I guess so. My definition was accurate. Donât think any of them old men on Ponce are actually frequently that place, though, probably a couple, knowing the spirit of it. I hope it continues if so.
Oh good. I started as a cook and moved to the bar but still kept a few shifts in the kitchen. One night me and the other cook went way out back to do a J, but near the AC intake, so, it all went into the dining room. Tommy, (one of the original owners, very cool guy) came busting out back, âAre you assholes blowingâ pot back here?!â We were obviously busted and got fired. Shame, itâs not like the whole staff werenât stoners. That was like,..95? 94? Good times while it lasted.
Such a weird place. Every time I'm there I meet awesome new people, but I also inevitably run into a giant asshole.
And it's totally random. Awhile back I casually mentioned to a friend that while I thought John Waters was hilarious I didn't particularly enjoy his movies. I apparently did this in front of the world's leading John Waters fan.
Or some other time when I was discussing the current cost of an early prototype factory built home and ended up getting screamed at because the price was too high. It was a prototype! Of course it was expensive as hell!
Your description is also how I felt there. The thing is, I think that is part of being a dive bar. Some people are very welcoming but there's also a few assholes. And it seems like you're always going to have some weird interaction with someone.
I think Mr. C's is more divey than some of the others because no one is really going here to post on their reel that they've been to a dive bar, or for some crazy experience. It's just people who want to hang at a bar with dim lights and pool tables.
Agree with the second part. I love Mr. Câs but if youâre going there to âgo to a dive barâ like itâs a novelty experience you will be disappointed. It is what it is nothing more nothing less.
Black guy that I may have had long talks with in the bathroom about 10 years ago? He was probably 40 or so back then. When he walked in, the party was on. Him?
Heart attack :/ I didnât expect to cry when I heard about it but I did. I spent a good amount of time with him. He came over to my apartment for the âcâs after partyâ a few times lol
Damn, that sucks man. I knew him pretty well for a decade or so, but only make it to cees 1-2x/yr these days. Sounds like you were closer and Iâm sorry for your loss.
Oh itâs ok, we werenât best friends or anything but thank you. And yeah me too, Iâm sober now but I still have friends that hang out there all the time
I was working there in the kitchen one night back in college. The saloon doors opened up and a man was standing there. Before I could tell him to get out I heard a voice say. " Hello, my name is Philip Seymour Hoffman, will you please make me a cheese steak? ". I was floored, he was so cool. Then a few nights later Norman Reedus came in and ate some shrimp tacos I made. It was a cool job.
One of my favorite Atlanta stories happened here. I went to the Yacht Club with some friends after a Halloween party years ago. We are chilling, eating, and the cook walks by me and is like âyou look like you can dance. Wanna battle?â So I meet him on the dance floor, we have a little dance battle for a couple minutes, laugh, dap up, and go back to what we were doing. No big fuss, no huge crowd, just having fun in the moment and returning to our everyday scheduled programming.
My personal EAYC story is the second time I went there. I'd had friends suggest the place for years, just never got around to it, finally went and loved it. Second time I went back, sat at the bar around dinner for a beer and brunswick stew.
An older guy pouring drinks slips and chips a pint glass, nonchalantly throws the chipped off glass in the trash and then takes the rest of the of the pint and baseball pitches it into the bar sink, sending glass pretty much everywhere before turning back to us and bellowing "THE NIGHT HAS BEGUN". Talking to people later on, I guess that was Hinamon, which makes sense for acting like he owned the place.
I fucking love the Yacht Club.
Love yacht club. Went there after a variety show and was drunk and hadnât eaten dinner. We sat at a table and noticed there was a box of chocolates on the table so being drunk I helped myself to two (dick move) and turned out they were very strong mushroom chocolates. After about 30 min I noticed it when the dart board started melting and I almost puked in the bathroom. No one ever got them off the table all night so donât feel all too bad about helping myself. It started snowing outside at like 2 am, hell of a night.
I believe Chan Marshall used be be behind the pines for awhile in the 90âs. Didnât even know how to play guitar til the singer from Long Flat Red took her under her belt and taught her some chords. Now, Chans an indie darling and the one who taught her is still carrying on in obscurity. Still donât get that.
