The Vortex   

The entrance to the Little Five Points location is a giant skull that swallows you whole. Get sucked in with the Vortex's extensive menu, which offers nearly every beer you can think of. Besides 30 beers on tap, you'll find more than 210 bottled beers and more than 80 single-malt Scotches. The interior is a visual logjam, with goofy things of all sorts crawling the walls: airplanes, skeletons on motorcycles, old license plates and a big moose head for starters. At both locations, the big, fat, juicy burgers are the main act. Topping options include blue, jack and cheddar cheese as well as homemade salsa. If burgers aren't your thing, you'll find good chicken, fish and shrimp options plus generous deli sandwiches. Vegetarians can chose a black bean or veggie burger. For compromisers, there's a good turkey burger. Lunchtime hosts mostly business folk, but it draws in the younger set at night. -- Stephanie Boozer & Judith Augustine