The National

The National is one of the nicest places you can go in Athens, and one of the most delicious as well. They know exactly how to cook their meat, and the veggies are also great. While definitely one of the more expensive places to eat, the only real downside is the sometimes sluggish service. However, since they’ve reopened, this isn’t an issue mostly due to limited capacity. They are handling COVID seating really well!

What a fantastic meal! From apps, to main course, to dessert, and even cocktails, no part of this meal was anything less than perfection. The combinations of flavors were sublime to the point that experiencing them is a form of escapism.
As amazing as the entire experience was, it was actually the appetizers that brought me here to take time out of my day to write a review. The apps that we tried were the shishito peppers and the salchichón pizzette. The peppers were prepared simply, almost like chiles toreados, but were the most flavorful and delicious preparation of a pepper that I have ever had, and that’s saying a lot, coming from me, as I am a major chili-head, and grow, cook, and eat peppers on a regular, almost daily basis.
The pizzette was so good it basically made me question everything I had ever done in my life that *wasn’t* eating it. The combination of salchichón, peach, honey, and the most beautiful arugula ever to exist, was almost indescribably good. Each bite made me feel like I was going to become ethereal and either float through the ceiling or the floor. Main courses that we tried were pork shoulder & hanger steak — both delicious — and for dessert we shared flourless chocolate cake and had dessert cocktails— all perfection, but it was the two appetizers that stole the show. Probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

Lovely European atmosphere. My daughter had the Summer Salad and I had the Warm Okra and Chickpea Salad. Both were excellent. The balance of harissa and yogurt in my salad was perfect. Service was fine, though the server visibly lost interest in us when she realized we were only planning to eat salads. Nevertheless, well worth a visit.

The Power Lunch was AWESOME today!!! It's always great, but something about those new peas made it extra special today. Everything was so fresh and delish!

Really fantastic food, good cocktails and friendly service. We eat here any time we come over to Athens from Atlanta! Our top spot in Athens.

Loved The National! Athens has some great restaurants, The National is one of them, reservations recommended for this small venue. The vegetable plate abd beef duo were wonderful and truly everything on the menu looked scrumptious. The wait staff were attentive but not annoying trying to turn the table too quickly.

Second time there and even better than the first! Atmosphere was nice again. Ride balls and a summer salad with watermelon, grilled peach, mozzarella and balsamic to start. The salad was especially good. Pork chop and the Atlantic Cod were also killer. Just a good time with good food. So worth it.

Everyone I spoke to said The National was considered one of the best restaurants on the southeast, I disagree. The last resort/ provisions family are far better at what they do. The hanger steak I had at The national was presented in a way that made me feel I was at a wedding reception. Blah. The service was just fine , the stuffed dates ,rushed and sloppy looking on the plate. Really it comes down to institutional presentation. Pretty damn disappointing for a birthday dinner but you have to try them all to find the hidden gems!

The. Best. In. Athens. Hands. Down!
I was smart enough to take a visiting friend to The National to give him a taste of the world-class,yet unassuming talent that makes Athens the quiet cultural power center that it is. Peter and his team did not disappoint and went above and beyond to ensure we both left feeling delightfully spoiled rotten. A special thank you to Ally, Claudia and the rest of the bar service team for a very special experience.
And the food was off-the-charts delicious, natch. :-)

They're open for take out and patio dining and we opted for the latter. It was a SAFE and delightful dinner with the same impeccable service and food preparation we've always experienced. The shrimp/scallops saffron rice with garlic aioli was scrumptious as was my wife's steelhead dinner. Don't hesitate to dine there now!!!