The Branded Butcher

My wife and I eat here every chance we get. Every thing has always been incredible. Great drinks, I prefer the rricks flair 2. Fast and friendly service in an awesome atmosphere.

Crowded on a Friday night, but why? Appetizer cheese plate served with four pieces of bread, burned, and one wedge of cheese less than 1/​3″ thick and less than 1.5″ at wide end, and 4 paper-​thin slices of apple. Airline chicken was tasty as was the beef filet, but one in our party ordered the Beef Skewers; Beef Carpaccio was served instead. When the correct beef skewers were brought, they were burnt and chewy. Not a great experience, especially for the very high prices.

Too salty pork chop. Water is 4.00 dollar. Horrible service. Wayyyyyyy tooooo expensive for horrible food

I went here for dinner and tried the duck and the chicken entrée. I also had the chicken liver mousse which was really nice although I didn’t like the sherry jelly on the side. The entrees were pretty good especially the chicken but the duck came with farro which was cooked with sherry vinegar and I really didn’t like that. But I just don’t like vinegar in general. For dessert, the cookies and milk were amazing as was the chocolate cake. The 3 cookies were so soft and the cake was very chocolately. Everything served was either from a local farm or Oregon and it was apparent that their ingredients were fresh. 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts were nearly $ 100 with tip so it’s a little expensive.
My only complaint is that my table was next to a group of 8 people who were actually yelling. The restaurant is not very quiet which I liked but I could not even hear my friend across from me. At one point half of them were standing next to their table for some reason and still yelling. They were just super obnoxious the entire time.
MAKE A RESERVATION because I called at 10 am to make an appointment that night and I got the last one. This was a Friday night before the Georgia Southern game though. Which may also explain why there were obnoxious people in the restaurant.

The environment is nice but the price is a little bit too much for me as a poor student. I like the scotch egg, but they could cook the pork chop a little bit longer. I understand that they cook the meat medium on purpose but I personally don’t like pink meat that much. The

Excellent meal. My wife an I went for our anniversary and it was better than expected. Recommended by a friend, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Everything was cooked and prepared well and tasted fabulous. A little loud for a romantic dinner but overall it was great!

This would have been a 4* though there was a nasty surprise at the end! We started with a dozen oysters, 4 different varieties. This was followed by the short rib (special) with «Parisian» gnocchi. All accompanied by a very nice French red blend and a Brooklyn Lager. Then, dessert was ordered. The apple tart tatin began with such promise, then ended with a pubic hair! At this stage, the server, with tip in hand, became an indifferent shrug of the shoulders, which really let down what could have been an ace meal!

Spiritus offerings warrant a look inside this hip and altogether bizarro Athenian establishment. Delightful tipples and a spirit list to rival a much larger cocktail bar, The Branded Butcher is a diamond in the rough. The service is personal and professional with a hint of Georgia. A must try for locals or visitors.

Words can’t express how happy I was with my meal! I was lucky enough to be dining with a dear friend who lives next to and is friends with the head chef. It was a magical evening filled with great people, amazing food creations and impeccable beer. I ate too many things to mention, but you can’t go wrong with the scotch egg or chicken liver mousse. Both so devilishly delicious. I can’t wait to get back to Athens!

We have a few old faithfuls in Athens and this has fast become one of them. While dinner is awesome, we love their Sunday brunch. I think they have the best Bloody Mary in town, and it’s full of tasty pickled veggies. The first time my husband and I went for dinner the service was exceptional and the coolest guy was helping us with drink and food suggestions. In fact, we let him order for us. We later found out that he’s an owner. We bring our kids for brunch and no one who works there has ever batted an eye about having a thirteen and ten year old there to dine. The menu changes frequently and is always fresh. Today during brunch someone wheeled in a cooler filled with fresh corn! The food is delicious, the drinks are awesome (great wine list too), and the staff is close to the best we’ve ever had in Athens. The Butcher consistently delivers!

