Restaurants in Athens

Royal Sixty's crystal-drenched chandelier hangs from an exposed ceiling, embodying the spot's skillful combination of classic elegance and fuss-free modernity. It's against this balanced backdrop that Wendy Krispin, the proprietor and restaurateur, orchestrates old-fashioned seated tea outings inside the upscale dining room. In addition to formal teas atop white tablecloths, she has her chefs whip up more casual dishes inspired by French colonial cuisine, such as vietnamese chicken salad, a crepe of the day, and honey black-pepper chicken-pesto sandwiches. The sky-blue walls are covered with mirrored sections and modern artwork, and a piano player lends even more ambiance by tickling melodies from the keys between noon and 2 p.m.

Bennigan’s evokes a spirit of Irish hospitality with Celtic-inflected fare and generous portions, evidenced in its half-pound burgers and overflowing pints. The eatery focuses on hearty meat dishes such as pot roast doused in red-ale gravy, new york strip steak, and baby-back ribs. Half-pound single-patty burgers, such as the Guinness-glazed bacon burger, kneel before The Big Irish, a two-patty tower interspersed with three bun slices. Alternatively, groups can share plates of snacks such as bacon-cheeseburger chips—kettle chips topped in ground beef, bacon bits, and cheese—as they cheer for their favorite team or shout the species of their favorite mascot during televised games.

The smell of exotic spices fills the room as steaming plates of authentic Ethiopian food are ferried through Gojo Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar. Dinner pairs spongy, slightly sour injera bread with beef and lamb sautéed to extreme tenderness in stews of hot peppers, onion, tomatoes, and garlic. A breakfast menu brings warm, comforting plates of spiced and buttered bread, cardamom-scented bowls of cracked wheat, and spicy scrambled eggs harvested from chickens fed on chili peppers. A rustic sign bearing the restaurant’s name hangs on the back wall behind the fully stocked bar, where bartenders pour Castel and other Ethiopian-brewed beers and the sweetly acidic honey wine known as tej. Weekends add a traditional coffee ceremony to the day, with elaborate traditional pots streaming a strong, hot brew.

Wild About Harry's all-beef hot dogs and frozen custard have garnered a stream of accolades since the shop opened in 1996, accruing esteem to be called one of the four providers of "The Great Hot Dogs of Dallas" in 2011 by the Dallas Observer. The eponymous Harry is a transplant from Hollis, Oklahoma, where his mother, Sarah Frances Coley, cooled sweltering dustbowl summers with sweatbands sculpted from her thick, homemade frozen custard. Honoring her ability to sweeten life during the Great Depression, Harry uses his mother's egg-yolk rich recipe as the foundation for a rotating menu of nearly 50 flavors, whose breadth enables customers hone in on their own sweet spot. Chili appears on the menu of 10 polish sausages, vegetarian franks, and traditional wieners, which noticeably omit ketchup from all but one of their topping combinations, and stars in the southwestern favorite Frito pie. The parlor's glowing pink neon is a beacon to families, who line up at the coral pink Knox Street shop before settling with their melting spoils on shady benches out front.

The art of cooking has lent itself to sharing since the very beginning, and Savour Tasting Room and Social Club's menu of internationally influenced small plates celebrates that idea. Sample-size portions of American, Italian, Mediterranean, and Latin flavors top indoor and outdoor tables with basil-accented meatballs or pulled-pork nachos covered with añejo cheese and crème fraiche. Platefuls of Angus beef sliders or pesto-infused hummus pass from hand to hand as diners enjoy views of the manicured flora and fountains on the village green in Watters Creek. A list of cocktails cools off tongues warmed through conversation or holding hands near the dining room's glass fireplace, through which patrons can watch flames dance or trapped Santas beg for help.

It is summertime in Charleston, South Carolina. A small girl lingers in the kitchen as the other kids tumble outdoors. She is riveted by her grandparents' hands as they measure, chop, stir, and season each family meal. When she gets older, she'll take to cooking family feasts herself, and it isn't until she gets overwhelmed fielding requests for her shrimp salad that she'll realize what began as a childhood passion has evolved into a career.

Thus began the culinary adventures of Enjolik R. Oree-Bailey, who cofounded Low Country Quisine in order to share her gift, drawing on the soul-food traditions of the coastal counties of her native South Carolina and Georgia. She and her crew customize gourmet takeaway meals to clients' tastes and whether or not they have their heads trapped in a colander, and the aromas of handcrafted cupcakes stream through the warm air of the kitchen. When catering events, her Southern sensibilities shine through in the dishes she concocts for get-togethers and weddings, for which her staff will also scout venues, rent equipment, and scour the city for horses that moonlight as DJs.