< Guide to Athens

Opened in 1961, this soda fountain and lunch counter inside a Five Points pharmacy hasn’t changed much since then. Grab a stool and watch the cooks make your fries and bitty burgers. Real cherry and vanilla sodas, plus malts, milkshakes and floats. One of the few real bargains left.

A wide variety of house-brewed beers that is always changing (more than two dozen on tap at any given time), plus a full restaurant, not just bar snacks. Beer features in many dishes, and there are vegan and vegetarian options. Flatbreads, a giant pretzel, burgers, salads, biscuits at brunch. Cocktails, wine, shots and cider, too.

Fancy cooking store retails plenty of kitchen goods, but also does classes and serves refined breakfast and lunch. Charcuterie boards to go, housemade granola, coffee from 1000 Faces with housemade syrups, beautiful soups and well-presented, tasty sandwiches.

Burgers, chicken, flatbreads, hot dogs, funnel cake fries and the like, available for munching while you watch a movie or play trivia or bingo in the lobby on Wednesdays. Movie-themed cocktails and mocktails.

Birdies retails Rancho Gordo beans, amazing cheese, specialty meats and much more. It also has a coffee bar, Independent Baking Co. pastries and makes pretty, local produce-driven soup, salads and sandwiches, all of which change out frequently. Order online for pick-up or come in and linger at a table.

Family-oriented restaurant with a huge menu, great deals on kids meals and something for everyone, including celiac folks. Big salads, fried apps, tacos, burgers, grilled seafood and more. Second location opening in Watkinsville this year.

This restaurant inside UGA’s Georgia Center does grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, hot breakfast (eggs, oatmeal, sandwiches) and a classic hot line that dishes up hamburger steak with mushroom gravy, buttered corn, pot roast and the like. Coffee all day.

Gastropub that welcomes "thirst seekers, hop gazers, palate pushers" and plays fast and loose with flavors like sriracha and blue cheese. Good beer selection, regular specials, street tacos, lots of fusion and a food truck that pops up at bars and breweries.

Steak and beer, but also seafood, chicken, salmon tacos and burgers at this somewhat upscale Watkinsville restaurant. Tap takeovers, mocktails, Southern veggies for sides and gluten-free items. Kids menu.

Restaurant/bar combo serves grilled cheese, fried stuff, salads and smash burgers, with an upstairs bar that also has darts and a pool table. Kids menu. Taco Tuesday. Kitchen closes at 11 p.m.; bar stays open late.

Family-run eatery inside Hawthorne Drugs does a surprisingly good Cuban sandwich as well as Southern lunch standards (pimento cheese and the like), plus breakfast plates, milkshakes, hot dogs and more. Kids menu and a super family-friendly atmosphere.

Five entrees, five desserts, five apps and so on. Seafood from Destin is a point of emphasis, but you can also get a ribeye or fried chicken. Jazz brunch on weekends. Five specialty cocktails from the bar.

Latin-accented neighborhood place with lots of steaks (the churrasco is a highlight) but also lots of other stuff, from the owners of Punta Cana. Do it up fancy and get a tomahawk with lobster tail on the side or just get a burger with your sweetie. Domestics and Mexican beer on draft, some classic cocktails and sangria.

Gulf and low country classics: étouffée, shrimp and grits, sherry crab bisque, oysters (raw, fried, grilled), jambalaya, redfish and much more. Good wine list from all over, beer and Southern-accented cocktails.

Family-friendly tavern is all things to all people, with lots of food (including a kajillion vegetarian and vegan options) as well as a major bar selection. Noodles, soups, chili, hot dogs, grain bowls, falafel. Great beers; also whiskeys, classic cocktails and juice for kids.

Country club-ish place does classic American food with a bit of a Southern accent, like meatloaf, steak sandwich, crab cakes and gumbo. A fair amount of fried stuff but salads, too. Big desserts. Nice patio. Earlybird specials.

Coffee shop inside Hotel Abacus does grab-and-go snacks, coffee and a small menu of breakfast things made to order: sandwiches, burritos, waffles.

Open Friday through Sunday. Wander around the flea market inside and outside and find some eats while you’re there, especially Mexican and Latin American foods. Look out for La Michoacana es Natural's ice cream/paleta truck. Don't forget to cruise through the produce vendors for treats and supplies.

