Restaurant: Maepole

Critic: Brie Wolfe

Maepole Fills Athens Void for Healthy, Tasty Food

If you’re craving fresh, nourishing and guilt-free food (and you’re okay with splurging just a little) do yourself a favor and head to Maepole. A hidden gem tucked away on Chase Street, Maepole is as health conscious as it gets and fills a void in Athens for healthy, tasty food that doesn’t break the budget completely.

Their assortment of greens, carbs and meat (or meatless proteins) don’t come with the usual, bland taste that’s associated with healthy eating. Rather than a punishment for all the cheat days you’ve accumulated on your “diet,” a meal at Maepole is more like a celebration of really quality ingredients and a treat to yourself for whatever you deem worthy.

All their meat is hormone and antibiotic-free, the beef is grass-fed and everything is free of high-fructose corn syrup. Gluten and soy are only used where listed on their menu. With many dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan options, Maepole is accessible to most with food intolerances and dietary restrictions. Most people think that quality and flavor suffer to account for healthier options, but Maepole proves them all wrong. The proof is in the pudding — more specifically, their mac and cheese. Holy crap. But, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Deemed a fast, casual dining choice, Maepole isn’t your typical sit-down type of restaurant. Served cafeteria-style, customers build their own plate in a set-up similar to what you’d expect at Chipotle, but so much more satisfying. To start, you choose a base of brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa or fresh salad greens. Then you move onto sides, which range from vegetables and a protein-rich black-eyed pea tempeh. To finish, they have an assortment of sauces, from the pesto vin with a chimichurri consistency, to a turmeric-ginger which has a little zing to it. After completing your selections, you can choose to add some interesting extras – get the “crunchies” or avocado slices to top off your bowl, or leave it at the sauce.

I chose brown rice, which may seem like the boring cop-out option, but it is infused with the perfect amount of herbs and lemon juice to elevate it. The salad greens have a light vinaigrette that don’t overpower or throw off the balance of the bowl. Paired with a juicy and lean diced chicken, the sriracha honey sauce – which a helpful worker recommended – became the missing piece that knocked my meal out of the park. Like, when they decide to sell that stuff by the bottle, call me. 

My only disappointment was my broccoli salad; sadly, it had too much salt and lemon juice, making it more tart than I wanted. However, the rest of my meal was so yummy, the tartness of the salad was a forgivable offense. Especially because they serve the best gluten-free mac and cheese I have ever had, which I practically inhaled. Physically, it wasn’t appealing, but the best mac and cheeses never are.

The restaurant itself is casual, pleasant and clean, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It’s modern and chic but isn’t snuffy and doesn’t make you feel out of place. I came during a lull in business and was pleased to see every unused table was bused and there was no stray trash in sight. I opted to sit outside because of the lovely fall weather, but also the calm atmosphere of the open outdoor area invited me. I appreciated that the blue wire tables were kept at a comfortable distance from each other so the conversations around me didn’t overlap.

Another reason to stop by Maepole is the place is eco-friendly, so you won’t have to feel bad about adding to our environmental footprint. The cups, plates, forks and food are all compostable or biodegradable, but there is still the option for metal, reusable silverware. The owner, Peter Dale, also locally sources their produce to show his support for other local Athens businesses by selling local beers, such as Creature Comforts, a selection of chocolates from Condor Chocolates or popsicles from La Michoacana Es Natural.

The average meal is around $11-13 (mine was $11.75), which the average college student could call steep, but the quality is far superior to what you’d get at Chick-fil-a or Barberitos, without the crummy feeling you get afterward. High-quality ingredients have higher costs. That’s a price I’m more than willing to pay every now and then, especially if it’s for Maepole.