The 2019-2020 Flagpole Guide to Athens

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service. Hours: Lunch, Sat–Sun. Dinner, seven days. The Look: Counter inside Showtime Bowl; some tables, nearby arcade. Menu: Better versions of bar food/bowling alley standards: burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, wings, intensely loaded fries/tots/nachos, a burrito, garlic knots, pizza and a $6 kids menu. Drinks: Buckets of beers, some nice deep-cut craft choices. Wine, too.

File Under: American, Bars and Clubs. Features: Beer, live music, trivia. Hours: 12–10 p.m., seven days. The Look: Large brewpub in a warehouse-type space, with a huge bar, a view of the tanks and crowlers to go. Menu: Some bar stuff, some nicer things (pork chop, grilled salmon). Beer is used as an ingredient. Good snacks, like fried cheese curds and fries served with dips. Good kids menu. Ramen nights. Drinks: Craft beers made in house, as well as guest brews. Offerings change daily, with lots of interesting options. Available in flights.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: All 12 theaters have call buttons to order food and drink, plus there's a bar and dining area in the lobby, where you don't have to have tickets to eat. Menu: Candy and popcorn, yes, but also burgers, flatbreads, wings and milkshakes. Drinks: Mostly domestics on draft, imports, domestics and local in the bottle, wine and full bar.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, curbside pick-up. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night, seven days.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Catering, outside seating, trivia, delivery, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. 

File Under: American. Features: Beer and wine, curbside pick-up, catering, outside seating, delivery, take-out, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Family-friendly independent fast-casual. Menu: The kitchen makes pretty much everything from scratch, including the salad dressings, on a large menu that goes from artichoke dip to tilapia. Want a Monte Cristo? Fish tacos? Bison burger? Gluten-free choices? They have all that, plus kids meals.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Gastropub with a quirky attitude. Menu: Creative bar food with an emphasis on intense flavors (tacos with jerk tuna, arugula, cheese, avocado, sriracha soy, wasabi honey mustard). Fun snacks, lots of specials, cute kids menu. Drinks: Serious about beer, with more than 20 on draft and even more canned (gose, witbier, many IPAs), plus regular beer dinners and tastings. Other locations in Helen and Mt. Juliet.

File Under: American. Features: Counter service, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. Lunch, Sun. The Look: Regional chain with an Epps Bridge outpost. Menu: Barbecue, hot dogs, sandwiches and more American faves.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, curbside pick-up, catering. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, reservations, outside seating, Wi-Fi, catering. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Watkinsville location is an upscale, two-floor space, with a big bar with TVs. Downtown Athens location coming in the fall. Menu: Steaks and beer are the emphasis, but the kitchen also loves vegetables. Menu changes frequently but includes good burgers, salads and sandwiches. Kids menu. Drinks: Well-priced and well-chosen selection of beer and wine, tap takeovers and craft cocktails.

File Under: American. Features: Counter service, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Fri. The Look: Cafeteria inside the UGA Hotel. Validated parking for up to one hour is available at the South Campus Parking Deck. Menu: Breakfast in the a.m., made-to-order deli sandwiches in the p.m. Southern standards from a steam table and a soup and salad bar on weekdays. Coffee, muffins and bagels are available around the corner at Georgia Java. Under renovation in summer 2019 but still open.

File Under: American. Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Gastropub in the Ansonborough mixed-use development on the Eastside. Menu: Lots of veggies and seafood (watermelon salad, poké, mussels), but meaty stuff, too. Vegan and gluten-free items highlighted; lots of options for substitutes. Drinks: Craft beer on draft, in bottle or can, a nice selection of wines and cocktails, housemade blood-orangecello.

