College Guide - Top 5 (3)

Clubs and bars for students

Whether you fancy some hot-and-sweaty booty shaking or an unpretentious pub with free-flowing taps, there’s a spot in the Atlanta nightlife scene for you. Here’s a quick hit list of places you gotta check out.

PEACHTREE TAVERN

This Buckhead complex also houses Moondogs and Hole in the Wall, and is the weekend hot spot for frat boys and sorority chicks. If your wardrobe consists of popped collars and Croakies you might already be a regular. Moondogs has a down-and-dirty dance floor equipped with a stripper pole, so you know where the afterparty’s at. 3179 Peachtree Road. 404-842-1700. www.peachtreetavern.com.

AZUL AND THE BRICK STORE PUB

If you dream of moving to Manhattan’s Lower East Side, mix your American Apparel gear with your thrift-store finds and think Pabst Blue Ribbon is delish, the Decatur Social Club hosts Friday-night parties just for you. Plenty of world-famous DJs stop by to play sets, and when emo bands come to Atlanta, Azul is the hangout. It doesn’t start bumpin’ until midnight, though, so go for some early drinks at the Brick Store Pub down the block, where the beer list is long (pages and pages long), the snack food is yummy and the waitstaff is hot (really, really hot). Azul: 141 Sycamore St. 404-377-3311. www.ragingburrito.com/azul.htm. The Brick Store Pub: 404-687-0990. 125 E. Court Square, Decatur. www.brickstorepub.com.

THE VELVET ROOM

You’ve heard about the club in “Welcome to Atlanta,” and with its new location off I-285 on Chamblee-Tucker Road, the Velvet Room is still “where the playas play.” Grown and Sexy Fridays brings every ATL video vixen look-alike to the club, and Q100-FM’s (100.5) Saturday Night Live parties spin some great Top 40 mashups. 3358 Chamblee-Tucker Road. 404-874-4460. www.velvetatl.com.

FAMOUS PUB

For pool and darts, this popular Emory hangout is the perfect laid-back sports bar. The staff is superfriendly and the bar serves up some pretty decent chow. 2947 N. Druid Hills Road. 404-633-3555. www.famouspubsports.com.

THE EARL AND THE GRAVEYARD

Besides having the best bar food in town (you’ll want a burger), East Atlanta’s the Earl also hosts some of the best in local and national rock ‘n’ roll. When you’re done checking out the Earl, the Graveyard has huge comfy booths and is a great spot to wind down the night. The Earl: 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950. www.badearl.com. Graveyard Tavern: 1245 Glenwood Ave. 404-622-8686. www.graveyardtavern.com.

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