’t like it and I love vegetables. So it’s saying a lot.
Lamb Special — I got to say, hands down I think The National have the best cooked meats I’ve eaten anywhere. Seasoned well and plate is balanced. I love the mint Verde on top, it really added to the flavor. A dish that’s really in season, presented well and absolutely delicious. (Last time I got the hanger steak from here, definitely a must try!).
Portuguese Custard Cream Tart (forgot the exact name) — I wasn’t so excited about this. Kind of remind me of a Chinese egg tart? It was ok, wasn’t jumping up and down for this.
Overall, delicious with some ups and downs. Recommend this restaurant for a light meal!

I will start by saying the service was not very good, and the wine list was a little disappointing to me, then again I’m not a big international wine drinker, so to each his own.
Even with those 2 complications the national still gets the highly coveted 5 Star because of one reason: The Food, oh yes… The Food is phenomenal!
I started the meal with the cheese plate and stuffed dates. I don’t even like dates but that all changes when I eat at the national. I always order the stuffed dates, they quite possibly could change your life. The cheese plate, although I can not remember all 3 cheeses, was delish.
It’s a big deal to me when I order my entrée, inform the server I am splitting it, and the entrée does not come to the table split on 2 separate plates… Thank goodness that was not the case here. I split the vegetable plate with my wife, it came to the table split and was absolutely amazing.
The dessert was nothing short of delectable. Warm gooey chocolate brownie, topped with a scoop of sweet and salty pistachio gelato. The only thing that would have made it better was another scoop of gelato.

We’re avid fans of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters so of course we made reservations at one of Hugh Acheson’s restaurants while we visited Athens, GA. If we’d been there a bit longer, we’d have gone to 5 & 10, too.
We almost missed it from the outside because it’s in an old factory and looks very unassuming from the exterior. We drove up the street twice before we saw it. It’s also very low key inside with a comfortable down home type feel topped by sparkly chandeliers. There were enough choices on the bottled beer list to satisfy us so that was an easy choice. Their wine list looked interesting and not super pricey. Entrée prices are also very reasonable.
We ordered the crispy brussels sprouts with herb crema and the stuffed medjool dates with celery, manchego cheese & smoked paprika tapas to start. Oh my goodness, these were amazing! I’ve searched continuously for that brussels recipe online ever since I ate these. I don’t know how they get them so crispy and flavorful but I want to know in the worst way! These brussels sprouts are perfection on a plate and completely vegetarian, which is even more amazing. Those crispy crunchy pieces only added to the flavor. The stuffed dates were truly the perfect bite that they always talk about on Top Chef. They nailed it with these!
Those 2 dishes were 5 star all the way. Our entrees, although really delicious, weren’t quite the caliber of the openers.
I ordered the Grilled Hanger Steak medium rare with romesco sauce, arugula, braised green vidalia onions & radishes. The steak was flavorful, as was the sauce it was sitting on. The other items on the plate didn’t enhance it in any way and the radishes were lacking in flavor and didn’t really provide a crunch that was needed. I definitely needed my steak knife and there wasn’t that melt in your mouth quality I was sort of expecting from my steak.
My husband ordered the fish special which was a Costa Rican king clap. It tasted super fresh and was perfectly cooked. It’s a fish neither of us were familiar with before but really liked. He also felt the accompaniments on the plate could be improved upon to make the dish better.
We would certainly return to The National and yes, we’d definitely order those brussels and dates again!

I liked this place but its not one I would rave about and count the days to my next visit. Considering its pedigree, I was frankly expecting more. But don’t get me wrong, it’s quite good! Unassuming inside — guess a former tire retread factory has that effect — its not overly large but comfortable and unpretentious. Our server was good, although I can see room for improvement in service in general. The menu isn’t large but it is certainly adequate and reflects the fresh ingredients that you’d expect in a restaurant of this caliber. I would have preferred a better beer selection although the wine list was fairly extensive and fairly priced.
We started with the Crispy Brussel Sprouts and stuffed Medjool dates — both or which were outstanding. I don’t know how you get brussel sprouts to taste that good without cooking them with bacon but these rank right up there as top 2 I’ve ever had. Wow. I could turn vegetarian just on those alone! And the dates? Are you kidding me? Something as pedestrian as dates that taste like that? There’s magic somewhere in that kitchen!
My fish special of the day was a fresh King Clap — a firm white fish that was cooked extremely well. Portion size was about what I expected and it definitely was fresh. It was under seasoned to my taste and despite looking beautiful on the plate wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hoped. It was lacking something but I can’t put my finger on it. I would NOT order it again. My wife’s hangar steak was cooked medium rare and was, to my judgment, a little tough. I love hangar steak and when it’s done well, it is amazing. This fell slightly short of that. Good, but not great. To their credit, the menu is priced very well and considering the quality of food you get you might even consider it cheap. I’d come back but I’d order a different entrée. But count me in for the sprouts and the dates!

What a charming little place. If you want a little luxury or a really nice place to take your date in Athens, look no further. Super romantic with pretty candlelight, you come for the ambiance and stay for the food. I recommend the Brussels sprouts appetizer. And no, I don’t like Brussels sprouts. But these are amazing. Crispy, savory, creamy, delicious. Very filling so you should share. The stuffed dates appetizer was also good, but I’d prefer melted cheese or creamier cheese. The date was halved with a slice of cheese and some celery inside. Good flavor combination but a bit too chewy for me. Also super filling. We had to share an entrée (called a large plate here) because we were so stuffed from the two apps. Split the angus steak and vegetables. Cooked perfectly. Super yum!
Definitely give The National a try. It’s in Hugh Acheson’s (of ESS, 5&10) capable hands, and it doesn’t disappoint!