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Atlanta Bars and Clubs




Atlanta’s Club and Bar scene offers just about everything you can imagine. For the most electric nightlife, Edgewood Ave offers the energy of the City with all kinds of clubs, bars and nightlife. The most popular districts for bars and clubs are in East Atlanta around East Atlanta Village, Little Five Points, Virginia-Highland and Midtown/Old Fourth Ward but the Westside is picking up these days. The East side has famed clubs MJQ Concourse, El Bar on Ponce de Leon, the Druken Unicorn and the famous EARL in East Atlanta Village. On the West side, West Midtown has Atlanta’s favorite dive bar Northside Tavern but also has the Red Phone Booth, the bar at Miller Union, and the signature cocktails and Oysters at the Optimist.

Don’t rule out fun at Atlanta’s Hotel bars - some of the most interesting places are found in hidden away places. On a typical Friday night you might find yourself sipping cocktails at a swank Buckhead hotel bar (try the bar at the Waldorf). If you are downtown, there are a few places that are legendary - the bar at the top of the Westin Peachtree Plaza offers the best rooftop bar in the area but also the bar at the top of the Hyatt Regency. The best people and celebrity watching occurs at the Clermont Lounge in Old Fourth Ward. The Clermont Lounge is the dive bar/strip joint in the basement of the Clermont Hotel. The Lounge and the Hotel are separate but if the basement lounge isn’t your cup of tea, head to the roof of the Clermont Hotel for a high brow view of the City. You’re also near City Winery for some great music.

If you’re looking for a bit more chill, low key but high quality cocktails and beer, the bars in Castleberry Hill, Decatur and all the neighborhoods in between offer some great choices. You’ll find some fun places tucked into Inman Park, Kirkwood, Cabbagetown, and all over downtown Decatur. The nightlife in Atlanta is pretty broad and you’ll have fun looking for all the hole in the wall bars around Atlanta. Our Best of Atlanta Bar and Club list is a good guide.

From the highest perches in Atlanta to the lowest - the Masquerade in Underground offers the most music from any club in town. With 3 stages, the Masquerade keeps things hopping on weeknights and weekends. Other notable mentions are the Red Phone Booth for dance clubs and a little bit down Peachtree Street towards Midtown, the Ravine is a newish dance club on the scene.

Midtown is the playground for some of the best LGBTQ bars and clubs in Atlanta. Blake’s on the Park, Joe’s on Juniper and My Sister’s Room offer a little bit of everything in Atlanta’s diverse gay scene. Midtown is also home to Center Stage. Close by there is Smith’s Olde Bar, Blind Willie’s and a drive near Piemont Park to the Red Light Cafe. The Ravine is one of Midtown’s newer dance clubs. There are all kinds of late night places around. Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium should be on your bar hopping bucket list.

Buckhead clubs and bars go thru a full makeover every 5 to 10 years but has always been a place for the best college bars, high end cocktail bars, wine bars, and plenty of hookup bars. There are some good sports bars, beer bars all along this part of Peachtree as well as Piedmont Rd. The Havana Club is always a hot place.

On the more risque side, Atlanta has a long and storied history with its strip clubs. Hip Hop culture in Atlanta has celebrated stripper culture for a while but the presence of such a massive Convention business has kept a few clubs visible. The biggest clubs are the Pink Pony and the Cheetah but there are clubs around town. Swinging Richards is a gay strip club on the West side that is also popular.

Finally, the Comedy scene has been getting stronger over the years. Atlanta has been getting more and more Hollywood talent along with the of Georgia’s Film industry and this is bringing with it an emerging comic scene. Atlanta has a handful of comedy clubs worth checking out with more clubs hosting special comedy nights as part of its club offering. As always, check Creative Loafing for all the details about atlanta events happening every night.