File Under: American, Bakeries. Features: Catering, counter service, delivery. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Fri. Saturday brunch. The Look: Cute, cozy, family-run eatery inside Hawthorne Drugs, with lots of children's books to read. Menu: Breakfast has plates, biscuits, omelets, pancakes and baked goods. Brunch adds quiche, Benedict and more. Lunch is mostly classic sandwiches (chicken salad, pimento cheese, egg salad) but also a good Cuban and a pimento-cheese BLT with pepper jelly.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, reservations, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch, Fri–Sun. Dinner, Tue–Sun. The Look: Fairly snazzy place in an upscale shopping center with a vista out the big windows. Menu: Date-night stuff, like surf and turf, housemade pasta, shrimp and grits, steakhouse-style sides. Simpler fare at the bar, but some overlap in the menus. Pina colada ice cream made tableside with liquid nitrogen. Weekend lunch has wings and a kids menu. Drinks: High-end wines and craft cocktails.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Take-out, counter service. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Sat. The Look: Big cafe attached to a fancy, farm-fresh, independent grocery store. Menu: Surrounding farms mean good ingredients. Breakfast brings fancy biscuits, stuffed French toast, eggs, bacon and more. Lunch has hearty salads, burgers, a grilled cheese sandwich that includes apples and bacon and local veggies. High Road ice cream and lots of baked goods for dessert.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, catering, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Full bar. Hours: Dinner, Tue–Sun. Saturday and Sunday brunch. The Look: Two levels of dining, kitschy chandeliers, lots of art. Menu: Five options of each category: snacks, entrees and desserts. Baked avocado, cheeseburger, seafood from Destin, farmers market bowls and more. Brunch brings breakfast cheeseburgers, burritos and chicken and waffles. Drinks: Five-option lists of wine, beer and signature cocktails.

File Under: American, Bars and Clubs. Features: Live music, catering, outside seating, reservations, Wi-Fi. Hours: Dinner, Tue–Sat. The Look: You can eat at this music-venue restaurant until the start of a show if you don't have tickets. Hotel guests and ticket holders can dine until late. Menu: Burgers (veggie or beef), catfish tacos, wings, Cobb salad, surf and turf queso; milk and cookies for dessert. Drinks: A wide selection of wine, craft beers and cocktails.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, buffet, catering, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and dinner, seven days. The Look: Full-service restaurant inside the Hilton Garden Inn. Menu: Breakfast can be cooked to order or assembled from the buffet (kids under 12 eat free). Steaks, burgers, pasta, salads and other all-American staples for dinner.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, catering, reservations, outside seating. Hours: Dinner, seven days. Weekend brunch. The Look: Grown-up restaurant with good service and cloth napkins. Menu: Classics from the Gulf and Carolina coasts: étouffée, shrimp and grits, sherry crab bisque, oysters (raw and cooked), peel-and-eat shrimp, jambalaya, redfish and more. Benedict, andouille-studded omelet, drop biscuits, grits at brunch. Drinks: Wines from all over, beer and Southern-accented cocktails.

File Under: American, Bars, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Full bar, live music, counter service, trivia. Hours: Dinner and late night, Mon–Sun. Lunch, Mon–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Family-friendly neighborhood bar with eats. TVs for sporting events. Menu: Good hot dogs and veggie dogs with an array of toppings, fried cheese galore, tons of veggie and vegan choices that work for meat-eaters. Broiled grapefruit with gin, Cointreau and Lillet for brunch, plus biscuits and gravy. Drinks: Full bar with 15 draft beers, plus a well-curated selection of bottles and cans. Half pours, whiskeys and classic cocktails. Check the site to see what's on deck.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Reservations, live music, full bar, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue–Sun. Dinner, Mon. Sunday brunch. The Look: Friendly, preppy, somewhat upscale hangout with great outdoor space and Jack Davis mural. Menu: Familiar, well-executed food done better than the big chains, from fried green tomatoes and artichoke-crab dip to country-fried steak, lots of seafood, steaks and Key lime pie. Drinks: Large wooden bar serving beer, wine and cocktails with happy hour specials.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, delivery, take-out, full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue–Sat. Saturday brunch. The Look: R. Wood pottery, pretty flowers, welcoming atmosphere. Menu: A little bit New Orleans, a little bit rest of the South and a lot of vegetables. Menu changes often, but could include cheese curds, charbroiled oysters, beignets with hot chicken, green tomato crisp for dessert. Supper Club for early diners (5–6 p.m.) gets you two courses for $15. Saturday brunch options include bread pudding and a breakfast bowl. You can also buy casseroles, sides, snacks and take-away meals. Drinks: Bright cocktails, good wine list and beer selection.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, bowling, outside seating. Hours: Dinner and late night, Mon–Sun. Lunch, Sat-Sun. The Look: Cool independent bowling alley with plenty of lanes, a big bar and board/card/yard games. Ping pong, cornhole and giant Jenga outside. Menu: Fun options, from snacks to bowling alley standards (wings, salads, burgers, pizza) to more interesting stuff (pork or veggie banh mi, hot chicken, meatball sandwich). Drinks: Cute specialty cocktails, small but good selection of beer and wine.

