The Pool Hall

This is a pretty typical dive bar amongst the other Buckhead bars. I went on a Friday night and it was busy but not packed. We managed to get a pool table no problem. The tables are free, which is nice.
I kept it simple and got a PBR. They weren’t as cheap as I would expect from such a divey bar.
Overall, I’d say this is a bar you’d stop at for a few minutes on your way to another bar.

in an area with so many bars, the pool hall could be described or called a dive bar. definitely the goal of the place. never been in the place when slammed, but the bartenders and attentive and if empty enough, willing to share a shot. walk in through the front door and the bar is immediately to your left with various high tables opposite the bar. shitty concrete floor and décor that is all across the board. the bar back is a few shelves, a large neon glowing cooler, and a few shitty signs. the actual bar is a straight bar with an old destroyed wood top with a large rail. a polished pipe footrest and padded chairs with a back support. past the bar and through a large door opening are the pool tables and additional shelves along the wall where you can stand or sit and additional high top tables. did not try the food, but walked out feeling good without spending a ton of money. other patrons were friendly and eager to engage in conversation (non college kid crowd when i’ve been there). worth trying because if you don’t like it, there are several other options within a 5 minute walk.

Terrible experience. I walked in with my friend a few Saturdays ago to check the place out, he is big on pool and I was just coming along for the ride. When we walked in he was very disappointed, to say the least. There were only two pool tables in a back room and five people sitting in the front room at the bar giving us rude looks. On the way out one patron was told by a staff member to «close the doors and lock them while you’re at it» and proceeded to do so. Very rude. I would actually love to report this bar. Awful people.

Uhm great that the place check’s your ID at the door. my con is that I was on a date and there was another couple on the other table first you would think there would be at least five pool tables but there are only two. 2^nd thing me and my date was playing pool and the other would hit a ball or two then stop to play around and kiss for 30 mins not thinking about the other people who’s waiting to play. but the bar is great with a wide flat TV to watch while you enjoy your drink. Not a bar your me.

Good place to flex

A bar trying to be a dive bear does not a dive bar make. It tries too hard.
If you’re down for the moronic frat/​sorority set; then you may like this place.
But the service is pathetic. And lord help you if you’re over 30. You may as well be a pariah to the staff. To our demise, I went in with a group of friends, all former military, a few over 40; and were treated like we were not welcome.
Getting a drink was like pulling teeth. And don’t dare play anything that’s not hip hop on the «juke box» or the «DJ», or manager (whatever he was, he was an obnoxious, rude cowardly little man); or they will turn the house PA system up so loud that you can’t hear what you paid to play on their juke box.
All in all, even without out the sh*tty staff, Dive Bar is nothing more than a gimmick bar trying to be an actual dive bar.

This is the best bar in Atlanta. Bartenders are awesome. Owner John John is a great guy and great bar owner.

Pool hall is an interesting place. It’s a really divey bar in a not so divey part of town. I’m not sure that they stock anything other than clear plastic cups. It’s probably the dirtiest of the bars that line Irby Avenue in Buckhead. Having said that, I’ve had consistently good experiences here.
I would never bring a date here. It’s a good place to come with the guys. The crowd is post-​college and usually on the fratty side, so expect to see a lot of Jäger bombs and bud lights downed. Drinks are pretty cheap for the neighborhood. It’s not really convenient to transit, but it’s close to a lot of the other bars here in Buckhead and there’s usually a steady stream of taxis outside waiting to magic you home.
Fun fact: I was hit in the face once here recently trying to break up a bar fight, which is pretty out of character for me. Learned my lesson. Definitely letting drunk people just duke it out next time.

Typical dive bar located in Buckhead. Went on a Wednesday night and crowd was sparse as you would imagine, roughly 4 other patrons beside my group in the bar at that time. My friends only went here for dollar mini-​beer and that’s about it. Nothing too much to hype this place over. Stained seating, smoky atmosphere, and PBR.

