Miller's Chicken: An Athens classic

It seems like everybody in Athens has been to Miller's Chicken. Except me. That all changed when my two friends, Ronnie Corey and Greg Wilhelm, and I went there Saturday morning before Palmer Fest. Upon arriving at the small brick building, we noticed there were no parking spots available. All of these cars couldn't possibly have been for Miller's Chicken, could they? Apparently, I was unaware of how big of a deal Miller's Chicken is in this community.

(Photo credit: Miller's Chicken Facebook profile, Miller's Chicken)

The line was out the door, so my friends and I had to wait outside for a while on an unusually chilly spring day in Athens. Before going in, I already knew what I was going to order. I told my buddy, Mason Rabbitt, who is a big Miller's Chicken aficionado, that I was going there on Saturday for my blog. He told me that I had to order the Super Chicken, which is supposedly the greatest chicken sandwich on this planet.

After ordering the sandwich with a side of cole slaw, Ronnie, Greg, and I took a seat and waited patiently. I took this time to survey my surroundings. I was amazed at how many people could fit in such a tiny place. I was also amazed at how many of the locals knew each other. Maybe it was some sort of Saturday ritual, where everyone meets at Miller's Chicken for lunch, but each person that poured in was greeted by somebody that they knew. I felt like I was immersed in the Miller's Chicken community within the Athens community; a separate society of sorts. All of the old pictures of chickens and farms on the wall gave the place a sort of nostalgic feel. I started to understand why everybody always said that Miller's Chicken truly embodied Athens.

(Photo credit: Matt Street, Miller's Chicken menu and cashier)

When my order was called, we grabbed our food and sped home because the smell of the food was killing us. I sat down on my couch, ripped open the bag and pulled out my sandwich. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the so-called greatest chicken sandwich on the planet. I would ultimately be the judge of that. As I took my first bite, I realized the flavor and the seasoning were unlike any other chicken sandwich I had ever had. The chicken looked like real chicken, too, not that stringy, fatty crap they give you at fast food restaurants. This is mainly because Miller's raises their own chickens. As I wolfed down the sandwich it became apparent that I actually was indeed eating the greatest chicken sandwich on the planet. My roomates and other bloggers agreed, too.

"The chicken is so much better than any other chicken I've ever had," Ronnie said. "There's no point in going to KFC anymore. You get better and more food at Miller's for the same price. I wanted to go back for more this morning but it's closed on Sundays."

Another great thing about Miller's is the price. The price is extremely generous for college students, and the menu has a wide variety of items outside of just chicken. They offer seafood like haddock, perch, or even oysters. They also have a wide variety of homemade sides from macaroni and cheese, cole slaw, and potato salad. You can check out my interactive map post for more information on Miller's prices.

"I love seafood, so I'm definitely going back for some oysters or a fish sandwich sometime," Greg said. "The only other place in Athens that has seafood is probably Long John Silver's."

Miller's really is an Athens classic. Everything I heard about it was true and then some. It's tough to really describe how good it actually is. I guess you'll have to go in and see for yourself, and I recommend you do so because it's only place where you can order the best chicken sandwich on the planet. What can I say; Miller's lived up to the hype.

Great places to eat in Athens for $5 and under

The majority of students at Ohio University are on tight budgets. I'm one of them. Food, however, is a necessity for all of us. Let's face it, sometimes we simply don't have the time to go to WalMart and buy food, or have the time to cook up a meal in between classes.

(Photo credit: krad77, www.panoramio.com, Court St.)

Athens, OH prides itself on local business. While national franchises like McDonald's and Burger King may have dollar menus, they're not always the healthiest choice. You can still get an assortment of great meals for $5 and under at many of the fantastic local establishments in Athens. For example, next time you've got a craving for one of those disgusting Double Down sandwiches from KFC, go to Miller's Chicken instead. It doesn't hurt to once in a while give your business to the many amazing people that make Athens such a great place. The goal of the map below is to show you all of the great places that you can pick up a quick, affordable meal at Ohio University.

View Good meals at OU for $5 and under in a larger map

Get uptown for Uptown Grill

Uptown Grill, Athens' newest food establishment, opened a week and a half ago in the building that was formerly occupied by Grade A Notes. The walk-up window restaurant, which is right next to Buffalo Wild Wings, offers fantastic grilled items at affordable prices. According to an article in The Post, the restaurant was started by Stacy McClain, the owner of Copy Catz. The article notes that McClain and his girlfriend raise Angus cattle and he saw the vacancy next door as an opportunity to expand his business. Being that it's brand new and relatively unknown, I thought I'd check it out and give you guys a heads up.

(Photo credit: Stacy McClain, Uptown Grill)

My roommate, Ronnie Corey, had originally told me about it last week. Ronnie's from Philadelphia, and on his way to work one day, he noticed the place and saw that they had Philly cheesesteaks on the menu. Being from Philadelphia, Ronnie is as fanatical about Philly cheesesteaks as I am with my Chicago-style pizza. Ronnie, who hadn't had a Philly cheesesteak since he went home for winter break, was dying to get one so he, our buddy Greg Wilhelm, and I went earlier today for lunch to check it out.

As I mentioned earlier, it's only a walk-up window, like O'Betty's but without the inside portion. Immediately, we noticed how relatively inexpensive it was. The menu includes Angus burgers, Italian sausage, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken fajitas, grilled chicken breast sandwiches, veggie-burgers, and a banger, which is a type of bratwurst. All of these items are between $4.50 and $5. The only item that is over $5 is the Rancher's Delight, which is $8. The Rancher's Delight is a half-pound Angus burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese. Chips and drinks are also available for purchase.

Ronnie, without hesitation, ordered the Philly cheesesteak. I also ordered a Philly cheesesteak, and Greg ordered the banger. Inside the window, we saw the grill, where all of our food was made fresh right in front of us. We waited impatiently as the smell of the food and grill began to make us even hungrier. After receiving our food, we walked back to Greg's apartment to watch some TV and take our first bites of an Uptown Grill sandwich.

The food turned out to be delicious! I thought the Philly cheesesteak was great, however, Ronnie was quick to assure me that it was nothing like the real thing at Geno's or Pat's in Philadelphia. Despite lacking true Philadelphia authenticity, Ronnie did enjoy his sandwich.

"This Philly cheesesteak is really good, but it's nothing like Geno's or Pat's back home," he said. "At least I finally found a place in Athens where I can get one, and it's cheap, too."

Greg enjoyed his banger as well. We were all in agreement that Uptown Grill is definitely a cheap, affordable alternative to a Buffalo Wild Wings or Red Brick sandwich. It's also relatively fast if you're looking for a quick meal in between classes. If you're ever in the area and in need of a quick meal, I'd definitely check it out.

For more information, you can also check out their official Facebook fan page.