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Categories: Bars, Pool Halls [Edit]
Neighborhood: Midtown
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Great Beer Selection! Tasty Cocktails! Excellent Bartenders! Pool Tables! Tasty bar food! What more could you ask for?
I love this place and go here to play darts every couple of weeks. The bartenders are great and come from behind the bar to see if you need another drink when you're at the dart boards. They're also really good at making crazy drinks they've never made before. The significant something was pulling some ingredients for shots off the internet and they obliged us by making them - and they were tasty! They make excellent cocktails here and they are knowledgeable about their beers - turning me on to the delicious and tasty blue moon!
The food is pretty tasty for bar food. I've only had the fried combo and the corn dogs are yummy!
The bathrooms are nice and clean and always have toilet paper.
I have never had bad service here whether I come straight from work in business wear or in t-shirt and shorts. This place has good energy and the drinks are cheap! I have yet to ever have a bad time here!
Utilitarian... that's the best I can offer.
I like a dive bar as much as the next guy, and sure this bar has everything you need... lots of games, beer, foodstuffs... but it's just lacking that certain... je ne sais quoi.
There's just no feeling of history for one thing. The staff have a consistent indifference toward the customer... and I guess what I'm getting at is... It's just another smoky sports bar.
"Yay" (said dryly), that's what we need more of.
Makes my je ne sais quoi hurt just thinking about it.
It looks dirty, it smells bad, and apparently the staff are retards.
I bought myself and a friend a beer, so you can imagine my anger when TWO separate charges show up on my statement the next day, one close to $60.
I called and asked for them to remove the $60 one, since I only had only purchased two beers and only had a receipt for a total of about $10. After some investigating, this is what I get...
"Oh, I'm sorry, your signature isn't on the other one, we must have swiped your card twice instead of someone elses."
"Okay, so you'll refund it."
"Well... we really can't do that..."
"... why not, you're telling me your holding a receipt with my credit card number and someone elses signature on it, and you can't refund it?"
"Well... we don't know what exactly happened..."
"What happened is you guys swiped my card twice and charged me someone elses tab, you just said that!"
"Well... we don't do refunds... do you know (name of person who signed my card), maybe you can just ask them for the money back?"
"... no idea who that is, I'd just-"
"Well, we can't refund it, we can probably give you half bar credit though!"
I ended up having to dispute the charge, and I never went back. Moral of the story: Don't go here cause it sucks, but if you must... pay cash!
This is one of my absolute favorite places to go in Atlanta...
It probably doesn't hurt that we have been there so frequently in the past few years that when we walk in the Guiness starts pouring itself. The bartenders are great. We have made many new friends and bumped into some old ones while drinking and playing pool at the Independent. Their Aussie fries are the best freakin thing ever.... I have to order them every time I go, no matter what.
The beer is cheap and they have lots to choose from on tap. Their pool tables are in pretty good shape and you never have to wait long to get one. If by the small chance that you do have to wait, you can pick from one of a hundred board games to play... or you can play darts or Nintendo. The Independent just has a great vibe and I have spent many late nights here.
Well what can I say about this place without CURSING'? Not a damn thing.
1- When I got there I stood at the bar for 15min (which is almost an eternity seeing how my air supply was cut off as soon as I walked in) before anyone made eye-contact with me and asked me for my order. I had the same problem while trying to pay my bill.
2- The lady heading up trivia (i will research her name and add it later) called me an .."arrogant ass mother-f**ker" for saying an answer too loud. It took everything in my physical being to keep from going up there and slapping the s**t out of her. Instead I opted to politely let her know that "I ain't your mother-f**ker". Seriously IS SHE PAID TO INSULT CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS???? I am still applaud as I sit writing this review.
3-The only star is for the BBQ cuban sandwich because it was quite tasty, but not worth me spending my money here so that I can get insulted over a damn trivia question.
4- I HATED my experience here and I don't care who knows it.
But if you like smelling like an ashtray, being called mother-f**kers, and bad service--- This may be the place for you.
I heard a rumor, most likely apocryphal, a long time ago, an urban legend that talks about an old blue law that criminalizes owning a pool table in the Virginia Highlands. I learned of this from a friend who tried, in vain, to open a pool hall within the liberal yet curiously reactionary confines of the Va-Hi. Bad for my friend, but good for The Independent. That means this smokey, salty pool hall remains the only, um, game in town (or within 4 miles of the Highlands at least.)
