The Argosy

The fortunes of East Atlanta Village have waxed and waned in recent years, from fairytale of urban renewal to dark fable of sputtering gentrification. The Argosy, a bold and appealing gastropub that premiered last February in a former flea market, experienced its own fits and starts before conjuring some of the neighbourhood's old mojo. Named after a merchant ship, the massive den swims in dark-wood everything. It's become an amusing, casual hangout for the neighbourhood, known for the extensive beer selection and a perfect spot for killing a pint or two while observing hipster mating rituals.
• 470 Flat Shoals Avenue, argosy-east.com. Open Mon-Fri 5pm-2.30am, Sat-Sun midday-2.30am

Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium

Former-seminarian-turned-folk-artist Grant Henry took a leap of faith in 2010, opening a cheeky ping-pong parlour in a half-empty stretch of Edgewood Avenue. He doubled down on the gamble by covering the exposed brick walls with irreverent Jesus paintings credited to his alter-ego, Sister Louisa. The kitschy sanctuary of sin quickly acquired a zealous congregation of inked urbanites, scruffy grad students, aging scene queens and, eventually, incognito celebrities. On Wednesdays, the faithful don choir robes for Church Organ Karaoke, while epic table-tennis showdowns occur nightly. Sister Louisa's has assisted in at least one irrefutable miracle: bringing a lifeless business district back from the dead.
• 466 Edgewood Avenue SE, sisterlouisaschurch.com. Open Sun 5pm-midnight, Mon-Sat 5pm-3am

The Sound Table

Serving as a counterbalance to Sister Louisa's tacky exuberance across the street, the Sound Table takes understated sophistication to extremes. The Scandinavian minimalism of the interior (blond-wood banquettes, clutter-free walls) suggests a chilled, worldly vibe that might border on cold, were it not for the gracious staff – or the dancefloor that's dependably packed neck-to-elbow. Before the midnight revelry, the Sound Table serves stylish cocktails and small plates inspired by "international street food". A rotating cast of DJs keep the beats fresh and unpredictable, ranging from soulful funk 45s and Afro house to experimental electronic dance music – an aural feast for Table dancers.
• 483 Edgewood Avenue, thesoundtable.com. Open Tue-Sat 7pm-2.30am, Sun 7pm-midnight

Krog Bar

The Old Fourth Ward, once a wasteland of derelict warehouses, has erupted suddenly as a white-hot culinary scene. Or maybe not so suddenly: "Iron Chef America" champion Kevin Rathbun launched his eponymous restaurant and its tiny sibling, Krog Bar, there almost 10 years ago, long before the buzz began. Housed in a 19th-century potbelly stove factory, the dimly-lit wine bar channels the coy ambience of a seductive Spanish bistro, with a dizzying wine list and tempting tapas menu. It's best absorbed late in the evening, another subtle nod to Spain. Don't be surprised when a different sort of buzz sets in and romance ensues at a corner table. No wonder the neighbours call it "snog bar".
• 112 Krog Street, Site 27, krogbar.com. Open Mon-Sat 4.30pm-midnight

Wrecking Bar Brewpub

Cocktail connoisseurs can be a fickle lot, stampeding a new hotspot then vanishing into the night. Beer drinkers tend to be more loyal, as evidenced by the steady popularity of Wrecking Bar Brewpub. Owners Bob and Kristine Sandage unveiled their much-anticipated Little Five Points taproom three years ago in the basement of a renovated Victorian mansion. Its original pub grub and mile-long whiskey list deserve credit, but the craft beers remain the real draw. The cavernous space fills up even on random weeknights, the thick granite walls echoing like a medieval fortress.
• 292 Moreland Avenue, wreckingbarbrewpub.com. Open Mon-Thu 4pm-11pm, Fri-Sat midday-midnight, Sun 11am-10pm

Ormsby's

West Midtown may be a wonderland for gourmands but the bar options remain underwhelming. One exception is Ormsby's, a two-storey gastropub nearly hidden beneath the White Provision building (a 1910 meat-packing plant, recently refurbished as a posh urban market). The enormous tavern doubles as a lively adult playground, with two bocce ball courts, pool tables, skee ball, shuffleboard and darts. The bar is famous as a getaway for Georgia Tech students, though the age range can span from millennials to soccer mums (who, no doubt, are loudly hogging the shuffle board).
• 1170 Howell Mill Road, ormsbysatlanta.com. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-3am, Sat midday-3am, Sun midday-midnight

Prohibition

Buckhead Village, once a notorious nightlife district, was mercilessly bulldozed in 2007 but its indulgent spirit only went underground. The old hood's curious mixture of playfulness and tenacity lives on in Prohibition, a cigar bar that bills itself as a 1920's speakeasy. Guests enter a British red telephone box, dial a "secret" number, then push a hidden door to find a well-appointed throwback to classic jazz cabarets. With the stricter-than-usual dress code (blazers and skirts, no jeans or trainers) and $13 cocktails, it may feel like a production. Still, Prohibition makes for a charming place to reminisce about drinking in the old days.
• 56 East Andrews Drive, prohibitionatl.com. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-3am

Paper Plane

As with Prohibition, finding Decatur hideaway Paper Plane can require ingenuity. Locals may direct you to Victory Sandwich Bar + Emporium but the actual entrance is an easily overlooked door in a far-from-obvious back hallway. In aviation terms, the nostalgic interior is hardly bigger than a puddle jumper, with a handful of padded-leather booths and a snug bar just like the one in Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. The retro-inspired cocktails, however, qualify as jet fuel. For a quick liftoff, try the Tart Breaker: rye whiskey, campari, and pecan.
• 340 Church Street, Decatur, the-paper-plane.com. Open Mon-Thu 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am

Joystick Gamebar

A bratty new kid in an up-and-coming nightlife strip, Joystick Gamebar delivers something different from ATL's many meat markets: an escape hatch into the pixelated bliss of yesteryear. For only a quarter, unleash your inner nerd on the addictive collection of vintage arcade games. Look for old-school favourites such as Ms Pac Man and Galaga, along with a few oddball artefacts (Turtles in Time, anyone?) Gameplay gets extra challenging after a couple of the speciality cocktails. The names may be jokey – Decisions Before Dawn, A Desperate Venture – but the potency isn't child's play.
• 427 Edgewood Avenue, joystickgamebar.com. Open Mon-Sat 5pm-2.30am, Sun 5pm-midnight

El Bar

Almost nothing about this no-frills Poncey-Highlands dive bar makes sense: the incomprehensible location beneath a Mexican restaurant (El Azteca), the melting-pot crowd (twerking party princesses, aspiring record producers, reformed frat bros) that varies nightly, or its solid reputation as a late-night dance club: despite the microscopic dancefloor. Such objections have a way of dissolving as the night wears on, when El Bar's elite begin to surface and the featured DJ starts spinning anything from ghetto hip-hop to 80s funk. Who needs a dancefloor?
• 939 Ponce de Leon Avenue, facebook page. Open Wed-Sat 11am-3am

Tray Butler is a writer and illustrator based in Atlanta. He is the author of Moon Atlanta, a guide to the city

• Find out more information about Atlanta nightlife at discoveramerica.com