Five Star Day Cafe

Cool atmosphere, laid back and people working were really nice. Food was good and fresh. Even though menu is small, it was hard to choose from all the tasty sounding options. Kid friendly too. Homemade granola and yogurt was yummy and fruit side is good too. Also blueberry oatmeal pancakes ate delicious!

Great food and excellent service. I went today for Sunday brunch to find out they had closed. They will be missed.

I frequented this place mainly for breakfast while I still lived in town. The early morning staff and I got to know each other pretty well and always had good conversations while preparing my food.
Their take on eggs benedict is by far the hardest to beat. While I do appreciate the traditional style for eggs benedict, this is the country and farm version and it was my breakfast at least once a week.
5 Star Benedict — biscuit served open face, eggs over easy, covered with sausage gravy, with bacon on top and a side of sausage as well.
Their lunch menu is pretty good as well. I would always be willing to stop by for the pulled pork BBQ sandwich with mac & cheese side or the stuffed meatloaf.
When I am back in town, this is definitely on my list of places to visit every time.
Found out that on ⁶⁄₁₈ and after 15 years, they have closed their doors.

Breakfast sandwich on a biscuit? Yes! Save your calories and go all Southern Style with eggs, cheese and sausage on a biscuit. Delish.

True grits, soul chicken pasta, fried green tomatoes. You can’t go wrong with those. Great cornbread muffins too. I have always loved 5 Star. I go there when I feel like treating myself. If they ever come out with a cookbook, I will buy it in a heartbeat.
Seating can be tight, but I’ve actually never had a problem.
They have the best fried green tomatoes in Athens. Last Resort has the second best. George’s has the largest.

Great little spot for brunch!
I got a «Southern Eggs Benedict» which was my caloric intake for the entire weekend! Over-​easy eggs and thick-​sliced bacon served on fresh made biscuits and topped with sausage gravy – Oh, don’t forget the side of cheese grits! MMMMMM… so good!
Warning-​It is a bit pricey for college-​town fare. We paid $ 25 for two Southern Eggs Benedicts a coffee and a coke. Also, there is limited seating so on busy weekends you might want to get your order to go.

Great day-​saver start to a morning.
We were crunched for time, and this place delivered some great breakfast super quick.
You’ll order take-​out style at the front, and then sit to be served. I was a bit taken back by the price at first (this place is pretty greasy spoon style), but I’ll admit that after eating I was fully satisfied.
Lots of local Athens flair, and the food was delicious to boot.
We had some southern benefict style bisquits, with egg, cheese, and sausage gravy. I’ll say I also was admiring a women across the way who got a HUGE plate of bacon pancackes.
Worth a stop in, not the cheapest, but very very satisfying.

We usually try to hit this place for Sunday brunch but decided to try their dinner. It was excellent! We’ve never had a bad meal here.

Back in the day, this was my go-​to spot for soul food. The Garden of Eatin’ — a helping plate of three veggies and a cornbread muffin — was only $ 5 and great for a student on a tight budget. So on a recent Game Day in Athens, when I needed to load up on carbs, my first instinct was to order my good olé Garden.
Much to my dismay, the price went up to $ 7.25. Really? That’s kinda lame to charge more than $ 7 for three sides. And they got skimpy on the servings. My grits, mac ‘n cheese and cucumber tomato salad was basically a scoop of each side. The cornbread was just as good as the glory days, but I was really bummed that the price had gone up. I scarfed my food and was still hungry afterwards.
The patio was still great for people watching, and a kind gentleman waiter popped by to refill our waters. But next time, I’ll order my other favorite, the Soul Food Chicken Pasta. At least that’s more bang for a buck. I may not be a student anymore, but I’m still on a budget.

Nice selection of items, a few of which are healthy and many of which are not. Probably my favorite burgers in Athens (though it wouldn’t be advisable to eat them with regularity). They have a special each night, many of which seem to seldom if ever repeat (so, it’s nice for trying something different). The price isn’t super cheap, but it also isn’t prohibitively expensive.

Really good selection for vegetarians, but not so much for people who are calorie-​counting.

Good, but not quite as good as it sounded from reading the reviews. The menu is creative and relies on fresh ingredients which is nice. Just passing through on our way to somewhere else.