Recently lost their chef so They Are nickel and diming customers — Which is annoying. We’ve been there twice, and even tho the food is usually good it’s the type of place everyone leaves just a little upset because of the snooty up charges And atmosphere. They literally charged us 10% sales tax and added in enough Other mystery charges Everyone was looking around going «what is this for «? At the end of the night even though we expected to have a really nice dinner and pay for it. Had reservations for 10 so large group, waitresses are always nice and competent but give 3 stars for food, –1 for management /​atmosphere .
Well never go back

My last review was over 2 years old, so I wanted to update it a bit; not that the way I feel about the restaurant has changed, but some of the menu items certainly have.
The small plates rotate pretty regularly; current favorites include the scotch egg (a permanent fixture), the salt and vinegar pork rinds (a great take on a comfort-​food favorite), and the chicken liver mousse (an on-​again, off-​again creation that never fails to please).
While the accompaniments to the steak have changed a few times, the quality of the grass-​fed filet have remained the same; the current iteration, with a soft-​boiled egg and a mushroom crema, is to die for. The pork chop and the mussels still never fail to please, and they’ve added a «from the sea» selection that changes regularly, but I’ve never heard any complaints about.
One of my new go-to’s for a lighter dish is the grilled romaine; served with fried oysters and a house-​made ceasar dressing, it’s a unique take on salad that shouldn’t be missed. I’m also fond of the house-​made pastrami and they have a rotating selection of fresh oysters on the half-​shell too!
This has remained our go-​to for a nice dinner out, and my only regret is that we can’t go more often; the menu is constantly changing, so there are always new things to try!

Had high expectations but was not ultimately impressed.
The space is nice when you enter but devolves as you had towards the back. Poor layout of seating in the rear.
We started with house made cocktails; the Very Necessary was tasty but too sweet for my palette. Moved on to the house made pickles, which were only a few cucumbers and then a bunch of other items that had no business being pickled: figs, cauliflower, string beans, zucchini… My wife said it tasted like «feet.» I promptly asked her how she knew what feet tasted like…
We shared two other small plates: a grilled romaine salad with fried oysters; this was actually quite good! We also had bulgogi beef skewers, which were fine but not special.
Ultimately, biggest issue was taste to portion to price ratio; it was too expensive for little bites of not that great flavors… Oh, and they didn’t have Terrapin on tap but many other smaller local breweries… A plus there…

Loves the bartender Harrison! We enjoyed a salad and a couple of apps including a small cheese course. My sister had a glass of Prosecco and I had a mocktail. What I like best is how the flavors pop and how everything it was very obvious was extremely fresh!
It was the perfect between lunch and dinner spot!
Oyster salad was the bomb!!!

Fancy farm-​to-​table restaurant to take a date in downtown Athens. The Branded Butcher looks like it could belong in any other bigger Southern city like Atlanta or Charleston.
Great ambiance and décor. The food was a tad on the expensive side. The fried pig ears are a good appetizer. Thinly sliced, I guess they are the new upscale pork rinds.
Spent the night mostly eating the small plates like the Chicken Liver Mousse with Candied pecans and Grilled Romaine salad.
Good wine selection as well.

Obnoxiously delicious. I’ve almost considered driving to Athens from Atlanta just to have breakfast here on the weekend — it’s that good. We totally over-​ordered and regretted none of it.
The cast iron pancake is very clever and highly recommended — we went for the savory option but the sweet looks decadent. The North Carolina Trout and Grits were delightful. The atmosphere is fun, the décor is pleasant and works well across the multiple times of day they serve, and our waitress was the perfect combination of smart, charming, and helpful that you seem to only get in a college town.

