Atlas Lounge

We stumbled on this place by accident after eating at Bankers across the road. A board outside promised 2-​for-​1 cocktails, so we ordered at a table outside. Our lovely waitress came straight back and apologised, saying that they weren’t running that offer. However, we could buy mojitos for £3 each. Job done!
We came inside as it was getting chilly, and took up residence at one table in the corner. I went for a frozen margarita, Michelle as espresso martini. This round marked the start of ‘coin flip Sunday’. as in, you order a round, the waitress flips a coin, you guess right — you get the round again for free. Sweet!
We lost the first, but won the next, so got some fantastic espresso martinis (though maybe a tad sweet) and a citrus one each for free to boot.
Nice vibe in there, super chilled out and a great place to spend an evening. Loved the moroccan-​inspired lamps too…

I do find the Atlas lounge to be a bit of the kind of venue that could be coined with the saying ‘mutton dressed as lamb’. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like the plush décor is hiding paisley wallpaper. It more comes down to the décor dictating everything else.
Prices are high and the places works via table service. This can make ordering drinks on a busy night tiresome and also adds the pressure to feel obliged to tip, or suddenly have to work out who drank what at leaving time.
I must confess I have only popped in here once during a weekend evening, so feel that I may not have experienced it at the best of time. As a place for some food and a daytime drink, it would likely be more suited to the setup,. At night as a bar, it just feels a bit out of place and over priced.

Atlas Lounge is another cool, swanky Brighton haunt, although it has substance as well as oozing oodles of style. The food is great, as is the drinks choice, and the food is an excellent mix of British classics and Mediterranean/​African spices. The same can be said of the décor: it reminds best of an English home somewhere in one of the old colonies: British, yet still foreign. All in all, a nice place for a drink and a meal, although a little pricey and often busy.
The food is one of the main reasons I go to Atlas Lounge, as it is to a high quality and a nice mixture of British classics and some more exotic fare. It is a bit pricey, but not so much to make it not value for money: just a bit heavy on the pocket, that’s all. I’m also a big fan of their wine list: they have a lot of old classics as well as some new ones, and many a cocktail, spirit or beer if your drinks tastes are more classical. This, combined with the décor as described above, often leads to a very classically charming and lovely evening, although it is often too crowded to enjoy it too much.

This moroccan styled restaurant and lounge on Western Road sells a very good combination of food and cocktails.
I’ve been here before in the day and enjoyed one of the many cheap lunchtime specials, most recently a steak sandwich with homemade wedges, mixed leaf salad and red onion jam.
In the evening between 5−8pm you can pick up a variety of buy one get one free cocktails, my favourite being the Long Island Iced Tea.
Having recently undergone refurbishment, the décor inside is a grand mix of African styles and a more British tradtional influence.

Located on the Northwest corner of Norfolk Square, The Atlas Lounge is one of Brighton’s more ambitious bars. It tries to blend a typically Brightonesq relaxed décor with an eye for style and quality. While it does this reasonably well it seems a little overpriced in my opinion. The lunch menu is a little pricey for what you get, as you can get an equally good baguette at half the price from nearby Banjos. The dinner menu is on the other hand more reasonably priced as it offers among other things, a great Malaysian curry a wonderful slow-​cooked lamb shoulder. Along with this the Atlas Lounge also serves a range of cocktails, which are again quite expensive. Its stylish décor and relaxed atmosphere will appeal to most people but ultimately won’t distract those with less-​than-​deep pockets from the generally high prices.

Perhaps best known as a cocktail bar, Atlas Lounge is in fact a restaurant and coffee house as well. Its stylish décor and relaxed but astute service make this place popular among young professionals and people with deeper pockets than most. Due to the prices it attracts an older, more sophisticated crowd, which is good for some. Food-​wise the Atlas Lounge provides good value in the evening but not so much during the day. The lunch meals are a little expensive for what they are but the main courses are reasonably priced and all very well executed. They include such things as pizza, Malaysian curry, steak and slow-​cooked lamb shoulder, all of which are fantastic. When it comes to cocktails I can’t see myself ever visiting unless I suddenly get an extremely well paid job. However, the quality is undeniably good and if you’re into playing chess then you’ll be in luck as many of the tables double up as chessboards. All in all it’s a nice classy with a price tag that’s too high for me. Everyone but students and the cash-​strapped should enjoy it though.

I quite like the Atlas lounge, although I’m never quite sure what it’s trying to be — bar? café? pub?
There is a generaly Morroccan/​Mediterranean theme here — with deep blue paint, tiles, and stylish Arab-​style lights. It’s a nice place for a drink, and the effort made with the décor means that it escapes the ‘warehousey’ feel that you might expect from somewhere of this size.
I think this is probably best treated as a daytime café/​bar type place than somewhere to go in the evening — relax here with a paper and a coffee or wine, but it tends to feel a little pretentious here at night time.