I love me a good dive bar — the kind with dirt on the floor, bras hanging from the ceiling, a great juke box selection, and plenty of recognizable faces. Yup, in fact, this is my favorite kind of bar.
In a search this weekend for Atlanta’s finest dive bar experience, I came up short at The Pool Hall.
Located on a heavily populated strip in Buckhead, the place seemed promising. Old stale beer and cigarette stench? Check. General mix of questionable looking regulars from industry folk to the drunken college-​type. Check. Random mix of 80s, 90s and today’s pop rock blaring through the ceiling speakers? Check and check.
Here’s the rub: the service at The Pool Hall sucks.
Now I’m pretty forgivable when it comes to service. Having been a bartender for years, I get being slammed or in the weeds and am typically pretty darn patient.
On this night though, the bar was yet to be shoulder-​to-​shoulder packed and I found an immediate spot at the front bar. Actually and truth be told, I sat at the bar upon entering and put both forearms and hands in what seemed to be a small kiddie pool worth of triple sec, fruit juices and general bar top-​smegma. After heading into the restroom to wash off, I returned to the bar — careful to keep my arms at a safe distance.
It was then that I waited a good 10-​minute to get recognized by anyone behind the bar.
The 2 «main» bartenders looked as if they had just had sex with one another — sweaty, tousled hair, unclean and oblivious to their surroundings. They both were clearly drunk and getting drunker as I watched them do a few shots before serving a few other regulars next to me.
Finally, my drink order is taken. One Budweiser bottle.
And 5-minute’s later, the bartender once again looks at me with the oh-shit-didn’t-you-order-a-Bud-from-me-five-minutes-ago-and-I-didn’t-bring-it-to-you face.
So now I get my Bud. 15-​minutes later and pay $ 3 or $ 4 dollars for it — which I forget how much it was exactly because I was distracted by the fact that everyone else at the bar who seemed to be regulars were getting their drinks for free.
Oh well.
The only reason I gave this place 2 stars and not 1 is the guy at the door had a slick-​as-​hell tattoo of Bill Murray.

Loved the music and crowd. It was really crowded but lots of fun. Definitely a dive bar! But a great mix of styles in the crowd (hipster to preppy to club wear). I wish there was a little more room to dance, but we made it happen.

This is another perfect hole-​in-​the-​wall dive bar in Buckhead. It’s been here for a long time and, according to the staff, pre-​dates the fancy-​schmancy stuff.
It smells like beer and cigarettes, the restrooms are an experience unto themselves, and despite a recent renovation it manages to remain a dive.
Great people, cool music, laid back environment, great staff. This is what a dive bar should be.

«John John Land»
Much like «Carrie Neal Land» is a special place with its own rules and design, unique vibe and characteristics, The Pool Hall is, well, «John John Land.» If you’ve ever met John John Delladonna, you don’t need any further explanation to know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, things like regular $ 1 mini beer promos, a joint anniversary party held annually with 5P complete with (female) jello wrestling, a band called «GirlzGirlzGirlz» (who are actually pretty good despite the horrible name!) and copious FB marketing, and routine delivery from Papa John’s guys when they have messed up orders because they figure they’ll have takers at Pool Hall. .. yeah, those will all give you an idea of life in John John Land and/​or a visit to Pool Hall.
Dirty and beer-​sludgy? Oh, hell yeah. Last night, after maybe five minutes early in our anniversary party foray, The Boy was totally skeeved out by the state of my jeans thanks to the floor of Pool Hall. But the cool juke box — and our bartender friend who stocked it with $ 12 worth of songs for me to pick — and bowls of salted peanuts for us to munch on balanced out the icky factor for a minute.
When you’re in the mood for running into people you know — whether from back in the day, be that college or growing up, as others have mentioned, or because you’ve gotten to know the totally randar crowd of regulars who frequent the joint — this is «that» kind of spot. Stop by for a beer after work, or after putting in an appearance at 5P, or go by when it’s laaaate and you’ve been getting your drink on for more than a minute. Definitely don’t wear your best shoes, and be open-​minded to the random drink specials (whatever party, wedding, or other shindig John John had or went to or otherwise had access to in the past few days, the «leftovers» are likely to show up as the cocktails-​of-​choice for your drink-​on-​a-​dime pleasure).
Pool Hall. It’s an Atlanta *thing* and the capitol of John John Land. Stop by some time.

I hate this bar. Its just gross, I mean really awful, I honestly do not know how they stay open, isn’t there a health regulation of some kind that prohibits this place from existing?
It is super preppy uga fratastic all of what others have said. That being said I like that sometimes, but this place is just terrible head over to 5 paces if you want that scene. 5 paces is still kind of gross, but NOTHING compares to the pool hall.
You leave there feeling like you need a tetanus shot.

I have to agree with Lauren that if you want to relive the UGA college scene and for the most part the Atlanta high school scene as well this is the place to be on a Friday or Saturday night in Buckhead!
As gross as the bathrooms are, as dingy as the atmosphere is, and as ridiculously slow the service is, I still find myself here pretty much every weekend… it may be hypocritical, but you go where the people you know are, right?!

this «night life» scene in buckhead is certainly nothing to write home about. i second the posted below, she hit it on the nail!
i think i may have been 1 out of the 5 girls there. how annoying to be around gross sloppy collar popping immature ex-​frat boys. i cant imagine a worse way to spend a night «going out». and then to have to wait to get drunk??? just awful.
atlanta’s bar scene is not in buckhead that is for sure.

A great post college, frat sororstitute bar scene. Kinda dive ish inside but a real fun place. Real southern as well.