WOW — this place gets a solid ⁵⁄₅. If I could give a 6 out of 5, I would.
Guys/​Gals — perfect place to take your gf-​bf/​wives-​hubbys/​parents for a nice dinner. I wish I could have taken my parents here when I was in undergrad, but I was one of those broke college kids haha.
Shoutout to Sierra! Awesome server/​waitress. She helped our dinner go extremely smoothly.
Everything was perfect when me and one of my gal pals came in for dinner. We had a show around 7 to go to, but really wanted to try out a new place for dinner! We’re both UGA grads, so coming back to Athens for a visit is always a welcomed activity.
BTW — I would make reservations. We got to Branded Butcher just as they opened up for dinner and luckily there were only 2 of us. During our dinner, the place got PACKED. Almost every table was taken. On our way out — there was a long line of folks waiting to get a table/​check in.
Parking — It’s Athens; let’s be real — park on campus/​lots/​hotels/​streets and walk on over. BB is right next to Georgia Theater! Pretty visible.
Space — I would say BB is a medium sized area. They do have a bar area inside. There are some 2 man tables + some 4 man tables. Oh and when you walk in, they do have a stand where you can check in/​ask for seating.
Environment & Service– Solid. Casual & constantly on the ball. It’s not a formal place, but I would dress up a little. Especially, if you’re here for a nice dinner. The service was stellar. Definitely had their A Game. Several servers would walk by during dinner to make sure we were good to go. Sierra was our main server, but it’s great to see management has taught their staff to be attentive to ALL tables, not just their own. I wish other restaurants had this concept. Every dish we finished was immediately seen and taken care of… and the next dish came out. Smooth transition.
Oh yeah, drinks here are super good. Definitely try them our when you’re here. Not too strong and the taste was rich.
We shared all 5 dishes since we wanted to try as much as we could!
Food:
Seared Brussel Sprouts — These were done perfectly. Probably one of the best plates of Brussel Sprouts I’ve had so far in life. Not too dark and not undercooked. They also had a yellow (ish) sauce included and it went VERY WELL together. I love Brussel Sprouts, so I always order this when I see them on a menu. Good portion for 2 people.
Chicken Liver Mousse — This sounds weird and bad, but don’t let the name fool you. This plate has 4 white breads, candied pecan, and sherry reduction. Smear the sherry reduction on the breads and eat it with a piece of candied pecan! SO GOOD! Tasted amazing. Especially the candied pecan: D 2 people can share this.
Habanero Bratwurst — We had 2 long pieces of Bratwursts as well as mushrooms. Surrounding those 2 items was polenta (tasted like grits) pool. The Habanero Bratwursts, like the name says, had a nice spicy kick to them. I ate it with the polenta. Delicious. If you’re like me and occasionally eat Bratwursts, try them. But if you’re a hardcore eater of them, not sure if you’ll like them. I’m not an expert. For me — I was very satisfied with the taste, kick, and portion… easily a 2 person dish.
Pork Chop — This was awesome! So juicy and tender. It tasted like they had smoked and grilled it. The vegetables included tasted fresh. The sauce on top of the pork chop, not sure what it was, but it sure did compliment the entire dish. The sauce also made the grits taste better (it surrounded the pork chop). Also, it was easily cuttable from our knives. In the past, there were some pork chops I struggled cutting…
Dessert:
Spicy Chocolate Torte… with honey brittle & cranberry jam. Enough said. Although when you try to get a bite, you’ll have to really stab into it. The outside is solid chocolate. Once you break into it, eat it with the honey brittle and cranberry jam. You won’t be disappointed!

This is literally the best food I’ve tasted in a decade. I had the Brussels sprouts and the pork chop. Yum!

I feel like my review should serve as a public apology to Branded Butcher — to its staff and patrons who witnessed my overserved friends act crazy after our loss to GA Tech. We’re sorry y’all. Anyway.
Hubby wanted to try BB so a small group of us went straight there after the game and snagged a reservation for their first dinner opening. We went to the rooftop bar next door to wait it out and here’s where the trouble began: we encountered friends we hadn’t seen in ages and invited them to join us. We easily changed our res via phone and enjoyed a couple more drinks on the rooftop.
Only after the res change did I realize that a few folks in our party had been, ahem, overserved at some point in the day. I went ahead of the group with a friend and we informed the hostess we were the first and the others would be on their way. We were seated on the patio, which was heated and very nice (and blessedly out of sight from the main dining room). For awhile we were the only ones in there and it didn’t so much matter that folks were rowdy and loud.
Our waiter deserves recognition for staying as cool as a cucumber while serving us. He included gratuity on our bill since we were a large group; I tipped him on top of it anyway. He was a good sport who made everyone feel right at home and had amazing patience with those that had imbibed (I should note I was the DD so was gloriously sober to witness the whole scene). Amazing service — I really can’t give enough kudos here.
So on to the food! We ordered pork rinds and the pickled veggie plate. Both were gobbled down in seconds. I settled on a few small plates instead of a main dish. I had the Mac and cheese, which I thought I would share, but then liked it so much, I hoarded it for myself. I thought the hotdog would be weird but it was perfect. The habanero bratwurst was also delicious.
I look forward to coming back with just hubby for a calmer evening when we can explore more of the menu…

A nice upscale restaurant amidst the casual ones in downtown Athens.
We started off with the goat pimento cheese and gobi. Both were delicious and came with plenty to share!
For dinner I got the corn dog and the scotch egg. I was actually full from the appetizer but I still enjoyed both. The hot dog is made in house and served with mustard.
We decided to get the seasonal fruit pie for dessert, and it was not what we expected. It was blueberry but it was not a pie — at least not your typical pie. There were some nice flavors but a little dry. Our friends got the cookies and milk and that looked delicious. They were kind enough to bring an extra glass of milk, as well.
At some point our server came and took my glass of wine that still had a couple sips remaining and didn’t ever ask me if I wanted a refill. Other than that I was very pleased with the service. Overall the service was excellent! We were checked on often without feeling disturbed. Will definitely stop in again