Manhattan Cafe

Great little chill spot. Cheap bears, friendly bartenders and fun ambiance. We had a great time here on Friday night!

Not even sure where to begin to describe the awesomeness that is the Manhattan. Well first off, it’s dimly lit with some retro lamps, light fixtures and scattered Xmas lights. There seems to not be any open space and the walls and ceiling are both pretty much covered with trinkets. There’s little 8″ vinyl records hanging from the ceiling, along with beads and various other indescribable pieces of art thrown in here and there. Mismatched tables, chairs, booths and couches are tucked throughout the inside of the bar.
There’s also a straight up bar seating area, which I totally love and is the best place to chat with random local folks. Part of the charm of the Manhattan is that you can totally go in by yourself, sit at the bar and end of meeting lots of interesting people. I was so glad to see that this had not changed a bit since I had been away for 6 years.
Second only to my love of dives bars, is popcorn. And this popcorn machine really comes through after a long night drinking in a little dive like this. Even though there are windows, this bar is always dark (just how I like em) and you just lose track of all time. I was just there during winter break & was pretty jazzed to see a ton of hot rum and whisky cocktails. Perfect since it was super cold out. The Manhattan was always one of my fav & deliciously divey downtown drinking spots and so glad to see it still is.

This bar had great atmosphere, made me feel right at home. Great dive bar with pleasant staff and good music, just a great place to sit and drink. Free popcorn with purchase of beverage, and what drunk guy hates that? They had lots of other fun snack options too for next to nothing if you ARE the drunk guy that hates that. They have wi-​fi. They have several strange thrift-​store-​type items for sale benefiting a charity of some sort. Righteous. They have a little bit out outdoor seating which is nice. My one complaint is that the great music playing inside could not be heard outside. Overall, a very positive experience. I recommend drinking here.

It’s great have a bar that isn’t populated by the undergrad population that can get annoying at times. Several signature cocktails that are good. Eclectic artwork everywhere and several different types of seating that is unique to the setting. A lot of different snack foods available, I recommend the Utz Crab Chips. Never seen them anywhere else and has a very unique flavor (think hints of Old Bay seasoning).

I recently returned to the Manhattan after a 19-​year hiatus and was overjoyed to see that nothing has changed. Dark, cozy, divy and excellent. There’s even a little front porch if the weather cooperates.

A great place to stumble into in Athens that has absolutely amazing décor and really great cocktails.
They have free popcorn for bar patrons with an old school machine and some Zapps Chips if you really need some snacks.
I have this place to thank for introducing me to blenheims ginger ale which comes in their amazon makers and ginger in addition to st. germain which they have in a number of drinks here.
Its pretty divey but a great old school place to hang out at.

Nice old school bar downtown, I
met some really nice down to earth people here. This is my kind of place and I would have to say it is now my favorite bar in Athens by a mile. Don’t change anything !

Although I’m still pretty new to Athens it’s safe to say this is my favorite watering hole. There is an outstanding selection of beers and some really great cocktails. All at a very reasonable price.
It’s nice and dark in here with a real mix of people (age, race, economic strata… etc). It’s what real bars used to be, but never are anymore if that makes sense.
Great for meeting a couple folks to chat or pondering your own existence alone. The juke box is a real 45rpm /​7 inch based juke box with a host of classic tunes in a couple of different genres.
The staff is the cherry on top. Good friendly service all the way around.
There is also some snacks that can be purchased for a very small fee and a popcorn machine for free popcorn.

Perfect little college town haunt where the juke box is full of treasures, the bar is stocked with great draft beers at a very low price (compared with Los Angeles), and the whole place is covered in interesting decorations to wonder about. Looks like some sort of alligator hunting ship that has taken on lots of strange relics over the years of swamp navigation. It was the middle of a very exciting day for me, and nothing could’ve gotten me down anyhow, but that’s not to say this place is not quaint and pleasant on any given day. Perhaps mid-​day is the right time for it though, as the evenings seem to find it over run by students (which might not be a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for). There’s a patio right on the sidewalk too, seemed like a nice place to hang. I have not tried the food.

It’s a decent spot to get a pretty cheap drink. They have small bags of Zapp’s chips for $ 1.50. And the Espresso Martini is really, really good. Unfortunately those are the only three pros I can give it.
A lot of their drinks are just too damn sugary and sweet! An overly sweet drink makes me sick, so I’m limited on drink choices for starters. And I know I don’t fit the hipster/​townie crowd that populates this place at all, but I swear I truly go unnoticed in this goddamn place. Waiting 10 minutes for a drink is not out of place for me in here. Other patrons will be getting a second drink by the time I’ve finally ordered. Maybe it’s because I don’t have a beard or don’t wear a scarf or beret but I think it’s pretty bullshit.
Unfortunately this is one of the bars that my friends love coming to, so I always say to myself, «Maybe they’ll actually notice me and treat me like a respected fucking patron, just like everyone I’m standing next to.» And every time they get their drinks and I stand there unsuccessfully trying to flag them down. Ugh…

Waiting for longer than 15 mins for a drink means … I’m leaving

This is one of my favorite places on the planet: great bartenders, great ambiance, amazing drinks, good prices. I wish I were in Athens now!

Had a Manhattan at the Manhattan. Wow! They used this spicy ginger ale mix with it. I loved this place. Didn’t see the screaming mass of students. This is an adult bar. Very nice. Can’t wait to go back.

They make a ginger ale & whiskey drink here that is STELLAR!

If you’re looking for a bar that’s not shy to boast a strong drink– this is the place to come. Affordable and perhaps a bit of a dive, Manhattan has the character to attract some of the most unique Athenians in town.
One drink you have to have the pleasure of trying is their Red Blazer (rye whisky, bitters, Cheerwine from the bottle).

This is a cheap, rough, Pabst Blue Ribbon type of bar. Come here to drink, be crass, and avoid any air of pretension.
This is the type bar our fathers would have drunk in, and the type of bar I look for where ever I live.

This place is awesome. Very laid back. They have free popcorn too! This place draws a very eclectic crowd so there are always some good critters to watch.
The problem i have with this place is that they made me addicted to Blenheim and Makers Mark! I must have it all the time!

This might be my favorite bar. Ever.
I miss you, Manhattan. I miss T, my favorite bartender. I miss buying single Camel cigarettes for 25 cents (now 50! oh how the times have changed). I miss the ridiculous and gorgeous artwork. I miss Friday happy hours that last til 10 pm. Blenheim’s extra spicy gingerale (cut it with Maker’s Mark for a house special). Free popcorn with a shaker of nutritional yeast. Cheap strong drinks and a variety of beer on draft. And now they even have Cheerwine! Pretty much the awesomest place ever.

For sure one of the better bars around here… unless you’re totally in love with the dirty, wasted college kid infested ones (correct answer: no!!). Once you walk in, you know you’re dealing with a different animal — everything from the people to the bartenders to the décor to the popcorn machine (I’m still sad that I didn’t get some… I would’ve, but I was majorly stuffed from dinner). There are ornaments dangling from the ceiling, which were fun to stare at… Or, maybe I was the only one oddly lured in. I don’t really remember what I got. Vodka limeade? Probably. I enjoyed chilling here on my last night in Athens.

Divey bar with a Pimm’s Cup #1 on the menu? Awwww yeah!
Makes me want to drive up to Athens now for a drank.