Manuel’s Tavern

Address: 602 N. Highland Ave Atlanta, GA 30307
Date of Visit: Friday, 4/17/09 7p.m. -11.pm
Price: cheap but varies- pitchers range from $ 5.65-21.00, food is reasonable and you get more than you ask for
Parking: plenty of parking
Cover: None
Age Restriction: None in dining area, at least 18 and older in the bars
Atmosphere: Diverse: the earlier crowd consists of mostly geriatrics and families eating dinner while after 10 pm draws in a much younger, 20-30 something crowd, known for being a political bar and popular among academics
Entertainment: T.V.s, keno, mostly just a ‘conversational’ bar (heard this from a waiter)
Bathrooms: excellent, always clean
Food: large portions, cheap, mostly pub food
Drink Selection: Full bar including over 25 beers on tap and available for pitchers
Tips: This is a great laid back bar that everyone should go to at least once, if you come alone, sit at the bar

Strengths: price, on tap selection, wait staff, plenty of space and parking, great for groups, Wifi
Weakness: None that we can think of
Overall Rating:

Mr. C’s

Address: 1983 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
Date of Visit: Friday, 4/10/09, 10pm-???
Price: cheap, unless you get too drunk and let other people buy drinks on your open tab
Parking: limited parking, all decent parking spots happen to be tow away zones
Cover: None
Age Restriction: appeared to be 21+ but we were not carded at the door or for alcohol
Atmosphere: strangely average crowd- most people appeared to be 21-35 but a few older people, more guys than girls, garage-like patio outside, very clean, patrolling cops make you feel like the bar could get dangerous at any minute 
Entertainment: There are pool tables, golf video games?, and TV’s to watch the game, overly friendly people who like to give unexpected hugs
Bathrooms: Excellent, clean enough to puke in style 
Food: Didn’t personally eat, but heard that the wings were great and also the burgers
Drink Selection: Full bars, beers on draft, bartender would make whatever you wanted including a great shot called Bottle Rocket
Demographics: Fratastic, mostly guys: Georgia Tech kids, a few gay men,  a few older men, but mostly straight, white guys between 21-35
Tips: Wear shoes at all times, do not and I mean DO NOT go into the opposite bathrooms or risk being kicked out or arrested, do not make any racial slurs to the officers or risk being kicked out or arrested, do not piss off your D.D., definitely  have a D.D. because it is easy to drink too much, do not open a tab if you plan on getting hammered or risk leaving with a $100 tab

Strengths: clean, excellent bartenders
Weakness: Crowded, hard to find seats, too many cops, average neighborhood bar, nothing special
Overall Rating:

Cafe Istanbul

Address:1850 Lawrenceville Hwy # 700, Decatur, GA 30033
Date of Visit: Wednesday, 4/15/09, 7:30 p.m- 11pm
Price: beer- $4-6 a bottle, food $ 10.50-17.99 for entrees, hookah $15.00
Parking: free but limited
Cover: None 
Age Restriction: None
Atmosphere: Middle Eastern, most of the seating is on the floors on pillows (try to sit against the wall), there is a sign that says smoking is permitted but it is for hookah use only, our waiter happened to be the owner and was went above and beyond to make sure we were happy- including a free shot for 15 something in our party, good for groups, dates, hanging out, whatever
Entertainment: Great belly dancer- she balanced miscellaneous items on her head such as a sword and a cane, also a ‘psychometrist’ (fortune teller) was floating around looking to predict your future for a nominal fee of course, hookah in all different flavors
Bathrooms: girls room was nice enough but boys bathroom was out of control (there appeared to be urine everywhere)
Food: Excellent, authentic seeming, Turkish food.  The falafel makes a great appetizer, also the lamb and feta based calzone is a unique take on Turkish/Italian cuisine
Drink Selection: Only beer and wine for now, issue with liquor license (we did get free shots)
Demographics: there appeared to be mostly large parties including: us (awesome, young 20′s something crowd), sad girls club, large large Turkish? party, some high school baseball players).  Weekends bring in a larger, more diverse crowd
Tips:  Bring more money than you plan on spending, check out the one-eared donkey outside

