Chops & Hops

Ate here last weekend and am still thinking about the meal I had. The restaurant kindly starts you off with their homemade potato chips and gravy. Beer menu was extensive and I even found a Creature Comforts special that I’d never had before. We got the fried calamari as an appetizer, which lived up to the hype. For the main course, I ordered the mahi mahi special that came with couscous and sautéed spinach. All facets of the plate were incredible, so much that i almost went back the next day to order the same meal. I will definitely be back

This is our absolute favorite place to go, and my whole family can usually be found dining at the bar on Friday evenings. The food is always good! This is the number one place to take people from out of town because it’s such a guarantee to be good. Lots of options for varied dietary needs, which is super important for our social circle. Also always happy to work with you to come up with something that works for you or to make alterations. The craft beer is fantastic and the menu is constantly rotating. The absolute BEST shrimp and grits I have ever had, they are unconventional but delicious. Don’t let the watkinsville address turn you off, it’s such a short ride over from athens. Not to mention, they’ve done lots of favors for the local nonprofit and animal rescue communities, which is always a plus for us.

Service was slow… real slow. Two of us got burgers and both were very bland. Were out of one of their off menu chef specials. We will probably go back at some point and well see if things are better then.

Went here for a co works birthday lunch. I really enjoyed their vegetarian risotto. I would be happy to eat at this restaurant again.

We’d been to the UGA football game and we were tired and hungry when we got to Chops & Hops in Watkinsville. First, no wise cracks about this Tech fan going to a Georgia football game. When you are married to a Georgia grad, there’s such a thing as compromise. I reached into my husband’s bag of tricks and the only thing I could find was a «YES, DEAR». We did have a lot of fun and we enjoyed the company of our friends. Now, it was time to do what I came for — EAT!
The restaurant was understandably crowded but its got great capacity and they were able to seat us right away. We soon had drinks (thankfully, because I was ready to fall out) and soon came the decision on what to order. Since we’d been stomping around, what seemed to be all over Athens, we were just beginning to recover from the heat and we didn’t want anything really heavy even though it was fast approaching dinner time.
I chose the Wild & Bleu burger and Melanie went with the Southern Charm sandwich. We both ordered French Fries but began the meal with a healthy House Salad. It balances out, right? The House Salad normally comes with a Raspberry Vinaigrette, but I went with the Chipotle Ranch dressing while Melanie went with her regular Ranch dressing. The Chipotle had a mild kick so don’t be afraid of trying this unless you’re really just totally against anything spicy. The salads had a great green mix along with sundried cranberries, pecans and bleu cheese crumbles. They really hit the spot and were fresh and delicious.
I don’t really eat much red meat so it’s been a long time since I had a burger and the Wild & Bleu burger was really a treat. Piled high with mushrooms, sprinkled with bleu cheese crumbles and some cooked-​just-​right THICK bacon the Wild & Bleu was exactly what I was craving. The fries are seasoned with salt and pepper and were perfectly cooked.
Melanie thought that her Southern Charm sandwich was also fantastic. She didn’t care for the thick bacon like I did. She would have preferred a thin, crispy bacon but I think that’s more of personal preference than anything else. The Southern Charm comes on sourdough bread and it’s basically a BLT with pimento cheese. We’ve both been crazy for Pimento Cheese since our trip to Phickles Phun Foods in Athens, but nothing comes close to the awesomeness of their Pimento Cheese.
When our server suggested dessert, we looked at the dessert menu and were fixated on the Funnel Cake Battered Moon Pie. We decided to share one among the four of us and it was light, fluffy and DEElicious! It is exactly the way they described it. Take a moon pie, dunk it in a funnel cake batter, fry it and then serve it with ice cream and a chocolate, raspberry and caramel drizzle and then watch four grown adults transform spoons into weapons of warfare. I don’t believe there is a superlative strong enough for the result. Put this on your MUST TRY list when at Chops & Hops.
Chops & Hops was the perfect end to a long day of fun and football in Athens. Good food, super service and a TO DIE FOR dessert are a winning combination. Guten appetit!

