For most people, choosing a drink to accompany their meal isn’t necessarily a priority. And when it comes to deciding what to drink for lunch with friends or colleagues, the focus is usually more on the menu than what to wash it down with. Even when alcohol is an option, it’s rare to find a restaurant that has more than one non-alcoholic option, and it’s even rarer for that choice to be interesting.
Located in Athens’ historic Southern Mill complex in Suite D 400 at 355 Oneta St., Puma Yu’s is a wine and cocktail bar serving small plates of Thai dishes. Puma Yu’s is open for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Tuesdays through Thursdays, Puma Yu’s also offers lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Banner-Herald stopped by last week for a “liquid lunch.”
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Although Puma Yu’s is celebrating its two-year anniversary next month, it’s only for the Southern Mill location. Previously, chef Pete Amadhanirundr and bartender Ally Smith operated Puma Yu’s as a pop-up spot for five years at various locations in Athens. Their combination of cuisine and cocktails was an instant hit with locals, and Amadhanirundr was named a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Southeast.
For lunch service, guests order food and drinks at the bar and find a seat inside or on the covered patio in front of the store. Although the Banner-Herald was there just to sample the non-alcoholic beverages, the daily menu started at $10 for salad and $15 for noodle and stir-fries. The stir-fries all included beef or pork, except for a vegetarian tofu dish with doubajiang, a spicy bean paste.
As you would expect from a wine and cocktail bar, the other side of Puma Yu’s menu is all about the drinks. Surprisingly, non-alcoholic options predominated, but that’s probably because we were there for lunch rather than dinner during the week. Wine, draft beer and cocktails were available, but the non-alcoholic options included Kyle’s Lemonade, Athletic Golden Ale, Ginger’s Bunkhouse, bottled water and cola products.
We both ordered Puma Yu’s non-alcoholic cocktails, the Sun Sour and the Ghia Spritz, which cost $9 each (the two with alcohol were $12 and $13, respectively). The Sun Sour was the sweeter and heavier of the two, featuring watermelon, pineapple, lemongrass, agave and turmeric from Journey Juice. The Ghia Spritz was light and tangy thanks to the ghia, which is often used in non-alcoholic margaritas. Puma Yu is known for its creativity, and both drinks were a delicious treat on a warm afternoon.
