Establishment

I’ve only been to this bar once and haven’t felt compelled to return despite the fact that I live nearby. While I thought that the cocktails were adequate, the space is tight and crowded and not all the comfortable for lounging despite the venue’s lounge status. The music is not great and I didn’t observe anything that made the bar stand out from the crowd. Many more interesting bars with far more character both in the neighborhood and in Atlanta.

They are either recently closed or renovating because there’s nothing there any more :(. I like establishment a lot. Will update once we confirm their operating status.

This place is under renovations and not open right now. Didn’t know that until the Über driver dropped us off

I’m surprised I am just now getting around to reviewing the Establishment. I am a huge fan of the place and have been quite a few times now. First and foremost, the bartenders are all awesome. I have been there with my girlfriends just chatting at the bar with them. Albro in particular is a favorite and has helped us spice up our cocktail game with his unique suggestions.
The drinks themselves are always good and strong (but don’t always taste of it). They will run you about 10 – 14 each but are all hand crafted, pretty, and well worth it. I haven’t tried a single one I’ve disliked yet. I’ve gotten in to the habit of bringing dates here after dinner because I like the atmosphere. On a weeknight the place is pretty laid back and the booths are open for all. I have also been here for a private happy hour event and managed to stop in the night of the Mayweather /​Pacquiao fight. The crowd seems to be mid 20s +
The place can get a little crowded for big events as it is not a huge venue, drinks also take some time because of the work that goes in to them. If you don’t mind the wait I highly recommend this place. As a bonus they have nice/​clean bathrooms.

Definitely a fan of this place. Finally a really nice lounge with good music and good drinks and no cover charge. I have been here twice and both were Friday nights. The crowd is quite diverse in terms of ethnicity and age. There were people from ages 20 to 60ish there. Nice people watching! It is definitely on the dressy side. Guys were wearing nice jeans or pants. Most women were wearing nice dresses with heels. It can get a little crowded at the bar. There are also a number of tables available to reserve. Lastly pretty cool that there is a ladder near the back hall where the DJ climbs up and resides while he or she is playing some awesome music.

Great theme, great food, amazing drinks, and last but not least amazing service thank you for a great night you guys rock !!

Oooooh they fancy. I actually really enjoyed my stay at the Establishment. It’s a bit dimly lit but gives off a sensual feel to it. Drinks are freshly made and the bartenders do have a talent with conjuring up a mean cocktail. I came here with my girlfriend and they absolutely cater to a variety of patrons — an eclectic crowd for sure. I dig this place and would come again. Only downside was that it took a while for drinks to be whipped up, but patience is a virtue???

Not my favorite spot in Atlanta, yet far from my the worst.
Establishment was a good spot for that was within a short distance of my hotel. The crowd was a bit younger. Mostly young 20 somethings.
The staff was friendly, and made their drinks really well. Though the prices differentiated between bartenders. Get on the same page fellas.
Overall one of the less douchey spots in Buckhead, but isn’t that wonderful either.

I have been here twice now so this review’s star is based on two visits, overall. The place was sold to me as a classy speakeasy type spot… not true… other than the dim lighting & tight spaces, it is more like a mini club with people overflowing at the bar to get a drink… yuck.
The music is thumping so again more club like and so loud you can’t really hear each other speak. If you want that scene, go next door to newly opened Red Martiini and you can actually move around while you listen and sip on your crappy cocktails.
The DJ: plays a variety of music however when I asked a snooty bar tender to request a song to the DJ he simply responded by «the DJ doesn’t take requests». When I asked why, he said most places don’t. Um, does he get out much?! He then walked away without any remorse for his comment… this is NOT how you treat customers. By the way, most of them have major attitude at the bar… again, you are not a classy speakeasy so drop the act… the bow tie stops cuteness stops at your rudeness!!! Another nicer bartender came by and asked if everything was OK and we explained what had just occurred, he had the decently to be polite but I am now completely turned off and will take my business elsewhere, likely to Prohibition.
The drinks: both times I asked for something sweet, frothy, chocolate martini like… they looked at me BOTH times like I was asking for the moon! I’m sorry but ANY bar should be able to accommodate a girly sweet, milky drink. They don’t carry any type of Bailey’s or anything at all milk based so guess what I ended up with both times? A Mai Tai!!! Excuse me… nothing screams college frat party more than this drink! Awful, just awful. What on earth are you standing there stirring into a tiny glass filled with giant ice-​cubes (again like you are in a speakeasy environment) if it is just a Mai Tai at the end of the day?!
Mark my words they will not be open long with the major attitude problem, the lack of actual craft cocktails and this DJ who sits up high and doesn’t take requests in a thinning Friday night crowd. Good luck, I have large network of friends and colleagues who will definitely hear an ear full and not visit this attitude driven place.

