It’s bold to lead with a year-round Vienna-style lager in Sam Adams territory, but East Rock Brewing, stationed by the foot of 425-acre East Rock Park, makes it look easy, and the rest of the mostly German-inspired tap list is impeccable too. Since the brewery allows outside food, head next door to New Haven’s first food hall, the new East Rock Market, for a takeout charcuterie board or sushi platter before hunkering down with a pint of rustic Farmhouse Lager kellerbier in the spacious beer hall or on the patio.

Archie Moore’s has been a neighborhood institution since 1898. Some things have changed — the location flipped sides of the street in 1913, for example — but plenty haven’t: The current bar is a reconstruction featuring elements of the original beverage counter, and pine walls adorned with vintage Coca-Cola ads feel timeless. Equally consistent are the wings, coated with a balanced Buffalo sauce. Pair them with local drafts like Two Roads Ol’ Factory Pils or New England Brewing Coriolis double IPA, and time slips away altogether.

Atticus Market, a recent expansion from a longstanding bookstore-cafe downtown, is filled with sought-after ingredients, from Oh Shito Ghanian pepper sauce and Burlap & Barrel spices to Rancho Gordo heirloom beans. Most impressive, however, is the company’s dedication to baking exclusively with regional whole grains — from banana cream tarts with miso caramel to loaves of pumpernickel rye. In addition, Atticus’s collaboration with local makers via the CT Food Launchpad helps bring more winning baked goods, such as Sanctuary Kitchen chef Abir Yousef’s Syrian za’atar rolls, to the table.

With a generous patio on bustling Orange Street, Nica’s is a great place to people-watch while you tuck into a sandwich loaded with thick spirals of Italian cold cuts or chicken cutlets and broccoli rabe. Filled with a selection of imported Italian treats and fresh produce, this is also a perfect place to pick up fixings for an expert-level cheese and charcuterie plate.

Compact and cozy with a restored tin ceiling, exposed brick wall, and a sliver of patio, Bar August woos with a tight list of excellent wines and a simple, savvy menu of snacks and small plates. Combined with its sibling specialty market across the street, Flynn’s Grocery, this is the type of establishment every neighborhood should have.

Burgundy booths, bright red walls, and hot dog wall art alert you to the priority at Jordan’s. Get the Californian — a split and grilled Hummel dog (produced right here in New Haven) on a buttered, toasted bun, overflowing with turkey chili, parmesan, and diced onion.

Tavern on State, whose thoughtful sourcing recently led the owners to open New Haven’s first whole-animal butcher shop next door in Provisions on State, offers a cozy space in which to lose yourself in conversation. A regularly changing menu features seasonal and house-preserved ingredients and highlights excellent cuts like heritage pork coppa steak alongside cocktail gems like the Sea Witch, a tipple of gin, bay leaf-infused vermouth, brine, and pickled onion.

Serving European-inspired treats on State Street for more than 40 years, Marjolaine changed ownership in 2013 when Rusty Hamilton sold the shop to his longtime employee and protegee, Arlene Cardenas. Hamilton’s iconic favorites — including decadent chocolate mousse mice and fruit tarts packed with pastry cream — remain crave-worthy, and Cardenas has only added to the shop’s allure with treats like Puerto Rican-style flan. Order the namesake dessert — a terrine of hazelnut meringue and chocolate hazelnut creme chantilly — to go, or savor a pillowy cheese Danish inside the petite cafe or on the outdoor benches.

Founded in 1934, Modern Apizza is one of New Haven’s “Big Three” pizzerias. Slightly less widely known than Pepe’s or Sally’s, Modern has its own fanatical following thanks to high-quality toppings and flavorful, slow-fermented dough. The crust has a touch more heft than its peers, making it ideal for more substantial orders, such as the house special Italian Bomb featuring three meats and three veggies, or a white mootz pie adorned with thinly sliced and breaded eggplant amplified by bacon, black olives, onion, and garlic.

Fresh handmade pasta and Old World Florentine charm help L’Orcio stand out in New Haven’s robust Italian food scene. Located in the historic 1889 Thomas Kelly House, a Queen Anne Victorian-style building nestled next to beloved community collective Never Ending Books, the restaurant offers white-tablecloth elegance inside and a secluded outdoor escape in the trellised garden patio. Go on Ten Dollar Tuesdays for terrific value on luscious pasta dishes like pappardelle al ragu.