WINTER SALE: Save up to $862 on our trips! Book now and secure your adventure!

Georgia’s largest city and capital, Atlanta, is home to a thriving business center and an eclectic mix of residents, as well as a wide selection of museums, classical music venues, a thriving theater scene, and major sports teams that enthrall locals and visitors alike. If you’re in town and looking for a great bar, the city’s largest and oldest historic district, Grant Park, is a fantastic place to be. Whether you want a regular hangout for relaxing with good drinks or a fun spot to dance the night away, Grant Park’s bars are sure to please. Check out our picks for the best bars the neighborhood has to offer below.

Tin Lizzy’s Cantina

Restaurant, Mexican, Pub Grub

Lively cantina serving ‘FlexMex’ and margaritas
In 2005, four longtime college friends opened Tin Lizzy’s in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, giving their guests a unique taqueria with service rooted in genuine hospitality. Tin Lizzy’s quickly became a popular place to work and to meet friends for refreshing margaritas and delicious FlexMex cuisine, a twist on Tex-Mex with a little more flair and influence from many cultures. Soon after, other neighborhoods wanted their own Tin Lizzy’s as well. The business’s second establishment, the Grant Park location, opened in January of 2009 and was met with great success. Situated across the street from the historic Oakland Cemetery, the restaurant is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat after exploring the area. The building has two levels, and the upper portion is an outdoor rooftop area with large umbrellas and fans to keep it a nice experience even when it’s hot outside. The rooftop is especially popular because it also affords a great view of the cemetery and the downtown skyline. In addition, patrons love the helpful and friendly service, as well as the occasional live music and the great deals on delicious house margaritas with 100 proof tequila as the main ingredient.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Th 11am-12am, F-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 11am-12am
Watch out for: the amazing rooftop view and the cheap house margaritas

Octane

Coffee Shop, Pub Grub

Coffee and liquor bar in renovated warehouse
A hipster coffee bar with a full liquor bar at the other end, Octane is a popular local spot to hang out with friends, get some work done, or stop for a snack from the connected Little Tart bakery. The renovated warehouse space with exposed piping and brick walls, the friendly and unpretentious service, and the relaxed atmosphere and free wifi make Octane a favorite among neighborhood residents and visitors alike. The coffee shop side of the business opens early in the morning and the bar side opens in the evening, making the shop the perfect hangout at all times of the day. Patrons love the creamy, sugary lattes with beautiful foam art and pastries in the morning and the selection of craft beers, wines, and cocktails in the evening. In the daytime, wide windows fill the room with natural light and many people like to spend the day there reading or working on their laptops. After 6pm, though, there is a no laptop rule on the bar so that there is room for people to sit and drink great cocktails without worrying about knocking someone’s books or laptop over. Visitors love chatting with the bartenders, who really make an effort to create a cocktail you’ll love.
Price: Budget
Opening Hours: M 7am-6pm, T-F 7am-11pm, Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 8am-10pm
Watch out for: the beautiful warehouse setting, the coffee bar and liquor bar, and the connected bakery

Augustine’s

Bar, American, Pub Grub

Trendy restaurant and bar with craft brews
Whether you’re a hipster, a beer connoisseur, a sports fan, a foodie, or a bar games enthusiast, Augustine’s is the place to be when you’re in the neighborhood. It is a trendy restaurant and bar offering something for everyone, with plenty of TVs showing favorite sports games, an excellent beer list and interesting cocktails, a great outdoor seating area with a bocce ball court, and truly exceptional pub-style bites. A step up from your regular neighborhood bar, Augustine’s has an amazing tap list with all reasonably priced brews, in addition to dart boards, trivia nights, cool froze drinks like the Jack and Coke slushy, and knowledgable beer staff, making the place a popular go-to spot for neighborhood residents. The beautiful exterior, with its string of lights creating a warm and calm ambience, invites people inside the restaurant, where they are met with low lighting, dark wood, and industrial accents that give the place a cozy bar fly atmosphere. Locals love coming to Augustine’s to sit and hang out with friends, to watch a game, to bring their dogs in the outside seating, or to preface a trip to the historic Oakland Cemetery. Of course, you can’t stop by without trying the duck fat fries that are perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Sat 11:30am, Sun 12pm-12am
Watch out for: the delicious bar food, incredible beer selection, and great frozen drinks