Bars/Clubs Articles

NEWS BRIEF: Rowdy Midtown music venue denounced by neighbors

03/05/2022 1:00 AM
Event space or bar? Neighbors claim it a ‘nuisance’ either way

BLUES & BEYOND: Atlanta shows its blues roots

03/01/2022 10:24 AM
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins’ new release — and the Northside Tavern gets some Hollywood love

11 Places to drink whiskey in Atlanta

10/16/2019 4:50 PM
Where to go when you want to drink the good stuff

Where to drink at Atlanta’s airport

12/21/2016 1:00 PM
Your handy dandy booze guide for holiday season at Hartsfield-Jackson

Barfly - Asian females feed the fetish at Vanquish, whether they like it or not

06/06/2012 4:00 AM
Fusion Friday: A self-segregated nightlife spectacle or simply another ladies night?


Live Music Clubs

40 Watt Club

The 40 Watt Club is one of the most famous and iconic music venues in the world. In addition to national acts, the club has served as a music home bas...

529 Bar

In the central East Atlanta spot formerly occupied by retro soul bar the Village, you’ll find 529 — a tiny, smoky space that oozes cool. Despite being...

Apache Cafe

Eclectic venue for hip-hop, spoken-word poetry, and up-and-coming soul artists. Home to Wednesday night jam sessions featuring a live band and open mi...

Artistry Live Decatur

Artistry Live Decatur is a Performance Arts studio located in Decatur Ga! We are a performance focused environment created by an artist, for artists a...

Atlanta Coliseum

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Believe Music Hall Atlanta

The Main Stage at Believe Music Hall offers a large capacity private event space with an unmatched spectacle of lights, lasers, & special effects. Sta...

Blind Willie’s

A local blues, jazz, and roots institution that’s been around for more than 25 years. The North Highland Avenue storefront, with its signature guitar-...

Carrie’s Corner

Carrie’s Corner is a private home gathering space with a mission: To support live music by giving music lovers (and newbies) a different, more intima...

Center Stage Theater

Center Stage is the largest of the three venues that make up the Center Stage Atlanta Music Complex. But this 1,050-capacity theater nevertheless boas...

City Winery

Atlanta’s first urban winery, City Winery has an intimate music venue able to seat 300 people, a restaurant, bar, an outdoor patio, and a private even...

Connect live

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Darkhorse Tavern

Established in 1990, Darkhorse Tavern has been one of Atlanta’s favorite spots in Virginia Highlands for food and drinks. Enjoy one of our five bars w...

Drunken Unicorn

The literally underground club features plenty of figuratively underground punk, electro, and hip-hop acts. Although connected to MJQ Concourse, it ha...

Eddie Owen presents: Red Clay Music Foundry

This 260-seat theater hosts a variety of musical acts. Acoustic music and singer/songwriter material is the venue’s forte, but the format is open, and...

Eddie’s Attic

Located across from Decatur Square, Eddie’s hosts aspiring and accomplished singer-songwriters for live shows almost nightly and is famous for its bia...

Grocery on Home

This tiny, nontraditional music venue located in, yes, a former neighborhood grocery store curates and hosts intimate performances of independent sing...

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar

Coffee, Bar, and Music venue in Athens, GA

Kat’s Cafe

The comfortably chic lounge located under a hair salon near Piedmont Park hosts everything from comedy to erotic poetry to live music.

MadLife Stage & Studios

MadLife Stage & Studios offers 3 different experiences. MadLife Grill, our restaurant on Main Street, serves a full menu of in-house crafted specialt...

Northside Tavern

This legendary dive bar in West Midtown is Atlanta’s home for live blues. The weekly lineup includes a Monday night jam and a regular Wednesday night ...

Perfect Note Atlanta

Perfect Note Atlanta is a premier live music venue and supper club. It is the perfect combination of live entertainment and dining that’s sure to keep...

Red Light Cafe

The bohemian living room serves as the city’s center of bluegrass and Americana. The venue hosts a variety of other musical performers as well, plus d...