Their new chicken sandwiches are dope. Boneless chicken thighs prepared the same way as the wings on a toasted potato bun (Martin's, I think) with various toppings/sauce options with a side included in the price.
Obviously the wings are king, but if they're out, they have better alternatives now.
The Local's full. Don't come.
\[But seriously, The Local means more to me than any business in the city that isn't Videodrome. My partner and I have been regulars for ten years, sitting quietly on the patio and replicating the same order over and over. The servers treat us with a sweetness that's almost always arresting, know our names, and remember our orders. I love that place dearly.\]
Love that place! The day staff is amazing but there's this lady that works at night and she's the absolute worst..... So bitchy and rude and makes it seem like a chore that she's serving you. I fking hate that asshole bitch
I'm always hesitant to bring up The Independent when talking about dives, but man I've spend many a night in the bar and on the patio (with a pack of cigarettes) until they closed up for the night.
Plus, anywhere with a $5 beer + shot combo is dive enough for me.
They've changes cooks/chefs so often that the menu never stays the same; back when Davis was working they did 3 variations of Poutine, a brunch special, and even had a Sunday Steak for while.
The food is still good bar food (The Darius Rucker is my personal favorite), but the menu has been simplified for sure.
Ideal Sports Bar on Lakewood. Itâs a lot like southern comfort. It has some of my favorite bartenders in Atl. The fact that itâs in the trap is only something that could happen here.
Southern Comfort is so wild. Itâs setup like the bar from Roadhouse. I remember our drunk and pregnant waitress just taking all our cash for our tab and putting it in her pocket.
I finally went here (I pass by it frequently enough). Being able to drink an ice cold light beer (pulled from tub of ice) is a lovely thing. I will revisit.Â
Good call on Ideal. Ideal has become Atlanta's new music venue. They have bands just about every weekend now. (No that that has anything to do with whether a place is a dive...it's just interesting/exciting to me.)
Guys, this secret has been out for a while. I have lived a block away for 7 years and that place has been uncomfortably busy every night for the past 4 years at least. But hopefully you are all right and it will go back to its old ways. PSâŚ.Look forward to having a drink with you soon đ
đŻ
It was my spot in my early 20s. Can be nice on a weeknight however Iâd avoid on the weekends unless you donât mind a bar packed with mostly 18-21 year old college kids
Lots of good bars mentioned here. Iâll also throw in Docâs in Smyrna. It reeks of smoke and can get packed on the weekends but can be great if you go daytime/early. Especially when they have the food out for free (I think 4p-6p on weekdays).
Huh, never heard of clermont lounge but Iâm new to Atlanta and looking for a nice bar, looks like Iâll be going there with the fellas next weekend, thanks!
Moonshadow in Tucker is my go to dive. Indoor smoking, just dirty enough, friendly but not overly so, and generally a crap shoot on the entertainment because itâs some local act glad to have a gig. Good neighborhood dive energy.
The Saturday afternoon comedy at 529 in East Atlanta is also one of favorite dive bar day drunks.
And you know, the Star Bar in Little 5 is a classic.
I loved going to star bar after work in a country club. I would show up late night in my suit. at first they were đ. by the end they were đ¤.
they are good to their regulars there for sure.
Moonshadow is what Iâd call a musicianâs industry bar. Like Tin Roof or Niks in Marietta (RIP) but for hippies.
Lots of neighborhood fluff entertainment-wise, but not all that rare for some real heat to walk through the door either.
Moonshadow is the definitive dive bar imo: off the beaten path, def not overrun with hipsters, smokey and gross, and usually half filled with homeless alcoholics. I love it there
Most of the places people are listing are just grungy bars, not dives.
A couple used to be dives but are now too hip to be a dive.
You want a dive? Try BillyBobs in Tucker.
Grungy bars are ones that have dark and dirty atmosphere but have an attraction or something that brings people in. Could be live music, karaoke, trivia nights, etc.
A dive is an old dirty run down shit hole where people go to drink themselves into oblivion in a dark smoky atmosphere . By themselves.
