This place was a lot of fun, would be a great place to take a date, and it's really quite close to Athens.
I'll admit I was a little thrown off, as I always am, by the idea of "fusion," but Chef Jose cooks an excellent meal. He came to our table and asked "qué puede yo cocine para usted" (but probably in better Spanish), he is from interior Mexico, so I trust his authenticity.
I always judge a place based on their rice, and their Spanish rice was delicious, creamy with chunks of Feta cheese, so not traditional, but very well cooked.
Our server was very nice.
Best part?
Anything can be made gluten-free, including their pastas! I have gluten sensitivities and so our server brought me a personal plate of toasted (udi's?) bread.
Worst service and food in town. Not only are they over priced, the service sucks! Waited so long to place our drink order (we should've walked out then) Â took another while for drinks to get to us, food was so greasy and my pasta was under cooked! To top that off, we see a BUG right by our booth! At that point I was so upset, told our waiter (she was apologetic) WILL NEVER GO BACK & This place is SO over rated! Gross~
Review Source:I would give this one a negative star if it wasn't for the breaded beef that they served in the main room.
The place is overpriced and the food is terrible. I think the chef believes that he belongs in Manhattan, and since the people around never had a better version of this food... they fall for it, mostly due to his cocky attitude.
Let's start at the beginning. The staff is a mess and it takes forever to get anyone's attention, let alone seating. Afterwards, the buffet options are quite bad. I tried everything available from the mediocre hot dishes, cheap salad... extremely oily scrambled eggs to the soggy waffles.
The only thing I recommend is the breaded steak and it's best to simply eat as much of that as you can in order to get your money's worth. The dessert was a joke as well.
Overall, this reminds me of a meal that you would find in a hotel and not an actual restaurant.
Two thumbs down!
This place is amazing! Â Some of the best food I have ever eaten. Jose has done a fantastic job of using his Mexican influence combined with French and Italian influences.
Like the prior reviews stated, Jose came out and asked us what we wanted. I told him something light, but spicy. My wife said "surprise Me" and he delivered a home run - no make that a grand slam!!!!
Atmosphere what what I would expect. Service was excellent. The food was exceptional. I would drive from Atlanta to eat here. This is a true destination. Of course, if you want plain ol hamburger and burito, you can get it, but the menu offers a wide selection of wonderful dishes.
The food here is great. We had an extremely polite and friendly young man as our server. Menu and service seems a little awkward, but definitely worth a try.
Great sangria. They even made me an individual glass. Most places only sell a pitcher. It wasn't on the menu, but with the Mexican influence, I thought to ask. Â
Our table had enchiladas, shrimp n grits, and the scallops. Everything was very well prepared.
Girasoles is roughly 40 miles from Atlanta in Watkinsville, GA, which is about 15 minutes from Athens. Â When you first walk in, the decor or lack there of, is reminiscent of a typical Mexican restaurant but then Chef Jose' comes out. Â He's full of life and passion and it becomes quite clear that his equally passionate about his menu of Mexican/Italian/Latino fare and that the menu is just a guide. Â If he has the ingredients, you have the meal and cooked the way YOU want it.
The mix of Mexican/Latino/Italian is realized when you see things like lamb or crab stuffed salmon and the like, as well as other fusionary delights.
I ordered a mixed grill of grouper and seabass but it was served with a very light creme sauce accented with bits of tomatoes and spices. Â Simply delish. Â However, the real surprise came when I had a bite of my friends filet. I had one, two and then three more bites. Â This was perhaps the best piece of red meat I have EVER eaten, and I have had steak near and far. Not only was it a top cut of top quality meat but it was cooked to absolute perfection. Â Medium rare for me. Â The meat quite literally melted in my mouth.
But his chicken and fish selections are equally top notch and if you are not a carnivore, not a problem. Â Plenty of eclectic non meat options to choose from.
Girasoles is an undescovered gem that has been around for 4 years. Chef Jose Zambrano has a touch equal or better than a lot of top restaurants and because he has spared the expense of over the top decor, he is able to serve top quality meals at a fair price.
As close as Girasoles is to Athens, I can't help but think Athenian foodies haven't already discovered the secret, they're just keeping it to themselves.
Well...the secret is out.
Went here for a date with my wife. Â We had been informed by a friend that the food was excellent. Â She was so correct. Although the decor is not the best, the service and the food are outstanding.
I had one of their specialties that night, rissotto and lamb. Â My wife had one of their pasta dishes. Â Both were exceptional. Â The bread with olive oil served with the dinner were also exceptional.
I've been told that their brunch is also great, but have not yet had the chance to try it out.
After hearing my friend rave about this place, I went to Girasoles with my parents one evening. Â They both ordered salads in an effort to "eat light," but I'm certain they regretted it when they saw my meal. Â I ordered the crab stuffed salmon special, served with whipped potatoes and vegetables juilenne. Â It was delightful, as was the complimentary salad beforehand which the server brought out upon hearing it was our first visit to the restaurant. Â The service was wonderful, and though the interior is a little plain, the outstanding nature of everything else about the experience more than compensates for the sparse decor. Â
The food here is allegedly a fusion of Italian, Mexican, and Latino. Â Whatever elements are incorporated, this place is amazing!