The National

Overall pretty good. Kinda on the pricey side, but you get a lot of food for what you pay for so it's worth it if you look at it from that perspective.

The biggest surprise from the menu was definitely the Stuffed Medjool Dates. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was.

The restaurant is advertised as having "Mediterranean-style dished created with seasonal, southern influences". However, I would argue that these dishes are far more southern then they are Mediterranean. This is by no means a bad thing if that is your desire you will not be disappointed! However, for me personally, I would have preferred a menu more on the Mediterranean side.

The atmosphere was lovely and the service was delightful. Our server made helpful suggestions and recommendations as well. We were able to enjoy a lovely evening for our anniversary. The food was delicious and they were very attentive to my food allergies. I made the reservation through Resy and it was so easy and they were ready for us as soon as we arrived. The staff consistently wished us a happy anniversary and it was so sweet. We will definitely be coming back for a future date night!

Our first visit, but definitely not our last! All the food was delicious. Prepared perfectly. This is the vegetable plate consisting of beets, green beans, risotto, sweet potatoes and fried cauliflower. The portion size was perfect. Great wine list by the glass or bottle. Well known and liked in Athens. Parking was $5 just a few feet away on a Wednesday evening. Looking forward to returning and trying more dishes!

✅ Food: Their menu changes frequently and on that day it was filled with all fancy-sounding dishes. The food was great and well-presented. I have to emphasize that the food was five stars! The two stars were taken out because of the service and atmosphere. See below.

🙁 Yet there were a couple of downsides. The service was really slow, and it kinda put a damper on the whole experience. It felt like we were waiting forever for our food to arrive (30 minutes+). Besides, the place was incredibly noisy. There were so many people talking loudly, and it made it difficult to have a conversation without practically shouting. It was a bit frustrating, especially since we were expecting top-notch experience at a fine dining restaurant.

📌 Overall: the food was amazing, but the slow service and loud environment definitely took away from the experience. It's a shame because it had so much potential to be a perfect dining spot.

Such an amazing experience! The menu has such variety, the food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere felt like a European cafe. We had several tapas/starters and loved everything!

WOW.

My fiancée and I celebrated our two year anniversary here and it exceeded our expectations. If you enjoy mediterranean style food this place is legit. Their house olives were very tasty, the stuffed dates had the perfect pop of manchego, the cheese plate was scrumptious and the patatas bravas were some of the best I have ever had. The pork chop was huge and very tasty. The Mahi was unique and tasted very fresh and vivacious. Their menu is constantly changing and updating which I love. I feel awful because I don't remember our servers name but he was a tall blonde gentleman and was wonderful. He explained their house cocktails in exquisite detail and was very knowledgeable of the whole menu. On top of that he comped our crème brûlée (which was incredible with the candied orange).

We eat out a lot. This place got our attention, the service, the atmosphere, the freshness of the food and the attention to detail all lead to an incredible experience.

We will be sure to visit again.

5/5

Good food but nothing outstanding. Limited Mediterranean dishes. Pork chop and flounder were cooked well but the dishes fell flat with soggy potato skins and odd pork rinds on top. Service was great but the kitchen put food out in a leisurely pace.

We don't eat gluten and enjoyed our meal here! There was thoughtful exchanges to make our meal safe for us to enjoy and it was really delicious! They even have gluten-free flatbread for the hummus plate and to replace their baguettes. Thanks The National!!

Really great Mediterranean restaurant in Athens in Georgia. All foods are delicious and atmosphere is cheerful.

Great ambiance, particularly because the restaurant is so clean and stylish in blue and white. The lunch is great and I appreciate that their cocktails have so many handcrafted ingredients. I like the dinner less than the lunch. I often find the cuts of meat to be inconsistent in portion size. I had been served miniature pieces of salmon and far too thick pork chops. Overall I love the restaurant but prefer to go for lunch or drinks.