Before I talk about The Independent, I must first talk about its predecessor Dupree's. Dupree's was the first bar in Atlanta I ever drank in, years before I moved here. Back then it was a smoke-filled lesbian-heavy hipster haven. I played pool here with my perpetually underemployed Indian friend, rounding out a low rent Harold and Kumar before the two characters even existed. When he moved to Chicago and I found myself appearing in Atlanta, I naturally gravitated towards Dupree's. Yes, the cigarette smoke hung in the air, thick enough that you could scoop it into a bowl and serve it as a side dish. I was younger then and my lungs were filled with vigor if not carcinogens.
Over time, I found a new, closer hang out. My negligible pool playing abilities waned. Dupree's (both the man and the bar) moved on and The Independent popped up in its place. Some things changed; the wall o' TVs disappeared for example. Emo boys in girl pants soon outnumbered the lesbians in boy pants. Still, the vibe didn't change THAT much. In the few times I've been back to Dup--sorry, The Independent, it's still got that low-key, pool hall cum hipster doofus hangout that a hipster doofus such as I appreciates. Even some of the old staff from The Dupree's days remain on hand.
The tables are still fine. They've got some wear and tear, but they're not the crooked, tilted and battered tables of my college days. They've got 9 foot tables which makes you feel manly when you pull off a good break. They've got game nights (trivia and poker) and board games for those nights without a theme. Sure, the smoke gets heavy but compared to the olden days of Dupree's, the air is like standing on a Himalayan mountaintop. Granted, those olden days were like working in a coal mine, but que sera.
I'm glad The Independent is there. I'm glad they have real pool tables you can rent by the hour. I'm glad there's a place where it's acceptable to play drunken Candyland. Four stars in the side pocket.
I've been here quite a few times. And never eaten here. And probably never will. Fried twinkie looks interesting though.
But there's pool man! lots of pool tables. and you can get high life in a bottle or on tap. and for this, I give the independent a solid 4 stars.
It does get a little smokey here at times though. That part kind of blows. and it's not my favorite place to play a game. but it does serve a purpose. and half off pool before 7pm!
I think they have other games and shit too, but I don't really pay attention to that stuff.
and when the fuck is Rita's gonna open back up so I can get some custard? jesus.
Not half bad.
I'm learning to get used to bars in strip malls, and the Independent does a great job of making you forget where exactly you are. Plus, the benefit of being able to get my nails did, my grocery shopping on, watch a movie, and drink large quantities of alcohol in the same spot is pretty great. There's nothing fancy about this place: they serve beer while you can play games. It's a pretty straightforward concept.
They host trivia on several nights of different varietals: music, general, and movies. In order to compete against our good friend James H, we decided to show up on Thursday night for movie trivia. Like typical games, things started out relatively easy and became increasingly more difficult. While the announcer certainly rubbed some members of our group in the wrong way, she at least kept things going at a good pace.
Service was mediocre, but I can see the kind of asshole attitude of the place becoming charming as you become more of a regular. The food menu was very limited, namely if you're looking for something somewhat healthy. Yep, the green beans are fried. And yes, they are good. They've got a whole lot of games going on: billiards, photohunt, darts, board games, I think I even saw some guys playing old school Nintendo.
I'd happily return to the Independent for another round of trivia or a few beers, mainly because it's close to my crib. And because I have a serious addiction to Nintendo with only two buttons.
Uhh, not bad I guess. Everything on the menu is fried (including the salads, I think) and we had to get our own water from a pitcher on the counter, which was kinda weird but I didn't particularly mind.
Nothing outside of the ordinary in terms of the beer selection either, this place is about as average as average comes. I'd be impressed if they somehow concocted a fried beer.
That staff were friendly, but not particularly attentive as I think we had about 4 different people serving us at different times.
I didn't think it was overly smokey, but my clothes begged to differ once I got home, holy jesus.
A polite 2 stars. Maybe 2.5.
The independent takes the cake for the coolest place to soak up the atmosphere and have plenty of activites to do while you have some drinks.
Whatever your bar game is they have it here and then some. I never thought I would be able to play stratego, darts, music trivia and NBA JAM on super nintendo in the same night.
A cant miss Atlanta experience, go check this place out.
I started going to the Indy because of the Wednesday Night Music Trivia and I ended up staying for the beer, the food, the martinis, the friends, the pool, the awesome employees that sometimes remember my name, and the Fries, Aussie Style (not on the menu, but trust me). Also? There are little hooks right below the bar for your purse. A very nice touch.