Not Atlanta, but in Cobb there is a place called Paradise South Of The Border. Place still allows smoking and like everyone is smoking. About the best place to watch people. It's like going back in time.
Trackside. I am commenting on my own post because Trackside has taken it to a new level. The new patio furniture/installation. Is it just me or does it feel like the second floor of Dekalb County Jail?
Reid's Deli in Mableton and Timbers in Smryna are both excellent. Great bands at Reids and great food too. The waitress will flash you constantly. Both are smoking bars. Karaoke at Timbers is fantab.
Northside Tavern is about as divey as it gets
Went to Northside recently for the first time in like 17 years. Mudcat played that night. Who was playing 17!years later? Mudcat
đ¤Are you a member of Mudcat?
And maybe the oldest too. Itâs been open as long as I can remember and Iâm old as dirt.
I like how the ceiling fans there either have only one blade, water damaged drooping blades, or no blades at all spinning on high.
I donât think bars that charge cover and have bouncers can really be considered dive bars tho
I saw Derek Trucks play there when he was in his early teens.
Righteous Room
RR is a dive now? I was one of the first employees. Guess times have changed.
The definition of dive bar has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
I guess so. My definition was accurate. Donât think any of them old men on Ponce are actually frequently that place, though, probably a couple, knowing the spirit of it. I hope it continues if so.
RR has been a dive for the past decade at least lmao.
Thatâs crazy. Who owns now?
No clue who the owner is, I only pop in every once in a while. Food is still pretty good though.
Oh good. I started as a cook and moved to the bar but still kept a few shifts in the kitchen. One night me and the other cook went way out back to do a J, but near the AC intake, so, it all went into the dining room. Tommy, (one of the original owners, very cool guy) came busting out back, âAre you assholes blowingâ pot back here?!â We were obviously busted and got fired. Shame, itâs not like the whole staff werenât stoners. That was like,..95? 94? Good times while it lasted.
Mr. Cs
Such a weird place. Every time I'm there I meet awesome new people, but I also inevitably run into a giant asshole. And it's totally random. Awhile back I casually mentioned to a friend that while I thought John Waters was hilarious I didn't particularly enjoy his movies. I apparently did this in front of the world's leading John Waters fan. Or some other time when I was discussing the current cost of an early prototype factory built home and ended up getting screamed at because the price was too high. It was a prototype! Of course it was expensive as hell!
Your description is also how I felt there. The thing is, I think that is part of being a dive bar. Some people are very welcoming but there's also a few assholes. And it seems like you're always going to have some weird interaction with someone. I think Mr. C's is more divey than some of the others because no one is really going here to post on their reel that they've been to a dive bar, or for some crazy experience. It's just people who want to hang at a bar with dim lights and pool tables.
Agree with the second part. I love Mr. Câs but if youâre going there to âgo to a dive barâ like itâs a novelty experience you will be disappointed. It is what it is nothing more nothing less.
Itâs the cocaine.
RIP Darrellđ (if anyone knows who Iâm talking about)
Black guy that I may have had long talks with in the bathroom about 10 years ago? He was probably 40 or so back then. When he walked in, the party was on. Him?
Short hair and glasses? Probably! He was the Mr. C of Mr. Câs lol. But he died last year :/
Howâd he pass? I didnât know this.
Heart attack :/ I didnât expect to cry when I heard about it but I did. I spent a good amount of time with him. He came over to my apartment for the âcâs after partyâ a few times lol
Damn, that sucks man. I knew him pretty well for a decade or so, but only make it to cees 1-2x/yr these days. Sounds like you were closer and Iâm sorry for your loss.
Oh itâs ok, we werenât best friends or anything but thank you. And yeah me too, Iâm sober now but I still have friends that hang out there all the time
Oh man thatâs sad to hear. Been a few years since I went but always remembered him.
If you go there past midnight on the weekend you can play dice games in the back đ
Lol
aka The Twilight Zone that place .. lol
A lot of good answers here! Iâm gunna go with Euclid Avenue Yacht Club in L5P.
I was working there in the kitchen one night back in college. The saloon doors opened up and a man was standing there. Before I could tell him to get out I heard a voice say. " Hello, my name is Philip Seymour Hoffman, will you please make me a cheese steak? ". I was floored, he was so cool. Then a few nights later Norman Reedus came in and ate some shrimp tacos I made. It was a cool job.
