About Abel Brown
Abel Brown is the Augusta restaurant of chef-owner Todd Schafer, a classically trained cook who spent years in respected kitchens before opening his own oyster bar and Southern kitchen in the Surrey Center. In 2026 he was named a James Beard Award semifinalist, the most serious recognition the city's dining scene has drawn in years.
The menu is half raw bar, half country kitchen: a rotating list of oysters on the half shell up front, then Lowcountry-leaning plates behind it. The shrimp and grits is the dish people drive in for, with scallops, a bone-in pork chop and halibut rounding out mains that mostly land in the $20s and $30s.
The Room
The room sits on the upper level of the Surrey Center at 491 Highland Avenue, an easygoing, dark-wood space that reads more neighborhood than special-occasion. It draws a steady regular crowd, opens for dinner Monday through Saturday, and keeps an oyster bar where solo diners can perch.
Why It's Good for First Date
Oysters and a shared raw-bar tower make for an easy, low-pressure first date, and the room is lively without being loud enough to drown a conversation. The same setup scales up for a birthday or a team dinner, since the menu spans quick bites at the bar and full Southern plates at the table.
Not For
Not for a white-tablecloth tasting-menu night or a Sunday dinner — this is a relaxed Surrey Center room, closed Sundays, built around oysters and Southern plates.
Common Questions
Who is the chef at Abel Brown? The chef-owner is Todd Schafer, a classically trained cook who worked in acclaimed kitchens around the country before opening Abel Brown in Augusta. In 2026 he was named a James Beard Award semifinalist, which put his Surrey Center oyster bar on the national map.
What is Abel Brown known for? It is known as equal parts oyster bar and Southern kitchen. Diners come for fresh oysters on the half shell and especially the shrimp and grits, with scallops, a bone-in pork chop and halibut among the mains that mostly run in the $20s and $30s.
Where is Abel Brown in Augusta? Abel Brown is on the upper level of the Surrey Center at 491 Highland Avenue, Augusta, Georgia. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays, with an oyster bar that suits solo diners and reservations advised for weekend tables.
Does Abel Brown have any awards? Yes. Chef-owner Todd Schafer was named a 2026 James Beard Award semifinalist, one of the most significant national recognitions an Augusta restaurant has received. The restaurant is best known regionally for its oysters and its shrimp and grits rather than for tasting-menu fine dining.
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