Chicago-style tavern pizza is marked by a thin crust and square slices. It’s not as well known outside of the Windy City as its deep-dish counterpart, which Wedgewood-Houston newcomer Dicey’s Tavern is aiming to fix. Pies range from classic (pepperoni or sausage) to creative, like a cacio e pepe pizza adorned with Parmesan cream and cracked black pepper or one loaded with hot pickles, bacon, and cheddar. Pair your party-cut pizza with a beer and shot combo like Budweiser andNelson’s Green Brier, a sour-mash Tennessee whiskey from Nashville, or Chicago frenemies Revolution Brewing Anti-Hero IPA and Malört.

Ernest Hemingway’s favorite haunts can be found worldwide, and so can bars paying homage to the famous author and infamous drinker, including the industrial-chic Earnest Bar & Hideaway inside the historic Houston Station building. The beverage menu is as interesting as the drinks themselves, with cocktails like the gin-based White Elephant described by evocative little stories. For dinner you’ll find above-average tavern fare from gumbo to poutine with braised short rib to steaks with heirloom carrots, while bar service and brunch feature their own standouts like a double smash burger and hot chicken and mac.

Bastion is a Wedgewood-Houston one-two punch, with an intimate, 24-seat reservation-only restaurant on one side and a casual cocktail bar on the other. The restaurant offers a six-course prix fixe dinner or a family-style four-course option, and while the menu is ever-changing, it may include favorites like grilled oysters and black cod. The bar side, which draws a sizable weekend crowd, serves craft cocktails and nachos. Be aware that things can get pretty busy these days since chef Josh Habinger isNashville’s only 2023 James Beard Award nominee— he’s a finalist for best chef, Southeast.

A self-proclaimed hole-in-the-wall, Gabby’s houses some of the best sloppy burgers in town, including one topped with house-made chili. The walls are lined with autographed photos of famous customers and framed answers to FAQs (yes, Gabby is owner Doug Havron’s daughter; no, the restaurant does not serve beer). Come hungry and come early, as this lunch-only spot draws a crowd until close at 2:30 p.m.

Naples-born chef Egidio Franciosa and his wife, Jannah, turned a popular mobile pizzeria into this brick-and-mortar beauty with a sweet patio. You can order lovely apps, salads, Italian wines and cocktails, and pastas like bucatini with octopus ragu, but the star of Il Forno remains Neapolitan-style pizza like margherita or diavolo wood-fired at 900 degrees for 90 seconds in a wood-fired brick oven built in Naples.

Smokin Thighs, which also has a location in Sylvan Park, deviates from Nashville’s typical fried chicken and barbecue joints by serving nothing but chicken, smoked or grilled. Have a plate of those namesake thighs to yourself or share the Dump Truck O’ Wings with a choice of seasoning like Nashville hot chicken or barbecue sauce. The name isn’t just hyperbole; this app really involves 30 smoked wings covered in pineapple, pickled jalapenos, queso, and other toppings piled in a Tonka truck. Stick with the “inner child” theme by ordering the Kool-Aid flavor of the day, or order for actual children from the kids’ menu at this family-friendly restaurant.

Celebrate Christmas all year long at Santa’s Pub, decked out in colored lights and named after owner Elmer Denzel Irwin, who resembles Kris Kringle if he were a cowboy delivering drinks instead of presents. Open until 3 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Santa’s promises cheap beer and cringey karaoke inside its string of trailers as long as singers abide by three rules: no drinkin’, no cussin’, and no cigarettes on stage.