Favorite Atlanta hideaways: AJC dining team shares its picks

Carroll Street Cafe, 208 Carroll St. S.E., Atlanta. 404-577-2700, carrollstreetcabbagetown.com.

Leon's Full Service, 131 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-687-0500, leonsfullservice.com.

The Midway Pub, 552 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-584-0335, themidwaypub.com.

Northside Tavern, 1058 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-874-8745, northsidetavern.com.

Octopus Bar, 560 Gresham Ave. S.E., Atlanta. 404-627-9911, octopusbaratl.com.

The Pinewood, 254 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., Decatur. 404-373-5507, pinewoodtr.com.

Treehouse Restaurant and Pub, 7 Kings Circle, Atlanta. 404-266-2732, treehouseatlanta.com.

Many of us have our “Cheers” bar. It’s the place we go where everyone knows our name and we’re comfortable in our skin. If you need a haunt where you can show your true colors, here are a few places that have served The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining team well. See you there. Just don’t take our seat.

When I want a gin and tonic, my go-to cocktail, I am perfectly content at Treehouse. I discovered this spot last fall, the day I wrote my first A1 story for the AJC. By the time I filed that article, I was ready for a drink. I left my apartment in a disheveled state: hair amiss, teeth unbrushed and who knows what clothes I threw on. Buckhead may be glitzy, but Treehouse is a neighborhood dive bar where no one cares what you look like. — LIGAYA FIGUERAS

My husband and I often stage spontaneous date nights by sneaking into the most popular spots in Decatur. No planning, no reservations, just a willingness to squeeze in at the bar or into a cozy little niche behind the hostess stand. That's our perch of choice at the Pinewood. And we've had many delicious dinners at the bars of Cakes & Ale and Leon's Full Service. We don't mind sipping our first cocktails standing as we wait for two stools to open up. That's just part of the bar dining package. — ELIZABETH LENHARD

As Atlanta's westside has become increasingly polished, Northside Tavern has remained the grimy blues bar it always has been. Maybe it even got a little dirtier. When I need to hide from the world of craft cocktails and artisanal everything, there's no better place than Northside in the late afternoon, where Wild Turkey is cheap and the pool tables are open. I hope it never changes. — WYATT WILLIAMS

Chef-beloved, Bourdain-approved and increasingly crowded with tourists, Octopus Bar is still the best, most unlikely late-night destination in Atlanta. But I like go early, preferably at 10:30 p.m., when it opens, and early in the week, like on a Wednesday. That's when it's easiest to grab a bar stool, ask the bartender to get creative, and settle in to savor the bold flavors of what chef-owners Angus Brown and Nhan Le call "punk rock fine dining." — BOB TOWNSEND

You'll often find my husband and me sitting outside Carroll Street Cafe having whiskey or a $3 Schlitz tallboy with a side of hummus for balance. This is a no-frills, no-pretense-allowed joint where the beers are cheap, the whiskey and wine flows, the staff is cool and the food is pure comfort. They might know my order by heart — the basil noodle bowl with chicken and Angel's Envy whiskey. Neat. — BETH MCKIBBEN

The Midway Pub is a raucous East Atlanta Village dive bar that feels like the next-generation Manuel's Tavern. It's got a strong lineup of local craft brews (including Scofflaw Brewing Co., though it's always sold out by the time I get there). The grub is good and cheap, even if the service is unpredictable. My friends swear by the chicken fingers, but I like to slide in for discreet late-night burgers and beer. — WENDELL BROCK

Bookhouse Pub is one of the first bars I checked out when I moved to Atlanta, and I still get a cozy, home away from home feeling every time I go back. Tucked into the corner of the same strip mall that houses MJQ, it's "Twin Peaks"-inspired décor evokes a winter hunting lodge, though I never pass up a chance to hang on the fenced-in patio, a killer spot to enjoy a local beer on a breezy night. And I always come hungry -- the food never disappoints, particularly the chorizo burger and the poutine. — YVONNE ZUSEL

My hideaways are wine bars and restaurants offering cozy nooks and generous pours. My standby is Vin25 in Roswell, where I can enjoy viognier on their quaint patio in the summer or cuddle up inside the dimly lit interior with a glass of cabernet in the winter. When I'm in the mood for something laid-back, I belly up to the bar at d'Vine Wine Bar & Shop for a flight. Terra Terroir in Brookhaven has an unexpected outdoor patio and garden out back. Nevermind that it's located in a dinky shopping center. Whenever I'm there, I feel like I'm swirling my glass somewhere in the Italian countryside or dining among the vines in Napa. — JESSIE DOWD

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