Atlanta does fancy rooftops.
We also do $18 cocktails with rosemary smoke, edible glitter, & glassware shaped like emotions. Cute.

But let’s be honest… Sometimes you just want:

✨ A strong pour
✨ Weird taxidermy
✨ A bathroom you’re afraid to touch
✨ A jukebox fighting for its life
✨ …& a bartender who calls you “baby” but also looks like they could start a bar fight on your behalf

Welcome to ATL dive bars — undefeated, unhinged, & somehow more community-building than any overpriced food hall ever will be.

Xo, from your resident dive bar apologist. 🍻

**What Makes an ATL Dive Bar a Dive Bar?**

This is important research:

✔ Floors that tell a story
✔ Bathrooms that may or may not be haunted
✔ A patio where your drink collects “outdoor seasoning”
✔ A regular named Dwight who knows everyone
✔ Drinks poured like the bartender is your toxic ex
✔ Live music that slaps OR karaoke that absolutely does not — both essential

If you want a craft cocktail… babe, go somewhere else.
If you want a memory? Pull up a barstool.

🎯 The Dive Bar Starter Pack (ATL Edition)

You’ll need:

$20 (you’ll come home with change)
A hoodie you don’t care about
An escape plan
Cash for the jukebox
Snacks in the car
A friend who won’t leave you alone with “that guy”

🔥 ATL’s Dive Bars by Neighborhood (So You Can Actually Find Them)

Because nothing says “I love this city” like someone yelling ONE MORE SONG.

📍 Cabbagetown

🍺 97 Estoria

A Cabbagetown classic. Punk-meets-patio, the beer is cold, the trivia is chaotic, & you will see someone you know (even if you don’t know them yet).
Energy: “I live here now.”
Pro Tip: Order food. It doesn’t matter what. It hits.

🍺 Milltown Arms Tavern

Cozy, unfussy, deeply neighborhood-coded.
Energy: “Grab a beer, nothing hurts.”

📍 East Atlanta Village (EAV)

🍺 The Earl

Strong drinks, loud bands, 50% regulars, 50% people who wandered in & stayed forever.
Energy: “We’re all family now.”

🍺 Mary’s

ATL’s best Queer dive. Drag, dancing, sweat, joy.
Energy: “You WILL scream-sing.”

🍺 Midway Pub

Technically “nice,” spiritually “your roommate who never moved out.”
Energy: Patio → beer → chaos.

🍺 Flatiron

Classic EAV mayhem.
Energy: “Someone’s getting a tattoo after this.”

🍺 The Trophy Room

Upstairs chaos, dark corners, & strong drinks.
Energy: “We're making decisions we can’t defend.”

📍 Little 5 Points (L5P)

🍺 El Myr

My personal fav. Dark, moody, & great drinks. Everyone looks hotter in here. Grab a pack of Grizz.
Energy: “I’m only staying for one.” (Lie.)

🍺 Euclid Yacht Club

Dive-bar pirate ship fun. Cheap drinks + weird décor + deeply L5P vibes. Pro tip: Holiday Gingerbread contest is my absolute fave.
Energy: “We sail at dawn.”

🍺 Star Community Bar

Rockabilly energy + strong pours + neighborhood legends. Don’t miss a comedy show.
Energy: “Strong pour, stronger opinions.”

📍 Old Fourth Ward (O4W) / Edgewood Ave

🍺 Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium (Edgewood Ave)

A fever dream with drinks. Weird fun art, choir robes, ping-pong. You def need a karaoke night here.
Energy: “Gay church but make it dive bar.”

🍺 Joystick Gamebar (Edgewood Ave)

Arcade machines + dive bar energy + existential crisis.
Energy: “I flirt by beating you at Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Finish him!”

🍺 Bantam Pub

Dog-friendly, chill, a neighborhood staple with chaotic patio energy. Def order the brunch, or burger.
Energy: “We came for one drink… oh look, midnight.”

📍 Virginia-Highland (Va-Hi)

🍺 The Albert

Burgers, strong drinks, regulars, Va-Hi DNA.
Energy: “We always end up here.”