Rock Steady - Atlanta

Website: Inspired by years of living and traveling in the Caribbean and Africa, celebrated restaurateur and nightclub owner Joe Russo created Rock Ste...

Smith’s Olde Bar

Floor to ceiling renovations! With live music from the likes of Zack Brown, Butch Walker, Blackberry Smoke, and John Mayer plus past performances from...

SOHO (Compound)

This mega-nightclub feels kind of like a resort, with several indoor and outdoor environments, including a pool area (swimming, not billiards). A grea...

Southern Roots Tavern & Eatery

Our historic building began life as a Ford Motor dealership in the late 1800’s. The building still features the oldest working (although it’s been lo...

Steve’s Live Music

This intimate space in Sandy Springs is worth the drive to catch local and national singer-songwriters and performers. There’s a weekly open bluegrass...

Tabernacle

This former church has Gothic ambiance to spare, making it a fun spot to catch a rock or hip-hop show. The club, which boasts some inviting bar and lo...

Terminal West

As part of the King Plow Arts Center, Terminal West has become the Westside’s premier live music venue, giving equal stage time to hip-hop, indie rock...

The Earl

East Atlanta staple for local and up-and-coming rock bands, as well as nationally established indie acts, and grub for the hipster-PBR set.

The Eastern

Atlanta’s newest concert venue operated by Zero Mile Presents & AEG Presents. Located near the Beltline in the Reynoldstown neighborhood. The Eastern ...

The Loft

One of three music venues at the Center Stage Theater. The Loft is located on the second floor. It offers full bar service and a view of the Midtown s...

The Masquerade

Tucked away in the Kenny’s Alley section of Underground Atlanta, the Masquerade is Downtown Atlanta’s most revered music venue. Over the last 30 years...

The Star Community Bar

The Star Bar, as it’s known, hosts a regular lineup of rockabilly and hard-rockin’ acts, as well as the city’s best free stand-up on Mondays and, tuck...

Variety Playhouse

Variety Playhouse is the winner of numerous Best Of awards over the years.

Venkman’s

Chef Nick Melvin’s long-awaited Old Fourth Ward restaurant/music venue, Venkman’s, opened its doors in September 2015. The eatery is a casual neighbor...

Vinyl

One of three music venues that make up Center Stage Theater that opened in 2003. Offers an intimate setting with 300 capacity and billiards.


Comedy Clubs

Dad’s Garage is a non-profit comedy theatre located in the heart of Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. With award-winning Atlanta improv comedy, scripted shows, and a fully-stocked bar, we’re a major part of Atlanta nightlife and a great venue for date night. Come see us Thursday throu... | more...

Atlanta’s best full-time option for seeing stand-up is an intimate venue tucked away in the back of Midtown’s Vortex Bar & Grill. The Laughing Skull Lounge has featured Marc Maron, Kyle Kinane, Maria Bamford, and countless other quality stand-ups. | more...

Scope out the glossy head shots that line the walls of this barely OTP comedy institution and you’ll see that everyone from John Stewart to Jeff Foxworthy has performed here. It’s an excellent place to take a date, but don’t sit too close to the stage — lest you be heckled by the talent. Reservation... | more...

The longest-running African-American comedy club in Atlanta, Uptown Comedy Corner has featured Chris Rock, the Wayans Brothers, Steve Harvey and Chris Tucker in the more than 20 years it’s served Atlanta’s Westside. | more...


Strip Clubs

If you haven’t witnessed Blondie, the city’s most well-embraced stripper (she’s appeared in the city’s marketing material, for Christ’s sake), crushing a beer can between her breasts, then you’re not an Atlantan. The oldest strip club in Atlanta, located in the basement of the Clermont Motor Hotel, ... | more...

There are strip clubs, and then there are Atlanta strip clubs. The Pink Pony sits atop an extended list of adult emporiums for the city, but it’s the sheer size that topples the competition. Don’t shy away from the buffet either; it’s a real staple for the club’s overall charm. Whether you’re flying... | more...

