< Guide to Athens

Standard bowling alley food inside Showtime Bowl: chicken fingers, fries, pretzels, wings, pizza. Beers by the bucket include local and craft brews, or you can do hard seltzers in bulk.

Big college bar with pool tables that gets its name from the year UGA was chartered. Occasional DJs. Also serves food (fried apps, burgers, flatbreads, wings in a lot of flavors, wraps, tacos), which means it's open Sundays. Margarita towers, pitchers of domestics. Poker Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wing Wednesdays.

Small menu done well: smashburgers topped with caramelized onions, cheese, housemade pickles and zippy house sauce; fries; banana pudding in a few different flavors. Watkinsville location has a drive-thru. Normaltown location newly opened.

Cute independent bakery does cupcakes, custom cakes, cookies, cake pops, gooey bars and box lunches with a sandwich, cheese straws or chips and a cupcake.

Longtime Athens favorite has a great patio popular with dogs and kids. Biscuits, French toast, continental breakfast, omelets, great sandwiches, quiche, soups, burgers (veggie and non), small but good selection of beer and wine. Baked goods galore, including for special order. Friday evening dinner service.

Old-school hot doggery in the country makes a steamed dog with coleslaw on a toasted bun like no other. Also grilled cheese, corned beef and chicken salad.

Wings and chicken fingers to go, with 16(!) different sauces and a wide variety of customizations (extra wet, extra crispy, etc.). Also: burgers, corn dogs, meaty salads, fried shrimp, onion rings, fries and fried apple pies on the side. Other locations are in Statham, Lexington, Commerce, Elberton, Hartwell and Royston. Online ordering.

Longtime Athens sports bar has several locations and a big menu including many vegetarian choices. Beer on tap and in bottles, including local brews. Each location has its own specials.

National wings chain/sports bar is geared to the fantasy and real football crowd. Burgers, salads, hefty desserts, wraps, dips and tots as well as wings and tendies. Kids menu. Expected to open in 2025.

Boo-vay, not booves, as in the French for "you drink." European-style cafe with a lot of different beverages all through the day: coffee, tea, cool sodas, craft cocktails, wine, beer and aperitifs. PBR + a howdy for $8. Healthy snacks, some sandwiches (breakfast, lunch and dinner), plus alcoholic and booze-free snoballs. Popular with kids and grown folks alike.

Potato donuts that rotate flavors seasonally, good coffee, big biscuits, breakfast burritos and tacos until 2 p.m., then a break and a switch to dinner with smashburgers, chicken and excellent fries and soft-serve. Drive-thru or walk-up. There's also a food truck for catering and pop-ups. Another Athens location, on the Greenway on Oconee Street, is in the works.

Weed-themed sandwich shop is really committed to the bit, but the food ain't bad. Sandwiches with a wide variety of fillings, including a bunch of vegetarian options, are your best bet. Also: salads, snacks, sweets, drinks.

Filipino food as well as classic American deli sandwiches, coffee, bubble tea (milk only), ice cream and light and colorful slices of cake. Pick up a pack of cracker nuts and some noodles while you're at it.

Sports-bar vibes and big menu with an emphasis on fried snacks and chicken (a good half-bird fried to order, chicken livers, wings), plus pizza. Games for grown-ups (Golden Tee, pool) and kids (an arcade side room). Bar has draft, canned and bottled beer plus makes beachy drinks.

Local favorite does beef and veggie burgers (made with good ingredients and creative toppings: bacon jam, peanut butter, gouda, etc.) plus grilled cheese, tater tots and milkshakes (including boozy ones). Gluten-free options and a big patio.

Grab-and-go sandwiches (lots of vegan and vegetarian options), sides (kale pesto, mac and cheese, tuna salad), salads and soups, plus slices of cake from the baker who used to be at The Grit. Eat on the patio or take home. Custom-order cakes, too.

Locally originating burger chain does patties with 100% grass-fed, no-antibiotics, locally-raised beef, pasture-raised pork, ground chicken or vegan ingredients. Lots of toppings, sides, kids menu, shakes and floats, burger + beer combos.

Burgers (Impossible and meaty), fries (dunk 'em in feta dressing), classic milkshakes, sandwiches, kids menu in this longtime Athens institution that's been serving since 1981. No longer open 24 hours but still a classic, with lots of vegetarian options.

Small chain out of Atlanta does smashburgers with one patty or two (beef, turkey, beans and quinoa, or Impossible Burger), plus bar snacks, fried sides and boozy or virgin milkshakes. Nice upstairs outside seating.

Clever burgers (both meat and veggie), plus salads and hot sandwiches (pimento chicken, Italian beef), good sides (“street corn,” Brussels sprouts, fabulous onion rings) and milkshakes.

We know it's a chain, but it's our chain. Longtime Athens franchise, with its own identity and a cult following, has moved around the corner from its original location. Curly fries, gyros, salads, etc., plus a bar upstairs with a view of campus and wallpaper based on old Athens band posters.

New owners are still doing nice bagels, excellent house-smoked fish and sandwiches (either on bagels or on Luna bread) and made with meats sliced in front of you (capicola, roast beef, etc.). Also hummus, roasted veggies, sauerkraut and scrambled eggs. Kids meals.

Jittery Joe’s coffee drinks, biscuits and breakfast plates in the a.m. in an airy, open space. Lunch features classic sandwiches, soups, salads and kids menu. Baked goods, too.

Sweet little cafe in Watkinsville does deli sandwiches (including pimento cheese, egg salad and hummus) and salads, both lettuce-based and mayo-based. Order ahead online if you like.

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.

A grilled-cheese franchise that incorporates ingredients like ketchup-sriracha drizzle, plus burgers, phillys, loaded fries, chicken sandwiches and a whole "plant-based" section of the menu. Opening this fall.

Located in Wire Park, gourmet hot dog franchise does things like the Taco Dog, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Dog, Sea Dog or more traditional like the All American or Detroit Coney.

Bar with food, pool tables, dart boards, slot machines and big-screen TVs. Food includes burgers, wings, sandwiches, nachos and fries.

Fancy new market/butcher also does breakfast and lunch every day, with biscuits, a brisket breakfast burrito, burnt ends hash, blueberry maple sausage, smash burgers, barbecue as a sandwich or by the pound, mac and cheese, fried green tomatoes and cobbler.

A large, two-level bar with duckpin bowling lanes upstairs as well as other games. Domestic and import bottles and cans, tons of craft beer, wine and a good selection of bourbon, including some rare options. Grill and snack bar with burgers and dogs operates from 10 p.m. to close. Popcorn.

Steamed bagel sandwiches containing meats, cheeses, pizza ingredients and some veggies, arranged into "legendary," "classic" and "healthy(ish)," plus a kids section.

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.

Halal quick-service does burgers, phillys, chicken tenders, pasta, steak with a baked potato, Thai fried rice with basil—a real cornucopia of possibilities. Also: wings, soft-serve ice cream, vegetable sides. Truly something for everyone.

Ginormous two-hands-required burgers are the focus (bison, lamb, lots of toppings, regular specials), but you can also get other sandwiches, hot dogs, fried apps, wings and salads. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Kids menu. Cheesecake for dessert.

Locally owned simple chicken finger place that also has fries, toast and sauce. That's about it. Well seasoned and cooked to order.

Wings, fried stuff, burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and a couple of salads. Kids meals include a cookie. Homemade cake.

Wings and chicken tenders are the bread and butter of this unassuming strip mall place near the dorms, but it also has a large menu of homestyle Korean favorites: dosirak, tteokbokki, soups, kimbap, bibimbap, manju, macarons.