New to your college town or ran out of new places to try? Check out my review of these menu items and restaurants in my review of everything I ate this summer.
Athens
Bruxie’s
Bruxie’s is a waffle place located downtown. It’s fairly new and perfect for brunch with friends or if you just want a trendy spot to eat at. The other main locations are in California.
There’s an outside and inside section. Its location makes it perfect for freshmen, those living on/close to campus, and those without a car.
Menu items:
Dreamsicle shake: 5/10
Extremely thick (I know some people love a thick milkshake, but I don’t). The flavor is decent, nothing to rave about, but no points taken away either. My milkshake standards are extremely high since I don’t typically gravitate towards milkshakes.
Creme Brulee and Strawberries Waffle: 5.5/10
Good, but was expecting something else. Seems like it would be easy for anyone to duplicate at home with a sweet belgian waffle. It was nice and fluffy. I ordered this because I expected there to be a light icing on top of the cake like the “Lemon Cream and Berries’ ‘ Waffle on the menu. Instead, the waffle is just a sweet, vanilla flavor. I don’t take points away because of that because it’s just my understanding. However, I wouldn’t order again because of the simplicity. The presentation was really pretty, however.
The Original: 9/10
The original was really good. I would order again. It’s a waffle sandwich with fried chicken and honey sauce. Chicken had a nice, crispy exterior. The hot honey sauce had a kick, but wasn’t too hot for my mild taste buds. A little difficult to eat, but worth it.
Overall atmosphere:
I can’t speak much to this because I ate outside which I don’t normally do and won’t be doing again any time soon. The inside is somewhat small because of the space downtown, so I wouldn’t recommend going with a big group of friends. The service was really fast and the staff was nice. The food looked really good and I felt like I was doing free marketing because those walking past were all staring at my food and wanting to try it out
Spent $32 in total for 3 items
West Broad Nutrition
This is located a little further than downtown, but it’s still not too far from campus. It features protein shakes, beauty drinks, specialty drinks, loaded teas, and some protein cake pops.
Menu items
Beauty Drink: Eve flavor (watermelon and lime) 7/10
Syrup was really concentrated, but still good. I’m tempted to try this over shaved ice.
100 mg of caffeine
Loaded with vitamins and beauty benefits such as collagen
Loaded Tea: Gummy Bear 5/10
Tasted sort’ve like Eve, but a little worse. The energy drink flavor really came through. This is sugar free and has a bunch of caffeine which are two qualities I’m not a fan favorite of, so take my review with a grain of salt.
200-300 mg of Caffeine
Option to make it yourself at home
I will definitely try this store again. Although I’m not the biggest fan of energy drinks, I think the health benefits are interesting and I’ve been meaning to try their protein shakes. There are tons of flavors so you’re bound to find something you like. Definitely check this store out if you are a caffeine fiend. They also have protein cake pops which might be a sweet treat.
Overall atmosphere: This place would make so much bank if it had a small study space. I don’t remember that much seating space, if any, but the place had nice air conditioning and the worker was so nice and friendly. There was also little to no wait time.
$15 for 2 items
Trappeze pub
Another spot downtown. Stumbled across this place while walking downtown and thought I would give it a try.
Menu items
Fauxloma: 3/10
One pet peeve of mine is a “mocktail” that tastes like juice I could buy at the store. This is just grapefruit juice that was priced up. On top of that, the ice watered it down a lot. I love grapefruit juice, but I should’ve settled on a soda
French Onion Soup: 1/10
This is absolutely no fault of the restaurant, I just realized how much I hate this soup. I only took one sip and put it back immediately. It tasted like dirty soup/sink water. Apparently, nobody likes french onion soup and I am late on the train. I thank the restaurant for finally making me realize this.
Lamb Jam Burger: 7/10
A burger will always taste like a burger. I thought the lamb would add some new flavor, but it still tastes like a burger, just a good one. The gruyere and aioli added a nice and interesting heat. It also was juicy and reheated well.
Parmesan Crusted Chicken: 8.5/10
I don’t know if it was the hunger or the sauce, but this chicken tasted sooo good. I can’t even put my finger on it, but the flavor was incredible. I almost ate the entire thing in one bite. I’m taking off points because the chicken can fit in the palm of my hand, but it was still good. I also love balsamic tomatoes, so that was a plus
Belgian Fries with Raspberry Ketchup: 8.5/10
These were really good fries. Like burgers, there’s not much you can do to spice up fries, but the raspberry ketchup was a nice sweet touch.
Overall atmosphere: This place has a lot of seating, making it perfect for birthday dinners and large group outings. Service was nice and wait time wasn’t long
$30-40 for 3 items
Atlanta
Platez
This brunch place is located in Decatur. You can make a reservation or walk in if it’s not too busy.
Menu Items
Red Velvet Chicken and Waffles: 9/10
These are a staple at a lot of black brunch places and I can totally see why. The sweet and savory combination makes a party in your mouth. It is very filling and both counterparts would still taste good on their own. I wish there was more cream cheese icing, though. Beware of the food coma that will follow.
