Uncle Ernie's carries on family tradition

After over 20 years in the restaurant business, Ernie Battinelli, the former owner of Clayton Street Deli and several other restaurants, is passing the torch to his son, Daniel Battinelli.

Daniel recently opened Uncle Ernie’s Grub ‘n’ Pub in downtown Athens.

“Over the years we’ve discussed possibly doing something together one day,” said Daniel Battinelli. “We came to the conclusion that something like this would be really fun to do. I grew up in Athens. I always wanted something like this, a sports bar-type of thing with its own Athens feel to it.”

Ernie Battinelli, who now works with the University of Georgia’s catering team, has gained notoriety over the years for his large sandwiches, which usually wind up being enough for two meals. These sandwiches are on the menu, along with Daniel Battinelli’s specialty burgers and Philly cheese steaks. There are also vegetarian options and a full bar that serves local beer.

“We’ve got some family recipes. We’ve got some stuff we just created by accident,” said Daniel Battinelli. “Messing around in the kitchen is one of the things that’s very inspiring and fun to me. Sometimes you can just turn on some music and lose yourself in there and just play around, see what you can find.”

Even though it is a sports bar, the Battinellis want it to be more than that. They intend to host brunches, as well as, themed nights for movies and political debates. Daniel Battinelli also hopes to offer pint nights and sporting event ticket giveaways. Overall, he hopes that it will become a “home away from home” to customers.

“Part of our ordering system is that we take everyone’s names so, when we have customers that keep coming back, we get to develop relationships with the customers,” said Daniel Battinelli.

Uncle Ernie’s Pub ‘n’ Grub is located at 235 Washington Street.