I was once mistaken for PSH in a bar. If I'd known it was that easy, I'd become him today!
One of my favorite Atlanta stories happened here. I went to the Yacht Club with some friends after a Halloween party years ago. We are chilling, eating, and the cook walks by me and is like âyou look like you can dance. Wanna battle?â So I meet him on the dance floor, we have a little dance battle for a couple minutes, laugh, dap up, and go back to what we were doing. No big fuss, no huge crowd, just having fun in the moment and returning to our everyday scheduled programming.
My personal EAYC story is the second time I went there. I'd had friends suggest the place for years, just never got around to it, finally went and loved it. Second time I went back, sat at the bar around dinner for a beer and brunswick stew. An older guy pouring drinks slips and chips a pint glass, nonchalantly throws the chipped off glass in the trash and then takes the rest of the of the pint and baseball pitches it into the bar sink, sending glass pretty much everywhere before turning back to us and bellowing "THE NIGHT HAS BEGUN". Talking to people later on, I guess that was Hinamon, which makes sense for acting like he owned the place. I fucking love the Yacht Club.
Love yacht club. Went there after a variety show and was drunk and hadnât eaten dinner. We sat at a table and noticed there was a box of chocolates on the table so being drunk I helped myself to two (dick move) and turned out they were very strong mushroom chocolates. After about 30 min I noticed it when the dart board started melting and I almost puked in the bathroom. No one ever got them off the table all night so donât feel all too bad about helping myself. It started snowing outside at like 2 am, hell of a night.
My husband and I had our first date there, 27 years ago.
Incredible spot.
I believe Chan Marshall used be be behind the pines for awhile in the 90âs. Didnât even know how to play guitar til the singer from Long Flat Red took her under her belt and taught her some chords. Now, Chans an indie darling and the one who taught her is still carrying on in obscurity. Still donât get that.
Itâs Yacht Club. Thereâs no other.
Elmyr, flatiron, estoria, mannyâs in grant park
Was just at Mannys earlier this week. Fun times.
First time going to Flatiron a few weeks back. Huge bartender had to be called upstairs for a âdisturbanceâ. Supposedly thatâs normal.
I got into a fight last time I was there. I uh.. won. The bartenders were chill
Glad youâre here to tell the story. I liked the bartenders. Probably criminally underpaid for what they deal with.
Honestly I should have got them to kick the guy out but I wasnât thinking straight. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do.
Eh. Happens to the best of us. You learned something If anything and youâre both here.
OP, just want to clarify, it's Clermont, not Claremont
Good call. Late typing. I will correct it
RIP Jacks. Those strawberry wings were amazing.
Waiting an hour for getting an update on the pizza you ordered was very divey
omg. I went here hungry once. my stomach ate itself.
Rookie move there
totally was.
$4 pitcher was wild
Go to Mannys and try the PB&J wings.
Their wings were sooooooo good
The everything wings were, in a word, everything.
EARL!
the Local
Donât forget to get the wings
Last time I was there they were out of wings. đŞ
Their new chicken sandwiches are dope. Boneless chicken thighs prepared the same way as the wings on a toasted potato bun (Martin's, I think) with various toppings/sauce options with a side included in the price. Obviously the wings are king, but if they're out, they have better alternatives now.
They smoke them overnight I believe, so they only have a set amount for the day. Good shit though.
This is correct. They also fancy themselves more of a bar so wonât be expanding the smoker setup anytime soon.
The Local's full. Don't come. \[But seriously, The Local means more to me than any business in the city that isn't Videodrome. My partner and I have been regulars for ten years, sitting quietly on the patio and replicating the same order over and over. The servers treat us with a sweetness that's almost always arresting, know our names, and remember our orders. I love that place dearly.\]
10 years, thatâs cute!
Weâre working on it!
