[Rook]

It's not easy to find Diverse food establishments in my town, which sucks considering the huge international presence of students...
But they're around...
My Faves are

Salaam - It's middle eastern Fusion, I loved their swordfish kebabs, but they took it off the menu, so I stick with their Lamb, and Samosas, I luv their homemade breads with an olive oil/sundried tomato Dip while u wait for your food, I usually order their mezze platter{variety} while we wait, their soups are addictive, and if you're a Locavore/Vegan, u struck Gold...They usually have Live entertainment on weekends, Saturdays "bellydancers", Sundays "Jazz"...I like this place mostly cuz of the decor & ambiance...

China Panda - This place is awesome where Chinese/Japanese cuisine is concerned...half the menu is chinese food + Chef specialty, flip it over and u get the other half which is Japanese + Sushi menu...Their Sushi bar is obviously visible, and if you'd rather sit there, u should let the Hostess know, but, I'd only sit there for sushi/sashimi, since their foods are brought in BIG plates, and there's not much room at the Bar{in addition to sushi bar etiquette}
My fave is the Mandarin Duck, Occasionally I'll get their sizzling rice platter with shrimp, their Crispy eggplant with Pork/Tofu is addictive...
My brother often orders General Tso w/ Lo Mein, mum gets Cilantro chicken{u have to be a serious Cilantro fan for this plate}
Special occasions i'll go for a sushi/sashimi plate{birthday}, sometimes a bento..
They're a non-alc. restaurant though...Which isn't so bad, considering their Tea is delicious, and cheap..

Casa Lopez - Very authentic Latino/Mexican food, my only complaint is they don't serve Horchata, or Alcohol-based drinks...Very family oriented, I almost always ask for Queso Fundido{melted cheese with chorizo} to go with their homemade tortilla chips, I'm not fond of the tomatillo dip, but thats just me..
for the most part, if I can't decide, I stick to the seafood chimichanga{it's a big chimi with drizzled cheese on top}, occasionally i'll pick seafood fajita, mostly cuz I like the way it smells and looks when they bring it, smokin hot, sizzling still on an ironcast pan...
Their desserts are yummy too they range from Flan, Sopapilla, Churros with fried ice cream...
Everyone else in my family generally stick to Carnitas or Rib-eye, which to me is a waste, if I want rib eye I'll visit Ponderosa....
That, and the Staff {for the most part} speak fluent Spanish and it's nice to have a conversation in spanish..
Granted, u can tell where they're from based on specific words they use in spanish...I tried ordering churros w/o ice cream, the guy had this..unique expression of "huh?"..I kept saying "Manteca'o"{puertorican slang}, when he said "no entiendo" I had this lil light go on inside and i hesitantly said "Helado?"...he explained that he thought i was asking for churros w/o fat...

There's another place, "Gran Ranchero", it's not bad, they use real Crab in their seafood, but their staff mistakenly assumed they were the only spanish speakers in the place, and I did eavesdrop, every other word was not decent for that setting, that and they Do serve alc. beverages....
Casa Lopez for a brief time were worried of competition, and we told the manager "you're fine, trust me"

There is a Soul Food place in Athens, but for the life of me, I can't find it....
Ever since I went to Memphis Tenn., and a friend took me to a Soul Food/Chinese buffet, I was hooked