The reason I’m not giving 5 stars is because of the service… our waitress. The food was excellent, the atmosphere warm and inviting. Surprised we were seated as quick as we were for a Friday night… and they were busy. Our waitress however wasn’t knowledgeable about the menu and draft beer menu, kept forgetting to remove our dishes and made us feel like we were bothering her when we asked questions… maybe she was having a bad day, hey we all have them… but other than that, this place is excellent. The filet melted in your mouth like butter. The salmon was cooked to perfection, the pecan glaze out of this world and the mashed sweet potatoes were so creamy and tasted like Thanksgiving. We had the moon pie deep fried in funnel cake batter… what…never tasted anything so good! This really is for 3, maybe 4 people to share, it’s so big! It would have been perfecto if we had good service but we will definitely be back!

Pretty underwhelmed with the food and service

Rather keep this gem a secret so I can continue to find a seat! Thankful they are in Watkinsville, GA.

So satisfied! Great local craft beer and amazing burgers. We had a black bean burger, a lamb burger, and a chicken burger. The staff was also very friendly and helpful! I can’t wait to come back.

Stopped here for lunch /​breakfast. ½ of us ordered lunch the other ½ breakfast. Salmon Benedict was outstanding. The fried chicken biscuit was delish. Buffalo chicken dip had a nice kick (I would request they toast your pitas which I bet they would) Service was nice and attentive. Good coffee wish I lived closer.

My husband and I stopped here on the way back from a business trip to Savannah and Augusta and we were very happy that we did! Our server Whitney was the best and the food was very good. We enjoyed the crab cakes (more like a crab ball), a side salad which was custom, then split the ribeye and substitued the garlic fries for the goat cheese mashed potatoes. The food was flavorful and hit the spot and the atmosphere was nice and relaxing. They have a decent selection of beers and wines as well. We would recommend and will return if we’re in the area.
Love to support small, non chain restaurants!

This is our go-​to restaurant in the area. The food is terrific and the chef is accommodating. We’ve never ordered anything we didn’t like. There’s a great wine list and the beer selection is varied. It’s a wonderful place for an anniversary or as a place to take company. You just can’t go wrong.

Bad from the get go. Our party of six stood at the entrance for 3 minutes waiting for a hostess to come greet us. When she finally did, no apology. Turned out she was just hanging out at the bar. Not a huge deal, but come on.
Server was nice and got everything right, but entrees were slow to arrive. We were the only table in there besides the party upstairs, and we ordered before them. So why so slow?
Burgers ordered medium rare were well done. Fries were soggy and undercooked. Cuban sandwich was lacking in every way.
Pork chops w/​bourbon pecan glaze was delicious, hence the one extra star.

Awesome food and solid selection of beer on draft and in bottle. We had the chop burger and the French Dip sandwich. Nice crisp onion ring and bacon on the burger with a sweet bbq sauce. No complaints here, definitely plan on revisiting.

Too soon to tell. But staff was super friendly. Good selection of beers. The seafood and grits was ok. The pork chop was great. The buffalo chicken dip was good, but wish the pita bread would be baked.

Had 6 buffalo wings to start ($ 6), they had blue cheese crumbles on them. What an added bonus– the sharpness of the blue cheese carries through well with the buffalo sauce.
I got the NY strip ($ 19) cooked medium rare, thankfully they have a chef that has enough knowledge to properly cook a steak– the steak comes with asparagus (only 4 skinny sprigs) and the steak is rested on a bed of potato hash, which was enjoyable.
My wife got the Bön Mi chicken sandwich ($ 8.5 I believe), she said it was good *** kind of sandwich, the sandwich came with fries, they were pretty good.
Overall it was a pretty good experience I haven’t had a perfectly cooked steak like that in a long time so that was by far the best part. The service was quick and friendly, I would recommend it to a friend.

Chops & Hops is located in an unassuming shopping center and features some tasty American cuisine. The filet is always cooked perfectly and I love the roasted potatoes that accompany it. The specials are always a great choice as well. There is a private area upstairs where you can arrange to have a more private group dining experience. Service is generally very good, but if it is busy and they are using the upstairs, your service will most likely be compromised. When the upstairs is being used, we never get refills on our drinks and our server forgets if we ask for a condiment. You also have to make sure that you request the «free chips» that come with your entrée otherwise, you’ll never see them. I suggest to go on a slow weekday night to get optimal service.