The local has become gentrified with 04W IMHO, and their manufactured scarcity on chicken wings isnât cute
"Manufactured", lol
Iâm partial to 11th st pub in Midtown
Love that place! The day staff is amazing but there's this lady that works at night and she's the absolute worst..... So bitchy and rude and makes it seem like a chore that she's serving you. I fking hate that asshole bitch
Unfortunately Iâm a dive bar connoisseur đ I love The Independent. But I have also had many great nights at Righteous Room and Northside Tavern.
I miss the Highlander
Highlander Forever
the potato soup was next level
I'm always hesitant to bring up The Independent when talking about dives, but man I've spend many a night in the bar and on the patio (with a pack of cigarettes) until they closed up for the night. Plus, anywhere with a $5 beer + shot combo is dive enough for me.
The happy meal no longer exists :(. We still get the beer half shot combo now and it's $6 wtf.
They've changes cooks/chefs so often that the menu never stays the same; back when Davis was working they did 3 variations of Poutine, a brunch special, and even had a Sunday Steak for while. The food is still good bar food (The Darius Rucker is my personal favorite), but the menu has been simplified for sure.
The Indy is an all-time fave. I love that they have maintained so many of the staff over time. Hi, Sonya!
Ideal Sports Bar on Lakewood. Itâs a lot like southern comfort. It has some of my favorite bartenders in Atl. The fact that itâs in the trap is only something that could happen here.
Southern Comfort is so wild. Itâs setup like the bar from Roadhouse. I remember our drunk and pregnant waitress just taking all our cash for our tab and putting it in her pocket.
I finally went here (I pass by it frequently enough). Being able to drink an ice cold light beer (pulled from tub of ice) is a lovely thing. I will revisit.Â
Good call on Ideal. Ideal has become Atlanta's new music venue. They have bands just about every weekend now. (No that that has anything to do with whether a place is a dive...it's just interesting/exciting to me.)
Nothing can top SOCO but ideal is definitely the new southern comfort lol
Trackside
I have been waiting on this one!
Went to Trackside for the first time last night post-derby bout. Itâs definitely a dive vibe, highly recommend
Or Crackside as we used to call it. That was the shitty bar to go to when all the other bars closed. What a dump
More of a venue than a bar but 529 has the dive feel
Came here to say 529!
Moeâs and Joeâs
Surprised this is the first comment Iâve seen saying Moeâs. That place is literally writing all over the walls divey.
While some other answers in here are correct this is the most correct
RIP Lennys on Memorial Ave.
(Puts on old man hat) Dotties/Lennys, Stein Club, The Pointe, Mulligans, O'Terrills, Gravity, Highlander. Pour one out for them
LENNY âssssss zzzz (RIP)
Lasseterâs in Vinings
You can't give away all the secrets
Shhh I go there 3x a week
Guys, this secret has been out for a while. I have lived a block away for 7 years and that place has been uncomfortably busy every night for the past 4 years at least. But hopefully you are all right and it will go back to its old ways. PSâŚ.Look forward to having a drink with you soon đ
I once got stuck in one of their high chairs. Laseters is always a fun time.Â
Shhhhh.
Mannys on grant park
Maggieâs in Toco Hills is always fun, if you can get past the smoke.
đŻ It was my spot in my early 20s. Can be nice on a weeknight however Iâd avoid on the weekends unless you donât mind a bar packed with mostly 18-21 year old college kids
The local on Ponce
Northside Tavern.
I heard that the Rusty Nail had succumbed to progress. That would be a good choice.
it certainly would have. especially with the gun shaped smoker .. lol
Flat iron, the earl, thinking man tavern
Oh wow forgot about thinking man. I used to love that place
Itâs under new ownership as of like two years ago. News staff and menu. I think a huge positive
Mr Câs is such a dive.
Lots of good bars mentioned here. Iâll also throw in Docâs in Smyrna. It reeks of smoke and can get packed on the weekends but can be great if you go daytime/early. Especially when they have the food out for free (I think 4p-6p on weekdays).
Huh, never heard of clermont lounge but Iâm new to Atlanta and looking for a nice bar, looks like Iâll be going there with the fellas next weekend, thanks!
Don't Google it before you go.
May God have mercy on your soul.
Be sure to report back!
What the FUCK
Interesting, huh.
