Where to Eat in Athens, Texas

You have to eat a burger in the self-proclaimed Original Home of the Hamburger. Callaway's Coffee and Bistro is home to an award-winning hamburger — there are trophies on display — served in a cozy cafe setting that opens early on weekdays. It's the spot most often pointed to when locals talk about living up to the town's burger legacy.

For a different vibe, the Pitt Grill is a 24-hour, affordable diner where the hamburger steak is a regulars' favorite, and the Boathouse Bar and Grill, a couple of miles out on Lake Athens, serves a standout 'marina burger' with fantastic lake views. Between them, Athens makes good on its hamburger heritage.

Athens has a deep barbecue bench, as any good East Texas town does. Dawg Gone Good BBQ, a popular counter-serve spot in downtown Athens, turns out pulled-pork sandwiches, ribs, and classic Southern sides like mac and cheese, baked beans, and coleslaw. It's a reliable downtown lunch.

The town has plenty of other smokehouses too — Dubbs Smoke Pit, Roping Steer BBQ, Smoky B Barbecue, and E&S BBQ among them — so there's no shortage of brisket and ribs. For barbecue lovers, Athens delivers the East Texas standard.

One of the pleasures of an Athens-area meal is eating by the water. The Boathouse on Lake Athens is the prime example, pairing a broad menu with marina views — a great spot on a nice day. The Cedar Creek Lake area to the northwest adds more lakeside dining options around the lake towns.

In town, Athens has the full range of Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurants, diners, and cafes, plus the chains along the highways. The combination of a burger heritage worth celebrating, solid barbecue, and lakeside dining makes Athens a fun and varied place to eat for a small Texas city.