The 2019-2020 Flagpole Guide to Athens

File Under: Bakeries, Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Beer and wine, catering, counter service, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Breakfast and lunch, Mon–Sat. Weekend brunch. The Look: Charming restaurant with an amazing dog-friendly patio and sidewalk chalk for kids. Big booths and art inside. Menu: Breakfast and lunch, plus breads, pastries, cakes, special orders and more from the bakery. Really good French toast and burgers, plus quiche, some bigger plates (fish and chips, veggie sauté), fries with blue cheese and garlic aioli and lots of healthy stuff. Drinks: Small but nice selection of beer; wine by the glass or bottle.

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. 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: Something Different. Features: Full bar, reservations, catering, outside seating, vegetarian friendly. Hours: Dinner, seven days. Sunday brunch. The Look: Hugh Acheson's flagship restaurant in a renovated historic home with a lovely bar. Menu: Serious dining that is forward-thinking but thoughtful, with beautiful plating. Some items recur frequently, but there's always something new based on the season. Superlative produce. Tuesday-night ramen is a standout. Drinks: Wine list by James Beard nominee; unpretentious but smart cocktails; excellent after-dinner drinks.

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: 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: Bars and Clubs, Sandwiches, Burgers and Chicken. Features: Live music, outside seating, Wi-Fi. The Look: A real classic, with a grad student/faculty/townie vibe. Soccer and live music upstairs. Menu: Pub cuisine, including fish and chips, burgers, a croque monsieur, really good vegan chili and housemade potato chips. Sunday brunch includes pancakes, grits, steak and eggs and a frittata. Drinks: An eclectic selection of over 80 craft beers, 60 wines and 40 single-malt scotches.

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, 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. 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. 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. 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, 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: BBQ, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: BYOB, catering, outside seating, delivery. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Next to the railroad tracks down Pulaski Street. Family-friendly patio with sidewalk chalk. Trains go by regularly. Menu: Excellent meats smoked daily, which means when they're out, they're out. (Check Facebook or Instagram before you go if you're worried.) Pescatarians and vegetarians will find plenty to eat. Ramen, kids-eat-free Mondays and other specials are well publicized. Housemade pickles, vinegar-lime slaw, smoked potato salad, tacos and more.

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: Mexican and South American, Bakeries. Features: Counter and table service, full bar, take-out. Hours: Lunch and dinner, seven days. The Look: Sweet bakery and restaurant in a Watkinsville strip mall across from Publix, with a nice kids area. Menu: Uruguayan steaks and choripan, chicken milanesa torta, breakfast all day, chivito, churrosco del sur and more, with a much expanded menu at dinner. Great baked goods, especially Latin American sweet breads, and tasty empanadas, both sweet and savory. Some gluten-free items.

File Under: Something Different, Vegetarian Friendly, Bars. Features: Full bar, outside seating, Wi-Fi. Hours: Lunch, dinner and late night, seven days. Sunday brunch. The Look: High ceilings, plenty of character. Menu: From snacks to full meals: boiled peanuts, barbecue pork tacos, sliders, French onion soup, veggie-packed quinoa salad, burgers, ribs, cheeses and more. Drinks: Serious beer, with more than 200 well-described options in the bottle and 30 on tap, plus wine and nice cocktails.

File Under: Something Different, Downhome and BBQ, Vegetarian Friendly. Features: Catering, counter service, live music, BYOB, delivery, take-out, art, outside seating. Hours: Lunch, Mon–Sat. Dinner, Thu–Sat. Sunday brunch. The Look: Tucked away in a historic grocery with cozy indoor seating and fun picnic tables outside, plus toys for kids. Menu: Carnivores and vegetarians will be equally happy. Good ingredients abound. Perfect burgers, great veggies cooked on the flat-top (don't snooze on the cabbage), smoked pork barbecue and tofu-q; daily specials and seasonal sides. At brunch, try a biscuit sandwich or stack of pancakes covered in pulled pork.