Polaris is the 1967 rotating blue-dome lounge atop the Hyatt Regency that completes a full turn every 45 minutes, 312 feet above Peachtree Street with shared plates, cocktails and the original UFO silhouette.
Tip: Reserve via OpenTable for the dining room; the lounge takes walk-ins. The full rotation runs 45 minutes; sunset is the table to ask for.
Address: 265 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Red Phone Booth in the Dailey's building downtown is the 1920s prohibition cocktail and cigar lounge entered through a restored red British K6 phone box. The nightly secret code unlocks the door.
Tip: Find the nightly code on the venue site or social; dial inside the phone booth to enter. Smart casual dress, cigar lounge in the back.
Whiskey Blue on top of the W Atlanta-Buckhead is the renovated rooftop lounge with cabanas, a fire feature and panoramic views of Buckhead, Lenox Square and the Midtown skyline through floor-to-ceiling glass.
Tip: Reserve cabanas via the venue site; walk-up cover applies after 22:00 on weekends. Sunday Funday brunch hours run from 12:00.
Red Phone Booth in the Dailey's building downtown is the 1920s prohibition cocktail and cigar lounge entered through a restored red British K6 phone box. The nightly secret code unlocks the door.
Tip: Find the nightly code on the venue site or social; dial inside the phone booth to enter. Smart casual dress, cigar lounge in the back.
JoJo's Beloved inside Politan Row at Colony Square is the Midtown cocktail room with cathedral ceilings, an all-vinyl soundtrack and a brooding, romantic feel for late-night classic cocktails.
Tip: Walk-in or Resy reservation. The bar runs through Politan Row; vinyl selectors swap nightly, cocktails skew classic-with-a-twist.
Kimball House inside the 1891 Decatur train depot pours one of the country's deepest absinthe lists and Atlanta's defining cocktail program, with a raw bar of Georgia and East Coast oysters.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Resy for tables, walk-in at the bar; the absinthe service and the oyster happy hour are the orders.
Ticonderoga Club inside Krog Street Market is the cocktail tavern from Greg Best, Regan Smith and Paul Calvert, with rotating drinks, sherry by the bottle and a Michelin-listed kitchen alongside.
Tip: Closed Wednesday and Thursday. Friday through Tuesday only, 17:00 to 22:00; walk-in or Resy for the long bar seats.
Bulldogs at 893 Peachtree has been the Black gay anchor of Midtown Atlanta since the late 1970s, with a back patio, weekend DJs and a regular roster that has held the corner for more than 40 years.
Tip: No cover most nights, $3 to $5 on weekend headliners. Cash bar; weekends pack from 23:00 onward.