The Royal Peasant: Athens, GA, USA
I had a two-day gig in Athens back in early October and crashed at a friend’s place for the night in order to avoid waking up at 5am to drive there on the second day. As a thank-you, I took her out to dinner the night before at The Royal Peasant. It’s a mock British Pub which begs me to wonder if it’s true to its food genre. Having studied abroad in London back in the day, there are a few foods that definitely line my list of favorites. Things that I tried included:
- shepherd’s pie
- lamb burger
Shepherd’s Pie: This is one of my favorite dishes back in England. There’s something about minced meat and mashed potatoes that really fill a girl up. This was served with a side of arugula salad which is something that I also like quite a bit.
PROS
- good quantity, definitely shareable if you are a light eater
- nice balance with the arugula
CONS
- watery: it would have been better to have cooked the vegetables and drained any excess water before baking the shepherd’s pie. The water made the mashed potatoes a bit too soft and runny for my taste

shepherd’s pie plate

shepherd’s pie
Lamb Burger: my friend actually ordered this dish but was kind enough to let me try a bite so that I could write about it.
PROS
- really good flavor: the seasoning was balanced enough so that the gaminess of the meat didn’t overwhelm us
- good portion, definitely filling
CONS
- none – served with a side of fries. It’s hard to mess up fries.

lamb burger plate
It was a good and filling meal to say the least. I can’t say that any of the dishes really wow’d me but I’d definitely go back again to try the fish and chips. All in all here’s a summary:
- Shepherd’s Pie: ***.25 (3.25 stars)
- Lamb Burger: ***.5 (3.5 stars)
If you want to find them here, the pub is located in a very small parking lot next to a liquor store. Parking is hard to find so I’d try to go early if possible. It definitely fills up for happy hour. It’s worth it to check them out though if you’re in Athens, especially if you like pub fare!
1675 S Lumpkin St, Athens, GA 30606
(706) 549-7920
R/g