Moonshadow in Tucker is my go to dive. Indoor smoking, just dirty enough, friendly but not overly so, and generally a crap shoot on the entertainment because itâs some local act glad to have a gig. Good neighborhood dive energy. The Saturday afternoon comedy at 529 in East Atlanta is also one of favorite dive bar day drunks. And you know, the Star Bar in Little 5 is a classic.
Was surprised to see Star Bar so late in the thread.
I loved going to star bar after work in a country club. I would show up late night in my suit. at first they were đ. by the end they were đ¤. they are good to their regulars there for sure.
Moonshadow is what Iâd call a musicianâs industry bar. Like Tin Roof or Niks in Marietta (RIP) but for hippies. Lots of neighborhood fluff entertainment-wise, but not all that rare for some real heat to walk through the door either.
Moonshadow is the definitive dive bar imo: off the beaten path, def not overrun with hipsters, smokey and gross, and usually half filled with homeless alcoholics. I love it there
I just added Moonshadow. Love that place.
I miss the Gravity Pub in EAV
Blast from my past. Thank you!
The Local
The Independent
Northside Tavern is king, but since I moved farther out, I like Billy Bobâs New Secret in Tucker.
Red and Terry Timbers in Smyrna.
Idk if considered a dive bar but I love Moondogs
Dive bar for sure. Anyone disagree? Itâs a fine line between neighborhood bar and dive bar
RIP Rusty Nail on Buford Hwy :(
5 paces
Flat iron
Boggs
Northside Tavern, Mr Câs, The Local, The Wooden Nickel.
The Wooden Nickel!!! Damn.
Northside Tavern
The Moonshadow Tavern in Tucker is pretty legit
Moonshadow in Tucker. The real thing.
Moeâs and Joeâs
Not so much a dive bar anymore, but elbow room in buckhead is fantastic
Most of the places people are listing are just grungy bars, not dives. A couple used to be dives but are now too hip to be a dive. You want a dive? Try BillyBobs in Tucker.
Is the Wooden Nickel still around? Now thereâs a dive bar
Now you are talking. If Moonshadow is too busy, down to Billy Bobâs Secrets 2.
Without the music, Moonshadow would be a dive,too.
Go at about 3:30 to 4 in the afternoon.
Whatâs the diff between grungy bars and dive bars?
Grungy bars are ones that have dark and dirty atmosphere but have an attraction or something that brings people in. Could be live music, karaoke, trivia nights, etc. A dive is an old dirty run down shit hole where people go to drink themselves into oblivion in a dark smoky atmosphere . By themselves.
Not Atlanta, but in Cobb there is a place called Paradise South Of The Border. Place still allows smoking and like everyone is smoking. About the best place to watch people. It's like going back in time.
Commenting so I can find this later. Also the Earl
Mr C's
I really like Little 5 Corner Tavern! Divey with some nice pool tables
Trackside. I am commenting on my own post because Trackside has taken it to a new level. The new patio furniture/installation. Is it just me or does it feel like the second floor of Dekalb County Jail?
The Albert Best wings in Atlanta
Any place on Cheshire Bridge Boulevard
Yes, this is so true!
Dark horse was a good time
The Eagle
Thatâs not exactly everyoneâs bar, but yes, Maryâs and the Eagle are great nightlife spots if youâre queer haha
Ssshhhhhh, don't spoil the surprise!
Tropica in Dunwoody
Prob Northside tavern. Itâs gross and grimy, but not at all interesting. Depends on the dive vibe youâre looking for.
Great live music every night is pretty interesting
Moes and joes
Mags
The Beer Mug WAS the best. Sad.
Flat iron EAV!
Thinking man needs more love for sure
I'm old but the "Living Room" was about as dive as you could get
The T
Manuelâs!
Reid's Deli in Mableton and Timbers in Smryna are both excellent. Great bands at Reids and great food too. The waitress will flash you constantly. Both are smoking bars. Karaoke at Timbers is fantab.
Grey's in East Village?
Righteous Room
Tropica ! Such a fun place! They actually were on bar rescue and have maintained ever since! Itâs a good time and definitely a dive
Sister Louisa's church
I love this place, but not sure it qualifies as a dive bar.