The diversity in foods in Augusta is amazing, with something for every palate. There's everything from all types of barbecue (Carolina Gold and Georgia Red), to upscale eclectic at Cadwallader's in Martinez.
That diversity is one of the reasons dining out seems to be the favorite recreational activity in Augusta. Why stay at home when there is so much good food available for different tastes?
Many of the best are home grown and one of a kind, as seen in the Reader 's Choice favorites selections of Calvert's in several categories; Sunrise Grill 's taking honors for Best Breakfast; the baked goodies at Li'l Dutch Bakery garnering accolades; Rhinehart's Oyster Bar topping the list for seafood and lunch; Dino's Chicago Express for having the Best Hot Dog; Pizza Joint winning as Best Pizzeria; and Shangri-La's Martinez restaurant earning honors for Best Buffet.
Here's a fast Lunch Money take on some of the winners:
P.F. Chang's China Bistro: The food is pretty, and it's good. Nice atmosphere and attentive service, but pricey.
Sconyers Bar-B-Que : The dean of Augusta barbecue has earned its reputation with heaping helpings of pulled pork and a crowd-pleasing sauce. It's always crowded, but the servers are pleasant and efficient.
Sunrise Grill: Nothing fancy, just a perfect place for strong coffee and breakfast the way you want it.
Five Guys Burgers & Fries: Pricey, but hey, you can throw peanut shells on the floor. The burgers and fries are great. You can save a bit of money by sharing one of the massive orders of fries.
WifeSaver: They got the vote for fried chicken, and it's good, but we all know it's the banana pudding that makes takeout from WifeSaver an Augusta tradition. Maybe next year we'll add a dessert category.
Poblano's: The Furys Ferry Road restaurant is a Lunch Buddy favorite that seems to have been discovered recently. It's getting crowded, and they're handing out beepers now, but it's worth the wait. The salsa here is exceptional.
Chick- fil-A: I try to be good here and get the grilled chicken sandwich with a fruit cup, but then the waffle fries call my name.
Rhinehart's: This is like sitting out on your home deck and sharing a cold beer and good food with friends, but better, because you don't have to clean up afterward. Great food and absolutely no worries.
Outback Steakhouse: There tends to be a line here even on a midweek evening, with good reason. this chain consistently fires up some of the best pieces of seared bovine around. The servers try hard to please, sometimes too hard.
Comments (1)
Add commentI'd agree with most of these
I'd agree with most of these as we spend more than we should eating out because there are so many great places to eat in Augusta,lol but we haven't been back to 5 guys since they opened as their food had no seasoning, especially the fries(I think Dino's beats them for burgers and fries). Pablanos is on the bottom of my list for Mexican food as they had the most bland burritos and fajitas I had ever eaten. Outback lost our business with those overly peppered steaks they used to have, I have since heard they have done away with them, and the last time we sat thirsting to death we saw our server outside on the cell & smoking and when we got our food it was stone cold. My husband has perfected the rib eye on the grill since outbacks was so bad the last time and we had to find another steak option, now we save tons of money not going to steakhouses anymore!! yay!! but yes, Augusta is full of great food and I agree with the rest of the winners!!!!