It's really nice to find a little place in the big city that's heavy on character and light on douchebags. :) They have lots of pool tables, lots of seating inside and out, games (video and otherwise), and a menu that might surprise you. I have an addiction to the gyro and you can get any of their sandwiches quesadilla-style, which I find surprisingly awesome. Also: FRIED TWINKIES. I'm still mustering the courage to try one. After a recent experience with the fried Oreo that was very positive, I'm cautiously optimistic.
Bottom line: dive-y in the good ways with quality entertainment.
I give them 4 stars b/c I puked all over their couch and floor apprx. 4 years ago right before they were to leave. And I mean, they had cleaned (as much as that place can ever be cleaned) the place already and were picking up their personal effects when I was woken up by my guy friend. I sat up and literally spewed the entire couch.
I had fun before the event I just wrote about. I do recall playing Air Hockey and doing 4 shots of jaeger on top of my other 5 drinks I had at The Vortex prior to arriving there.
PS: The smoke is something else
Reasons Why I Love The Independent:
-Tuesday night trivia
-cheap beer...PBR tall boys
-the cheese fries
-FREE darts!
-pool tables
-board games
-old school NES
-the bartenders are super friendly and attentive
The Not So Cool Stuff...
-it tends to be very smoky all the time
-parking can be hit or miss especially on the weekend with Apres Diem and the movie theater being right downstairs
definitely worth checking out if you are looking for a chill place to hang out and drink some beer.
Two words:
FRIED TWINKIE.
Actually, sorry. Let me make that four words:
AND BEER.
How anyone resists ordering this off the menu surprises me. There, at the bottom and very back of the menu, lies one final thought: fried twinkie. It alluringly says that you "must ask about availability." Sounding fatting AND playing hard to get? Did I mention it is only a dollar?!
Thank goodness they had one 'in stock.' Twinkies are smaller than I recall, or maybe shriveled from all that fried goodness. Not sure why no one else at my table would take a bite of it, though. I, however, enjoyed chowing down on the fried and creamy. And yes, there is indeed a cherry on top.
A pool hall and the ultimate in laid back bar-ness (this is indeed a bar. not a pub.). You'll have to get your own water. The service is friendly, not necessarily fast. I'm sure there are pool sharks in the waters. But it's a good call for a laid back night!
I usually don't like smokey unslightly bars, but I had a good time here thanks to all the board games, great idea! The bar is upstairs from Apre Diem, next to the movie theater. Parking there can be a pain sometimes, especially when there are movies playing.
I've never been to a bar that had that many games to chose from (granted, most of them are missing a piece or two..). They had Trivial pursuit, connect 4, scrabble, etc... all my faves! Except Taboo :( They also have darts and pool tables. I've only ever had beer there, and I don't think I would go for anything else, despite not being a big fan of beer. The place is full of smoke, I could hardly breathe when I walked in, but I slowly got used to it... The bar is not what I would call "nice", not really decorated, etc... but I don't think that's the vibe its going for. Not really my kind of bar, but thanks to the board games I may go there again with some good company.
We've always been into games.
Back when the bar known as the Independent was known as "DuPree's," one could walk into the establishment and see numbers of people a wide variety of games--darts, pool, hearts, spades, gin.
Following the acquisition of the bar, however, by White Wolf Games, the company responsible for role-playing games such as Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension, the recreational activities have now exploded all over the bar. While you won't find the average patron getting his nerd on with dice, pencil, and paper, there's always a few of us playing pool, competing in trivia, or trying to Connect Four on one another (pretty sneaky, sis!). In addition to the eight full-size pool tables and two dart boards, you'll find numerous board games, several bar-top video game machines, and a couple of game consoles connected to a television with a couch. Unfortunately, the stand-up multicade (which featured such arcade classics as Dig Dug and Donkey Kong) has been replaced with a video mini-golf game (At least it isn't Golden Tee).
The Independent hosts a weekly Texas Holdem tournament on Sunday nights for in-house gift cards, and has been known to spread casino games and other poker tournaments on other evenings.
In short, we've gone game-crazy in here.
Good pool hall, but a tad smokey for my tastes. Er... quite a tad. A WHOPPING tad. But there are many tables which makes it a bit more appealing. Food is so so, and there's enough of a beer list to keep anyone occupied.
If you're close to this, and you're into smoking, go. If you're a smoke free person, head to Twain's...
When we can't think of any place else to go or the new hip spot is just too crowded, my friends and I ALWAYS end up at the independent. The Independent is my favorite 'dive' bar in Atlanta. It has the three essentials in making a great dive bar: cheap beer, drink specials and trivia. My favorite night of the week is $3 well drink night on Wednesday with Music trivia...
