Republic

Republic’s menu has a lot of upscale takes on classics, from burgers and Nashville hot chicken sandwiches to mac and cheese with prawns and pork belly lardons thrown in. There are certainly better dinner spots in the neighborhood, but you can't deny the mood in this place. We like it best in the summer when they open the front garage doors and let the fresh air in, but it’s also a fine setting to get cozy with a bowl of risotto alongside a if it’s 38 degrees out.

But quite possibly the best use of Republic is when you're strapped for time and need a last-minute, low-key birthday spot for around a dozen people—it's entirely possible to reserve an area of the bar with relatively no notice, where you can gather around high-top tables and snack on hand-cut fries and steak bites swirled in horseradish thyme cream. Do not, under any circumstances, ignore these steak bites.