Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday August 28, 2003 12:04 AM EDT

The Village Corner in Stone Mountain is a throwback to the kind of places where adults used to go to drink — leisurely conversation, jazz music in the background, a huddle of regulars at the bar. The twist is the German theme. The family-run business was established in 1974 by Hilde and Claus Friese and continues the traditions of their native Munich and Hamburg.

Choosing sides: The...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday August 21, 2003 12:04 AM EDT
Located on the edge of trendy East Atlanta Village, the Gravity Pub feels more like an after-hours spot than your average Atlanta watering hole. Unlike its larger, rowdier counterpart the Earl, this is the place to go out and not be seen. Although situated within spitting distance of Flat Shoals Road (East Atlanta’s sedate version of Bourbon Street), you would never know it by walking in. The... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday August 14, 2003 12:04 AM EDT

An evening in Buckhead is a real gamble, not unlike Las Vegas, thanks to traffic that jams like it’s Freaknik ‘97 and thick crowds of wankstas, aging frat boys and cops who watch you drunkenly stagger back to your vehicle at the night’s end. While you can enjoy yourself in Atlanta’s landmark party area, it’s best to remember the old adage, “the house always wins.”

Enter Coyote Ugly. Like the...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday August 7, 2003 12:04 AM EDT



Like many offices and restaurants on the outskirts of the Buckhead Village, Beluga Martini Bar is housed in a renovated bungalow on Piedmont Road across from Bone’s restaurant. It’s tucked out of the way, yet very accessible, with free valet parking and no cover charge. It’s also cigar-friendly.

“Martini” is in the name: The house martini menu, with 15 choices all priced at $9.50, ranges...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday July 31, 2003 12:04 AM EDT



Sitting along Virginia’s bar late in the evening, it’s hard not to keep from peering over your shoulder, half expecting the authorities to come in and shut the joint down. It has nothing to do with any illegal activity, but the scenery produces the effect of an idealized speakeasy — deep woods and decadent drapes, an antique bar with jewel-toned stained glass, low lighting and dark...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday July 24, 2003 12:04 AM EDT



Every cloud?: The rainiest summer in memory has really put the kibosh on summer fun, even when the sun goes down. Alfresco partying and bar hopping are complicated by wet chairs, flooded streets and torrential downpours.

The Park Tavern, well-known for its magnificent patio overlooking Piedmont Park and the Midtown skyline, suffers mightily from the wet weather. To entice you inside, the...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday July 17, 2003 12:04 AM EDT

We Gotta Go Where?:
As big-city as meeting for cocktails at a swank hotel bar may be, the trend has somehow escaped Atlanta’s metropolitan mimickers. Maybe that’s because Paul (brother of Chloe) Sevigny and Naomi Campbell aren’t among the A-listers tickling turntables in local lobbies, or maybe it’s because few intown Atlanta hotels offer lounges with the panache of NYC’s Tribeca Grand or...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday July 10, 2003 12:04 AM EDT
Broader Point: To many CL readers, the statement “Let’s hang out in East Point tonight” is about as ridiculous as “Iraq poses a grave danger to the security of the United States.” But to those of us who, in the search for an affordable intown home, have settled in southwest Atlanta, it’s not a ridiculous statement at all. Southwest Atlanta is a retail and amenities wasteland. For nearby pizza... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday July 3, 2003 12:04 AM EDT

Sipping with the Enemy: Where to go to slake your thirst after waving the Stars and Stripes for a sweaty 10K that celebrates our independence from those wags across the pond? To an English pub, of course. After all, we didn’t throw off all things English in 1776, and lately we have a greater bond with the Brits than with our former allies against them — the French.

The Prince of Wales,...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday June 26, 2003 12:04 AM EDT



Get Down: After a series of rampant re-brandings of the clubs and “upscale lounges” lining the Crescent Avenue/12th Street entertainment district, it now seems that everyone sports their own dime-a-dozen house DJ. Most often, the music is as satisfying as the watery $8 cocktails that are becoming commonplace. Those in search of intoxication, both musical and literal, are finding more and more...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Thursday June 19, 2003 12:04 AM EDT
DON’T BE BLUE: Azul is Raging Burrito’s alter-ego on the Decatur Square. In Spanish, Azul means blue and if you didn’t get that, the sign out front reiterates that this is a “blue bar,” and the theme shows up in the lighting and cool vibe. Lounge couches straight out of a Warhol film and art deco bar chairs create a chic yet relaxed vibe for Decatur-ites. Although wearing just about anything... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday April 23, 2003 12:04 AM EDT
A true passion for bars is best seen in the appreciation of dives — usually small, dark hangouts with a cozy charm that oozes the kind of dirty comfort not found in larger, more corporate joints. They’re the places you go after work on any weekday just to grab your favorite fermented beverage and strike up fun talk with the other beer swillers. The Back Porch, a little yellow shack in... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday April 16, 2003 12:04 AM EDT