Ziba’s Bistro

Bar, American, Pub Grub

Relaxed wine lounge with creative cocktails
Dubbed Grant Park’s Best Kept Secret since it opened its doors in 2010, Ziba’s Bistro offers an eclectic Mediterranean-inspired menu that has something for everyone in a location convenient to both locals and travelers, tucked away in a historic shopping center just a few minutes off exit 59a and down the street from Zoo Atlanta. Its building has original ceilings from 1880 and custom-made tables that comfortably seat all guests, making the restaurant, whose name means ‘beauty and strength,’ a wonderful and relaxing experience for everyone. Patrons love the fantastic bar service, the impressive wine list, and the large variety of unique specialty cocktails including favorites like the Pepper Pear Caipiroska with limes, habanero pepper, pear syrup, and vodka, and the Ginger Collins with lemons, oranges, ginger syrup, and vodka. The wine tasting flight is also a popular choice, allowing guests to try four different wines, red and white, from France, Italy, Spain, California, Argentina, or Sicily. The bartenders are friendly and knowledgable about the wines, always offering great suggestions for drinks to try and food and wine pairings.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Th 11am-10pm, F 11am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm
Watch out for: the inventive cocktails and wide selection of international wines

Republic Social House

Bar, American, Pub Grub

Casual bar with rooftop deck and games
After opening many bars and clubs, owner Terry Barbu wanted to open up a fun relaxed bar for people to just hang out and have good food and a great time, a dream that became realized with the establishment of Republic Social House. Since 2010, Republic Social House has served up great grilled sandwiches, burgers, and wings, as well as infusion cocktails made with fresh fruit, all in a great atmosphere with one of the best rooftop patios in the area. Patrons love the low prices on great draft beers and cocktails, the contemporary cool decor complete with strings of colorful lights and a Mona Lisa painting grinning with a mustache, and the large TVs perfect for watching sports. They also offer lots of great deals and daily specials on bar food, and the outdoor patio is extremely popular when the weather is nice. The largest table on the rooftop even has a nice fire pit, and there are plenty of comfortable built-in wood-paneled benches along the inside affording a wonderful view of Oakland Cemetery and the skyline at sunset. The patio also has a bar with water misters that keep guests cool when it’s hot out.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Sat 11am-2:30am, Sun 11am-12am
Watch out for: the comfortable rooftop patio and affordable beers and cocktails

The Cockpit

Bar, Pub Grub, American

Community-centric gay bar and grill
Recently reopened under new ownership, The Cockpit, with its stylish dark exposed brick, pool table, friendly staff, and reasonably priced strong drinks, has quickly gained a loyal following among Atlanta’s gay community. It is a rare Atlanta gay bar where people actually drink out of real glasses instead of plastic cups. There is a nice outside patio for smokers, and there are plans to start offering food items as well as more theme nights and other fun events. A popular neighborhood spot, the bar is often full of people who enjoy the friendly service offered by the bartenders and the fun experiences. The Cockpit markets itself as a place for ‘masculine, no attitude, thrill-seeking men who sport a bear and seek the company of other furry men for friendship and fun.’ They’ve got TVs showing popular games, karaoke, a costume contest for Halloween, a Thanksgiving feast during the holiday, and many promotions from Bayou rum and Bird Dog whiskey. They also often host fundraising events for local animal shelters and other charities, with live DJs, plenty of drinks, and even a food menu with classics like hot dogs, hamburgers, hot wings, fries, and tater tots.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Sat 5pm-2am, Sun 5pm-12am
Watch out for: the promotions, fun events, and fundraisers

