The Spring 2021 Flagpole Guide To Athens

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service. Hours: Lunch and dinner. A bowling-alley food counter located inside Showtime Bowl, but make it a little bit fancy. You can get all the things guaranteed to make your fingers greasy: burgers, fried chicken items, wings, jalapeno poppers, tots, etc. Beers by the bucket include some local and craft brews.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, take-out, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Super-basic stripped-down restaurant that does some of the best poke around. Punch cards for repeat diners, vegetarian options, a bajillion fresh topping options, plus hibachi, fried rice, noodles and basic soups and salads.

File Under: Sandwiches, Coffee Houses and Bakeries, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Excellent bagels boiled and baked in-house in a wide variety of flavors. Top with hummus, butter (whipped, honey, peanut) or housemade cream cheese OR turn into a sandwich with egg, meat, cheese or veggies.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Top-notch New York-style pizza by the slice or the pie, plus delish but not giant subs, salads, cannoli, all with quality ingredients. Vegan-friendly + gluten-free options. Half-pours on beer and wine while you wait for your order.

File Under: Mexican, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer (Clayton St.), catering, outside seating, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Locally owned burrito chain has expanded throughout the Southeast but remains Athens-y. Serves health-oriented Mexican-ish fare, highlighting low-fat options. Everything is customizable to your taste/dietary needs: burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, tacos, nachos and salads, lots of veggies; vegetarian and vegan options.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies, Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Drive-thru, Wi-Fi, counter service.

File Under: Bakeries, Sandwiches, Delivery. Features: Catering, counter service. This bakery is cute and decorative, like the fancy cookies and cakes it offers. Frilly cookies and cakes, either custom or impulse-buy, plus box lunches with a sandwich, cheese straws and a cupcake.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies. Features: Outside seating, counter service. Hours: 7 days.

File Under: Bakeries, Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, plus Friday dinner. Lots more than bread and baked sweets, although plenty of those, too. Supa-good French toast, eggs, quiche, nice burgers (veg and meat), big salads, tons of veggie and vegan options. Lots of beverages, boozy and non. Large outdoor patio.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Take out, counter service. Old-school hot doggery in the country makes a steamed dog with cold slaw on a toasted bun like no other. Also grilled cheese, corned beef and chicken salad.

File Under: Mexican and South American. Features: Counter service, take out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Tacos, grilled meats and Mexican standards, but the real attraction is the birria, a meaty stew highlighting goat or lamb, darkly spicy with ancho chiles. Goat and lamb cooked similarly can also make for good taco fillings or sope toppings. Brunch specials.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Take-out, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Wings and chicken fingers to go, with 13 different sauces. Also: burgers, corn dogs, meaty salads, onion rings, fries and fried apple pies on the side. Other locations are in Statham, Lexington, Commerce, Elberton, Hartwell and Royston.

File Under: Downhome. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Downhome cooking from a counter inside a neighborhood convenience store. Fat biscuits with sausage, ham, eggs, tenderloin, cheese, gravy and more. Grits, eggs or hashbrowns on the side. Lunch items rotate and include corn dogs, chicken fingers, pork chops and fish on Fridays.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies. Features: Catering. 

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, take-out, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Formerly itty-bitty hidden eatery has new digs above ground in what was Taco Stand. Bubble tea, of course, but also snacks, dumplings, good soups, rice and poke bowls and more.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night. Some of the biggest pizzas in town, plus wings, hot and cold subs, calzones, fried apps, pasta, salads, breadsticks and dessert.

File Under: American, Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Take-out, outside seating. Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. This restaurant inside UGA’s Georgia Center does a wide variety of dishes throughout most of the day, including some grab-and-go stuff. Bar snacks, Savannah Room favorites like celestial chicken, Thai chicken salad, burgers and more. Breakfast available for pickup weekdays in front of the hotel.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Full bar, live music, catering, outside seating, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Divey atmosphere and consistently good pulled pork and ribs, even without sauce, plus tasty sides like chicken mull, corn nuggets, fried okra, meat skins, meaty potato salad.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries, Bars, Sandwiches. Features: Beer and wine, counter service, full bar, outside seating, Wi-Fi. European-style cafe that goes from early a.m. to lateish p.m. Delish pre-made sandwiches, pastries and soft pretzels by The Comerian, hard-boiled eggs, snoballs (including boozy ones) and snacks by the scoop. Coffee, tea, cool sodas, craft cocktails, wine, beer and aperitifs.

