Best Dive Bar

One of the best dive bars in town hides in plain sight amid the Midtown Promenade’s many restaurants. THE HIGHLANDER is an old-school punk and metalhead hangout, without being so exclusive to any music scene that curious passersby feel out of place stopping in for some pub grub. The music is loud and the servers nod along to the whiplash riffs of Metallica as they take your order. Inside feels like the calm before the storm at a classic metal show. The picnic tables on the beer garden patio are the perfect spot for a chill respite from the Southern heat at night. Drinks are reasonably priced and the chicken wings are underrated. The Highlander also makes a worthwhile date night diversion before walking to the nearby Midtown Art Cinema. If you want to stuff your stomach, check out the all-you-can-eat crab legs Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (or while supplies last). Some nights, the back bar hosts live music from gritty, working-class punk and metal acts who just want to throw down. less...

Moving out doesn’t always mean moving up, and LENNY’S proves that even with a newer and bigger location, it can still proudly call itself the “CBGB’S of Atlanta.” Despite the new location, the floor is still scuffed and dirty, the music is loud, and the PBR is always flowing. The rock ’n’ roll venue has doggedly stuck to a slate of local bands, from new prospects to such local kingpins as the Carbonas and Brass Castle. And it always kicks off the weekend with the raucous and drunken Trashed Friday night dance party. Now settled into its bigger building, Lenny’s crowd has the room to do what it does best — get drunk, loud and rowdy. less...

Stepping into THE PHOENIX is like walking onto a David Lynch movie set. The oddly lit bar hosts a cast of characters who will leave you entertained, a little scared and sometimes straight-up perplexed. If a few cop cars or an ambulance happens to be out front, just consider all the flashing lights your disco-welcome wagon to Ponce’s days gone by. You know, before the condos drove away the streetwalkers and such. The Phoenix is a little time capsule, which has remained the home for a slew of street creatures, leather daddies and curious onlookers for 19 years. In other words, the real neighbors. less...