Brake Pad in College Park is sister speakeasy to the Universal Joint in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood. Their similarities may not be so apparent from the outside, but a strong family resemblance does indeed exist. For instance, both are converted from former gas stations. Both serve neighborhoods that previously didn’t have hangouts. And most importantly, they both have punny car part...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday April 9, 2003 12:04 AM EDT
As a restaurant, Black Bear Tavern satisfies with Southern standards (garlic butter shrimp atop fried green tomatoes, corn relish, shoestring onions) and equally comforting hybrids (BBQ pork quesadilla, heaping grilled vegetables on foccacia). As a low-key bar, it’s equally pleasing, with an impressive selection of nearly 50 beers including eight drafts, 50 wines available by the glass and 200... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday April 2, 2003 12:04 AM EST
An attempt at a tropical oasis in the concrete jungle, the Boom Boom Room is Metrotainment’s tiki-themed Martini Club replacement. It’s aptly named, because “boom boom” is what pounds ferociously in your head after drinking from rum-drenched coconuts and fishbowls. Make no mistake, the themed drinks are festive, fruity and deceptively potent concoctions made from 51 rums designated by three... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday March 26, 2003 12:04 AM EST
Who says there’s no place to party on the topside? Marietta’s Bayou Room, located just behind Mama Mae’s Louisiana Kitchen, keeps weekend nightlife alive for hip I-75 warriors. The bar is a tribute to the free-wheeling spirit and debauchery of New Orleans. For proof, just check the scaffold over the bar that boasts a wide array of bras and panties — supposedly donated by customers. That,... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday March 19, 2003 12:04 AM EST

“Woof,” my friend grunts under his breath.

“What did you say?” I ask.

“You heard me. Woof.”

He’s referring to a guy in red with a full, black beard and plenty of attitude who looks like he just stepped out of a Tom of Finland drawing. All he needs is a cigarette and to be stepping on some other guy stretched out in leather, pressing him beneath his manly flesh.

“Woof” is a term of...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday March 12, 2003 12:04 AM EST

In the nightclub biz, newer is always better. Newer is brighter, flashier, trendier and definitely where you want to be seen. Buckhead’s newest nightclub Jaipur is just that kind of new. Pronounced sort of Frenchy, Zhe-pour is named after a remote Malaysian island and carries an exotic feel.

When you enter, you have two choices: left or right. To the left is the “club” area, a slick dance...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday March 5, 2003 12:04 AM EST

Plenty of drinkers are accustomed to headaches; they come with the territory. But how many expect brainfreeze with their alcoholic beverages? At Frost Bite Daiquiri Bar in Underground Atlanta, “gimme a cold one” takes on new meaning.

With its curved bar, robin’s-egg blue walls, crown of colorful fountains and array of Technicolor slushee machines, Frost Bite has the vibe of an ice cream parlor...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday February 26, 2003 12:04 AM EST

It’s Wednesday — two days till payday. You want to get loaded without dropping into the red, maybe even meet some decent folks. Well, just mosey on over to the Dixie Tavern in Marietta for $2 drink night.

Inside, one is immediately struck by the joint’s charming simplicity — maximum woodiness, sparsely decorated. There’s a stage in the center of the bar with pool tables to the left...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday February 12, 2003 12:04 AM EST
Walk into Front Page News in Midtown (go ahead, I dare you) and to your left you’ll see a wall of fire. Don’t worry, it’s not a Midtown gateway to hell (though Crescent Avenue could certainly use one). It’s a portal to a peck of potable peppers (aka, a hot sauce rack). The hot sauces form the centerpiece of FPN’s Sunday brunch DIY Bloody Mary bar. Patrons (and matrons) can purchase big ice and... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday January 29, 2003 12:04 AM EST

For those of us who search for Zen-like enlightenment in the arena of drinking, the pursuit of nirvana often drives us from bar to bar in quest of that comfort zone of oneness sought in a watering hole. For those seeking, the Beer Mug is a good place to start.

At first glance, the Beer Mug appears almost too average, but look beyond the illusion of walls sparsely decorated with generic sports...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday January 22, 2003 12:04 AM EST

When you walk in Eno’s front door on the corner of 5th and Peachtree, you have two choices: continue straight ahead to the dining room for some pricey chow, or turn right into the wine bar for some damn fine (and surprisingly affordable) vino and a nosh or two from the bar menu. I’m partial to the latter.

While men in suits are ushered into the dining room, an intriguing crowd, ripe for people...

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Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday January 15, 2003 12:04 AM EST
A cop-out, perhaps, but sometimes “very Buckhead” is the best possible description for an Atlanta bar. The description applies to The Tavern At Phipps. What else can I say about a place where drunken, just-out-of-college bleach blondes scream approval at the one-man cover band when he begins his rendition of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”? He even did the African wailing part at the end of the... | more...

Atlanta Bars/Clubs

Wednesday January 1, 2003 12:04 AM EST

When I heard that Saturday night was salsa night at Dos Copas in Roswell, I was unable to resist the temptation of libation and Latino gyration.

The glorified pueblo was filled with a mostly young crowd, an even mix of whites and Latinos. The dance floor was full of rumpshakers. Over the neo-Aztec drumbeat of a Shakira re-mix, I could still hear the soft ruffles of men’s slacks and the chaff...

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