French Toast: 6/10
Just good french toast
Overall atmosphere: The service was fast and the booths were comfy. They placed conversation cards on the tables which I thought were so cute and fun to go through. It seemed to be an older audience on the day I went. I think we missed the live music, but they did have a DJ that took requests.
~$30 spent on 2 items (including drink)
Cereal Lab
This cool shop is located in Decatur. It has a parking garage nearby, which is always a plus when driving in and around Atlanta.
This food was soo good and I’ll definitely be going back. You can create your own milkshake or bowl and they also have pre-made menu items. I made my own milkshake with corn flakes, sprinkles, caramel, cookie monster ice cream, lucky charms, cinnamon toast crunch, and whipped cream. It didn’t look like a lot, but it was definitely satisfying. I rate this 10/10
Atmosphere: Designed for kids, so do with that what you will
$13 for a large shake
Lazy Dog
This is a franchise restaurant. Similar to Chilis and Applebees, but I’ve never tried it before.
Menu Items
Bison Burger: 8.5/10
Really juicy burger. This, again, still tastes like a regular burger, but it’s one of the best I’ve ever had.
Cucumber Thyme Lemonade: 7/10
Really good and refreshing. Not enough drink and too much ice, but a good drink overall
Desta: Ethiopian Cuisine
Menu Items
Filet mignon tibs with injera and gomen: 8/10
Pretty good. Different yet still delicious for my picky tastebuds. Good amount of spice to feel a small kick but not overpowering. Gomen tastes like spinach and kale collard greens
Wish the non alcoholic drink menu was longer
Atmosphere: Pretty chill vibe with afrobeats playing in the background. Service was fast and nice. They were also really quick with refills
Mushi inu + Unbeliebubble
This was located in Chattahoochee Food Works which is a cafeteria and I always love those.
Menu items
Unbeliebubble: Honey Jasmine Bubble Tea 7/10
Good, but regular boba. Fragrant and creamy. Could get anywhere
Mushi inu: 9/10
Really good and good amount of spice. Tastes like pork. I couldn’t identify all of the vegetables, but I really loved the blend
Atmosphere: There’s a lot of seating which is good. This place makes it easy to. Since there are so many food options, it’s usually busy. However, the timing of getting the food wasn’t too bad.
Breakfast at Barney’s
Menu Items
Grape Aventus: 8/10
This was a mocktail with pomegranate and grape. It was really good and stakes like Welch’s sparkling grape juice without the sparkle
Soul Rolls: 9/10
This is really good when fresh. The egg rolls are somewhat sweet and kind of taste like the exterior of a Mcdonald’s apple pie. It tastes like Thanksgiving in a bundle and the added crispyness of the egg rolls elevates it. This does not heat up well for leftovers.
24k Gold pancakes: 7.5/10
Talk about bang for your buck. These pancakes were huge. They tasted like regular pancakes, but they were good. I wish the flower was some type of fondant and not just a regular flower.
Friend’s choices
Barney’s French toast: “fluffy and apple syrup is good”
Atmosphere: The service was really good and fast. The menu said the food would take about 20+ minutes and it arrived sooner than that. We sat at the bar because we did not feel like waiting and they had a movie playing and music in the background. There was also a rope for at the door, so it gave a very celebrity feeling. The valet was $5 which I think is great for Downtown Atlanta parking. There are also places for photo ops outside.
$80 for 4 items + valet
Quick fixes
Trader Joes Ube Joe Joes: 7/10
Thick ube cookie sandwiches with an ube coating on the exterior. This was decent. It tasted like buttery shortbread. I probably wouldn’t buy again because they were too sweet and bready for me to finish, but they were still good.
Trader Joes Sparkling Watermelon Juice: 8/10
Smells so good. This is good if sodas are too sweet for you, but sparkling waters are too bland. This was good and refreshing for the summer.
Chick Fil A Frosted White Peach Lemonade: 8.5/10
I loveeeeee frosted lemonades, so this was like a step up for me. Some people don’t like the combination of lemon and cream that the original frosted lemonades give, so if that applies to you this could be another alternative. Very refreshing and fruity. It’s not a total change of flavor, but still very good.
Disclaimer: May be out of season by the time you are reading this
Trader Joes Pomegranate Seeds: 10/10
My new favorite fruity snack. I tried these for the first time this summer and could not stop eating them. I love almost any fruit and will eat the whole container in 20 minutes tops. These are just a burst of flavor with just the right amount of crunch. Don’t let me near these if you have them
Mochinut Black Sesame doughnut: 5/10
These donuts tasted exactly like the sesame chicken I recently made. I thought it would be an unexpected sweetness like red bean flavoring is. However, I was wrong. The doughnut and the frosting still made the doughnut sweet and edible, but the sesame frosting itself was a smoky sesame flavoring. Not terrible, but I would not order again. I will stick with the Classic Mochinut flavoring.