Holiday Bar pop-ups always looked like so much fun but I never made time to actually go. Pop-ups are when an establishment either turns over their venue to an outside company to host a special event or the establishment hosts a special event outside of the norm. This year I made it a point to visit some recommended holiday bars and I have listed some of the highlights of my visits. I hope you will be able to go to at least one this year. You’ll thank me later.

Pachengos

Buckhead Village District

If you know Atlanta, the Buckhead Village District is where all of the high end stores are located so it was refreshing to go to this very unpretentious spot for lunch. We parked in the parking deck and walked around past Dior, Etro, Hermes, Rag & Bone, Theory, etc. we walked inside Pachengo’s and was hit with tacky Christmas decor, which I absolutely loved.

It was very crowded, but they squeezed us in but we only had 45 minutes because a party of six had reserved the table. We thought they didn’t take reservations, but it turned out they did. Anyhoo, that was plenty of time. They were playing very upbeat Christmas songs to get us in the spirit. The specialty drinks were great and we had birria tacos which are tacos served with a very flavorful consomme. Delicious and I would highly recommend, but don’t forget the reservations.

Monks Meadery

Poncey Highlands

We went to this bar because it was on several lists of holiday bars in Atlanta. I had never had mead, but I read that it goes back 8,000 years and it conjures up images of Vikings and Medieval Knights sitting around a table drinking it, so I was very intrigued. Made of fermented wine, it’s also found in magical potions in Asia. We went on a Saturday night, but I think we went too early because there was hardly anybody there. The service was great though and they walked us through the different kinds of mead.

We ended up getting a flight of six so we could taste multiple options. I fell in love. Very smooth honey wine with different infusions in it. Mead is apparently having a resurgence and this location is Georgia’s first meadery. It was started by two friends who moved to Atlanta after graduating collegeThey had very light snacks, so I would recommend eating before you go. Take a chance and go taste this historical drink.

Little Spirit

Inman Park

Every year, Little Spirit turns into “Little Christmas Spirit”. This little gem in Inman Park was a surprise. It felt like a house party in the very best way. There was a room in the front that was the bar area, but the back felt like a den with wood paneled walls and ceiling. There was even a couch. The decor was mostly those lights that sprinkle red and green stars on everyone but that’s all they really needed. There were also gold framed pictures of some of my favorite icons with Christmas decorations on them. Prince, Biggie, Tupac, oh my.

This place was so cute, but the drinks were watered down to me. The crowd was younger than I’m used to also. It was standing room only and we only had one drink and then we had to leave. It’s one of those places where every time somebody came by, you had to move out of the way and it was way too hot. I still would recommend it because it would be a killer venue to have a special event. My thoughts were racing.

Miracle Bar Atlanta

Midtown

Okay, so this place was ah-mazing. Everyone and their brother has been telling me to go to Miracle Bar every Christmas for the last few years. I finally got to go and it did not disappoint. Located in the Midtown Promenade inside Tapa Tapa, this pop-up was so festive. I wanted to go to a bar that was cheesy and over the top and this was it. Every inch was decorated to within an inch of its life, including the bar stools.

The drinks were fantastic and we had some parmesan fries that were great. We even had second drinks because they were so good. A Christmas Story was playing on the big screen and that made it even more festive with all of the Christmas music playing. We sat at the bar and met some really great people who gave us tips on what drinks to order. This was also the only place that had some of their drinks in a character mug. Check out my unicorn mug below.

Ponce City Market Roof

Old Fourth Ward

I love this place just as a Food Hall and for shopping, but the roof is special. I don’t go up there often because there’s a charge, but I thought Christmas was worth it. We went up the elevator and ended up at a bar where we promptly got drinks and looked around. They had plenty of games like pool, giant jenga, a giant connect-4 and even shuffle board. The drinks were really good and we decided to go outside first and see what was going on. There are boardwalk style games, putt putt golf as well as a 3-story slide and a tower ride that takes you up and down.

This leads me into the most spectacular view of downtown Atlanta.There were several vantage points to see all of the views. We walked back inside and across the hall to where they had ice skating. The DJ was on point and played a mixture of R&B and Christmas tunes. It was so much fun watching people trying to skate. Haha They also had igloos that you could rent out where waiters brought you fondue and hot chocolate. That sounded like a lot of fun and I’m seriously thinking about renting one. All in all, it was a great experience.

Please take some time to go to one of these or all of these holiday bars. It will really get you in the Christmas spirit. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these and what you thought.

Go forth and enjoy!

See ya next time.