File Under: Mexican and Latin American. Features: Outside seating, beer and wine (Eastside), curbside pick-up, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Both locations of this Athens original do Latin American food with a Peruvian influence: lomo saltado, big sandwiches, plantains (sweet and savory), yuca, tacu tacu (rice and beans topped with eggs) and much more. Lots of veggie choices. Eastside location has more indoor seating, quarter-operated kiddie rides and a La Michoacana…es Natural ice cream counter. Lumpkin has a small fee to BYOB and usually accepts cash and check only, but there’s an ATM in the gas station next door. Westside location is in the works.

File Under: American. Features: Counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. 

File Under: Asian. Features: Counter service, catering, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Mostly to-go food, available fast, but a better selection than your standard stir-fry eatery: lo mein, pancit, teriyaki, sweet and sour, moo shu and meat entrees, plus chef’s special Cantonese dishes.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Features: Counter service, take-out. Americanized quick-service Chinese dishes, including chop suey, lo mein, mai fun, moo shu, et al., make up the primary order of business in this small restaurant that mostly does to-go.

File Under: Mexican. Features: Counter service, take-out, catering, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and sake, delivery, trivia, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night. Quick-service Japanese and Korean food at bargain prices. You can get rice and meat basics but also bibimbap, bulgogi, tonkatsu and Korean tacos.

File Under: Italian and Pizza. Features: Buffet, catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Coffee Houses, Something Different. Hours: Open seven days. Features: Outside seating, Wi-Fi. Locally based small-batch chocolate shop makes stuff right in front of you: truffles, chocolate bars, coffee bars and more, plus drinking chocolate, coffee, gelato, ice cream sandwiches, toffee, etc. Vegan options. 

File Under: Coffee Houses, Something Different. Coming to downtown Athens this year is this expanded version of Condor’s production facilities, with big windows to see the makers at work and coffee roasting. Bigger café menu than at the original Five Points location, plus retail and gifts.

File Under: Italian and Pizza. Features: Delivery, take-out, catering, counter service, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Hard-working family cooks up ribs, chicken, pork and sausage, plus southern-style veggies (available in small, medium and large) and fruit cobblers. Very sweet tea. Picnic tables out front.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, outside seating, delivery. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Weekend brunch. Something for everyone: hot food made to order until 2 p.m., including a good vegan burger; stuff in the fridge and freezer any other time, plus delivery meals and lots of weekly specials, ranging all over the world in influences. Holiday special orders. Walkers, bikers and bus riders get a 5 percent discount.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Buffet, counter service, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hot bar inside grocery store includes veggie and vegan stuff, plus chicken and fish, soup, salad.

File Under: Italian and Pizza. Features: Counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night, seven days.

File Under: American, Bakeries. Features: Catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Family-run eatery inside Hawthorne Drugs, does big breakfast plates, biscuits, omelets, pancakes, quiche, Benedicts, classic sandwiches (chicken salad, pimento cheese, egg salad), a surprisingly good Cuban, ice cream, milkshakes, hot dogs and robust take-home meals.

File Under: Something Different. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, vegetarian friendly, outside seating, take-out, counter service, beer and wine. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Breakfast served all day, with big biscuit sandwiches made with good ingredients and sourced locally, including the jam, as well as egg plates; meat and veggie ones are equally delicious. Lunch adds non-biscuit sandwiches and burgers plus specials. Baked goods in a case at the counter, good coffee.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, take-out, counter service. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Surrounding farms mean good ingredients at this big independent grocery store restaurant outside Madison. Lots of choices for a hearty and healthy meal, plus a counter with High Road ice cream for dessert. Kids menu.

File Under: Something Different. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, take-out. Small-batch kombucha made with high-quality local ingredients, available by the growler (half or full) or cup, plus solid fermented offerings, like slaw and kraut. Specific flavors change regularly. Their kombuchas are on tap at several places in town, and now available in cans.

File Under: Downhome, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Buffet, catering, take-out. Hours: Lunch. Meat-and-three staples that rotate daily, like pork chops, fried chicken livers, catfish, mac and cheese and tons of good vegetables. You’ll often see UGA football players chowing down here.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Catering, counter service, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Hull location has an expanded menu, with ribs, shrimp or catfish depending on the day. Both locations have classics like chopped pork and chicken, Brunswick stew, baked beans, chicken tenders and banana pudding. Family and tailgating specials.

