FIVE Bar

Great burger, horrible wait times. The place wasn’t that busy or filled with customers yet we waited 30 minutes to be seated. Then after our order was put it it was almost an hour before we got the food. It was also overpriced. Though it was good, it wasn’t worth what was charged. Not much good to say here.

Every single dish was simply outstanding, bursting with deliciousness, our waitress Emily was attentive, funny, and very professional. Probably one of my best meals ever. Uptown Shrimp, Gulf Coast Platter, and White chocolate bread pudding. OMG…

I don’t think I can add much more, considering how thorough the other reviews were. The food is GREAT, the service is pretty damn fast too. I love their cocktails — I had the Prose, which was rose wine, St. Germain, peach schnapps, and champagne, with a rose petal floating on top. My partner had the pineapple jalapeño margarita which was large and strong, though not as spicy as he was expecting. Our apps were the Uptown Shrimp and the Baked Avocado, both of which were delicious from top to bottom and served in generous portions. The Uptown Shrimp is a seriously large amount of food, DO SHARE IT! It comes on top of a really tasty slaw and in a fried wonton bowl and we ate the entire thing. Anything that was edible went into our mouths!
Our entrees were the Surf and Turf and the Daily Catch, which that night was a blackened white fish with cilantro risotto. The portions were great, though my steak was overcooked and had some cartilage in it that I had to spit out. I’ve never had a filet that I couldn’t eat all of the way through, and I wonder if a different cut of meat was used to «make» my filet. The stuffed shrimp were great as well, and wrapped in bacon. They weren’t as big as «regulation sized baseballs» like another reviewer stated, they were more like golf balls. I’m not complaining — I was full as a tick after I finished eating.
You also get free cookies with your check, so don’t force yourself to have dessert if you are full. The small portion is perfect after such a huge meal. EDITED to add that this meal won’t be cheap. Dinner for two with apps and drinks ran over $ 100, but it was worth it and I totally plan to go back.

I love the Rule of Five concept here. 5 apps, 5 entrees, 5 cocktails, etc. Keep it simple. Variety is great but not being overwhelmed with choices is a refreshing change.
Ordered the uptown shrimp, which were plump and coated in a sweet/​spicy sauce served on a bed of mild slaw in a wonton bowl. It was fabulous and more than enough for two to share.
For entrees we had the paneed chicken and surf n turf. The chicken was perfectly cooked, similar to a chicken piccata. The side salad was more fruit than veggie but they use local seasonal produce which I loved. I think their seafood is flown in fresh from the Gulf but I’m not positive about that.
The filet was cooked perfectly and came with two enormous stuffed shrimp. Seriously they were regulation size baseballs. I had the jalapeño pineapple something or other margarita and I was surprised by how much I liked it. An occasional pepper seed made its way up the straw now and then and reminded me who’s boss.
The atmosphere is cozy and casual but also romantic, what with the dim lighting and the retro chandeliers hanging about. Great for a date night. Bring your wallet. Not the cheapest joint in town.
I’m the furthest thing from a vegetarian there can be, but I would be remiss if I didn’t warn my herbivore Unilocalers that I didn’t see much on the menu for you. Maybe they can make accommodations, I don’t know.
I’m going back for the baked avocado. I think bacon is involved. I hear the weekend brunch is great, with some smooth live jazz offered up.
Our server comped us two cookies out of the goodness of her heart. We appreciated that. Pay them a visit.

Although I generally love this restaurant for its Athens-​hip vibe, our group was disappointed with super sssslllloooww service this morning, 45 minutes to get Shrimp and Grits while other tables were seated after us and eating entrees before us. Bummed. Waitress was sweet but totally inattentive. Maybe better training for staff?

So thankful the restaurant next door had a long wait, so that we found this restaurant. The service & hospitality were excellent. Highlights of our meal were the shrimp appetizer, the red snapper special & the surf/​turf. Even the salad was unique & delicious. As full as we were, we opted to share dessert. Our party of 4 agreed it was the best we had ever had. From start to finish, awesome dining experience. Many thanks!

Excellent location, décor, food and Sunday brunch is my favorite! The small menu makes it easy to decide. They have a band play on Sunday’s and a Bloody Mary bar that is delicious! Service could be a little more attentive but I understand it gets crowded.

Excellent food, excellent atmosphere, excellent service. Had a great time at 5 tonight before our favorite band (Sister Hazel.) Definitely recommend it great drinks, food selection is not alot but this is a bar first. But the food they do offer is wonderful.

