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Athalia's Seafood and Southern Cuisine
Category: Restaurants Seafood Seafood [Edit]
Foreston Crossing60 Susa Dr, Ste 101
Stafford, VA 22554
(540) 307-0520
- Hours:
Tue-Sat 11 am - 8 pm
Sun 12 pm - 6 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
13 reviews for Athalia's Seafood and Southern Cuisine
Review Highlights
13 reviews in English
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Review from Andrea S.
Hanover, MD
12/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
There isn't much to offer in this area and I have to come down here for work periodically. I pulled out my trusty Yelp and saw this joint stacking up with five star ratings from EVERY reviewer. Is that possible? I must investigate!
The place is a small cafe, but airy and spacious. The owners hopped right up to offer me a menu and take my order. I was disappointed that they were out of the cornbread the other reviewers liked so well and a little disappointed at the dirth of non-seafood options (it IS a seafood restaurant after all), but they have a pulled pork sandwhich and lots of interesting sides. I got the mac n cheese.
You know that moment when you look at food and think "oh, well"? The sandwhich seemed unappealing (no sauce! Won't that be dry?). Then there was that moment when you bite into something and it is so amazingly good, you're not sure how they did it! The meat was spicy, juicy and wonderful. The mac n cheese is a lovely like-mom-makes recipe that goes down quick.
Prices, service, atmosphere, and comfort all make the grade. The food makes it an A+! -
Review from Mike F.
Chandler, AZ
2/8/2012
Don't mistake the 4 stars instead of 5 as a slight to Athalia's. I love this place. My method of rating just forces very few 5s. That being said, Athalia's is solidly in the great food and I can't wait to go back camp. Fried fish, crab cakes, BBQ pork, potato salad, mac 'n cheese, french fries, chicken nuggets, collared greens, and the yams were all well above average. Even the chicken nuggets had something extra on them.
The highlights were definitely the fried fish and crabcakes. Seriously good food and great service. The best part is that it was extremely kid friendly. -
Review from Yetta L.
Fredericksburg, VA
5/24/2012
So much better than any other Soul Food in the area. I stopped by on my way home from N.VA.I ordered a fish dinner with mac & cheese and green beans. The food was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to go back to taste all the other food. The fish was fried while I waited...fresh! The mac and cheese had the perfect amount of cheddar and sharp cheddar. My 4 year old ate most of my green beans but what I tasted of them was really yummy. I can't wait to go back to eat everything else on the menu. I wish they were here in Fredericksburg but it's definitely worth the 20 min drive to get there.
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Review from Val W.
Salt Lake City, UT
4/7/2012
This little restaurant opened about a year ago. Jim is the owner. He names his restaurant Athalia's after his mother. All of the reviews are correct. The food is incredible and plentiful. I couldn't finish mine and I am admittedly a hog. Warm and welcoming staff. I was literally blown away. I wish I lived here so I could be a regular. I know the restaurant is hard to find - I know it's in a strip mall sort of place and it looks like it should be a shoe store or an H and R Block or something. But OMG what a place. What a lovely experience we had. Now go there. Honestly. Go there.
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Review from David J.
Washington, DC
3/12/2012
Any restaurant with such consistently high ratings catches my eye, and on Friday evening, I finally had the opportunity to try out Athalia's. Spoiler alert: It was wonderful!
My wife and I arrived around 6pm to find we were the only ones in the restaurant; that didn't last long. After placing our order, we watched as a steady stream of dine-in and take-out customers filed in. The two people working behind the counter/in the kitchen took it all in stride, doing a great job at being organized, friendly and conversational despite the rush.
Our food arrived quickly and with the traditional simplicity someone from the south expects: Two perfect pieces of fried catfish, resting on two pieces of white bread, inside of a styrofoam tray. The fish was sizzling hot, perfectly flavored and simply wonderful! The veggies (we tried collard greens, potato salad and mac-and-cheese) were truly like mama makes. Add sweet tea and you have the sort of meal more common to Alabama or Mississippi than NoVA.
One last note... the atmosphere of the restaurant was casual and friendly. And while the restaurant's decor was not fancy, it was bright and super-clean. I'd have no hesitation in recommending this place to a friend or family member. -
Review from Sal M.
Arlington, VA
8/7/2011 4 photos
I'm glad other people have already rated this place, and explained why its awesome. Now I can keep my review short. I have only eaten here once...but the food was great.
This is a mom-and-pop restaurant...some really nice people that decided to open their own business.
The restaurant is spacious, clean, and unique in its decor. A pleasant place to eat in.
I had the fried fish fillet sandwich.....very well cooked, tasted great with hot sauce! Also, that day they had sweet-potato pie for dessert....which was amazing. As for drink, I had iced green tea, sweetened with honey! Also, maybe one of the best coleslaw I ever had...it tasted very light and fresh...
I live too far away to come back just for the food, but I crave this meal all the time.
They offered bone-in or no-bone fish....I got the no-bone. I likr that you have the option.
Highly recommended. Food probably took about 10-15 minutes to cook and serve. They have a "cash please" sign...but accepted my card since I had no cash. They used some cell phone device to run it, which took a couple minutes....so I think they accept cards, but prefer cash. -
Review from Daniel P.
Stafford, VA
1/7/2012
WOW, Made me feel like i was back home in Georgia eating my grandmothers cooking. We will be back! My wife and i had the Salmon cake dinner and we are stuff. My son had the catfish sandwich, he cannot finish it (Big). Everything we had was fresh and Very good.
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Review from DUANE N.