File Under: American, Something Different. Features: Delivery, dinner, late night, lunch, vegetarian friendly. Hours: 11 a.m.–12 a.m., seven days.

File Under: American, Mexican. Features: Outside seating, counter service, cash only. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Sat–Sun. The Look: Georgia's biggest flea market has several large buildings with regular eateries and a ton of tables outside selling fresh, well-priced produce. Menu: Biscuits and burgers at the Flea Bite Cafe, barbecue, boiled peanuts, pizza and the wonderful Taqueria Mi Tierra, serving up excellent and authentic Mexican food, including fantastic pollo a la brasa. Food truck nights. La Michoacana… es Natural has an ice cream truck there on occasion.

File Under: American. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, seven days. Features: Outdoor seating, Wi-Fi. 

File Under: Sandwiches. Features: Catering. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. 

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly, Bars. Features: Outside seating, art. Hours: Dinner, seven days. Lunch, Mon–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Great outdoor seating, cool mural outside, exposed brick walls. Menu: South by Southwest, via Athens. In other words, steak with poblano pistou and cactus vinaigrette exists alongside fried green tomatoes with Vidalia bacon dressing. Brunch is always busy and serves omelets, clay pots, crab Benedict and more. Seafood and a case full of cakes. Drinks: American vodkas, gins and vermouths, as well as Armagnac, ice wine, Madeira, sherry and a long list of wines.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, take-out, counter service. Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Mon–Fri. 10 a.m.–2 p.m., Sat. The Look: Cute space under 1000 Faces downtown. Menu: Hot and cold lunch six days a week, plus catering. Eat in the friendly dining room after choosing from pimento-less cheese, shrimp salad, chicken salad and a number of veggie-based dishes that change out daily: collard rolls, quiche, grain salads and more. Cookies, fancy chocolates, candy and gift items available, too. Biscuits on weekends.