File Under: Mexican, Bars. Features: Full bar, catering, counter service, outside seating, take-out, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Burgers, Vegetarian Friendly, Bars. Features: Full bar, counter service, outside seating, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Small chain based in Atlanta does smallish flat burgers (beef, turkey, beans and quinoa, or Impossible Burger) plus bar snacks, fried sides and boozy and virgin milkshakes. 

File Under: Burgers, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, take-out, outside seating, curbside pick-up, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Clever burgers (both meat and veggie), plus salads and hot sandwiches (pimento chicken, Italian beef), good sides (“street corn,” asparagus, brussels sprouts, fabulous onion rings) and milkshakes. Cecilia cakes for dessert.

File Under: Something Different. Features: Counter service, take-out. Cheese shop and neighborhood market in Normaltown normally does a good lunch, with sandwiches, soups and salads, plus specials. In COVID times, it’s sticking to groceries, which you can order online, with a huge array of cheeses, meats, nice wines and stuff to make yourself a little party. Here’s hoping the grilled cheese returns at some point.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries, Bars. Features: Full bar, catering, counter service, live music, art, Wi-Fi, outside seating. Hours: Open seven days. Coffee drinks, nitro coffee, teas and juices all day pair with a rotating menu from the Plate Sale. Lots of draft and bottled/canned craft beers, plus wine, craft cocktails and mocktails (some made with coffee).

File Under: American, Bars, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Full bar, counter service, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Is it a bar or a restaurant? It’s clearly both. Good hot dogs, corn dogs and veggie dogs with an array of toppings, fried cheese galore, tons of veggie and vegan choices, salads and more. Excellent beer selection includes half pours to see if you like something; also whiskeys, classic cocktails and juice for kids.

File Under: Bakeries, Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Breakfast and lunch, with nice, small bagels, excellent house-smoked fish and sandwiches (either on bagels or on Luna bread). Sandwiches involve meats sliced in front of you (capicola, roast beef, etc.) but also hummus, roasted veggies, sauerkraut and scrambled eggs. Kids meals.

File Under: Bakeries. Features: Outside seating, Wi-Fi. New owner hasn’t changed how good the bread (made with house-milled wheat) and viennoiserie are. Check the case for specials, like beautiful galettes made with local fruit, but nothing here is froofy or overdone. Counter Culture coffee and a limited selection of cookies. Products available at a few other places around town.

File Under: Asian. Features: Counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Quick-service hibachi includes steak, chicken, shrimp, salmon, tofu and “Ultimate Vegetarian” with fried rice, vegetables and two sauces. 

File Under: American, Mexican. Features: Outside seating, counter service. Wander around the flea market inside and outside and find some eats while you’re there. La Michoacana…es Natural has its ice cream/paleta truck there most weekends. Other options often include Mexican but are limited for now.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Delivery, catering, counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch. Drugstore soda fountain with sandwiches: pimento cheese, chicken salad, grilled cheese, Southwestern chicken wrap, spinach salad with egg, bacon and poppyseed dressing. Also chili dogs, slaw dogs, good soups, PB&J, fro-yo and milkshakes.

File Under: Sandwiches. Features: Drive-thru (Baxter), delivery, catering, counter service, outside seating (Baxter). Hours: Lunch and dinner.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Mon–Sat. Fresh-roasted beans by the pound — whole or ground; cups of coffee, teas and shots of espresso, all out of a quonset hut where the actual roasting is done in an unprepossessing parking lot. Normally hosts lots of events and food truck/market pop-ups.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries, Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Curbside pick-up, drive thru. Hours: Breakfast and lunch; open until 8 p.m. for coffee. Jittery Joe’s coffee drinks, biscuits and breakfast plates in the a.m. Lunch features classic sandwiches, soups, salads, kids menu. Baked goods, too.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer, catering, counter service, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Be prepared for some serious spice. Jerk chicken, oxtail, curry goat, barbecue ribs, salmon, spicy cabbage, spicy squash, rice and peas, fried plantains, mac and cheese, patties, super-sweet tea and cornbread. Kelly has a cookbook/memoir, too.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, take-out. Hours: Mon.–Sat. All kinds of baked goods, sweet and savory, plus pimento cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad and hummus in the cold case. Specialty cakes and pies orderable in advance. Holiday menus.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, outside seating, art. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Sat. Friendly small-town café is currently requiring you to call your order in ahead of time. Deli sandwiches (including pimento cheese, egg salad and hummus) and salads.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies, Mexican. Features: Counter service, take-out. Hours: Seven days. Rainbow-hued palace of paletas and helados, attached to La Jalisco grocery store and taqueria does a huge array of housemade frozen treats (filled popsicles are notable), plus street-food snacks like Cheetos with crema and Valentina, chopped fruit with chile and chile-flavored candies.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies, Mexican. Features: Outside seating. Hours: Seven days. Astonishingly good Mexican ice cream shop that makes flavors fresh in-store daily, as well as gorgeous paletas full of fruit, rollitos (rolled ice cream), smoothies, aguas frescas and street-food snacks like Dorilocos and loaded potato chips. Tostadas de ceviche on Fridays plus specials like tamales. A food truck appears at the J&J and there’s a counter inside the Eastside Cali ’N’ Tito’s.