Crowd-pleasing restaurant mixes Southern and Southwestern cuisine; veggie and vegan choices, plus fish and seafood are highlights. Large dessert case. Plan ahead for lines at brunch. Well-stocked bar, with a variety of single malts, as well as aperitifs/digestifs and a long list of wines, many available in half bottles. Large outdoor dining area.

Salads (chicken salad, pimento-less cheese and the like, plus bowls of greens and vegetables), soups, lots of veggies that change daily. Cookies, brownies, fancy chocolates, candy and gift items available, too. Holiday menus. Open until 6 p.m.

The Little City in question is Winterville, just outside Athens. Southern breakfast and brunch include biscuits, eggs, quiche and Red Mule grits. Lunch means sandwiches on housemade breads, burgers and salads. Good desserts, coffee and veggie options.

Sports bar and grill in the middle of Five Points serves burgers, tacos, bowls, fried things like deviled eggs and mushrooms, kids menu. Also, Southern-themed cocktails. Heated outside dining.

Locally based sports bar chain has a big menu with lots of vegetarian choices, deli sandwiches, burgers, salads, grilled cheese and chili combo, wings and fish tacos. Trivia nights at Timothy Road location.

Hotel Indigo’s restaurant serves croissant sandwiches and omelets for breakfast, plus a full dinner, with steak, salmon, sandwiches, salads and even a kids menu. Nice cocktails.

Veggie-focused quick service, now franchised and under new ownership. Start with brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes or salad greens. Add a protein, two sides and a housemade sauce. Menu changes seasonally. Condor Chocolates and cookies for dessert. Kids meals. Gluten-free choices.

Coastal fish shack does Georgia and Gulf seafood with mostly open-air seating: 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. Beachy cocktails.

Longtime Athens lunch spot guided by the spirit of its late founder is popular for catering, too, as well as for take-home entrees and casseroles that are great for new parents or anyone who doesn't want to cook. Big salads, scoops of pimento cheese and chicken salad, sandwiches, sweets.

Hearty meals from elaborate huevos rancheros and cookie butter waffles to meatloaf and fish and chips. Breakfast served all day.

Fancy chain out of Charleston plans to open an Athens location in the former Bank of America building.

Burgers, chicken sandwiches, flatbreads and tacos with movie-themed names. Mostly domestics on draft, imports and domestics in the bottle, wine and cocktails.

Mostly a bar, with a nice wine list, spritzes, regular wine tastings and discounts for members of its wine club, but also a restaurant on some days. Weekend lunch and First Friday lunch pop-ups have a small menu with a burger, a couple of salads, a grilled cheese.

Downtown steakhouse also does crab cakes, chicken, shrimp scampi and other things that aren’t red meat as well as a la carte sides. Lunch includes a fried green tomato sandwich, grilled salmon BLT and she-crab soup. Port and cognac for after dinner.

Bar/restaurant on top of the historic Georgia Theatre is open during and just before shows, with food from pop-up restaurants.

UGA Hotel restaurant has been around for ages, serving strawberry ice-cream pie and celestial chicken, but also does shrimp and grits, salads, meatloaf, Southern vegetables and more.

High-end steakhouse with attentive staff and beautiful drinks (martini service comes with spirit of choice in a glass carafe on a bed of ice and is thoroughly customizable). Family-style sides aren't included but should be ordered. Not just steaks, but definitely meat-centric.

Located inside a historic former hotel with a menu of small and large plates, all with big flavors: sweet potatoes, chicken-fried tofu, duck fat tater tots, candied bacon, that kind of thing. Gluten-free stuff. Rotating draft beers in full or half pours, good wines by the glass (and bottle) and regularly changing craft cocktails with housemade ingredients.

Upscale Southern in Wire Park. Signature cocktails are cute and fun. Graze on apps like fried deviled eggs and crab fritters, dig into a big entree or go lighter in the "betweens" (i.e. sandwiches) section. No need to dress up unless you want to.

Big menu of food and beer with lots of vegetarian choices: loaded mac and cheese, Southern fish and chips, tabbouleh salad, housemade pickles, a vegan Reuben, buffalo tofu taco, plus scores of unusual, well-described beers in the bottle and on tap. There's also wine and nice cocktails.