File Under: American. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon-Fri. Brunch, Sat–Sun. Features: Counter service, take-out, outside seating, vegetarian friendly. The Look: Pretty, sunny little restaurant in the middle of Winterville. Menu: Great food in a quiet environment. Southern breakfast and brunch include country ham biscuits, hotcakes, Red Mule grits and sawmill gravy. Lunch brings a burger, barbecue pork sandwich, fried egg sandwich and salads. Good pie and coffee. Tempeh and soysage coexist with country ham and smoked bacon.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Curbside pick-up (Timothy), delivery, live music (Timothy), trivia, catering, Wi-Fi, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Local chain gone statewide has a focus on sports. Menu: Deli sandwiches, burgers with lots of toppings, salads, grilled cheese and chili combo, wings, fish tacos and, surprisingly, lots of vegetarian options. Drinks: Fully stocked bar with domestic beer available in pitchers or by the glass.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American. Features: Catering, full bar, reservations. Hours: Dinner, Tue-Sun. Sunday brunch. The Look: Modern space in the heart of Five Points with an enclosed porch. Menu: The catering base for Last Resort Grill also does dinner five nights a week: meat-and-three-inspired on Tuesday; dishes like mojo chicken and al pastor guajillo the other nights. Brunch has huevos rancheros, fried oyster and eggs, ropa vieja hash and Bloody Marys by the carafe. Drinks: Local beers, specialty cocktails and fine wines.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Reservations, outside seating, live music, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and dinner, seven days. The Look: Hotel Indigo's restaurant has a nice patio featuring a fire pit and a weekly cocktail hour to which you can bring your dog. Menu: Heavy and light breakfast, with some locally made baked goods. Dinner brings both fancy bar snacks and full meals better than average hotel fare. Drinks: Nice cocktails that might include house-infused peach bourbon, High West vodka or blackberries. Local draft beer, wine.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, outside seating, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Peter Dale's sweet reno on Boulevard has a bright veggie mural, great views and captain's hats for kids. Menu: Pick a base (brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, salad greens), then a protein (hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, black-eyed-pea tempeh), two veggie sides and a housemade sauce. Menu changes seasonally. Condor Chocolates and La Michoacana paletas for dessert. Kidsmeals. Gluten-free choices. Everything is recyclable or compostable. Drinks: Wine and beer, Aperol spritzes.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, outside seating. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue–Sun. Dinner only, Mon. Sunday brunch. The Look: Nice fish shack in a renovated historic house. Menu: Georgia and Gulf seafood: lightly fried baskets, peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters (raw or cooked), grilled or blackened entrees and sides like coleslaw and hush puppies. Burgers and chicken tacos, too. Cornhole on the lawn. Extra parking at the fire station. Drinks: Beachy cocktails, beer and wine.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, trivia. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Sunday brunch. The Look: TVs for sports, but marketed more to lawyers and business types. Menu: Big menu, with standards like wings and burgers (the latter are $5 on Tuesdays), but also grilled chicken with various sauces, pork chops, steakhouse sides and large desserts. Breakfast burger at brunch. Drinks: Domestic and craft beer, cocktails with 9–to-5-inspired names.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, curbside pick-up. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American. Features: Beer and wine (Oconee), full bar (Alps). Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: A full-service restaurant in the University 16 and Beechwood cinemas. Menu: Hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, pizzas and salads, plus Georgia Street Tacos with tilapia. View movies in a dine-in theater with servers, or pick up meals ahead of time to bring into the other theaters. Drinks: Mostly domestics on drafts, imports and domestics in the bottle, wine. Full bar on Alps.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Hours: Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, seven days. The Look: Two eateries that welcome the general public, as well as visitors or staff. The Dogwood Bistro Cafeteria is on the basement floor of Talmadge Tower 1. The Dogwood Deli is on the first floor of Prince Tower. Menu: Cafeteria selections rotate daily and are relatively nutritious. The deli does sandwiches, salads, smoothies and Jittery Joe's coffee.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, outdoor seating. Hours: Lunch, Tue-Sat. Dinner and late night, Tue-Sun. Sunday brunch. The Look: New South eats fueled by a visible wood-fired oven behind the long bar. Menu: Flatbreads with creative toppings make good use of the oven. Daily burger special, nightly hand-rolled pasta, fancy veggie-forward dishes and some heartier stuff for dinner, like trout or hanger steak. Brunch highlights biscuits. Drinks: Five Points Bottle's owners are involved, which means a great list of beer and wine and some thoughtful cocktails.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Reservations, outside seating, live music. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Fri. Dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Locally owned steakhouse is dark and quiet, a grown-up space downtown. Menu: Lunch has lots that isn't steak: fish tacos, grilled salmon BLT, turkey club, crab-avocado salad. Dinner is fancier, with steaks alongside surf-and-turf, traditional à la carte sides and a classic wedge salad. Drinks: Four beers on tap, long wine list, full bar.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Full bar, outside seating. Hours: Lunch, seven days. Dinner, Mon-Sat. The Look: Family-friendly spot with lawn games outside. Menu: Burgers, Cuban, hot fish sandwich, Cajun deviled eggs. Entrees at dinner include a daily stuffed meatloaf, a country-fried plate with sawmill gravy, pulled pork, and fish and chips with dill pickle aioli. Drinks: Frosé, tons of whiskeys, good craft beer selection, three beers on tap.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, catering, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: American, Bars. Features: Buffet, catering. Hours: Breakfast and dinner, seven days. Sunday lunch. The Look: Inside the Holiday Inn and serving hotel guests and the public alike. Menu: Stuffed French toast, waffles, biscuit sandwiches and omelets in the morning. Evening entrees include a New York strip steak, sun-dried-tomato ravioli, fried chicken and balsamic-glazed pork chops. Sunday lunch buffet or à la carte ordering. Lunch on Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly, Bars. Features: Counter service, outside seating, live music, catering. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Cool bar/restaurant on top of the historic Georgia Theatre. Take the elevator up to see fantastic views. DJs and bands regularly. Menu: Open both during shows and not, the Rooftop makes grass-fed burgers, a veggie banh mi, pork or tofu barbecue and a few other things ready in a jiffy. Drinks: Draft and canned/bottled beer, mixed drinks.