I found this place by doing a random search on Unilocal.I wanted to find a nice place where I could get a drink with a friend that wasn’t a restaurant or a sports bar. The city seems to be littered with places that try too much. Sometimes you just want to cozy up to the bar, have a simple drink, and talk to friends or strangers.
This was a gem in a city full of sports bars and hookah bars and cigar bars. There was an old, rustic feeling to the place that made you feel relaxed in a suit. This isn’t the kind of place you show up to wearing jeans and a t-​shirt. Dress up a little bit to go to this place or you will feel out of place.
The only down side, is they are still reaching for more. There is a DJ on the weekends when it gets busy. If that is your kind of thing, go for it. I just feel you could go to a larger place to listen to music without feeling claustrophobic. When I want to listen to loud music and/​or dance, I would go to a place where this is possible.
I still like this place and would recommend this place to my friends. They still have a great selection of cocktails and the music never really gets too loud. I will be going back to have another drink with friends and enjoy the night.

I really like this place. I could see why some people would say it’s not their scene. It’s a bit different from most of the Buckhead bars, but I think in a good way. Its a little more of a ‘Euro club scene’ which is funny because the place is tiny. But the crowd is a little more nicely dressed and the DJ plays exclusively house music. I’ve heard the place is quite different on an off night, but Saturday night was crowded and bumpin’. I would like to come back and hang out when it’s less crowded too to get a better feel for it. But definitely a good spot to mix it up from the normal Buckhead college scene.

If the store Anthropologie had a bar — this would be it. Drinks are good and the service at the bar was friendly. Recommend going on off nights (M-​Th) if you want to chill. Buckhead prices.
«Revolutionary bar hires man to replace I-​Pod!»

There is two Establishments — the crowded, noisy bar where you’re going to wait a long time for your average drink, and the eclectic, quiet bar where you’re going to wait a long time for your hand-​crafted, well-​made cocktails. The first one being Establishment on the weekend, the latter on a week day.
Personally, I like visiting it on a week night, when you can relax, talk to the bartender about drinks, and watch them craft your drinks with care. It’s a good relax-​with-​friends or happy hour spot. But if you’re looking to party, you should visit on the weekend.
I particularly recommend their Manhattan, made with house-​barreled whiskey.

Buckhead and Establishment are both scenes that are not part of my wheelhouse. I made a rare excursion into the Buckhead bar district the other night for a friends farewell party. Afterwards I went over to Establishment with a couple of my other friends.
The cocktails here are good but expensive. Beer was not an option for some odd reason. Bartenders dress up like hipster dandies. The wait for drinks and for restrooms is lengthy if not outright troublesome. The space the bar occupies is narrow; it often gets prohibitively crowded making you not be able to move easily, if at all, through the crowd.
The clientele is similar to what you will encounter at Buckhead Bottle Bar and /​or at the bar at the St. Regis hotel. Lots of panthers, cougars, and gold diggers. The house-​made fireball shots are indeed truly something special. They taste suspiciously similar to cinnamon toast crunch cereal and are oh so smooth; however, I would not purposely come here just to get those again. Prices are high, even by Buckhead standards.
Perhaps this place really deserves 2.5 stars; however, this place is clearly outside my comfort zone and does not suit my normal tastes, so I will be nice and give three.

I never knew I had an element, but I was clearly out of mine as soon as I walked into Establishment. Not my scene. And that may unfairly bias this review. Having said that: I was reminded of everything I try to avoid while in Buckhead. The vapidity of the people. The Community of Stepford who makes appearance more important than substance. And I think I saw Steve and Doug Butabi sitting in the corner.
We just wanted to chill out and have a drink and continue our own revelry. The guy up front really wanted to help us, but he had to go find a hostess, and that took some time. Once she surfaced, she informed us that there was a $ 300 minimum to get a booth (or they were reserved for the «Champagne Service,» which is what the Butabi brothers were probably waiting for). Of the five or six booths in the place, only two were occupied. The others were roped off. (And remained un-​occupied for as long as I was there.)
So we sat outside and had a drink. The drinks themselves were good. The bartenders know their stuff. Handcrafted cocktails done right. But even a stellar bartender isn’t enough to make me want to go back.

There is an entrance next to Loco’s, but you can also get into this place from within Loco’s. We showed up here on a Saturday at 5 pm to grab a few drinks before dinner. Unfortunately, they told us they don’t open until 7 pm on Saturdays. We went elsewhere and came back at 7. They were still setting up but the bartender told us to have a seat. The place is small and dark, but I liked the décor (and the bathroom is big, clean, and smells woodsy).
The menu and feel remind me of a place like Bourbon and Branch in San Francisco, though much smaller and not as impressive. We each ordered a couple of drinks that were strong and well-​crafted. Prices were around $ 10-​$ 12, which seemed very reasonable. The bartender was very friendly and gave good advice.
We had a great experience, but keep in mind the place was virtually empty when we were there. I’d imagine the wait time for drinks is pretty bad when it gets packed. The bartender said the place normally gets packed around 9 pm. Definitely check this place out though.
They do have a food menu, with items cooked in the Loco’s kitchen. There is also plenty of free parking in the Loco’s lot.

