The Grit

Closing 10/7. Early on at The Grit you might have said that things were somewhat lean. Yeesh! But now people know just how good vegetarian food can be!

When the restaurant was young in the early nineties many people didn’t want to give it a try for fear that vegetarian food would prove to be freaky health food or something less than palatable. And there was the building itself - old brick with peeling paint and not really near anything else - in a part of our hometown of Athens, Georgia that was a red-light district at night. And now The Grit is

surrounded by thriving local businesses serving all walks of life. It’s filled with throngs of happy customers who know they’ll get a big delicious meal that is made from scratch and, more often now, from locally sourced businesses and farms. Continually surprising people with how good vegetarian food and desserts can be keeps things fun but often the surprise is ours. The level of customers’ devotion, the reach of The Grit’s reputation, the degree to which travelers and Athens expatriates tell us they yearn for Grit food, and the constant requests for our cookbook all continually surprise us. The Grit is small and never much for blowing its own horn but people keep showing their love and it makes us proud. Of course, horn blowing takes a back seat to guitar slinging around here. The Grit owes much of its personality to its association with the local music scene. From the ninety-five percent-plus staff who have been or are in bands to the man who owns the building, musically talented and/or obsessed people have helped shape The Grit since its beginning. For better or worse that’s who we are and our friends and fans in the music world have been very generous with their support and accolades for Grit food. That’s Athens for you. But let’s talk about food. Our food is not timidly seasoned. We love garlic, onions, peppers, vinegar, and lots of other ingredients that give food a kick. That’s also what our customers love. But it only works because it’s balanced. To make vegans and those with gluten sensitivities lives a little easier we note all of our dairy-free and gluten-free items on our daily Veggieboard and dessert case. Please note though that we are primarily a vegetarian restaurant and not all items can be made vegan nor do we carry an extensive selection of gluten-free options at this time. Also note that we are NOT gluten-free certified so please exercise care if you have severe allergies! Speaking of dessert, all of our sweets - from the cookies to the cakes to the ice creams to the pies to the bread pudding - are made right on premise by our small but dedicated bakery team. And don't forget that all of our desserts can be purchased in bulk with advanced notice. Please note that we do not have a parking lot for our customers. Like 99% of downtown businesses, all parking is public street parking, is first-come-first-served and in no way maintained/owned/etc by The Grit. We suggest you carpool if possible or be prepared to take a stroll to get to us. As you can imagine, parking near both a university and a bustling downtown is on high demand. We do serve beer and wine. Many beers are local (Athens has some GREAT breweries) or regional. Our wines change seasonally. While we do try to offer some gluten-free and vegan selections we are first and foremost a vegetarian restaurant with a splash of classic southern cuisine and a splash of diner throwback. Please keep in mind that we use lots of soy, tofu, eggs, cheese and high gluten products in our restaurant. We are not gluten-free certified. We will do our best to work with those of you with allergies but we cannot guarantee that there is no cross-contamination of products. We do offer great food that almost everyone will enjoy! So come share in the spirit that resides in this old building at 199 Prince Avenue and let good food bring you joy!

10/07/2022

Today is the last day. 11-1 and 5-7. Thank you for the stories, the support and the 37 years of community. 💚💚💚

10/05/2022

09/30/2022

Hi everyone! Wow. You all have SHOWED UP and shown the love!

Just an FYI that:

1. We simply cannot respond to all messages. We have over 1000 Instagram and FB messages combined. So, at this time we just don't have the capacity and we hope you understand. :)

2. Online to go orders are closed. Phone in to go orders are closed.

3. Bakery orders are CLOSED. You can walk in and buy from the case but no more special orders.

4. Please check Instagram for updates. That's where we are most active.

5. Note that wait times are longer than 'normal' - for both seating and food. Be patient. We are closing. This is a difficult time. We understand that you may have limited time in which you can visit but we suggest grabbing desserts to go instead or coming at less peak times.

