The Great Bar Crawl

I enjoy a good drink and a good bar. This is my list of the best bars in the city of Atlanta.

Since reaching legal drinking age I have been on the hunt for the best bar in Atlanta. The hunt goes on but in the 3 years since that journey began these are the bars I have in contention. I have a natural aptitude for assessing vibes so treat this definitive bar list as gospel from God. Also, this list also serves as a list of places to search for me if I ever go missing.

Clermont Rooftop ★★★★★:

The Clermont hotel is a staple in #oldatlanta. The legendary lounge is the subject of much intrigue and potentially the subject of a future entry. However today we review the less talked about but equally revered (by those who know), Claremont Rooftop. This bar isn't fancy but it does have character in spades. Drinks are often served in plastic restaurant cups, they don't have Jack Daniels (or many name brand liquors), no beer on draft, and the bartender usually doesn't want to be there but you must understand, this is a FEATURE not a bug. When you walk off the elevator you see the taco truck (which i’ve never eaten at), you make a right and behold the Atlanta skyline. It really is kind of breathtaking (especially if you’re a little tipsy already). You walk up to the bar and order a Gin and Tonic (I recommend only simple, two ingredient cocktails), cop a squat at one of the plentiful tables and drink. I believe that this bar really shines on its off days. On Friday and Saturday the rooftop is overrun with post grads sipping vodka crans, but if you can catch this place at 10 PM on a weekday the magic really is evident. When the bar is quiet on a summer night, you find the conversations are a little sweeter and the drinks are a little stiffer (especially when the bartender really doesn't care and keeps pouring for free). Don’t get me wrong, the charm of this place is still present even if the bar is packed to the gills. The glow of the Hotel Clermont neon sign burns softly overhead as you stand in line for the bar, you start chatting with a hot stranger and by the time it's to order y’all are best friends. Its this magic that this bar gets a STRONG 5 stars from me. You should put Clermont Rooftop high on your list. And a note to the wise, don’t stand on a chair and drunkenly address a crowd of your friends. They will throw you out. Or so I've heard. 

 

Moe and Joes ★★★★:

Do you miss undergrad bars? Do you miss thick crowds, football on the screens, girls way out of your league, and Morgan Wallen blasting from the TouchTunes? It's better than it sounds, really. Moe and Joe’s is an Atlanta staple, tucked in the heart of Virginia Highlands (ViHi if you’re cool), has been around for just about 80 years, serving cold beer and decent food that entire time. Look, I know my initial description might be a little off putting so if crowds of 20 somethings isn't your vibe just come on a wednesday. Grab a table, a pitcher of ice cold PBR, and put whatever you want on the touchtunes (if i'm there it will be Morgan Wallen). For here I again recommend simple drinks but the true star is the Pabst Blue Ribbon. They serve it in cans, and on draft by the glass and the pitcher (get the pitcher, it's cheaper and will save you trips to the bar). PBR isn't just the drink of choice here, its also the main source of decoration. Just about every inch of real estate on the walls is taken up by vintage PBR merch and other assorted #bardecore. If you long to feel like you are back in undergrad, even if just for a little while, Moe and Joes can’t be rated high enough(it loses a star for all the times I've stood waiting for a table to clear).

George’s ★★★★:

So you’re too old for Moe and Joe’s. That’s fine. No, really, it is. I got another spot for you; George’s! As described by my nepo baby friend Angela: George’s is like for the parents of the kids who go to Moe and Joe’s. What an accurate description Ang! Instead of college students or post grads, the clientele of the restaurant skews towards the middle age and above. Granola moms and dads that drive Subarus and wear three layers of patagonia. Just next door to the infamous Moe and Joe’s, this bar is quieter, with a nice background soundtrack of dad rock (my favorite), and genuinely pleasant wait staff that will change the channel if you ask (even to jeopardy). For here I would recommend a step up from your divebar drink order, a mule, or a house cocktail is more than acceptable here. The Burger Burger, this establishment's food headliner, is one of the better bar burgers you can get in this city. Feeling adventurous? Try the Lemon pepper burger. I find this place one of the better options to talk. Me and my friends wedged into a booth (the Nick Offerman booth belongs to US), rambling about our week, drinking, eating, and plotting about what we’re going to get up to later in the night. This set up works perfectly because on the weekends George’s closes at 10 PM. I guess the boomers have to make it to bed. All the post grads that were treating the bar as a pregame spot, shuffle over to Moe and Joe’s and begin their night in earnest. For what it is, it's charming and pleasant so it receives a warm 4 stars from me.

