Best Atlanta Bars for Canoodling and Cocktails

About six months ago, I found myself single for the first time since moving to Atlanta.

Ending a long-term long-distance relationship was the right decision, but starting over as I was turning 40 was daunting. I’d heard plenty of anecdotal nightmares about the dating scene here — reading receipts shared from chats and Facebook singles group pages. I got many an “oof” and sympathetic pat from fatigued daters. But a little research assured me the situation might not be as dire as perceived.

According to a recent study by WalletHub, Atlanta is the best city in which to be unattached. Over 69% of the city’s population is single, making it the eighth-highest in the country. Plus, a median annual household income of around $79,000 means more disposable income to spend on going out. We’re also as saucy as our famous lemon pepper wings wet. Australian adult toy store brand Peachy conducted a Google search data analysis that found Georgia is in fifth place for “most sexually curious” in all of the U.S. across topics that span from general education to BDSM. Meow.

So I dove into the dating pool with optimism, and despite some wild flailing and occasional flops, I found myself having the time of my life exploring the plethora of restaurants, bars, and nightlife activities we have across metro Atlanta.

Parking lot first kisses don’t have the same luster they had in my youth. So I started looking for spots where I could break curfew in intimate alcoves — places more upscale and private than a favorite bar, with craft cocktails, but less formal and expensive than a seated dinner where you had to worry about table manners and food in your teeth.

After months of firsthand research, here are the best places in Atlanta for a great cocktail and canoodle — a combination that sets the tone for sparks to become fireworks.

Everything’s just sexier at Vesper, and that’s not an accident. Inspired by owner Damien McGee’s parents’ romance and that between James Bond and Vesper Lynd, it was “designed for cozy elegance, with velvet seating and semi-private nooks that naturally invite couples to relax and connect and provides [a] sense of your own space without feeling cut off.” Fresh flowers, dramatic artwork, rich textures, and smooth, balanced cocktails with light but satisfying bites (try the truffle tots), plus free three-hour parking, make it a standout stand-by.

This place sets the tone for adventure, with a fun speakeasy ritual for admission and glamorous roaring ‘20s vibes. Intimate tables and couches, and gem-tone lights make magic moments turnkey, especially with a fantastic cocktail menu. Live music not only provides easy entertainment and sets the mood, but invites close talking over easily snackable bites meant for sharing. The combination is fantastic to crank up the heat that you can choose to take to the dance floor.

Early dates are great at the two-top peninsulas that jut out on the right side of the bar, allowing you to face your companion for soulful glances and footsie, but once things start warming up, shift on over to the left for traditional side-by-side seating. There are a few leather couches by the fireplace for wrapping up last call before walking through Colony Square, which has no shortage of picturesque places for first kiss moments.

The swanky steakhouse in the new FORTH Hotel makes for an impressive dinner date, but the salon between Bar Premio and the restaurant is the sweet spot. “The couches by the piano lounge are perfect for that cuddle-up and people-watching moment,” assistant director of food and beverage Devan Johnson says. The maximalist patterns, lush textiles, and intimate lighting “leaves couples ready for more,” he shares — so much so that he remembers one “particularly cute couple” turning their third date into a staycation while plenty of others migrate to the Moonlight lounge on the roof for skyline backdrop first kisses.

The cavernous ceilings, variety of luxurious textures, and intimate lighting makes this one of the most urbane, cosmopolitan, and chic dining rooms in the city — and the smoky, spicy, and well-balanced cocktails magnify its sexiness. Slip upstairs when things heat up and get lost in the crowd on the nights the DJ spins up on the rooftop. Dance too close while enjoying unobstructed skyline views in the distance and keep up the energy with Japanese bites that reflect chef Santiago Gomez’s Nobu training.

The Spanish-style courtyard and sunroom feel of Pom Court is a favorite among groups of friends, but the sultry May Peel downstairs is unmistakably for couples. Tiny tables, low lighting, and curved bench seating makes cuddling up all the more tempting, and Hotel Granada’s director of food and beverage, Rae Doyle, adds that “the neo-soul and R&B soundtrack sets the tone for romance” while “cocktails are crafted to encourage taking things slow.”

At the romantic classic Candler Hotel downtown, order the old-fashioned presented in a box filled with smoke from the “secret” menu at the By George bar and take it across the hall to the Lobby Lounge. This semi-private sitting room right across the hall from the impressive restaurant was “designed with intention, balancing the grandeur of the historic property with intimate spaces that invite connection,” says general manager Tim Dahlen. “We frequently see couples leaning in for close conversations here,” he says. The mix of guests and locals creates a staycation feeling with the charm of old luxe hotels in New England.

Honorable Mentions

For an early night, check out Sessions Stand, a local secret in a residential part of historic Marietta by the Square that serves coffee and light cafe fare by day and elegant drinks at night, which are great by starlight overlooking the lawn or on a cozy couch in the classic library-esque space.

For more indoor-outdoor action, Aveline Bar at the Kimpton Shane, upstairs from Hartley Kitchen & Cocktails, is set up with fire pits and deep, thick-cushioned seating on the sectionals on the patio that make it impossible not to snuggle, and the sunroom-style lounge at Le Colonial, a French-Vietnamese anchor in Buckhead Village, is tropical and transportive. But for more of those serene fancy library feels, head to the timeless Bar Margot at the Four Seasons, whose crescent banquettes are perfect for gentle knee nudges, and the stunning cobalt Mr. B. Bar, associated with Fia at Hotel Burgess and “designed for slow sips and long talks.”

Finally, if you’re more of a night owl, JoJo’s Beloved in Colony Square and El Malo at Atlanta Dairies are also fantastic picks for music-driven venues that can turn a late-night date into early-morning magic.