Firstly, as others have pointed out it’s a bar, not a coffee house.
If you’re in no rush, and want a more continental type bar experience it’s great. Awesome cocktail menu, comfy seats and generally cool interior. Would be a cool date venue.
Sadly though, when you’re are in a rush, the strict table service rule can be really annoying, and in busy periods you will occasionally be waiting a long time for your drink.
Food is ok, eaten there a few times and it’s not bad enough to comment on, or good enough to rave about.
Lastly, the boys toilets have no proper door, so expect to have staff wondering past as you wee :(

Atlas Lounge is a surprisingly spacious and overlooked venue on the corner of Norfolk Square. The location means it is never empty, but also sometimes surprisingly quiet, since it is only a stones throw away from Churchill Square.
They serve food in the daytime, which is why I initially went in, only to discover they’d stopped serving the lunchtime menu. So, tip one: get there before 2pm to be certain.
It’s a nice enough lounge, with comfy seating and a chilled out atmosphere. There is outdoor seating, which is especially appreciated in the summer, plus the high ceilings inside keep it cool if you do decide to sit indoors.
The bar is well stacked and the staff friendly. I haven’t experienced a night here, which I am sure is a little rowdier than the subdued feeling of the afternoon, but I would definitely check it out were I in the area.

Trying to describe this bar in a polite, yet accurate manner, is tricky. Atlas Lounge isn’t quite sophisticated enough to be described in the same light as lounges like Heist or Oxygen, existing more as a high-​end bar, or a pretentious pub — not that there is anything wrong with that -. Opinions of this place vary — I’ve heard some people describe its cliental as posy, and lambast its prices as too high -, but personally I think its an ok establishment, which allows its customers to sit in comfort, enjoying their drinks in the Brighton air, with a nice view of bustling Western Road. The décor is nice, with a certain Moroccan influence — this same influence can be spotted in some of Atlas’ dishes -, and people often relax here playing games of chess or backgammon.

Someone should tell Gordon Ramsay to get his TV crew round to Atlas.
Judging by what I’ve just been served, he could easily film an episode of his infamous Kitchen Nightmares there. From the outside, Atlas looks like a bustling neighbourhood café-​bar. They have chess and board games and weekend papers. They also have a couple of sofas and big wooden tables and benches. The problem is, none of the seats are comfortable or fit underneath the tables properly. They’re also too heavy to try and adjust.
The service is equally lousy. I’ve been in the past and had okay service. At the moment though, the staff look like they’re all sleep-​walking. You wait ages for a menu, ages for them to return to and when you try to complain… let’s just say, they’re not prepared. We ordered two Sunday roasts and deliberately went there rather than next door, where the roasts are advertised £2 cheaper, because the meat is organic and locally reared.
What we were served however, looked and tasted like it had come out of the freezer from Asda. The accompanying vegetables also looked and tasted steamed rather than cooked and had absolutely no flavouring including salt and pepper. We both tried a couple of mouthfulls then decided the food was so cheap and flavourless we didn’t have the appetite to continue. When we asked for the bill, the waiter didn’t even bother asking how everything was, he just picked up our full plates and whisked them away. When he came to pick up our money we said the food was terrible and he simply shrugged and said he’d let the chef know.
If I had Gordon’s number, I’d be speed-​dialling it right now…

Yep, not a coffee bar but rather a very decent cocktail bar (which also does some food).
The vibe in this place differs startlingly depending on time of day and day of week. In the middle of the day, this is a really laid back place for a drink (even coffee), a chat, a bite to eat, and a game of backgammon on the boards provided on the tables. Mid week evenings the place turns into a top notch cocktail bar (try the Cosmos, the straight up Margaritas, or ask for a spicy Bloody Mary — great classics from their extensive menu), with table service and bar staff who know what they are doing. On Friday and Saturday nights, it becomes a bit of a preclub venue, with a real buzz (possibly too much for the likes of me)
Definitely one of Brighton’s better cocktail bars.

I agree more of a bar than a coffee house. Very relaxed, good music. I’ve eaten there a few times and found the food to be very good, fresh and good value. If it’s a full three course, snack or just a drink a great place to go and chill. The only truly continental style bar in Brighton.

Not entirely sure why this is listed as a coffee shop (although I don’t doubt that they do serve coffee !) as I would describe it more of a bar. Open throughout the day and into the night it has a really nice laid back atmosphere. Lots of seating available and offers table service. Food is served during the day/​evening (although I must admit that I’ve never eaten in there). Couple of really nice touches including the provision of board games to play over a drink ! Definitely worth a visit.