Mama's Boy: A Slice of Southern Hospitality Done Right

By: Lilly Workneh
Girls, don’t take heed to Mama’s Boy’s title because this Athens-based restaurant of southern cuisine dishes satisfies all hungry customers, both boys and girls alike.

The locally-owned modern diner’s slogan is “Southern Fun Dining” and if you’re a fan of pure hot, out-of-the-oven biscuits, home-fried chicken and fresh fruits and vegetables, look no further than 197 Oak Street.

The notorious Mama's Boy biscuit and Salmon Cakes Benedict.

And the place sure is fun! Take a seat on the 80’s inspired décor, sip sweet strawberry lemonade out of jars and chatter away in this laid-back and comfortable setting.

The restaurant specializes in serving an array of breakfast items and often finds its busiest hours to be from 8 to 11 a.m., which also seemed to fall around the times I decided to go one busy Saturday Morning.

A decadent serving of French Toast.

Despite the crowd, the wait didn’t last very long and hosts and hostesses all acted swiftly and politely. In a matter of minutes, we were seated at our table, delivered our menus and as expected, ordered a round of their famous sweet strawberry lemonade.

After arriving on a hungry stomach, the wait for the food was excruciatingly long. I ordered the Mama’s Boy Biscuit Sandwich, which the menu described to be a hot, out-of-the-oven biscuit with scrambled eggs, thick cut bacon and smoked cheddar. I also ordered a side of their potato hash to add to my breakfast combo.

What seemed to be hours ticked by and eventually, our steaming hot plates were delivered to the table and my eyes widened in excitement. My biscuit was fluffy, the bacon was thick and crispy, my eggs were scrambled well and the side of potato hash were diced and seasoned perfectly.

The smell of the food made it even more enticing and made my taste buds salivate out of eagerness. It was almost too much and after I dug in for my first bite, I immediately dug in for several more.

I broke apart the sandwich to examine each ingredient individually. The biscuit was sweet and warm and the sausage gravy drizzled over it was a perfect combination. The bacon seemed to still sizzle on the plate and was slightly chewy with a touch of crisp. Two eggs were scrambled and tasted great – I mean, you can hardly ever go wrong when making eggs, and the potato hash had a hard exterior doused in southern seasonings that soon gave way to a warm and mushy center.

Those around my table ordered an array of dishes. One friend of mine chose the salmon cake benedict; two homemade fresh Atlantic salmon cakes topped with poached eggs, fried capers, chive hollandaise, and a biscuit. The salmon cakes were not much to my liking; they were a little too soft and probably needed a few more minutes in the fryer.

Another gal ordered the two biscuits and gravy, which came with two large biscuits with sizable cuts of bacons slapped on topped and drizzled in gravy. Her order was similar to mine, except that she asked for her gravy on the side, which resulted in her plate looking a little bare and dry. While the diner is an expert in breakfast foods, lunch is also served between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. However, I advise you to try their breakfast dishes first as they were voted Best Breakfast in Athens for 5 years in a row.

Overall, the place has a great homestyle feel. The vintage style décor, the young and hip crowd and delicious, warm meals are a pleasure to experience.Boys and gals, Mama’s Boy exudes southern hospitality to the core and it would be a frightful shame for you to not enjoy a true down-south meal here someday.


197 OAK STREET
ATHENS, GA 30601
(706) 548-6249