Five and Ten

Five and Ten is the restaurant that put Athens on the national food map. Hugh Acheson opened it in 2000 on S Lumpkin Street, and in the years that followed, the restaurant earned him a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast, book deals, and television appearances that brought Athens dining into the national conversation. The concept was simple but ahead of its time: elevated Southern cooking through the lens of French and Italian technique, with ingredients sourced from local farms. The restaurant relocated in 2013 to the century old Hawthorne House on S Milledge Avenue, and the move only deepened its identity. The historic house gives the dining room an intimacy and warmth that a commercial space cannot replicate. It feels like having dinner at someone's very tasteful home, except the food is world class. In 2024, Acheson sold Five and Ten to Peter Dale, a chef and restaurateur who first met Acheson in 2002 while working in the Five and Ten kitchen. Dale brings both reverence for what the restaurant has been and a clear vision for where it is going. The menu continues to showcase seasonal, locally sourced ingredients prepared with technique and restraint. Five and Ten is a special occasion restaurant for many Athens residents, but it does not carry the stiffness that label sometimes implies. The atmosphere is warm, the service is attentive without hovering, and the food rewards careful attention. Dinner service runs Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations are recommended, especially for parties of four or more. The S Milledge Avenue location is about a five minute drive from downtown Athens.