Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Atlanta for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Atlanta for grown-ups.
Kimball House in Decatur, Atlanta runs the city's most-awarded cocktail and oyster bar inside a converted 19th-century train station. James Beard nominated bar program.
Signature drink: Absinthe drip service
Food: Oysters, raw bar
Tip: Sunday Happy Hour 17:00 to 18:30 runs cheaper oysters and cocktails. The bar takes walk-ins late on weekends.
Ticonderoga Club at Krog Street Market in Atlanta opened 2015 from a team including Greg Best. Awarded James Beard Outstanding Bar in 2019 for the cocktail programme.
Signature drink: Cuban-style cocktails
Food: Bar snacks and small plates
Tip: No reservations; bar seats are first-come. The naval-officers-club aesthetic carries through to the punch service.
S.O.S. Tiki Bar in Decatur, Atlanta runs classic tiki cocktails in a thatched Polynesian-themed room since 2013. The mai tai is the canonical first order.
Signature drink: Mai tai
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Cash and card. The patio is open in summer. Reservations not taken; queue forms by 21:00 weekends.
The Wrecking Bar in Little Five Points, Atlanta runs a brewpub in a Victorian mansion basement. The house saison and IPAs anchor the rotating taps.
Signature drink: House saison
Food: Brewpub menu
Tip: The patio is the move in summer. Brewery tours run Saturday afternoons; the upstairs ballroom hosts private events.
Biltong Bar at Ponce City Market in Atlanta runs South African biltong, droewors and a serious South African wine list. Counter ordering with bar seating.
Signature drink: South African wine flight
Food: Biltong, droewors, charcuterie
Tip: Order a biltong sampler with three wines by the glass. The retail counter sells cured meats by the pound.
Clermont Lounge in Atlanta's Hotel Clermont basement runs the city's longest-running dive bar since 1965. Famous Anthony Bourdain and Atlanta hip-hop coverage.
Signature drink: Beer and shot
Food: Snacks only
Tip: Cash only at the bar. The Clermont Hotel above has a rooftop bar with a much different vibe; same building.
Manuel's Tavern in Poncey-Highland, Atlanta opened 1956 and has been the city's political-newsroom hangout ever since. Jimmy Carter campaigned here; the booths are unchanged.
Signature drink: Cold beer
Food: Burgers, wings, bar fare
Tip: The booths fill with political-press regulars on election nights. Burgers are the kitchen's strength; reservations not taken.
Argosy in East Atlanta Village, Atlanta runs a beer-and-cocktail bar with wood-fired pizza and snacks in a converted bowling-alley space since 2012.
Signature drink: Beer-and-cocktail program
Food: Pizza, snacks, sandwiches
Tip: Patio is dog-friendly. The Beer Boards run rotating local taps. Weekend brunch service Saturday and Sunday.
Ladybird's Camper Bar on the Beltline in Old Fourth Ward, Atlanta runs summer-camp-themed cocktails in a vintage Airstream parked on the patio. Reservations on Resy.
Signature drink: Summer-camp themed cocktails
Food: Smores, snacks
Tip: The Airstream patio is the move in spring and fall. Smores and snacks the menu; full dinner at the Ladybird restaurant.
The Porter Beer Bar in Little Five Points, Atlanta runs 800 bottles and 38 taps of craft beer with a sharp gastropub kitchen since 2008. James Beard Outstanding Bar finalist.
Signature drink: Rare-beer flight
Food: Gastropub menu
Tip: Brunch on weekends is the under-the-radar service. The Belgian beer cellar runs rare bottles for the right pour.
Elmyr in Little Five Points, Atlanta has run since 1995 as a Tex-Mex-and-dive-bar combination. Margaritas and pitchers anchor the menu; cheap burritos cover the food.
Signature drink: Margarita
Food: Tacos and burritos
Tip: Cash and card. The patio sits on Euclid; the inside runs darker and louder. Open until 02:00 most nights.
Blind Pig Parlour Bar in Buckhead, Atlanta runs a speakeasy with cold-pour cocktails and a 1920s aesthetic. Hidden entrance behind a private-club door on Roswell Road.
Signature drink: Classic cocktails
Food: Bar snacks
Tip: Reservations on Tock; no walk-ins on weekends. Password posted on the website each week; ID required at the door.
Peak food season in Atlanta is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Atlanta rewards trust.