Bar Review - Craggy Maggie's for low-key outings

I walked into Maggie's and breathed deeply. Ahh, smells like college, I thought. Old beer aroma and fresh cigarette smoke joined to sting my eyes and nostrils, but in a good kind of way. I had flashbacks to younger days of flirting in aged wooden booths — just like the ones at Maggie's — over pitchers. Luckily, instead of feeling old, I just felt nostalgic for a simpler time, before tapas, when there was only bar food of wings and chicken fingers.

Maggie's decor looks like college too. Which explains why so many Emory students call the place their own. You could plunk the bar down in Chapel Hill or Albuquerque or Milwaukee and its no-frills decor of green walls, brown booths, black public assembly-type chairs and even some folding tables would draw the college crowd in for alcohol and camaraderie. There's also the requisite number of inflatable giant footballs and baseballs to cement the rec-room feel of the place. Three pool tables — all occupied — and a few video games round out the picture.

With the 11 o'clock mix of young and old, I wondered if "Maggie" referred to Rod Stewart's "Maggie May," the sultry older siren of the song who seduces a college boy. But no, it's owner Maggie Martin. Like most bar owners, she's a colorful figure. She's also camera shy and wary of the press. And who can blame her? We're notorious bastards.

There's nothing at Maggie's that seems new, and that's the appeal. Here, it's about down time, 365 days a year. Older regulars go for happy hour and the students pack in around midnight. Everything is old, worn in, comfortable. Just like the repetitive actions that take place there: make a shot, sip your beer, light another cigarette, talk to a friend, try your luck on a crush. The universe, while not showy, is in order at Maggie's.

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Maggie's Neighborhood Bar & Grill, 2937 N. Druid Hills Road. Mon.-Fri. noon-4 a.m.; Sat. noon-3 a.m.; Sun. 12:30 p.m.-4 a.m. Domestic bottles, $3; pitchers $7-$12; mixed drinks start at $4 for well liquor. 404-636-5300.??