Mediterranean Grill, the fast-casual counter at 1591 S. Lumpkin St. in the Five Points stretch of Athens, Georgia, sells gyros and beef kebabs like almost every grill on the block. Its quietest asset is the part of the menu with no meat in it at all, a $17 vegetarian plate that turns a quick lunch into a small feast of hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, and tabouleh.
Dedicated vegetarian and vegan kitchens are thin on the ground around Athens. So the diner who walks into Five Points hunting for a green lunch often skips right past the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern spot that has been feeding them since 2015.
The Five Points Block Is Stacked With Burgers
Five Points is one of the busiest eating corridors in Athens, and the lunch and dinner crowds prove it. Parking is a small lottery, but once you luck into a spot, the neighborhood rewards you with great food inside an easy walk.
The catch for a vegetable lover is the lineup. The block leans hard into meat, and Mediterranean Grill shares its 1960s-era building with two of the reasons why. Smoothie King has run its long-standing Athens shop right next door for years, and the original location of Baddies Burgers, a smash-burger specialist, sits in the same structure.
That makes the grill the easy one to overlook. It does not shout. It just keeps a Middle Eastern menu running quietly in a corner of town where the smell of griddled beef is usually the loudest thing on the street.
- 1960s – the era of the building shared by three separate food businesses
- Three tenants under one roof: the grill, a smoothie shop, and a burger counter
- December 2022 – when the first Baddies Burgers opened in that same building
- 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. – daily hours, closing a half hour earlier at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday
What the Vegetarian Plate Delivers
The $17 entree is the reason to make the trip. Skip the salad-only thinking and go straight to it, because the plate is built to be grazed rather than eaten in one tidy lane.
You get pita triangles, a fork, or both, and the freedom to combine. Sliding a piece of crispy falafel through the baba ghanouj and the hummus is the kind of small thrill that makes a meat-free lunch feel indulgent rather than dutiful. The components are simple, fresh, and built for layering.
- Hummus, the chickpea, tahini, lemon, and garlic blend
- Baba ghanouj, a roasted eggplant dip with a smoky edge
- Tabouleh, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and bulgur wheat
- Crispy falafel
- A side salad with feta cheese cubes and pitted olives
- Warm pita bread cut into triangles for scooping
For more on how the chain frames its dips and plates, the full Mediterranean Grill menu in Georgia lays out the same staples sold across its locations.
A Menu Where Greens Outnumber the Meat
Here is the detail that makes the place a vegetarian haven rather than a vegetarian afterthought. Apart from the calamari, every appetizer and salad on the board is meat-free, which turns the whole front half of the menu into an open playground.
That opens the door to experimenting with dishes you might never order at a steakhouse. Beyond the headline plate, the kitchen runs falafel plates, grilled vegetables, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), lentil soup, and a sampler plate built for sharing or for a hungrier solo lunch.
Plates arrive with rice, salad, and pita, and combination platters let you mix several items at once. Sandwiches fill out the middle of the menu, and baklava handles dessert. The grilled chicken and beef kebabs are there for anyone in your party who wants them, which makes the spot an easy compromise for a mixed table.
How It Compares to the Athens Veggie Field
Athens does have other places that treat plant eaters well, but most are scattered across different neighborhoods, and few sit inside an easy Five Points walk. The grill’s edge is that it offers a full sit-down vegetarian spread in a part of town where the competition is mostly burgers and smoothies.
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | Style | Vegetarian signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mediterranean Grill | Five Points | Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, fast-casual | Vegetarian plate with hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, tabouleh |
| Maepole | Chase Street | Build-your-own comfort bowls | Tofu and black-eyed-pea fritters |
| White Tiger Gourmet | Boulevard | Counter sandwiches | Grilled tofu sandwich, portabella cheeseburger |
| Slutty Vegan | Baxter Street | Plant-based burgers | One Night Stand burger |
Each has its fans. The point is that none of them stand on the same block, so a vegetarian who finds themselves parked in Five Points has fewer good fallbacks than the citywide list suggests. A wider rundown of the city’s plant-friendly spots lives in this guide to vegan and vegetarian dining in Athens.
From a 2000 Atlanta Kitchen to the Old YoBo Space
The Athens shop did not appear out of nowhere. It is part of a small, family-run chain that started in metro Atlanta in 2000 and now runs several Georgia locations, including kitchens in Midtown and Decatur that have built long review histories of their own.
The Athens outpost opened in October 2015, moving into the space that the short-lived YoBo Cantina had vacated. That timing put it in the same building cycle as its neighbors, and it has outlasted plenty of restaurants that have cycled through Five Points since.
Longevity matters for a vegetarian regular. A spot that holds the same address for a decade becomes the reliable default, the place you can recommend without checking first whether it is still open.
Ordering Tips for a Meat-Free Table
A few moves get the most out of the menu, especially if you are the type who likes to customize. The kitchen is forgiving, and the build-your-own nature of the plate rewards a little planning.
- Load your utensil in layers. Dragging falafel through the baba ghanouj and hummus together beats eating each item alone.
- Ask whether they will add a couple of dolmas to the vegetarian plate for a fuller spread.
- Request the spicy salsa on the side or left off entirely if you want a milder plate.
- Time your visit around the rush. Lunch and dinner pack the block, so arriving early or late eases both the wait and the parking hunt.
For anyone splitting the trip with a burger fan, the neighboring counter’s Baddies Burgers smash-burger lineup sits a few steps away in the same building, which keeps a mixed group from having to drive twice. A broader look at the corridor is in this where-to-eat guide for Five Points.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mediterranean Grill in Athens Vegetarian-Friendly?
Yes. Apart from the calamari, every appetizer and salad is meat-free, and the menu includes a dedicated vegetarian plate plus falafel plates, grilled vegetables, dolmas, lentil soup, and a sampler plate. It is one of the more complete vegetarian options in the Five Points area.
How Much Is the Vegetarian Plate at Mediterranean Grill?
The vegetarian plate costs $17 and includes hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouleh, crispy falafel, and a side salad with feta cheese cubes and pitted olives, served with pita bread triangles for scooping.
What Vegetarian Dishes Does Mediterranean Grill Serve?
Beyond the vegetarian plate, the menu offers hummus, baba ghanouj, dolmas, tabouleh, falafel plates, grilled vegetables, lentil soup, and a sampler. Plates come with rice, salad, and pita, and baklava is available for dessert.
Where Is Mediterranean Grill Located in Athens?
It sits at 1591 S. Lumpkin St. in the Five Points area of Athens, Georgia, sharing a 1960s-era building with a Smoothie King and the original Baddies Burgers location.
What Are Mediterranean Grill’s Hours?
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Thursday, when it closes a little earlier at 8:30 p.m.
Is Mediterranean Grill Part of a Chain?
Yes. It belongs to a small, family-run chain founded in metro Atlanta in 2000, with several Georgia locations including Midtown and Decatur. The Athens location opened in October 2015 in the former YoBo Cantina space.
