Mayflower Restaurant

If I could give just a half star I would. The food is sub-​par (Waffle House would be better). The service is absolutely horrendous. I’ve tried them on multiple occasions but it never changes. Will not try again.

I’ve never written a Unilocal before, but that’s mainly because I’ve never felt obliged to. However, after eating at the mayflower restaurant, I feel a need to warn people about the underwhelming food.
I decided to visit after seeing mostly positive reviews. Without going into too much detail, let me just say the food is equivalent if not worse than dining hall food. The biscuit was decent, the home fries seemed like they came out of a bag, the chicken was somehow too dry. Most disappointing were the eggs which I couldn’t tell if they were runny or simply drenched in too much oil.
I try my best to support local business, but honestly you can get **significantly** better food and customer service from the Waffle House 2 blocks away – and for a better price too.

Every trip to Athens the Mayflower is on our tour of restaurants! Great breakfast, the blueberry and peanut butter pancakes are amazing. The waitress is funny and is on top of things. very busy on Saturday morning but goes quick.

This was the place for a quick breakfast when time was short. All the alum ate there especially those on North campus as it was just across the street. Professors, students and locals alike enjoy this staple in Athens. Great food and great prices… especially after a night of drinking!

A UGA icon, you shouldnt go to Athens without eating breakfast at the Mayflower. Biscuits are as good as anywhere in the South. Busy especially on game day but well worth the wait.

My boyfriend and I was on a search for a nice momma pappa restaurant to eat for breakfast in downtown Athens. A local suggested Mayflower. We were expecting good food and great southern hospitality. Unfortunately the service and hospitality was lacking and we were disappointed that the service hospitality was not as we were expecting from a restaurant supposedly southern and family owned. We sat down at a booth, was not greeted until 10 minutes later but only with menus. Then 10 more minutes passes we were asked about drinks, then 10 more minutes came our drinks then they took our order… Total wait time for is to get our food for not so busy morning was 45 minutes. We wish the service was more friendly and mindful. In the other note the food made up for it. The food was very good. We ordered two eggs and salmon cake with grits and the Mayflower compo special. Despite the service, we sure did clean our plates!

This place has been open since 1948 and it shows. Walk up to the counter, grab a stool and get ready to chow down!
The biscuits are «slap yo momma» good. Some of the best! I wish we could make them like this.
We both got breakfast. The eggs were cooked right and the hash browns with cheese and onion were delicious.
They give you a good amount of food at a good price. Bring cash, no cards accepted. There is an ATM on the street though.

Came in here for lunch. This is a pretty traditional type southern diner. They have a few sandwiches; I opted for a meat and two platter. They had a pot roast, and I got mashed potatoes and green beans.
The pot roast was good and tasted like home cooking; the beans were bland and the mashed potatoes nothing special.
There’s nothing fancy here, and it’s not high cuisine nor does it pretend to be, but if you want a basic meal it’s a good choice.
The restaurant is right across from UGA. It has a pretty large counter for solo diners, booths along the wall, and some tables in the middle.
I would normally give three stars for the food quality, but the service was super speedy and friendly, and the prices really good, so I think for that reason it deserves a higher rating.

Great home cooked meal as you would have at mama’s house over the weekend. Incredible service with friendly faces and amazingly good cooked foods.

I had a wonderful breakfast here! The «safari toast» (French toast with fruit) and bacon were a great and way to start the day. I loved the down-​home Southern atmosphere. I really felt like I was in a small-​town diner eating comfort food.
If ever back in Athens, I will definitely stop by!

The food is so good. and yes, the Biscuits are amazing. Breakfast is the best in Town. The place has not changed in 40 years. It could use an update, as long as the place still looks like the
Mayflower!

Good American breakfast. Fast service. Be sure you bring cash though. Do not accept credit cards.

Like eating breakfast at your grandma’s house. Same people have been running the show and working here since my dad was in school here back in the 70’s. Be sure to get the super fluffy biscuits, amazing sausage gravy, and some delicious country ham. Top it all off with a tasty glass chocolate milk. I love coming back here every time we are in athens. Whether you are feeling homesick or hungover this is the place to go for breakfast in athens. Don’t forget to bring cash!

Excellent breakfast food. Pancakes, biscuits and grits were fantastic. Friendly service, once you’re seated. Somewhat annoying that it’s a bit disorganized at the start (grab your own table, no hostess). After that, you’re in for a good breakfast.

Nice spot next to campus to enjoy the southern style ~ it is just too long to wait for the food to be ready. Ours took around half an hour in a rainy morning T. T

Greasy spoon? Yes please.
Everything’s good, but best are
exquisite biscuits.