The city’s top high-end strip club stresses the “gentleman” part of “gentleman’s club” more than most local clubs. It’s handsomely appointed and stocked with attractive dancers, as you’d expect, and also features Alluvia, a fine-dining restaurant that allows you to enjoy pan-seared salmon while admi... | more...


Dance Clubs

District, one of Atlanta’s newest nightclubs, brings the biggest parties to the city. | more...

Located under the El Ponce on Ponce de Leon Avenue, this sleek lounge draws a young, hip crowd. | more...

The Havana Club has been a fixture on the Buckhead nightlife scene since it’s opening in March of 1996. Founded by seasoned entrepreneurs, The Havana Club has garnered a steady following and remained an influence on Buckhead Ave. in Buckhead until it’s closing in late August 2007 for the Streets of ... | more...

The tiny, shacklike entrance reveals an eclectic and loyal late-night crowd. Music at this underground clubber’s club ranges from hip-hop and Brit-pop to downtempo and rare grooves. The dim basement space feels like the most happenin’ speakeasy in town. | more...

This (literally) underground club, located below the Graveyard Tavern in East Atlanta, hosts local and touring indie rock and hip-hop shows (T.I. and Iggy Azalea once shared the stage here). The aptly named space is also home to old-school dance parties. | more...


Best Bars


Cocktail Bars

Kimball House

In a town where cocktails are taken very seriously, Kimball House quietly took over the title of everyone

Leon’s Full Service

The menu excels at nibbly bits to go with drinks. There can be great meals here made up entirely of selections from the “snacks,” “sides,” and “starte...

Red Phone Booth

THIS CONCEPT FEATURES CREATIVE CLASSIC CRAFT COCKTAILS AND A CIGAR PROGRAM IN A 1920’S SPEAKEASY ATMOSPHERE.


Located in the iconic Dailey’s building...


Dive Bars

Clermont Lounge

If you haven’t witnessed Blondie, the city’s most well-embraced stripper (she’s appeared in the city’s marketing material, for Christ’s sake), crushin...

Northside Tavern

This legendary dive bar in West Midtown is Atlanta’s home for live blues. The weekly lineup includes a Monday night jam and a regular Wednesday night ...

Trophy Room

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LGBTQ Bars

Blake’s On The Park

Located across the street from Piedmont Park, Blake’s is ground zero for the Midtown gay set, where well-groomed young men gather to see and be seen. ...

Felix’s Atlanta

Just a damn fun neighborhood gay bar serving stout drinks at reasonable prices, with patrons starting at age 21. We have something fun and fabulous ev...

Friends on Ponce

Welcoming neighborhood bar with lots of special events, plus cold beer, strong mixed drinks, billiards, pinball and video games. Bonus: an enclosed pa...

Mary’s

A super-fun gay bar with some of the best karaoke (or, as they say, “Maryoke”) in town on Tuesday and Saturday nights (but not the first Saturday of e...


Neighborhood Bars

Manuel’s Tavern

Poncey-Highland institution is a home away from home to the politicians, artists, and madmen it’s drawn as clientele for decades. Full menu includes a...

Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium

Owner Grant Henry, aka Sister Louisa, has built a national reputation for his pub’s kooky religious knickknacks, late-night ping-pong tournaments on M...

The Albert

The Albert is a comfortable neighborhood watering hole that serves consistently good bar food and drinks. It’s also a great place to catch a sports ga...

The Bookhouse Pub

This literary-themed pub channels Twin Peaks and is a popular stop on the way to or from clubbing. Expect seasonal beers, quality cocktails, and creat...

The Porter Beer Bar

The Porter delivers with a cheap, thoughtful, and satisfying menu, and beer to match. Most of the food is designed to please beer drinkers, and the re...

The Righteous Room

This Poncey-Highland institution next to the Plaza Theatre oozes comfortable hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Its small outdoor patio, satisfying bar-food...