Euclid Ave Yacht Club ★★★★★:

Shitty. Dive. Bar. Point blank simple. Don’t misinterpret my use of the adjective “shitty”. This is a term of endearment to me. Euclid Ave has dim lighting, grimey floors, eclectic decor (including a whole door to a Georgia State Patrol car), and some of the most rancid bathrooms you’ve ever seen. Trust me when I say all of this adds to the charm as the greatest dive bar in the city. You’ll find folks of all walks of life in every stage of emotion stuffed into small wooden booths, guzzling down cocktails, living life. This bar has a tendency to be your last stop of the night. The drinks are cheap, and the kitchen doesn't close until 1 in the morning. All too often you’ll be lured, in your drunken state, to order the hot wings and before you know it you’re tapping out for the night, headed home in an Uber full of wings and booze. Not a bad end to a night if you ask me. But those among us with more experience know to avoid the delectable wings, and the fantastic tater tots. We order round after round for the table, knowing the rock bottom prices basically have no effect on your wallet. The lively atmosphere and constant stream of people will keep you and your group talking for hours (seriously the folks here are chatty). By the time you have a good buzz, your group migrates outside where you can bum a drunk cig from literally anyone. It’s here where you’ll engage in your second argument of the night or it's where you go non verbal watching the freaks that crawl through Little 5 points at night. Is the place kinda gross? Yeah (don’t worry, alcohol kills germs). But its gross in the way a worn leather boot is. Everytime I walk in, I take a deep breath and say “I’m home”. This is why Euclid Ave Yacht Club gets 5 stars from me. 

The Marcel (their bar) ★★★☆:

If you want to impress someone, this is the bar. The Marcel is a fantastic steak restaurant tucked away in the Westside of Atlanta. It’s vibe is unmatched, from the jazz, to the lowlight atmosphere. The place is the restaurant version of an expensive whiskey. The restaurant is great but thats not what we’re here to discuss*. How is the bar??? Amazing. This bar is the opposite of all the others on this list. No cheap drinks here, this is where you go to splurge. Top shelf whiskeys, and wines. Chat it up with the bartender, there’s already an automatic 35% gratuity included. Order the oysters, and make good eye contact with your date. Marcel is great (the two times a year I go), the staff are nice, so are the people, and each girl I bring swears its the coolest date shes ever been on. So. There's that. The prices are a little high (which stops it from scoring higher), but you really do get what you pay for. 3 ½ stars.

*Seriously though, Marcel is a great place to take a girl you really like, or someone you’re trying to impress. They’ll think you're classy with great taste (and deep pockets).

Ranger Station ★★★★:

You want to impress folks but aren't interested in racking up a hundred dollar bar tab at Marcel? That's what Ranger Station is for! Located on the second floor of Ladybird Grove and Mess Hall (you didn’t even know there was a second floor did you?), is what can lightly be described as a “speakeasy”. This bar serves artisan cocktails and food wrapped in a 70s-esque environment. Outfitted with wood paneling, wood furniture, amber lighting and ski gear everywhere, Ranger Station feels like you just left the slopes (or if you’re like me, never got on the slopes to begin with). The clientele here are chic post grads and younger millennials. I would call them the after work crowd but knowing what I know about Atlanta, these people likely don’t work in the first place.The casual and cool atmosphere lends itself well to casual chit chat over fantastically crafted drinks. The Ranger Station menu even gives you a guide to its drink options, breaking them up into three sections: Easy, Moderate, and Strenuous (putting together the skiing motif?). I highly recommend staying on the menu here, these mixologists know what they’re doing. Don’t just limit yourself to drinks, this is the bar to order a wagyu slider or some onion rings. I can’t vouch for the steak but I stand firmly by the appetizers. Bring your friends or bring a date, if this spot was your recommendation everyone will think you’re sick asf. 4 stars.