File Under: Bakeries. Features: Counter service, take-out. Hours: Wed–Mon. Cake by the slice, cookies, Mexican sweet breads, doughnuts, whole cakes, coffee and surprisingly excellent bagels. Sno-cones sometimes. All exceedingly reasonably priced.

File Under: Mexican and South American. Features: Counter service, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Walk inside the grocery store to find this taco counter. Bangin’ tacos, tortas, burritos and a few other things, all made with meat available at the butcher’s counter next door. Homemade tortillas are super-fresh on the weekends. Horchata and aguas frescas with tamarind, pineapple and hibiscus to drink.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Chicken. Features: Take-out, drive-thru. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Grab-and-go chicken spot does wings and tenders, either plain or sauced, plus fried fish, hot sandwiches, salads, desserts and fried pickles as well as family meal deals.

File Under: Ice Cream and Smoothies. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, take-out, catering. Hours: Seven days. High-schooler Beau Shell and his family own this super-fun ice cream shop, which has both hand-dipped and soft-serve, milkshakes, fat ice cream sandwiches (made in house), Italian ices and pints. You can hire the truck for parties, too. 

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, take-out, counter service. Hours: Lunch. Hot and cold lunch six days a week, plus catering. Salads (chicken salad and the like, plus bowls of greens and vegetables), soups, lots of veggies that change daily. Cookies, fancy chocolates, candy and gift items available, too.

File Under: American. Hours: Brunch and lunch, Friday dinner. Features: Counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, take-out, outside seating, vegetarian friendly. Winterville doesn’t have a ton of eateries, but this is a lovely one. Southern breakfast and brunch include biscuits, eggs, quiche, Red Mule grits. Lunch means sandwiches on housemade breads, burgers and salads. Good desserts, coffee and veggie options.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer, counter service, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. Foldable New Yawk slices and pies, subs that can feed two, antipasti, salads, stromboli and calzones, all at low prices.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. A way to make you eat your veggies and like it. Pick a base (brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, salad greens), then a protein, two veggie sides and a housemade sauce. Menu changes seasonally and food is ready in no time. Condor Chocolates and La Michoacana paletas for dessert. Kids meals. Gluten-free choices. Everything is recyclable or compostable. 

File Under: Asian. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Take-out only for the moment, with chow mein, stir fry, fried rice, lo mein, egg foo yung, Mongolian chicken, Szechuan beef, Hunan shrimp and the like, all ready fast. Menu has a Weight Watchers section.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Take-out, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Equally good for meat-eaters and vegans, this wonderfully hospitable Ethiopian spot does lots of beef dishes, but also lentils, tomatoes and onions, all served with chewy, pancake-like injera bread. Ethiopian tea and coffee, plus cookies.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Fri. Southern-style lunch (tarragon chicken salad, pimento cheese, other salads with great pita chips, smoked turkey sandwich with apricot mayo), plus take-home entrees and casseroles, weekday breakfast, all made with copious amounts of love.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, catering, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Grilled meats and veggies (lamb, chicken, kufta, gyros) and tons of vegetarian choices, like falafel, salads, dolmas, hummus and tabbouleh, all of which can be mixed and matched into good combos. Kids meals and business lunch specials. Baklava and other desserts.

File Under: Mexican, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Delivery, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Pho, of course, but other delicious Vietnamese standards, too, including banh mi sandwiches, crepes, summer rolls, claypots and rice dishes. Vietnamese coffee, fruit slushies, bubble tea and coconut juice to drink.

File Under: Ice cream and Smoothies, Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Delivery, catering, outside seating. Hours: Breakfast and lunch. Former mobile business turned brick-and-mortar does both liege waffles and crowaffles, fun doughnuts in intense flavors and now biscuits with pulled pork, sausage, fried chicken and homemade jams as well as coffee drinks. Vegan and gluten-free offerings. Lots of compliments.