The food is generic bar food that is pretty tasty after three beers. They serve fried twinkies but I've never been drunk enough to order one.
Yeah, the service is kinda crappy, but what's your hurry? I've noticed that you get better service if you sit at the bar then at a table. If you do grab at table, and you are an inpatient person: Just order two drinks at a time, or ask for your tab early. If you're there to play trivia and you want to leave right at the end of the game, then close out your tab early. Honestly, I think the leisurely pace of the place is half of its appeal. I never feel like I have to order another drink to keep my seat, unlike other places.
One of my favorite bars in atlanta and now I live very close to it.
The best part, hands down, is the SNES that they have there. I always wind up playing Super Mario World or Super Tennis and relive my youth and have a great time drinking beers and just relaxing. And when someone else is playing and sitting down, I just stare at them and make them uncomfortable until they leave.
They also have pool and darts here. Pool sucks only because it's sooo freakin' expensive to play. They randomly have poker and trivia nights here but i haven't participated.
Drinks are decently priced, nothing obscene and they have a decent selection.
Worst parts are definitely the smokiness of the place, which sucks.
Oh and I don't know if anyone other than a regular Independent patron will know this, but does anyone know that really creepy old and fat dude that always comes here. He's always wearing some flannel shirt and thick thick glasses, and he is super fat (orb-like) and old. Now I don't mind people just coming and having a drink but he's always there kinda creepily staring at people... awkward.
There's almost too much going on at one time. Not the place to go if you are looking to have a conversation with someone because of the noise level. The service is inconsistent and not always clean looking. As a matter of fact, the bar is not exactly clean either. the food is typical bar food....everything is either fried(they have a fried twinkie on the menu for god's sake) or typical sandwiches made of low quality ingredients. Parking is not an easy task and the parking lot is not very well lit or secure.
For me, the Independent inspired a list of adjectives:
1. Local
2. Crowded but,
3. Spacious
4. Entertaining
5. Slightly Smokey
6. Enjoyable
7. Relaxing
8. Distinct
9. Cool
10. Fun
I do think that my company had something to do with the four stars they earned. We played four games of pool and he beat me every game except the last. I won that one only because he scratched on the eight ball!
As we were leaving I also saw dart boards and a few old school video games. Definitely a fun (see list above) spot!
Always have dug this place since the first time I was there. Staff who remembers you, dart boards, nice pool tables, good selection of food/beer start this place out right. Then add to it a ton of board games, video games, a diverse crowd who is always there to have fun and meet new people, and it just comes to life.
The place is clean too, not a dive; enough class to keep the scum out, but comfortable enough to lounge around and play Mario Cart. My favorite night there of all time ended up with meeting two girls with one of my friends, who invited us to Red Chair, and his last words being, "I like lesbians."
Just can't beat it for all around fun :)
Haven't been here in a long while, but used to frequent this bar when I first moved here. I'm a total slut for billiards and darts so this place put me in drinking game heaven. Plus they have board games and SNES. Enough said.
The bartenders have been a bit slow and hard to get a hold of on a busy night, but nothing too bad. The smokey air is a bad as everyone says, but obviously still tolerable. Their food is nothing to write home about, but decent for absorbing the alcohol. Never had a fried twinkie, though. Sounds sinful.
I love this place!
Pool, darts, video games, beer, fried twinkies, and every now and then, a group of cute girls trying to play pool and always willing to take advice from a few guys!
Dude, they serve Sparks. Nuff said.
Music trivia night on Wednesdays is awesome. The Sparks rep usually shows up and gives us free stuff cause we're the only ones drinking it.
Not much of a food menu, but the fried green beans are off tha chain.
And when you've had too many Sparks or PBRs, there's always some drunken NBA Jam or Mortal Kombat on the SNES to be had.
Just don't go there if you're hoping to catch a sports game on TV. Sets aren't big at all.
The Greasers and Socials would have no problems getting along on this turf...b/c no one feels like an Outsider in this joint.
Chain smoking, 8-balls, darts, PBR tall boys, old school video games, greasy chow and photo hunt...what more can a mobile home park resident ask for? This is like the baby brother of the Highlander who's forced to stay upstairs in his room while the adults commune downstairs. But the Independent is just fine playing with their action figures ...and so am I.
Sorry Ponyboy, no High Life Ponies...just on tap.