Alexandria, VA
11/17/2011
SUPERB! GREAT SOUL FOOD, GREAT FOOD PERIOD! Go here if you want a home cooked southern meal that's cook right. The Carolina BBQ is tender, not dry, the vinegar is not overwhelming, there's no bones, it is cooked the way it's supposed to be cooked! The fried chicken is scrumptious - it's not blanketed with batter - it's just right, light not greasy, and the batter has a distinctive seasoned taste. The collard greens and yams are perfect. The portions are generous. The service is FANTASTIC! They were accommodating, courteous and major kudos to being high tech - when I used my card I had the option of having the receipt emailed to me. I'm not exactly a flaming liberal but I despise waste and love the paperless move. There aren't many restaurants that I will take menus/cards and put them up/recommend and promote, but this is definitely one of them.
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Review from R W.
Stafford, VA
4/6/2011 2 photos
Found this place by accident after visiting the post office in Stafford. When I saw the word "Southern" in the name I couldn't resist so here goes.
I was greeted by a friendly face and a nice welcome as soon as I walked in. I asked what the best thing on the menu was and the crab cake was his suggestion. I'll have to take my son back and let him try the crab cakes since he is our household expert. I decided to go with the fish dinner. It came with two sides, (I decided on Mac and cheese and collard greens) and two slices of bread. I also had a piece of corn bread.
Basic presentation here, Styrofoam container and cup, plastic fork which for this food works just fine. They have tables if you want to eat there or you can take it home. I started there and finished at home which says something about the amount of food that you get. As I have said before I am a big eater and I was full before I finished. I will now give you a breakdown on what I had but remember I am southern born and raised so when I see southern in the name that is what I expect. That being said I will give my opinion with my view of what it should be and what it was since most people may not have the same expectations that I have.
Collard greens: they were a little too sweet for me. We usually season ours with smoked hocks and top with pepper sauce when eating. I tried adding some pepper sauce when I got home but still couldn't get over the sweetness. Not saying you won't like the taste it just wasn't to my liking. Next time I will give the slaw a try.
Mac and cheese: not much to say here except it was good. OK cheesy and good. OK really cheesy and good. Could use a side of this with every meal.
Corn bread: Moist and tasty, whole pieces of corn and just the right mix of sweet and salty. This is $1.75 extra but get a piece and split with the wife.
Fish: OK here we go with the southern thing again, I of course expected catfish with a well seasoned corn meal breading but there was none to be found. I believe he said something about it being ocean trout but I'm not sure, my ears tuned out at no catfish. Anyway enough about what it wasn't and on to what it was which was good. My plate had three HUGE pieces, the breading was light and the fish was pretty mild but tasty. There were two pieces of white bread under the fish which I guess you could eat or which could be there to soak out the excess grease from the fish, only thing is there was no excess grease. This wasn't your typical grease dripping fried fish this was obviously fried at the perfect temperature because it didn't retain any grease. Job well done! I did sprinkle on some hot sauce and would have used some lemon juice if I knew they had it (found out later) but that is just the way I eat fish, it certainly was good enough to eat without anything on it.
As far as price it cost me about $14 bucks with the price of tea included. If I have to find fault with something (I didn't find fault with the greens they were just different than how I like them) it would be with the price of the tea. It is $2.50 for a 32 oz cup and $1.25 for each refill. It is 99 cent at a fast food joint nearby. Might suggest if it is $2.50 maybe free refills. The cost of drinks is something I take note of as my bill for drinks with my family could be $12.50 before we tack on food. As far as the taste of the tea I wouldn't call it southern, he would need to use about three more tea bags and two more cups of sugar to meet that description. However, I like his recipe better than the typical strong sweet southern tea. His was just right, clean and crisp tasting.
Overall this place was a good find and I will be going back. I will defiantly try the lunch specials he offers many are between $ 6-8. It's hard to spot but it's worth looking for. Give it a try.
2nd visit tried the BBQ and coleslaw as a side. Good stuff worth a trip. -
Review from W.C. C.
Stafford, VA
4/10/2011
I was referred to this place by a friend. And it was the best suggestion I have had all year concerning places to eat. The BBQ is awesome. It brings back a taste that I had while growing up in the Carolinas. The BBQ sandwich is huge and fulfilling. When ordering take-out, he wraps the entire sandwich in foil and it keeps the warmth and taste of the sandwich intact until you get home.
The fish is plentiful and well seasoned. Unlike any fish you will get from the other food places around here. His fish dinners are big enough for two people and the two sides that are offered fills you right up.
I have not tried everything on the menu but I am looking forward to my next visit. If you want a simple menu with good old fashioned food this is the place to go. Next time you go to the post office stop by and try the food there. You will not be disappointed.
Highly recommend!!! -
Review from Timothy U.
Kansas City, MO
There is nothing better than southern food. Love this place. Friendly staff, awesome food and quality is great. Had the crab cake lunch sandwich. Lots and lots of crab inside and very flavorful. Will definitely be back!
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Review from Robert G.
Triangle, VA
5/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
Had the fish fillet dinner with mac and cheese and coleslaw as my sides. The employees were very friendly and the food was delicious and in large portions. I like to eat and i was full before i finished. I can't wait to go back and try the crab cakes and chicken wings. Oh and don't forget to bring cash!
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Review from K T.
Stafford, VA
5/21/2011
Excellent food and incredibly large portions. I normally do not care for collards but theirs was awesome! The owner was there himself and wanted to ensure everything was right. It was perfect. Family of 5 and we had crab cake that was huge,filling and with a lot of crab meat. Things were fried but there was no heavy greasyness to it. Im itching to try their corn bread. I can't speak about it enough and hope they build a customer base that keeps them in business for years to come. For the sake of their business the location could have been better as you don't really notice it from route 1. I only knew of it from Yelp. I will definately return.
