The 2019-2020 Flagpole Guide to Athens

File Under: Mexican and South American. Features: Counter service, take out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Unfancy restaurant attached to a convenience store in Nicholson. Menu: There are tacos and grilled meats and standards, but the real attraction here 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. Salsas in the cooler.

File Under: Downhome. Features: Buffet, catering, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner. The Look: Second location of the Jefferson restaurant, in the former Sonny's. Menu: The original is all-you-can-eat Southern-style cooking, plus a la carte ordering, with a breakfast buffet as well as lunch and dinner, and we can expect something similar.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Buffet, catering, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Eight buffet tables, including a sushi bar and a hibachi area. Take-out priced by the pound. Menu: Choose from over 300 Chinese, American and Japanese dishes from the buffets or order off the menu of mostly Americanized Chinese standards. Crab legs are available daily after 4 p.m.

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

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Buffet, counter service, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Restaurant inside the grocery store. Great deals for kids meals. Menu: Much better than the average grocery store restaurant. Lots of variety, all with a natural emphasis: salads with organic ingredients, sushi, fresh-made sandwiches and a hot bar, plus smoothies, juice, coffee, soups and baked goods.

File Under: Downhome, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Buffet, catering. Hours: Lunch, Tue–Fri and Sun. The Look: Homey eatery with a self-service buffet and a great mural by Broderick Flanigan outside. Menu: Meat-and-three staples that rotate daily, like pork chops, fried chicken livers, catfish, mac and cheese and tons of good vegetables. All-you-can-eat buffet lets you stuff yourself silly.

File Under: BBQ. Features: Buffet (Hull Road), catering, counter service, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days (Atlanta Hwy.). Lunch and dinner, Wed–Sat (Hull Road). The Look: Wood paneling, shack-like exterior. Menu: The Hull location does an all-you-can-eat buffet lunch Wednesday through Friday, with ribs, shrimp or catfish. Otherwise, it's chopped pork and chicken, Brunswick stew, baked beans, chicken tenders and banana pudding. Family and tailgating specials for take-out.

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: Something Different. Features: Beer and wine, reservations, catering, outside seating. Hours: Lunch, Tue–Fri. Dinner, Tue–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Cozy space in downtown Watkinsville. Menu: Mexican-accented fusion, but also classic steaks and seafood. Tapas, entrees and frequently changing specials: crab cakes, Cajun pasta, fish and grits, plus chef's selection of three dishes. Sunday brunch includes waffles, omelets cooked to order and a buffet.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, buffet, delivery, catering. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Chinese restaurant in a shopping center. Menu: Big lunch buffet daily. Tons of standard options. Dragon Dinners feature combinations of dishes for two to 10 people.

File Under: Asian. Features: Buffet. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Huge Asian buffet of over 300 items. Menu: Hibachi station cooks your veggies and proteins to order, including clams, lobster, crab legs and mussels. Buffet tables with tons of Chinese dishes, sushi, American food, fruit, salad and desserts are spread across the room. Open most holidays.

File Under: Italian and Pizza, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: BYOB, buffet, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. The Look: Casual, family-run pizzeria of long standing. Menu: An all-you-can-eat buffet is perfect for pizza lovers with a large appetite and a small budget. Order from the menu for salads, subs, pasta, hot wings, calzones and more.

File Under: Asian, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, buffet, delivery. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Fri, Sun. Dinner, seven days. The Look: A lot of look! Palatial exterior, ornate red-and-gold interior with lots of dragons. Menu: Big menu covers all the standards, with lots of vegetarian options. Pre-set dinners based on the quantity of guests makes sharing dishes in large parties easy. The expansive weekday lunch buffet is all-you-can-eat and the best bang for your buck.

File Under: Downhome and BBQ. Features: Buffet, catering, counter service, take-out, checks. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Fri. The Look: Casual atmosphere, unassuming space. Menu: Country cooking with a buffet that changes daily. Expect fried chicken, steak and gravy, barbecue pork, meatloaf, turnip greens, mashed potatoes, yams and Southern desserts. Goat makes an appearance on the menu sometimes.

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.