Bar Review - Swilled to the gills at Fishmonger

In the past, bars in fine restaurants were where you sat while waiting for a dining table. You’d sit down and order a drink, but before you could finish it, your table would be ready, leaving you to figure out whether to pay for the drink at the bar or if it would be added to your bill.

But more and more, the bars in fine restaurants are destinations in their own right. The bar at Buckhead’s Fishmonger Seafood Grill is a fine example. Though situated within an upscale fish restaurant, the bar serves many who never set foot (or should I say: set butt) at a dining table.

The best part of Fishmonger’s bar is the bamboo-roofed nook. It’s cozy and somewhat isolated from the rest of the restaurant. There are small tables if you want to order snacks. In addition to seafood, don’t forget to try Fishmonger’s french fries (voted the best in town in 2001 by CL’s salty-fingered critics). The bar’s drink specialties include the Monger Martini (Grey Goose vodka, blue curacao, cherries and a sugar-coated rim) and the B-52’s-inspired (the band, not the plane) Rock Lobster (vodka, dark cacao, frangelica, cream and cinnamon).

The wine selection is also top-notch and in fact the bar sometimes hosts wine tastings. If you’re an easygoing seafood lover in search of a bar, Fishmonger might be the place for you. If not, you can always buy a six-pack, a snorkel, and head to the beach.

Fishmonger Seafood Grill, 4969 Roswell Road, Pier 160. Sun.-Thurs. 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5:30-11 p.m. Also open for lunch Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. 404-459-9003.??