6. We have discontinued a number of items. Please check the boards for that info.

7. No more merchandise for sale in house shirts, stickers, cookbooks, etc. SOLD OUT. We will continue to stock our webstore with limited t-shirts from Satisfactory from time-to-time.

HOWEVER, we do have a RedBubble account for stickers, mugs, etc. https://www.redbubble.com/people/thegritathens

***But check with AVID (Athens bookstore) as they have a waitlist for a republishing of the cookbook.***

8. The last of the online orders will ship today (9/30). Thank you for your patience on that.

9. Gift cards. Ted's Most Best will honor Grit gift cards once we've closed.

10. Be kind. Please be nice to the staff as they have absolutely no control over the wait time, etc. Be nice to your fellow Grit customers as y'all wait in line.

Thanks everyone. We appreciate you.

09/23/2022

Thank y’all so much for the outpouring of love. It means so much to us all!

We know that you might have some questions about how things might look until 10/7 and we are going to do our best to keep everyone updated and informed.

First, we just want to let everyone know that we’re going to do our best to keep our hours of operation the same until the day of closing. We’ve already seen so many of y’all coming into the restaurant and we appreciate it! That does mean that there might be higher than normal wait times and things of that nature. So we do ask that everyone please be as patient as possible!

Second, we are continuing our bulk order bakery items. Our goal is to offer whole cakes and dozens of cupcakes for as long as possible with an end date of the last week of operation. Please contact the bakery via email as opposed to phoning in! Items are limited and the restaurant is ROCKIN' right now. Contact: [email protected] We will, of course, still keep the case stocked so order desserts galore. ❤️

Our webstore is still offering puzzles and cookbooks and coffee by the pound. These are also offered at the restaurant. We are working on possibly having a re-order of shirts but at the moment we are pretty much sold out. As an alternative, you can find a lot of options at our store on Redbubble. Next week we will have one last run of shirts thanks to Satisfactory Printing. Stay tuned!

We are still reading our way through all of the posts and messages everyone has been sending. Right now we just can't respond to them all but please know that we appreciate you reaching out to us.

Keep an eye on the space for the next few weeks as we share all of the happenings! And again thank you so much for your support. We 💚 Athens.

09/22/2022

To our wonderful customers:

The Grit has been the cornerstone for vegan/vegetarian food in Athens for over 3 decades. We are extremely proud of everything we have accomplished during that time! The restaurant has been there for many a celebration, for graduations galore, family gatherings and so much more.

Unfortunately, things have changed due to the pandemic and we’ve had to reevaluate our business goals. So, it is with heavy hearts, but with a hopeful eye on the future, that we announce that we are closing our doors at the end of evening service on Friday October 7th 2022.

We hope that you will join us during the next few weeks to say a fond farewell.

09/16/2022

Ahem.
A poem about beer…
“Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Poems are hard,
Beer.”
Fin.
Introducing 3 new beers that are already icy cold and ready to pour! Stop by and try some…

09/07/2022

The most classic of lunches in the classic city - fresh brewed iced tea paired with a deliciously crisp salad. It’s a match made in heaven! Pictured is our house salad of romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers topped with our Grit tofu and served with housemade vegan ranch. Well, it’s alllll vegan! And gluten-free too. 💚🥗💚

08/17/2022

Adding more choices to our red bubble selection!

thegritathens Shop | Redbubble thegritathens is an independent artist creating amazing designs for great products such as t-shirts, stickers, posters, and phone cases.

07/26/2022

Just a reminder that we are open 7 days a week and that our daily board can be found on our INSTASTORIES. Hope to see you soon!

07/19/2022

Stop by Instagram to find out about our daily specials and much more!

02/09/2022

Pre-orders for our special Valentine's Dinner has begun! You can purchase directly from our webstore OR you can call and reserve yours via the restaurant. All orders must be prepaid!

Valentine's Special Dinner For 2 You and your Valentine/Palentine will receive two puff pastries with oyster mushroom and ricotta filling, two servings of a roasted root veggie...

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Website

http://www.thegrit.com/

Address

199 Prince Avenue
Athens, GA
30601

The Grit

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