Church ★★★★:

Well. This is a weird place. A true Atlanta staple found on the infamous Edgewood ave. Every time I find myself in this bar I get the heebeegeebees. Blasphemous art COVERS this bar. I mean from walls to floors to ceilings, depictions of Jesus in lewd or odd orientations and perverted religious iconography. Often I feel like my immortal soul is in jeopardy, then I knock back a few more rounds and it's out of my mind. A late night spot for the real characters of Atlanta, Church is known for its eclectic vibe, karaoke (with nun robes),and ping pong. Often Church is my second or even third stop of the night. If it's the weekend there’s scarcely a time too late to walk in. Bars in Atlanta are supposed to close at 2 AM, I guess no one told Church that. Hey, I’m no snitch, another round of the mystery house sangria please! The complexity of your drink order really does depend on the mood of the bartender. If they're smiling and the lines aren't long, 100% get the house marg (BEWARE if you haven't eaten). Now, if it's the middle of a rush just grab a vodka redbull (you’re likely here at 1am anyway). Now that you have your drink head upstairs. There’s ample graffiti-ed seating, and even a lounge like area where a group of emo* kids are. But you're not here to sit, you’re here to play ping pong. After you’re done embarrassing yourself on the ping pong table you sit at one of the many tables and watch folks try to throw darts. I am really scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one because usually when I’m here it’s already been a night  and not one the kind you remember. If you're in the mood for a different kind of flair I cannot recommend this bar enough. It’s not going to be everyone's cup of tea but good drinks, interesting people, and a truly unique bar gives Church 4 stars (minus one incase I go to hell)

Manuel’s Tavern ★★★★★: 

In a word: legendary. This bar has been the home to Democrats in Atlanta for just shy of 70 years and boy has it been eventful. This bar has seen governors, senators, presidents, and most importantly, me. As a member of the Atlanta Young Democrats many-a-wednesday was spent knocking back moscow mules and talking politics with future and current electeds.* The tavern is PLASTERED with Georgia political memorabilia, and not in a try hard way either. The memorabilia on these walls reflect real candidates, real campaigns, real political eras. It's the bar where Jimmy Carter announced his first bid for Governor. It was a must stop for Clinton and Obama on their visits to the city. Its where mayor after mayor after mayor made a mandatory campaign stop. Its where protests from vietnam to cop city took place. So if it's good enough for all pf that, its damn well good enough for me. The drinks here tend to be stiff (reflecting the needs of politicos). My recommendations include the aforementioned moscow mule (a young dems favorite), the margarita (great for the summer), a whiskey sour, and just about whatever casual cocktails you can think of. This place is a no frills, working man’s bar so keep your espresso martinis and passion fruit spritz out of your order. Out of all the places I mentioned on this list, I vouch the hardest for Manuel Tavern’s food. With a robust menu you can get burgers, fries, tater tots, sloppy joes, hotdogs (favorite of my friend Parker Short), you can even get chicken fried steak and ribs but no dish sits above the almighty Jumbo Chicken Wings. The only way to order these is Terry style with extra ranch. No notes, just do it. In many ways this bar is home.What makes it comforting is its history, knowing that me and my friends are only the most recent line of politicos to frequent this place. Oddly more comforting knowing we won't be the last. In 50 years, they’ll be a new crop of up and coming young stars, training their livers for their lengthy careers. For that reason alone, Manuel’s gets 5 stars.

*Over the years of attending YDATL meetings we’ve invited dozens of candidates. The ones that go far are always the one who stay to drink with members after the meeting is done. Bonus points if they speak candidly in one of our shit talk sessions. 

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At first glance this whole list can seem like the ramblings of a young alcoholic, and while that may be true, this list also conveys something else; bars are conduits of friendships. They are a meeting space where you don’t have to be anything more than a good hang. Spending time with my friends makes me a better person, so does meeting new people and in today's age it is getting harder and harder to casually meet people. Bars are our last great hope for that. Bars also reflect the culture of a community and this list also reflects a rich tapestry of new and old Atlanta, and that matters. Go to a bar this weekend, even if you’re not to going to drink but to just be there. Invite your friends,put a couple of songs on the jukebox, and make a memory.