My girlfriend and I went to FIVE to listen to jazz music while eating brunch. They use an innovative online check-​in system, which send you a text message to alert you when your table is ready. That is pretty awesome. While waiting, I enjoyed a latte at the bar. It was on bar with the chains at about the same price.
My girlfriend ordered the breakfast burrito. The cheese was rather thick, indicative of sitting under a heat lamp. Nevertheless the flavor was good. I order chicken and waffles, which I really enjoyed.
The service is above average. The music was good.
This bar is five stars because I think it is a little overpriced considering the location and quality. It is still a good place if you haven’t tried it.

Spent New Years in Athens with some friends, we stopped into FIVE for dinner and had a fantastic time. The food was really great and the atmosphere was very comfortable, we really liked the seafood dishes and all of the snacks. The staff was efficient and friendly which our large group appreciated, we had suck a great time that we stopped in for brunch on Sunday, our last day. The brunch was also delicious, also with a stunning Bloody Mary bar.

Amazing food and fantastic staff! This was our first time visiting Athens and we were very impressed! Do yourself a favor and get the chicken and waffles for brunch!

This is the newest trend in Athens dining establishments– try to guess if they’re a chain or not. The food sucks and they had fleas when we were there.

We came here after a game to grab a drink and a snack, but then literally ordered all of the snacks on the menu, a few entrees, beers, drinks, and dessert!
Everything we ate was phenomenal — that baked avocado is sinful. I think the uptown shrimp are the best value on the snacks menu — you get a lot of shrimp for the price. Don’t miss out on the white chocolate bread pudding; it’s delish!
I’ll definitely stop by again the next time I’m in town.

Pleasantly quiet, with friendly and efficient staff. The seafood rigatoni is better than average, and the salad with it is fantastic.

I’m honestly a little shocked by the higher than expected rating… I don’t think this place is the worse place ever, it’s just price for what you are getting.
If you are new to Athens, I would definitely go to a lot of other places before this place. However, if you don’t want to wait for those places and want a finer dining experience and Mom and Dad are in town, yea this place would do.
The food is good, but the pricey food along with the limited menu really left me looking for more.

With too long a wait at Last Resort we headed for Five Bar and ordered a few apps and drinks. Everything we ordered was delicious, and the service and recommendations from the GM Dane were right on. He went out of his way to make sure we were happy. The uptown shrimp is Fantastic! We highly recommend a stop at Five Bar when you’re in Athens.

Fun place great bartender, she was on it even being very busy! Needs to be 10bar not 5. They have fried chicken but only on Sunday. Being from out of town I wasn’t and won’t ever be in town on Sunday. Oh well split several of the appetizers and all were very good. Beer was cold and only a few bucks a bottle. Will go back when I’m in the area.

Waiting on a table at Last Resort and came into Five Bar for what we thought would be a drink. The four of us got a table and ordered a few apps. We were blown away by the service, atmosphere, drinks & mostly food. Everything we ordered was delicious, and the service from the waiter and additional attention from the owner were a nice touch above and beyond the fantastic food. It’s replaced all of our old favorites as the number one and should definitely be your go-​to next time you’re in Athens.

Toby, our waiter, was exceptional and made this a very pleasant experience. As many of you know, I love this restaurant concept and look forward to the day it’s more widely implemented. They only serve 5 meal choices, and if you don’t like it great: leave.
I’m a big fan of the establishment and first found out about it through their Tuscaloosa location.
That said, my experience here differed from my Tuscaloosa memories in that:
1.) this location seemed to be pricier — 5 Bar is always a premium product but seemed about 15−20% priced than perhaps it should be. $ 13 Dollars for a burger seems a bit much OTP, regardless.
2.) They don’t have draught beer, only bottled beer. What gives?
We ordered pimento cheese + spicy jelly (top notch, delicious) with the mahi mahi freshly flown in. I had the burger.
All were delicious, with the mahi mahi definitely tasting fresh.
I recommend eating here next time you’re in town. My advice to 5 though: sell some of the 57 chandeliers in the place and lower your prices.
Nice touch with the Bear Bryant pic on the wall…

Standouts: the Crab-​cake (on Saturday nights), the Uptown Shrimp in their crispy edible bowl with a zingy sauce that rocks, and a consistently wonderful selection of red-​wine!
Atmosphere: stylish, modern polished concrete floors, great tunes, dark lighting, and an open kitchen.
Of interest about the restaurant: 5 starters, 5 entrees, 5 white wines, 5 red wines. They drive in the catch for the weekends from the dock on the gulf coast.
I’ve been to Five Bar four times now on different nights over the course of 4 months. The food, service, and atmosphere is consistently great!