Today’s father/​son lunch date led us to Chops & Hops. The reviews were very encouraging, but it was actually by the recommendation of a good friend that I was drawn here.
As many of the reviews have stated, the service is excellent. We were among the first customers to arrive just after opening, so we had the full attention of our server. I drifted around the restaurant taking photo’s while my son and his girlfriend decided on what they wanted from the menu. I’d already checked out the menu online, so I was certain of what I would order. While taking photo’s I encountered one of the owners highly curious as to why I was taking pics. She was extremely pleasant and we spent a few moments chatting, particularly about what menu recommendation would she suggest as well as my gushing over the gorgeous tin ceiling in the second floor seating area.
THE FOOD
Although the menu is chef inspired, it is fairly simple. We ordered the following:
* HEART ATTACK BURGER (3.5 stars) | $ 10
Cheddar cheese, fried egg, peppered bacon, crispy onions and rosemary aioli served with seasoned fries. Excellent choice and had nice flavor. The egg was perfectly cooked and not too runny while the burger was not difficult to eat when cut in half. It’s only downfall was the temperature. It was well done instead of medium well as I had asked, so it was a bit dry. Next time I will order it medium.
* CHOPS BURGER (3.5 stars) | $ 9
On par with the Heart Attack Burger. Also best if ordered medium.
* SEAFOOD & GRITS (5 stars) | $ 19
Three large shrimp & scallops served with two triangular cheddar grit cakes and topped with grilled asparagus, bacon/​tomato confetti with a white wine dijon cream sauce. This dish was pure perfection. I could not have asked for anything better, except it was my sons and not mine! The grit cakes were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside with a hint of spice. The scallops were delightful and the shrimp were outstanding. This is a definite must try dish although I thought it was a tad overpriced for lunch.
* Fried Green Tower (2.75 stars) | $ 8
Fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, roasted red pepper aioli and spinach chiffonade. Nicely cooked but if you follow my reviews you know I prefer sweet chutney or a sweet aioli over any other sauce due to the bitter nature of fried green tomatoes. Could have used a little more seasoning also. They were okay, but I doubt if I would order them again.
* CRAB CAKE (2.5 stars) | $ 5 when added to meal
I must admit I was severely disappointed with the side of the crab cakes, which are really crab balls. The plus was they seemed to have lots of crab meat and very little filler, but the negative was the taste and size didn’t justify the price. The crab meat itself tasted canned to me and not fresh, but that’s only my opinion. Also, I didn’t like either of the dipping sauces it came with (one was horse radish based).
* COMPLIMENTARY CHIPS (2 stars) | $ 0
I’m actually being very generous with the stars here because I didn’t like the chips at all. I appreciated the creativity, but I’ve had similar chips at other restaurants and enjoyed them much more. The chips themselves tasted overly done and the sauce topping was bland and didn’t really add enough flavor to overcome the burnt taste.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Chops & Hops is a great looking restaurant with local art pieces draping its walls, including a gorgeous B&W canvas print of a covered bridge that I reviewed a few months back! The staff is very friendly and the service is everything you would expect. Had I stuck to the Seafood & Grits this would have been a 5 stars review all the way. I highly recommend you give that dish a try. As for the rest of our meal, I was far less pleased, especially considering the prices seemed a little extravagant for a lunch menu.

Service was very good, with friendly wait staff. Food was prepared in a flavorful way and delivered to the table in a timely manner.
I enjoyed the pork chop, which included sautéed spinach and mashed sweet potatoes. All of the items were great!
The server brought a complimentary basket if homemade potato chips with a bleu cheese sauce drizzled over them. It was a very nice addition to the meal.

This could become one of my favorites places in town, but I’ll need to try a few more things on the menu first.
During this first visit, we started off with the fried green tomato stack. I love fried green tomatoes, but these were some of the best I’ve had. They came with goat cheese and some type of pimento cheese sauce, and the tomatoes were big and juicy while the coating was perfectly crispy!
I kept it simple and just ordered a burger, and I was not disappointed. The bun was fresh and light, and the burger had a really nice grilled flavor. That along with the fries hit the spot! My husband got the Baja burger with the black bean patty. It was full of flavor and the tortilla chips on it added a really nice crunch while the guac added some spice.
The service was excellent. Our drinks never got too low, and our waitress checked on us often but not too often. We will definitely be going back!