Yesterday was Paul’s birthday so we went to the downtown Athens restaurant – Seabear Oyster Bar for an early dinner.
When this restaurant opened a few years ago, we were skeptical of an oyster bar in Athens GA since the “good ones” should be near the ocean. After reading reviews and hearing recommendations from several friends, it has become one of our favorite restaurants in Athens.
The menu has a good variety of seafood dishes but the raw oysters are the main attraction. The reason to go for an early dinner is that part of their daily Happy Hour includes oysters are about half the regular price.
Oysters, clam chowder, shrimp and grits and more
I decided to order the crab and shrimp cakes, then we split a bowl of shrimp and grits. Both dishes were delicious. Paul loves oysters and this is the place to get them! They had 6 different varieties, all from the northeast US and Canada. Based on the descriptions, he decided on 5 varieties for his first order. For his 2nd order, he ordered only his favorite – Beausoleil from New Brunswick, Canada.
The bartender offered us a sample of a frozen drink called Negroni, a slushy like drink made with Campari, sweet vermouth, gin and orange juice. It’s a bitter-sweet drink with a very distinct flavor.
The restaurant is located in The Bottleworks on Prince Avenue. There are several other restaurants in the complex, making for more options if a place is too crowded.
Check out these articles from Garden and Gun and Condé Nast Traveler and see that we’re not the only ones who think Seabear Oyster Bar is a pretty special place!
The surrounding Normaltown, Boulevard and Cobbham neighborhoods are in high demand, with lots of historic homes. Chase Street Elementary School is considered to be one of the most desirable schools in Athens. It’s an easy walk to plenty of shops and restaurants, plus less than a mile to downtown Athens.
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