File Under: American Features: Catering, curbside pick-up, delivery, dinner, lunch, take out. Hours: Seven days. 

File Under: Bakeries. Features: Catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery. Hours: Mon–Sat.

File Under: Snoballs. Features: Outside seating. Hours: Seven days (closes in cold weather).

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, counter service, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tues–Sun. Owned by the same folks as Little Italy, so the food is similar (New York-style pizza, enormous subs), but the vibe is different and more family-oriented. Italian salads, pasta of the day, stromboli, tiramisu and cheesecake.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner.

File Under: Chicken. Features: Counter service, drive-thru. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Bars and Clubs, Something Different. Features: Full bar, curbside pick-up, counter service, outside seating, take-out, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Board-game café has a robust menu crafted to go well with hours of play: panini, cold sandwiches, salads, cheese plates, bowls of salty and sweet snacks. Games for rent or purchase and drinks soft and hard.

File Under: BBQ, Bars. Features: Full bar, catering, curbside pick-up, delivery, outside seating, take-out, counter service. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Giant barbeque place that has pork, brisket, ribs, tofu, chicken fingers, slaw, beans, potato salad and bread pudding. Bulk orders, too, and margaritas available for take-out.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Drive-thru, catering, counter service, curbside pickup, delivery, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. 

File Under: Something Different, Bars. Features: Full bar, catering, outside seating, take-out, curbside pick-up. Hours: Dinner. Oysters, of course, from much farther afield than the Gulf, plus smart, tasty small plates, including an awesome grilled cheese, scallop fried rice, lobster roll, veggie-loving dishes. Menu changes often. Beer, wine, absinthe, sake, serious cocktails and frozen Negronis.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Outside seating, art, Wi-Fi. Hours: Seven days. Small, independent coffee shop makes caffeinated beverages with local coffees, carries pastries and treats. Fun specials like Vietnamese iced coffee or frozen lemonade. Many loose tea options and smoothies.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly, Bars. Features: Outside seating, full bar, take-out, counter service, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Simple menu focuses on large New York-style slices, lots of fresh toppings, specialty pies, big calzones and salads. Slice and a salad will run you $6. Domestic and import bottles and cans, tons of craft beer, wine and cocktails.

File Under: Downhome. Features: Take-out, counter service. Hours: Breakfast, Mon–Sat. Sunday lunch. Biscuits are a point of focus, but all breakfast options are prepared speedily: omelets, bowls, burritos, pancakes, French toast, hash browns, grits and the like. Lunch on Sunday comes off a steam table and includes Southern-style meats and veggies. Kids meals.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, outside seating, take-out, curbside pick-up, catering. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Sat. Dinner, Wed–Fri. This restaurant is in the middle of things but hidden away at the same time. Asian-accented quick bistro emphasizes fresh flavors and minimal salt, with lots of veggies and seafood. Gluten-free and dairy-free options.

File Under: Mexican. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Features: Counter service, take-out. Excellent real Mexican inside a former Huddle House: pollo, lengua, cabeza, al pastor, chorizo, carnitas, barbacoa, asada and tripa. Menudo on weekends, horchata and great sopes.

File Under: Mexican and South American, Bakeries. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, full bar, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Our only Uruguayan restaurant, with some burritos and tacos but also choripan, chivito, churrosco del sur and more. Great baked goods, especially Latin American sweet breads, and tasty empanadas, both sweet and savory. Some gluten-free items. Location #2, on Oglethorpe, should open this year.

File Under: Mexican. Features: Full bar, catering, counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Sat. Dinner, Tues–Sat. Chef-crafted taqueria isn’t trying to be the most authentic, but it is consistently good. Pork, brisket, fried chicken, carnitas, fish and veggie tacos, plus weekly specials and a blue-plate special. Great selection of premium tequilas, build-your-own margaritas, bottled beers.

File Under: Mexican. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Great taqueria inside the Petro Express does tacos, sopes, gorditas and burritos with fillings including asada, chicken, al pastor, barbacoa, carnitas, desebrada (shredded beef), tongue, tripe, chorizo and buche (stomach), plus hot wings and really good soups. Don’t skip the hot pickled onions on the condiment bar.

