31. Blind Willie’s
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 873-2583
Address: 828 North Highland Ave. NE
Description: A neon alligator in the window welcomes you to Blind Willie’s, another landmark Atlanta blues joint. Mose Allison and Jr. Wells have played here, and there’s live entertainment every night. There’s a full bar with bar food; a moderate cover is charged nightly. Music starts at 10 p.m.
32. Dark Horse Tavern
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 873-3607
Address: 816 North Highland Ave. NE
Description: The trendy Dark Horse Tavern has a rock performance space in the basement where local and national college bands play. If there is a cover for the showroom, it’s usually small. The street-level room has a large bar and windows from which to observe the street life.
33. George’s
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 892-3648
Address: 1041 North Highland Ave. NE
Description: At the heart of Virginia-Highland, George’s is a favorite hangout for neighborhood residents. Grab a burger and a beer and sit at an outside table any night except Sunday.
34. Highland Tap
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 875-3673
Address: 1026 North Highland Ave. NE
Description: The Tap is cozy, smoky, and dark. Its jumbo four-ounce martini is big with those who like their cocktails high and dry. It’s a great place for dinner as well with awesome steaks and seafood.
35. Limerick Junction
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 874-7147
Address: 822 North Highland Ave.
Description: Celebrate Celtic culture at this Irish pub. There’s a sing-along or live contemporary Irish or folk music. A small cover is charged on Friday and Saturday nights.
36. Moe’s & Joe’s
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 873-6090
Address: 1033 North Highland Ave. NE
Description: Decades ago, before Virginia-Highland was cool and much of metro Atlanta was dry, Moe’s & Joe’s was an oasis for college students and other alcoholically deprived individuals. Nowadays, the dingy old tavern, which hasn’t had a makeover since V-E Day, is among the last of Va-Hi’s true grit. Students and others come for the greasy burgers, cheap pitchers of beer, and the old-fashioned beer joint aura and remember the trendy neighborhood “when.” Moe’s & Joe’s is open Monday through Saturday.
37. The Earl
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 522-3950
Address: 488 Flat Shoals Ave. SE
Description: Rock and jazz are among the everyday music offerings at this restaurant/bar/live music venue. Open daily; hours vary. Brunch on Sunday.
38. Graveyard Tavern
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 622-8686
Address: 1245 Glenwood Ave. SE
Description: “You know you’d end up here sooner or later,” the Graveyard’s jaunty slogan says. When you do venture into the spacious, former 1920s feed store, you can play pool, snooker, and darts, sit in the chummy bar area or at sidewalk tables, and enjoy tasty pub food and potent drinks that make the Graveyard one of East Atlanta Village’s liveliest haunts. Open daily.
39. Mary’s
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 624-4411
Address: 1287 Glenwood Ave. SE
Description: This long, narrow, two-level gay and lesbian bar in East Atlanta Village offers its clientele a variety of weekly happenings. Patrons with a little alcoholic inducement step up to the mike for Tuesday and Saturday night “Maryoke,” some of the most hilarious karaoke in town. Open daily.
40. Cafe 290
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 256-3942
Address: 290 Hildebrand Dr. NE
Description: Cafe 290, just north of I-285, is open nightly with live jazz or blues. A separate section houses a sports bar. A full menu is available. There’s no cover if you dine in; otherwise, on weekends you’ll pay a cover.
41. Mudcatz Bayou bar and grill
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Address: 5510 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd., Suite 3-B
Description: This fun bar plays Cajun music and blues and has become a rockin’ place to be in Dunwoody. Open 11 a.m. until 2 a.m., closed Sunday.
42. Cowboy’s Dance Hall
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Address: 1750 North Roberts Rd.
Description: Cowboy’s—a 4,800-square-foot country club with a 4,000-square-foot dance floor—holds about 3,700 people and is open Thursday through Sunday. Most nights there’s a small cover, which varies with the entertainment. If you don’t know your line dance from a two-step, lessons are offered Saturday and Sunday.
43. Darwin’s
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (770) 578-6872
Address: 1598 Roswell Rd.
Description: This Marietta bar caters to the educated blues enthusiast with local and regional acts. It’s a bit of a dive, but a perfect blues venue.
44. varner’s tavern
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (678) 388-1733
Address: 725 Concord Rd.
Description: Pool tables, darts, drinks, and fun, what more could you ask for in a tavern? There is always something happening in this neighborhood watering hole. It’s open seven days a week.
45. The Brick Store Pub
City: Atlanta, GA
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (404) 687-0990
Address: 125 East Court Sq.
Description: With more than 200 American and foreign beers by the bottle and on tap, the wood-paneled upstairs Belgian Bar with high-octane imports, shelves of single-malt scotches, some of the best pub grub in town, amiable service, a long bar, booths and tables inside, and people-watching sidewalk tables outside, it’s no wonder the Brick Store is the most popular hangout in Decatur’s lively courthouse square. The first Monday of the month, the Brick Store pairs five beers with five cheeses for about $25 a person. Beer dinners are held irregularly. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Metered parking, lots, and decks are close to the square. MARTA’s Decatur rail station is a few steps away from the Brick’s front door.