The Lodge at East Village Grille

The Lodge at East Village Grille
248 Buckhead Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 233-3345

Food: nothing out of the ordinary, sandwiches etc. You probably won't spit it out.

Cheapest beer: umm.. something in the area of $9 or $10 pitchers of Bud Light is probably the best deal

Pros: You know it's going to be open. This is one of the only bars to survive long term in Buckhead. It's been around at least since the late eighties which far exceeds the standard one to two your lifespan for dance clubs in the local area. There are plenty of televisions to watch games and the main drawing point in my opinion is the full size basketball goal inside the bar. Standard practice is to have teams and have each member shoot best out of ten. In addition they have a porch with tables now where you can overlook the crowds heading to all the dance clubs. People watching at it's best. In addition this place rarely gets crowded anymore and you can have a waitress wait on you outside. Also, during the poker craze of 2004 they pretty much decided to have a Texas Hold'em Tournament every night of the week. So if you're looking for some action you know that they are always game. Also rumor has it that Charles Barkley eats lunch here a lot during days he's filming Inside the NBA on TNT. Finally, if you are a gator, this is the official bar/ Atlanta viewing party for all Florida football and basketball games.

Cons: like I said it's not usually crowded. A couple of years ago they tried to become a dance club on Friday and Saturday nights and charged a cover and had a DJ or bands. As a result they drove away a crowd of 20 something who had grown up going to the place during the day and were now enjoying the bar aspect of it. So now they've had to go the poker route to attract anyone. Which means a much older and saltier crowd. Translation: I wouldn't come here to find a hookup for the night.

Parking: pretty rough. Being that this is in the middle of Buckhead on the corner of Buckhead Ave and Boling Way. So you're only option is one of the pay lots, specifically next door, or you can walk it from a free spot on the street on Buckhead Ave.

General opinion: Good place to go for an extremely laid back night out with friends or a starting ground for your night, also if you want to catch a game that finishing late and you don't want to hit up Loco's.