🍺 Dark Horse Tavern

Atlanta nightlife relic. Sticky floor = part of the charm. Notes: 10 High is the live band karaoke. She’s apart of Atlanta’s DNA. Sing your heart out BB.
Energy: “Congrats, you survived.”

🍺 Moe’s & Joe’s

A true Va-Hi classic. Cheap beer + pitchers + no frills.
Energy: “College bar but older now… we’re adults.”

🍺 Blind Willie’s

Blues, beers, & soul in an old-school room.
Energy: “A front-row sermon in blues — the kind that stays with you.”

🍺 Dad’s Bar (formerly Diesel)

Old-school, unfussy, deeply neighborhood.
Energy: “One beer becomes three.”

📍 Poncey-Highland / Ponce De Leon

🍺 The Local

Iconic. Sticky floors + cheap drinks + life changing wings & tots.
Energy: “That neon sign has seen things.”
Warning: You will see someone you ghosted.

🍺 Clermont Lounge

The legend. The lore. If you haven’t been in deep convo with Blondie… what are you even doing?
Energy: “You’re not ready, but go anyway.”

🍺 Righteous Room (Poncey-Highland)

Grunge, cheap drinks, questionable decisions.
Energy: “Don’t ask questions, just go.”

📍 Westside: West End / Westview

🍺 Boggs Social & Supply (West End)

Spiritually a dive bar. Metal shows, drag, Tittytainment trivia, pop-ups. Say less.
Energy: “A dive bar who moisturizes & goes to therapy.”

🍺 Northside Tavern (Westside)

Blues bar soul. The beers. The energy that lives in the soul. A crown jewel of dive bar.
Energy: “Your uncle who gives excellent advice at 1:45am.”

🍺 The Westwood - new kid on the block(Westview)

Officially open, & already giving “future neighborhood classic.” The building’s got history for days: originally a 1920s barber shop, named after a failed neighborhood development called Westwood, & full of reused art-deco tiles plus salvaged fixtures from local fave Lifecycle Building Center. Even the name nods to the original 1880s Westwood/Westview Park plans. Pro tip: Highly recommend the official house hot sauce, Horror Struck!

Energy: “A bar built from Atlanta history… but still ready to pour you something strong.”

📍 Hapeville

🍺 Hammer’s Good Time Emporium

A chaotic-good playground disguised as a bar.. & yes, there’s a full sand volleyball court out back. It’s giving hometown dive meets adult recess. Cheap drinks, big energy, & games happening even when no one knows the rules (classic ATL).

Energy: “I came for one drink… now I’m somehow in a volleyball tournament.”

Pro Tip: Perfect for group hangs, chaotic date nights, & anyone who gets competitive after two beers.

📍 Decatur

🍺 Trackside Tavern

Dim, reliable, divey perfection.
Energy: “A safe haven for beer + pool.”

📍 Buckhead

🍺 Mr. C’s

The dive bar oasis in a sea of $19 cocktails.
Energy: “Blue-collar survival mode.”

📍 Midtown

🍺 Eleventh Street Pub

Solid, simple, casual. No-fuss.
Energy: “I want a beer, not a crowd.”

🍺 Smith’s Olde Bar (borderline Morningside)

Legendary music + bar therapy.
Energy: “Live music heals.”

🍺 The Highlander (RIP / soon reborn?)

Tot kingdom. Cigarette-smoke nostalgia.
Energy: Chaotic good.

📍 Grant Park / Ormewood

🍺 Manny’s Grant Park Tavern

Neighborhood staple. Sports, burgers, trivia, familiar faces.
Energy: “Everyone’s a local here.”

🍻 Final Sip: Atlanta’s Dive Bars Are a Personality Test

Some cities have fancy rooftops. We have dark corners, cheap beer, loud bands, & characters you’ll talk about for weeks.

Dive bars are where Atlanta’s personality shines — weird, warm, gritty, funny, unfiltered, & full of heart.

So pick a neighborhood, grab your crew, & go find your new favorite bar. Just… don’t blame me if you wake up with a wrist stamp & a story.

🍟 Before You Go Home Hungry…
Every good dive night ends with fries, tacos, or something you’ll pretend was “a smart choice.”
Peep my round-up of Atlanta late-night eats that actually slap. Your future self will thank you.