I love the Mayflower so very dearly. It has been a family owned and operated institution in Athens since 1948!
As soon as you walk in you are greeted by the familiar faces you are going to see time and time again at The Mayflower. It isn’t anything fancy, but it is one of the most charming places in town. They have a lunch counter, tables and booths lined with pictures of their family as well as some of their favorite customers. It is one of those places that you can’t come to without seeing someone you know.
At The Mayflower, they put the South in your mouth. My go to meal is a bacon egg and cheese biscuit with a side of hashbrowns and a mandatory cup of their infamous sweet tea. The bacon is crisped to perfection, the egg is soft and the slice of American cheese is the perfect topper for my favorite Athens breakfast which costs $ 2.85. One friend of mine swears by their sausage biscuit and you can never go wrong with a country ham biscuit as long as you are willing to be thirsty for the next 2 days. Their biscuits are maybe the best I’ve had in a restaurant. They are so delicious I often consider ordering a biscuit with a side of another biscuit.
They have plenty of other options on their menu from omelettes to breakfast sandwiches to hot cakes. Another friend’s favorite is the pork chop breakfast with scrambled eggs and a biscuit. This isn’t on the menu, but it is usually listed on the blackboard in the back of the diner. Most people from Athens know their Mayflower order before they walk in the door. Their lunch menu is equally as great and it has all of your favorite Southern homemade classics.
The Mayflower is cash only but they have an ATM directly out front if you forget your dollar bills. Come here, savor your experience, meet some great people, leave a little bit happier, thank me later.

A taste of the South in your mouth!
This is what the American dream looks like. Family owned since the 1940s. Family operated by a pretty blonde, guy behind the counter is OK but I take closer notice of the blondes. Guilty.
OK, here it comes, pay attention — COUNTRY HAM BISCUIT.
Before you even think about what you are going to eat get a life saving COUNTRY HAM BISCUIT. This will save your miserable life.
No this is not just your Southern biscuit, this is a COUNTRY HAM BISCUIT.
Light flaky warm biscuit and a salty well done piece of COUNTRY HAM.
Savor it. Make love to it. Eat it down with relish.
Even if you were born in Rhode Island (which just for the record is not even an island at all), you will have a taste of the South in your Yankee mouth and you will know what real food tastes like.
For the next hour or two, you will be saying «y’all» and craving a mint julep.
But it’s OK, because tomw’ you will be able to come back and get another three COUNTRY HAM BISCUITS. That is the bag limit for folks not from the South.
OK, after you have rewarded yourself, then get some standard fare but remember to get some damn grits. Grits with lots of butter and bit of salt and dripping with flavor. This is the real thing, not some nasty Manhattan interpretation. This is the real damn thing.
Enjoy, and please do not tell everyone in Rhode Island about the Mayflower. It’s our secret and Rhode Island isn’t even an island to start with.
Enjoy, y’all!

I wanted to like the Mayflower, I really did. I have a soft spot in my heart for greasy spoons, and they definitely had some greasy utensils up in there. In fact, they had greasy everything. For ME to complain about the grease level? Well that really says something about a place, and that thing is not good.
I am a huge omelet fan, and get really disappointed when the sausage or cheese fall flat in said breakfast dish. To Mayflower’s credit, the sausage was plentiful and the cheese was actually cheddar. However, when I forked my first bite of omelet, a cascade of oil fell from the morsel. I get it – cheese and sausage are greasy, but it seemed a tad excessive. The two slices of Sunbeam toast appeared to be coated in margarine. The hashbrowns were also drippingly grease-​filled. I guess it was my mistake to go there and not be hungover, because probably in a different mindset I would have loved such a meal.
Boyfriend got a crumbly country ham biscuit and hasbrowns. He ate both and seemed mostly pleased. We split a side of bacon, which brings me to Mayflower’s attributes; they know how to fry bacon! Yay! it was crispy and chewy and not too fatty, though (of course) the plate had a pool of liquefied fat on it when the bacon was gone.
Our waitress was cute and sweet and wore pink head-​to-​toe, which I found charming. She was sweet and polite which makes me feel guilty about not liking the food very much. We tipped well and drove back home, planning to return and eat more places in Athens next time. Maybe I’ll return to the Mayflower for lunch next time, or just make sure I’m drunk before going in.

Friend: «Can I get the Southwestern omelet without the sausage?»
Waittress: *takes a seat at the table* «Well honey, why’d you wanna leave out the best part?!»
I don’t even know where to begin with the Mayflower. An Athens institution, a diner, a family run joint, the definition of home cooked, the Mayflower is all of these things and more.
Open only for breakfast and lunch, this is a dining destination for the unlikely power lunch and Sunday brunch crowd. Run by the same family for over 60 years, the Mayflower serves up some of my favorite meat and threes and delicious breakfasts. Their sweet tea will make your toes curl, and their broccoli casserole and fried okra are two of the least nutritious (but most delicious) ways to get your greens.
Bring cash to pay for one of the cheapest meals in downtown Athens, and get ready to enjoy a true Classic City tradition.