Paloma Park Wouldn’t Work in Dallas or New York Anyway

Charcuterie and Tapas in Downtown Athens, GA

$$$$         235 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601

Perfect for: big groups, small plates, date night, outdoor/patio situation

Paloma Park has potential. It’s the only charcuterie and tapas restaurant in Athens, it’s in a great location, and it’s huge. They have classics like spring rolls, hummus, and potstickers, along with quickle pickles and crab rangoons which you should definitely try. With three bars and a beautiful outdoor patio, it could be the automatic hangout spot for large groups. But when you look past the leather couches and glossy interior, you’ll realize that Paloma Park missed the mark.

Owner Jason Dunn is no stranger to the downtown Athens scene. For years, frat boys have been shelling out hundreds of dollars in vodka Red Bulls to the many Athens bars Dunn owns, including Double Barrel, Woodford, Centro, Sandbar, and Buddha Bar. Now, he’s simply upped the price from $4 to $8, traded out a plastic cup for glass, and called it a “Red Bull cocktail”. A Red Bull cocktail… Yes, that is actually a real drink on the menu. It’s clear that this restaurant is supposed to mirror his past endeavors with, in his words, “a New York City/Dallas vibe”. 

Like almost everything at Paloma Park, an $8 cocktail may be too steep of a price to qualify this as a go-to spot. If you want a nice night out, Athens already has The National and Chuck’s. Sure, these restaurants are expensive, but their food and drinks are worth the money. 

The same can’t be said for Paloma Park. The hummus looks like someone poured a tub of Sabras into a cup and forgot to add enough blue corn tortilla chips. The mojitos chicken tacos are tiny and the chicken tastes like rubber. The strawberry salad could’ve been made at home and the yuzu edamame appetizer is crying for more salt. Their margaritas are nothing special, the signature drink, an Athena-Paloma, is overwhelmingly sour, and anyone who would consider themselves a wine connoisseur would laugh at the wine list. All of the cocktails are over $8, and that’s a pretty tough sell to college students who can go get a $5 glass of wine down the street at The World Famous. 

That’s not to say everything about Paloma Park is bad. The presentation of every dish is beautifully done, the smoky peach bacon jam deliciously melts over the eggy buns of the torched wagyu brie sliders, and the ginger soy sauce pairs excellently with the extra crispy pan-fried potstickers. The waiters are extremely attentive and the food comes out minutes after you order. There’s even a touch-less payment option allowing you to use Apple Pay at the table making splitting checks almost painless, a huge win for a tapas restaurant in a college town. But why would you go to Paloma Park for mediocre food and smaller portions when you could go to Last Resort for the exact same price? If Dunn is trying to appeal to college students, he needs to lower his prices. And if he’s trying to appeal to Athens locals, he needs a better menu.  

I wanted to love it, I’m the customer who’s supposed to love it, but I wasn’t impressed. Only opening a week ago, this restaurant is still finding its footing and has the opportunity to turn things around. I’ll still occasionally be grabbing drinks there with friends because of the upbeat and unique environment, but sadly my wallet and my taste buds won’t allow this to be the go-to spot I was hoping for. If you decide to stop by, play some corn hole on the patio, grab a drink from the wine bar, but for your own sake, please don’t order the Red Bull cocktail.