Strengths: Food, owner/wait staff, Turkish beer, Efes, is worth trying
Weakness: men’s bathroom
Overall Rating:

Clermont Lounge

Address:789 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
Date of Visit: Friday, 3/20/09, ~11pm-2am
Price: $4 or so for canned beer, around $6 for mixed drinks, the dancers charged $20 for a lap dance but if $13 and change is all you have then that’s okay too
Parking: Free lot on site plus lots of street parking
Cover: $3 on Friday nights, not sure about others
Age Restriction: 21+, carded at door and hand stamp
Atmosphere: This place is unlike any other strip club you’ll visit in the area- in fact, this is not a ‘club’ at all. The only difference between being at the Clermont and your dark, smokey neighborhood  bar is that there is a naked women double your age on the bar at all times.  Dancers are nice, homely, and willing to do lap dances at bargain prices, and patrons are eager to mingle.  
Entertainment: The dancers are on this small round stage in the middle of the round bar that you sit at, and they dodge the bartenders to get your cash. Strippers make eye contact a lot of times and also make sure to thank you personally after their performance. They pick their own music on a jukebox before performing. Saturday nights is supposed to be more of a club setting, and Tuesdays are karaoke.
Bathrooms: Did not actually visit the bathrooms ourselves, but a chick in our party said they were horrible and everything including the floor was wet and slick…
Food: None, grab a rotisserie chicken and old, glazed donuts from Kroger (a few blocks away from Clermont on North Avenue).
Drink Selection: Full bar, nothing on tap and only standard canned beer selection
Demographics: Mix of college kids, tourists, and the regulars. The strippers are older than most of the customers.  
Tips: Obvious tips:  Don’t bring douche bag boys who for some reason are ‘above’ Clermont stripper lap dances for $13.64; drunk tourists here for Thrashers games will buy you drinks; the bouncer has never been gang raped inside the Clermont parking lot; if you are uncomfortable with older, larger naked women, then get drunk before you come.

Strengths: dancers with talents (crushing beer cans with boobs for $10.00-Goldie, and lighting nipples on fire- Jessica), entertaining especially after a few drinks, parking lot
Weakness: Bathrooms (not even first hand)
Overall Rating: 

Check out www.clermontlounge.net.

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Northside Tavern

Address: 1058 Howell Mill Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318; cross street is 11th St.
Date of Visit: Wednesday, 4/8/09, ~10pm-2am
Price: cheap- around $5 for a large 24oz PBR, Newcastle pitcher for $13
Parking: Small lot on site, additional parking across the street
Cover: None during the week, $10 on Fridays/Saturdays
Age Restriction: 21+, but we were not carded at the door. We were carded for drinks though. One ID for each drink.
Atmosphere: Dive bar, very laid back and welcoming, the patio is not to be missed! Weekends are supposed to be crowded. No problems finding places to sit on Wednesdays, especially early. The crowds picked up around midnight, but even then it wasn’t swamped.
Entertainment: Live music every night. We saw Mudcat who is there every Wednesday. Music starts at 10pm.  There are also pool tables in the back if that’s your thing. The swing dancers come out once it gets good and late.
Bathrooms: There is a men’s and women’s bathroom, don’t be fooled.  We didn’t find the women’s room till the end (it’s to the far left of the bar) and just used the men’s (to the right of the bar) otherwise which smelled like a petting zoo. There is some inspiring poetry on the walls though.
Food: None– There’s a Krystals down at Northside Dr and 14th St. if you need food
Drink Selection: Full bar, less than 5 beers on tap including Newcastle, Sam Adams, and Guinness
Demographics: Ages were probably 25-35, more men than women
Tips: Don’t bring your motorcycle helmet inside if you’re going to act like a douche bag because there is a good chance it will be used for an ashtray. Also don’t attempt to run over people in the parking lot because you’ll end up owing them later… Like when they need a guard at the bathroom. There is a cigarette machine in the back with a nice selection and just $.50 more than if you bought in a store.

Strengths: Enviroment, Music, Patio
Weakness: Bathrooms
Overall Rating:

For more information about Northside Tavern, visit www.northsidetavern.com