The Shed at Glenwood

Restaurant, American, Pub Grub

Creative New American cuisine and cocktails
Nestled cozily on the edge of Grant Park, The Shed at Glenwood is a casual concept with serious food, providing a true neighborhood feel with dishes that are worth a drive. The menu is a constant evolution of fresh seasonal fare with integrity-driven ingredients that the restaurant’s guests can feel good about. In addition, innovative cocktails, over 35 wines by the glass, and a wide range of beers adapt in concert with the ever-changing food offerings. The Shed at Glenwood also offers great daily specials, including dozen oysters and a featured beer for $12 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, $3 sliders on Wednesday nights, $20 wine bottle deals on Fridays and Saturdays, Sunday Brunch with bottomless mimosas for $12 and and bottomless Bloody Marys for $14, and Sunday Supper featuring three courses of comfort food for only $20. A popular spot for date nights, people love the laid-back and unpretentious atmosphere, great friendly service, unique twists on fabulous food, and fantastic wines, cocktails, and beer. Even if you’re just stopping in for a drink, the bar serves fresh salted popcorn for you to nibble on.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: M-Th 5:30-10pm, F-Sat 4-11pm, Sun 10am-9pm
Watch out for: the great deals on daily specials

Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium

Bar, Pub Grub

Eclectic church-themed bar with ping pong
Established in 2010, Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium is an art gallery that sells both alcohol and Sister Louisa art. Known informally as Church, it’s a non-smoking bar indoors with no televisions or internet, encouraging locals to engage in conversation and community building activities. Monday nights feature a World Class Ping Pong Tournament in which Sister Louisa ‘herself’ will come out and challenge everyone to a game of ping pong. Tuesday nights feature Madam Butterfly, the resident tarot card reader, and Wednesday nights are Church Organ Karaoke nights. Thursdays through Sundays are reserved for people to enjoy the upstairs living room, dining rooms, and dart room. Owner Grant Henry, also known as Sister Louisa, started the bar out of a need to process his thoughts on religion, politics, and sexuality, having grown up in the proper South. Under the name of Sister Louisa, he has created a variety of unique pieces of artwork to express the liberation and preservation of the soul, and the visitors to the Church can view and purchase them there. The bar’s patrons are big fans of the sangria, in addition to the eclectic and ironic church-themed events and decor.
Price: Budget
Opening Hours: M-Sat 5pm-3am, Sun 3pm-12am
Watch out for: the satirical religious decor and the priest robes guests can wear while drinking, as well as Sister Louisa ‘herself’ playing ping pong

Carroll Street Café

Cafe, American

Bohemian space with bar and eclectic eats
A unique and welcoming Bohemian bistro, Carroll Street Café offers freshly prepared dishes in a cozy atmosphere with a laid-back European pace. It is a favorite among artists, musicians, and locals in the neighborhood, and it is a great spot in which to relax whether you want food, cocktails, or coffee. Carroll Street offers a full bar that includes an eclectic wine list in addition to great daily beer and wine specials. The café’s sidewalk tables are perfect for seeing and being seen while watching the rambling two-way traffic on a one-way street as it tries to make its way through town. After work, Carroll Street is the perfect place to enjoy half-price tapas during happy hour from 3-7pm every Tuesday through Thursday. Monday nights draw in a great crowd for $5 tapas as well, and in the evening, the interior is beautifully lit with candles, providing the perfect casual, romantic atmosphere for a date night. Service is friendly and attentive, and patrons love that the servers will let you try a couple of wines to help you make a choice. The classy yet down-to-earth, homey feel of the place makes it a popular spot for all kinds of occasions.
Price: Mid-Range
Opening Hours: 8am-11:30pm
Watch out for: the daily specials on local beers and international wines

About the author

Catrina is an aspiring editor and recent graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles with degrees in both English and Psychology. Her passion for the written word is only matched by her love of adventure and trying new things. She enjoys volunteering, hiking, dancing, drawing, and making music videos in her free time, and her goal in life is to own a library like the one in Beauty and the Beast. One day, she hopes to be able to travel to France so that she can practice her French and eat all of the delicious food.

If you click on a link in this story, we may earn affiliate revenue. All recommendations have been independently sourced by Culture Trip.
close-ad