… I feel like everyone giving this place 4 and 5 stars is hung over when they go here. I think there also may be some college nostalgia contributing to these reviews. I can’t understand what else might be leaving so many people enamored with a place that seems to be just okay.
First of all: I did not go here for breakfast or brunch. I came here for light dinner after the Classic City Brewfest. Perhaps the time of day made a difference?
I had the Red and Black burger with mac and cheese as a side. So. I’m a big mac and cheese nerd… if a place I’m going offers it on the menu, I’m gonna get it. (Same with chicken and waffles, and French toast, and any salad with goat cheese and candied walnuts.) The mac and cheese here lacks any zippyness or much of a flavor at all, and it was greeeeeasy. Greasy grimy gopher guts. I felt kind of sick after eating it.
My burger was ooooozing with pimiento cheese. Smothered in it, covered with it. I could barely taste anything else on the burger. What I could taste was decent, I think, but the cheese was so overwhelming that I ended up trying to scrape over 60% of it off (and there was still a lot left to cover the beef). Why you gotta play that game? I feel like the quality of this burger could be really good if they didn’t put on 200% too much cheese spread.
I came here with my boything and his brother, who both seemed pretty happy with their food. One of them ordered soup, and it disturbed me that I could see all the oil at the top of the bowl of soup. Yikes. Nevertheless, the amount of food is HUGE for the price, and I assume if I were hung over, getting brunch/​lunch here would seem like a good idea.
The patio is nice, the interior is shabby, but I think that’s what they were going for… so they succeeded.
I’m the jerk who doesn’t get all the love for this place. It’s alright, but it’s not great. Y’know.

Delightful soul food in a quirky, cute atmosphere. Friendly staff, fast service, all at a decent price. A definite yes.

Great place to get your southern grub on!!! It’s a little pricey for a college student to spend on a regular basis, but they give you nice big man portions and everything has that home-​y flavor. I love their meatloaf and their mashed potatoes are legit. Even Paula Deen would approve.
Next time I visit Athens, I am definitely planning on grabbing some Five Star Day!

This is another «newer» (c. 1998) Athens mainstay restaurant downtown. Located, adjacent to Taco Stand and *gag* Starbucks, this is a Southern restaurant that is definitely worth your $ 10.
I’m not much of a breakfast /​brunch person, so this review is from the perspective of a lunch fan. Here, I get the Carolina BBQ Sandwich and I always opt for the mashed potatoes with gravy and a cornbread muffin. They call it «Soul» food, but I think it more so Southern (think white-​people) food. There is a difference. Here in ATL, there are real Soul food restaurants (e.g. Gladys Night’s)…and then again you’ve got Southern restaurants (e.g. Mary Mac’s Tea Room).
Anyways, there were a few changes to the meal that I noticed this time, which I’m not a big fan of, but still this is one of my favorite places to eat when I make my annual trip back. The gravy seemed to be more of a pinto bean based gravy (strange), but still decent, and the cornbread muffin had cranberries in it instead of corn niblets. The corn niblets (remember this is CORNbread) are much better. Also, seemed there wasn’t quite as much BBQ on the sandwich, but then again, maybe I was just hungrier then normal this time. The BBQ is spot on for Carolina BBQ (vinegary with mustard and other spices). There are multiple types of BBQ in the Carolinas (which I’m from), so this is more typical of the Midlands in South Carolina.
You order at the counter, pay, then they bring you the food after maybe a short 5 minutes. I’ve also tried a lot of their sides, fried green tomatoes, black-​eyed peas, and maybe one other thing, all of which are solid choices. Overall, Five Star Day Café is a solid restaurant choice for lunch where you cannot go wrong. And on game day, this is an even better place if you want to get away from the drunken crowds for a little bit (as they don’t serve alcohol).

I love this place. I try to eat here every time I am in town.
It is great southern comfort food done well and in large portions. I recommend the stuffed meat loaf even if it is breakfast time. The mash potatoes and mac n cheese are out of this world. If it is the season grab some fried green tomatoes and enjoy a great meal.
I was a little bummed to find that they had closed the East Side location but I hear they may be looking open another location somewhere around town at some point. The space is a little small and seating can be tight but it is well worth a little wait for some great food.

I tried to corned beef hash here. it was good, but a VERY small portion. The egg was a bit too runny as well. My counterparts had the Meatloaf and fried chicken. Those were both quite tasty. The daily muffins are a nicely needed touch.

I was new around Athens in 2001 and was trying out new restaurants. Five Star Day was one of them. I ordered a chicken dish and ended up not liking it. How disappointing! Everyone had raved about this place… Unfortunately, that lead me to not visit again for quite a while. When I went again, the food was spectacular! That first day must have been an off day, because I have never been disappointed since. Despite the reasonable prices, the portions are huge; I always leave with left overs. The food always tastes fresh and flavorful. The menu is an eclectic take on southern home cooking. My favorite is the meatloaf — stuffed with goodness like mushrooms and cheese and a side of smooth but delightfully lumpy mashed potatoes. YUM! Thinking about it is making me hungry.

Delicious and hearty food for your hangover! I had the migas with fruit, which was just enough grease to ease the tummy but also had plenty of peppers to make you feel a little healthier. Also, the fruit was fresh, as opposed to previously frozen, so that’s always a plus. My dining companions enjoyed the chicken and dumplings with greens and mashed potatoes and the meatloaf with greens and mac and cheese. I tasted the greens, and was quite impressed — they were well seasoned so that they had flavor but you could still taste the greens themselves. The mac and cheese was creamy, but not particularly memorable.
This place was quite popular — every table was full when we got there, and we gave up our seats to some other waiting customers. Honestly, I was a little worried that there was room for all the people ordering, but I guess they have that taken care of. The food was fairly prompt, and the ladies kept our glasses full.