ATLGuide
The Best Places To Eat & Drink In Little Five Points
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
Sure, Little Five Points steals its name from the now lesser-known Five Points of downtown, but everything else about this neighborhood feels original. The main strip encompasses roughly two blocks and is stuffed with countless thrift stores, record shops, and so much street art that it feels like walking through a Shepard Fairey museum exhibit. But look past the aged storefronts and grunge aesthetic of Euclid and Moreland, and you’ll find some of the most dependable kitchens and beloved dives in the city. Here are the best places to eat and drink in Atlanta’s funkiest neighborhood.
The Spots
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
The front of Wrecking Bar looks like the stately home of a Southern aristocrat (it was a residence in the early 1900s), but beneath the house lies the bar and restaurant of Little Five’s only microbrewery. While most of the neighborhood is a little divey, Wrecking Bar is the opposite—serving up creamy mushroom risotto and juicy duck breast in a cozy, stone wall basement. Their beer selection rotates constantly based on what they’re brewing, so get a flight and try a few. If they have the fruity and light Double Rainbros Raspberry Sherbet Ale or the tangy Juice Willis, get ‘em.
photo credit: The Vortex PR
Although the first Vortex location was in Midtown, it seems like this grungy, no bullsh*t bar and burger joint should have originated in quirky Little Five instead. Their house rules take up two pages of the menu, and if they don’t like your attitude, a swift kick to the curb is not uncommon. Don’t hope for that Nicholas Sparks-style first date here as screamo or heavy metal is usually blasting from the speakers. But who needs to chat when there’s a tasty burger in front of you. The absurdly big Quadruple Coronary Bypass Burger is only for special occasions or when you’re peer pressured into making woeful decisions. Just opt for the Pickle Rick with whiskey pimento cheese and fried pickles or the Hell’s Fury that packs some heat.
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
The interior of Niramish off Euclid Ave is sparse, with just a few booths and tables. We like to make up elaborate Liam Neeson-movie backstories for the rare one to two loners who actually eat inside since this is mostly a takeout joint. Everything is good, and the menu is massive with lots of Indian dishes, including curry, biriyanis, and three types of naan (the garlic is our fave). And every dish can be made with your choice of protein from lamb to tofu. The options are endless, but just know one bite of their creamy butter chicken will solidify their place on your regular food roster.
photo credit: SpotHopper PR
Savage Pizza is the best pizza spot in this neighborhood. Hands down. We’re not entirely sure why the extremely casual interior is splattered with posters and figurines of Marvel superheroes, but we will gladly stare at The Hulk to get our hands on pizza this good. Don’t worry about making the wrong choice since we’ll cape for any of the menu choices (but the No-Brainer with veggies, sausage, and pepperoni is what the name says it is). Their thick crust easily holds a heavy heap of toppings, so you never get the feeling you’re just eating a mouthful of bread. Going to Savage and not ordering pizza is like being in Atlanta and ordering Pepsi, but if you must, their subs (like the Italian) are a good substitute.
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
The long, bare hallway leading into Thai 5 gives us post-apocalyptic deserted building vibes. But eventually the hall opens up into a brightly lit dining room. It's a fairly standard set up with heavy wood accents with beige tiled floors, a few plants, and wicker chairs (to-go orders are king here), but the tasty food adds more flair. It’s easy to confidently say this is the best sushi in L5P because it’s the only spot, but each of the rolls on the massive menu (get the Flaming Phoenix with spicy tuna) are all very solid. When we’d rather stay on dry land, the Thai entrees are equally good, with the panang curry packing a flavorful punch and the pad thai giving a hefty wallop of peanut taste.
photo credit: Mhandy Gerard
The door of Euclid Avenue Yacht Club says “membership not required,” but if it was, we’d absolutely pay the fee to belong to this neighborhood dive bar staple. The walls are stuffed with nautical-themed knickknacks (a giant shark, a bust of a mermaid) that look like they’ve been on the walls since the bar opened in the ’80s. After a few reliable beers, keep your sea legs with one of their massive and messy burgers. Our favorite is the Backyard Burger with a spicy jalapeño ranch slaw dripping out the sides. Sure, there are plenty of places to get a burger and a brew in L5P, but Yacht Club's small space and nautical theme is our siren song for a wild night.
With a second outpost in West Midtown, Hattie B’s in Little Five is the Nashville chain’s first location in Atlanta. Hot chicken lovers rejoice. All the usual chicken options are on the menu from tenders to wings to our favorite, the hot chicken sandwich. Heat levels range from none to Shut the Cluck Up, which is absolutely capable of burning a hole through your cool disposition, if not your intestines. With a spacious parking lot—a big plus for L5P— and a covered patio, there’s not a lot we don’t love about this location other than when the peach cobbler is sold out.
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
The abandoned building aesthetic is something that could really only thrive in Little Five, which is why this Mexican-food-serving dive bar has remained a neighborhood fixture for nearly three decades. The walls are plastered with graffiti and vinyl decals. Usual Tex-Mex fare like tacos, quesadillas, and burritos are all decent enough, but what we normally do at Elmyr is drink. Get a jalapeño margarita or a Grizz (a Coronita topped with a tequila shot) and utilize the food when sobering up becomes necessary. The laid-back vibes even when the place is packed make it one of our favorite watering holes.
There is a small dining area with Middle Eastern rugs covering literally every surface in the back of Ali Baba, but it’s mostly underutilized because this is another prime takeout spot in the neighborhood. The way to go here is with the falafel or the gyro featuring some of the best lamb we’ve had in the A. Finish the meal off with the sweet and flaky baklava, which is heated on a small grill right before it’s handed to you. This grab-and-go Mediterranean food spot always hits our taste buds just right.
If you need a spot to watch a game, particularly soccer, Brewhouse is your sports bar. They have TVs on every wall and are frequently overrun with Atlanta United fans on game days. Aside from the sports fans and a healthy selection of beers, Brewhouse has decent pub food like juicy burgers and plenty of apps for sharing (the big bavarian pretzels and tasty jalapeño poppers are always safe bets). But the real reason we love Brewhouse is the giant patio with plenty of TVs to make sure we never miss a second of the match.
photo credit: Tabia Lisenbee-Parker
One of our favorite parts about Corner Tavern is the chandelier hanging above the bar. There’s just something about seeing a massive assembly of empty Jameson bottles in a bougie chandelier formation that makes us feel like we’re in the right place. A dive bar with a unique statement piece is already a cut above, but Corner Tavern stands out even more with their little rooftop decked out in string lights overlooking Euclid Avenue. When we want the true dive bar feel, we stay inside (pool tables, darts, exposed brick walls, and mismatched wall decor) to grab a beer and order a Super Smash Burger because gouda and bacon make everything better.
There are only a few scenarios where we’d willingly pass up Savage’s superior pizza for Moonlight’s. The first is if it’s late at night. Moonlight serves up pies until 4am most nights, which comes in clutch after a few too many brews at Elmyr. The other is if we have vegan friends in tow because Moonlight offers an entire vegan menu with enough options to make them feel like they're running through a field of veggies and plant-based meats. It takes a second for our eyes to adjust to the loud pink interior complete with pink wooden booths and pink tables (it’s a lotta pink), but once we do it’s the perfect low-key place to slam down some decent-sized lemon pepper wings. Much like their too-thin crusted pizza, the chicken philly won’t win any awards, but it’ll cure your hunger.