What a great place! I came here for the first time tonight, looking for a new place to play poker on Sunday nights. The bartenders were cheerful and friendly, in sharp contrast to the surly servers who've waited on me downstairs at the Highlander.
The bar has a decent sized seating area, as well as a couch with a TV and Playstation for people to play, and even a selection of board games, which I thought was cool! There is also a multi-game arcade machine to get your fix of the classic 80s arcade games.
They also have 8 full sized pool tables you can rent by the hour and several dart boards.
The Independent has two trivia nights (Tue and Wed), an open pool tournament (Thursdays) and a free poker tournament on Sunday nights.
If I had one complaint, it might just be that poker night can be fairly smoky, but that's probably because you have 10 people surrounding a small table, of which 3-4 may be smoking, so it can be a bit thick. Its probably better when people are more dispersed, or if you are in the pool part of the bar.
But there's something for everyone here, go check it out if you haven't!
I'm going to keep this one simple.
Daily Beer Specials + Yummy Fried Food (almost everything known to man) + Pool + Friendly servers who remember your name and drink + SNES = Love. Thats what I'm talking about. Mmmhmm.
Oh and the smoke isn't all that bad. And an extra star for never being balls to the wall packed.
The Independent for me serves a few purposes.
1. Play pool in-town.
2. Place to get cigarettes when grabbing some "air" from Apres-Diem downstairs.
3. Place to grab a drink if you arrive too early for the movie you're catching downstairs.
It's an alternative for me when I am not feelin' like being at the Local (pretty rare, but it happens). The real allure here I think are all the activities that you can do while drinking and hanging out with friends. Between the pool tables, the dart boards, the Nintendos, and a bookshelf full of board games (including Jenga!!!) there's always something to do to keep you entertained.
And if that isn't doing it for you, maybe the deep-fried Twinkies will get you going.
The Independent is one of the better places in Atlanta for a completely chilled out, most fun drink night. The room is huge and has several tables, but more importantly, they have entertainment. A whole room of pool tables, several dartboards, a video game area, and a whole slew of board games make it so that you'll never end up sitting quietly around while the music plays so loud you can't think.
There's also a nice little patio with a bunch of small tables, and mostly no one is ever out there, which may make it even more lucrative to certain parties.
There are so many board games, even ones I've never seen. Mostly we play Jenga here, which has consequences on the back of each block. It's nice to watch your wasted buddy have to run around the room because a little block of wood says so. Some of the consequences you have to be a little drunker for.
Unlike many other places in Atlanta, they usually actually card you here, so don't show up with a young'un. You'll be asked to leave.
Laid-back bar with good service, standard food, cheap beer, pool tables and darts. And Ms. Pacman. And varied clientele.
You can go here with a big group or a not-so-big group and everyone will not only fit comfortably, they'll also each probably find something to make them happy. And if not, there's air hockey downstairs at Highlander.
i like to be first to review (no sloppy seconds for me!) unless i have something to add......and i do. the independent is a great place for late night pool, cheap beer, darts, etc.. but it is smoky enough in there to make you think about quitting......even if you don't smoke!
i think most people in the place are too drunk to notice the dangerous levels of smoke wafting around.
they do have nice tables (~ 8) and they have galaga! (i know, i'm dating myself :())
The Independent, which is located in the Midtown Plaza shopping center, right above The Highlander and adjacent to the Midtown Landmark Arts movie theater, is a great place to go play pool.
There are at least four tables. The sticks are all relatively straight, there's plenty of chalk, all the balls are the right color -- everything you need for a great night.
Plus, the bar has a decent selection of beers on tap and in bottles, plus the usual bar food menu. And there's darts and a few tables for sitting and chatting, plus a kickass jukebox.
Nice chill spot. The fried platter here is deeelicious. Super nintendo, free darts, plenty of board games. What more can you ask for on a Tuesday night
This local bar is excellent for playing pool, darts, or just hanging out. It is a bit smoky, but it's an old school good bar. The food is typical bar food. However, key dessert is the deep fried Twinkie - yep, you heard me right - it's worth every cent of the dollar it costs. Enjoy.
Great billiards bar. Lots of tables to play, good beer, good fun. The food is okay (they have corndogs!). They even have a couch and playstation if you're inclined.
This bar is located in an entertaining part of Atlanta; there's a nice movie theater and several restaurants located within walking distance. What makes the Independent stand out are the pool tables and cheap beer. Aside from that, the bar food and drink menu are nothing spectacular. I would rather spend my time in neighboring Apres Diem, which is right downstairs.
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