File Under: American, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Full bar, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. Breakfast, Sat–Sun. The Look: UGA Hotel restaurant focuses on service. Menu: Some stuff on the menu is tradition, like Celestial Chicken (breaded chicken tenders over rice pilaf with a special sauce) and strawberry ice-cream pie, but there's also steak, sandwiches, grilled fish, shrimp and grits and good vegetarian choices. Parking is validated for up to two hours in the South Campus Deck. Drinks: Classic cocktails, beer and wine.

File Under: American, Bars and Clubs. Features: Full bar, catering. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Fri. Dinner, Mon–Sun. Late night, Fri–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Beautiful historic space with vintage tile and stained glass. Menu: New South-ish cuisine from a polished team. The tater tots are made with duck fat. The veggie burger incorporates housemade tempeh and kidney beans. Small plates and large ones. Brunch has egg scramblers and meaty skillets, plus pancakes and special cocktails. Gluten-free menu. Drinks: Rotating draft beers in full or half pours, good wines by the glass (and bottle) and regularly changing craft cocktails with housemade ingredients.

File Under: American. Hours: Dinner, seven days. Sunday lunch. Features: Full bar, vegetarian friendly. The Look: The popular seafood restaurant has returned on Prince Avenue in the old P&M Army Store. Menu: Daily specials posted on a chalkboard to keep things fresh. Lots of fish: blackened, sauteed or fried. Jerk spiced mussels, oysters and a few non-seafood entrees. Drinks: Lots of local beers, wines and cocktails available with dinner or at the bar. Try a rosé sangria or Italian margarita.

File Under: American. Features: Full bar, reservations. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Hours: Lunch, seven days. Dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Lots of train paraphernalia in a cozy downtown Watkinsville space. Menu: Burgers are the biggest attraction, and they're huge and varied: lamb, bison, doughnuts for patties, etc. Not much in the way of health food, even in the salad section, but the fries with gravy are great. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Kids menu.

File Under: Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Delivery, take out. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night, seven days.

File Under: American, Asian. Features: Delivery, take-out. The Hours: Lunch and dinner, Tue-Sun. The Look: Real Chinese food hidden in an unassuming Winterville shopping center. Menu: Excellent authentic Chinese dishes, including pork with chives, hot pot, yu xiang eggplant, various fish dishes, mapo tofu and more. On the other hand, you can also get Americanized standards, like sesame chicken and Mongolian beef, plus burgers (one topped with Chinese cabbage), an egg salad sandwich and chicken mull.

File Under: American, Bars, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Counter service, live music/DJs, art, full bar. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night, seven days. The Look: Bright and cute, with funky art and fresh flowers. Serious about football, despite being a townie hangout. Menu: Food that goes well with beer, but also good veggie options. Steamed buns, tofu lettuce wraps, tacos, shawarma, chicken-and-waffle sandwich. Drinks: Creative cocktails, well-priced beer (including lots of canned craft brews), wine, housemade nonalcoholic sodas.