I started my Wednesday night here this week. The space is next to Loco’s on Peachtree in Buckhead. There are two tall (wooden I think?) doors leading into the space. I was a tad bit leery of the space given its proximity to the likes of Moondogs and Hole In the Wall. That said, I was impressed with the space and the offerings.
The space is long, and fairly narrow with ample seating and a bar that seats about 8 – 10 people. As mentioned in other reviews there is some impressive art on the walls, so that was cool.
I tried their Old Fashion with a special Rye, and then I had a Monkey Shoulder tri-​blend Scotch. The Old Fashion was very good, the Monkey Shoulder is a blend of Glenfidich, Balvenie and another scotch. It is a brand I had not seen or tried before. It was good, and nice recommendation from the staff.
The mixed, hand crafted cocoktails are $ 10 – 13. They (on this night Bob and David were the bar tenders) chisel the ice by hand, and have an assortment of freshly made components (bitters, fizz, ect). At one point I saw Bob spend 8 minutes on one of the drinks, so these really are «handcrafted».
Another thing I like about this space is that they do still have regular call spirts like a Kettle One or a Black label. I go down to a place like Holeman and Finch and they only have more exotic libations.
They had an assortment of 10oz pour beers, which I assume must be fairly exclusive to be $ 8 – 10 each. I suspect this place is really for cocktails though.
They had some small plate offerings. I took note of the Hush Puppies with Housemade Aioli, and the Pork Venison Meatballs. Next trip!
Establishment seems like it will be a great mix of Buckhead people and perhaps some business travelers from the local Buckhead Hotels. Whenever I am at Holeman and Finch these days, it always seems like the bar crowd is all consultants and bankers in from out of town. Hopefully locals can look past the sophomoric surroundings outside and take to this new joint.

Delicious hand crafted cocktails. It was not too busy early on a Tuesday night, but did fill up later. Based on the other reviews and the space in general, I would think this would be a very packed/​busy place on the weekends because it is very small and it takes a good amount of time for them to make the drinks (they are handcrafted with all the bells and whistles, so this is good that it takes a while to make). They might consider a reservation system on the weekends so that the customers could really enjoy their experience (like they have done at similar places in San Francisco and NY).
We will definitely be back, as we liked the atomosphere and the bar staff. We will try it out on a busy night, but likely will stick to the weekdays however so we don’t have to deal with the crowds.

Came to Establishment last night for after dinner cocktails and it was fabulous! I loved the detailed décor and the buck heads all over the walls, as well as antlers scattered among the tables and in other cool nooks. The DJ booth is tucked in the corner a level up, accessible by a vertical wooden latter.
The whole place is made of wood and smells great, dim lights and burning candles all over. It’s a narrow space but I think it fits the overall mood extremely well.
We came to see Albro and can’t wait to come back and see Bob. Albro gave us a little history on the concept of the joint and made us some great cocktails off the menu. My honey had a beer he really loved but I can’t recall the name. It looked like a Stout beer but turns out it was very bright and smooth. Not heavy, hoppy, or too overdone he ended up having 2.
We also tried cool new liqueurs we had never sampled before and I had two cocktails, one from Titos and one made from Hangar 1 Blueberry (which I love)! Both were refreshing and not too heavy, complete with the famous ice sphere and lemon twist.
I gotta give it up to the owners on the overall design of this spot. It’s the ultimate man cave that’s classy and elegant enough for woman to feel right at home as well.
Albro was wonderful as always and every other patron in the room seemed to love him. We were the last to leave but never felt rushed or like we were making him stay open later than usual.
It was a lovely time.
A true gem.
And one of the best kept secrets!

I can’t say enough great things about this place. It is the perfect spot if you appreciate intimate details at an upscale drinking Establishment.
The hand chiseled tumbler ice is under appreciated. The bartenders are not. You will quickly get to know these are some of the best craftsman in the city. This is the place to go if you want a top level drink and next level conversation. The southern detail is not to be missed. Wood-​grain, yes please. My favorite addition is long table in the middle of the Establishment. The women are not to be missed. Let me know if you see a beautiful brunette woman in a green coat.
The artwork is inspiring. Janssen Robinson’s painting are going to be famous. His skills are next-​level and his brand of Free&Live painting you want to be lucky enough to see him perform at a private venue.
Head there now. Jezebel is publishing an article in January, so it is likely going to get only more famous and prestigious.