File Under: Mexican. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Serving authentically prepared Mexican cuisine, including menudo, carnitas, chorizo tacos, tortas, al pastor and a few freshly made salsas. Great baked goods in the grocery section and paletas in the freezer.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. Mediterranean quick-service franchise does healthful grilled food, including gyros, entree-size salads and "feasts" (grilled veggies or protein, salad, side). Soups, baklava, daily specials, family take-home meals, hummus and spicy pimento cheese, too.

File Under: Downhome, Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Drive-thru, catering, outside seating. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Sat. Heavily football-themed place that does biscuits with sausage, bacon, bologna, steak, chicken, country ham, tenderloin, smoke-link or salmon. Beef, chicken, salmon and shrimp burgers. Wings available in large quantities geared to tailgating.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, outside seating, take-out, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Refined, individually sized thin-crust pizzas are light as a feather, with good char and cool toppings. Gluten-free options. Also: sandwiches, calzones, pastas, sliders and a great beet salad. Desserts in the refrigerated case. Good beer in cans and bottles, a few wines by the glass. Large outdoor patio.

File Under: Asian. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue–Sun. Features: Counter service, take-out. Quick-service hibachi and sushi, plus wings, bento box specials at lunch and dinner, hibachi, soup, edamame and some fried apps.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Drive-thru, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Long-time Athens place famous for hot dogs (with slaw, chili or pimento cheese), onion rings and frosted orange drink. You can also get burgers, BLTs, grilled cheese, chicken sandwiches, fries, fried pies and ice cream.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Hours: Mid-morning to mid-afternoon, Mon–Sat. Darling space in the Chase Park warehouses packed with art, books and more. Coffee from Jittery Joe’s, tea, pastries from Independent Baking Co. and others, plus packaged snacks (yogurt, cheese sticks, pretzels, etc.) and some ready-made sandwiches.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries, Bars, Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Full bar, outside seating, counter service, art, Wi-Fi. Hours: Open seven days. Local coffee and pretty good light food by day, bar by night. Six beers on draft and over 70 in bottles, including many microbrews.

File Under: Downhome. Features: Catering, counter service, outside seating, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. A legend, in Athens and far outside it. Look for the bright-green cinderblock building and the sign that reads “Automatic for the People.” Fantastic fried chicken, squash casserole, mac and cheese, collards and the like, varying a bit daily. Order online for delivery or pick-up.

File Under: Something Different, Downhome and BBQ, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery, take-out, art, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue–Sun. One of the best cheeseburgers anywhere, as well as bbq (pork and tofu, both good), excellent veggie sides (including perfect coleslaw), Fanta in the cooler, fun specials, almost everything cooked on the magical flat-top. Lots of outdoor picnic tables.

File Under: Mexican, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer, catering, counter service, delivery, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Counter service, take-out, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Wings and chicken tenders (for an individual or in bulk), wraps (including one with french fries, cool ranch, cheese and bacon), sandwiches and some Asian options (sesame chicken, tonkatsu, teriyaki).

File Under: Asian. Features: Counter service, curbside pick-up, take-out, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Fast-casual made-to-order stir-fry. Pick a protein (steak, chicken, shrimp, pork, tofu), some veggies, a sauce and a base (rice, noodles, salad), and they’ll cook it for you right then and there.

File Under: American, Bars, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, art, full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner. Half bar, half restaurant, with fun food like steamed buns, tofu lettuce wraps, ever-changing tacos, shawarma, chicken-and-waffle sandwich. Lots of veggie choices. Creative cocktails, well-priced beer (including lots of canned craft brews), wine, housemade nonalcoholic sodas and a great chalkboard, plus a small shrine to Kirby Smart that sits alongside cool folk art.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service, curbside pick-up, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Locally based franchise does personal-size customized pizzas Lots of topping, sauce and cheese choices, as well as several doughs. Pick a specialty pie or build your own. Vegan and gluten-free choices. Panini, bread bowl salads, gelato, beer and wine.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Curbside pick-up, drive-thru, checks, take-out. Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, Wed–Sat. Lunch, Sun. Country bbq joint of long standing, with a signature pepper-vinegar sauce on the pork sandwiches. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, tots and slaw, too. Brightly colored slices of soda cake by the register. New drive-thru.

File Under: Sandwiches, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Wed–Mon.

File Under: Coffee Houses and Bakeries. Features: Curbside pick-up, delivery, outside seating, Wi-Fi, catering. Hours: Seven days. Coffee (including iced coffee made with coffee ice cubes) and doughnuts customizable right then and there with toppings from shredded coconut to bacon, pecans, Fruity Pebbles and the traditional sprinkles. Vegan, paleo and gluten-free options.