This place is a nice little hole in the wall located upstairs from the main level of Bon Ton. There is a bar up there but no food so make sure you eat before you go. They have nights with different music sets--the night I visited was a jazz night. It was pretty cool. The ambiance of the place gives 70s vibes with fur covered seats and whatnot. The bartender was nice and sociable. We didn't need a reservation at the time that we went but maybe when it gets busier later? We left right as it was getting busy so not sure how logistics change with that. Something different to check out if you need something to do in the city. read more

So if you wanted a decent duck off place with some chill vibes in the middle of the week, this would be a good spot. They have a restaurant downstairs, and the waiting room is upstairs. I didn't have to make a reservation or anything like that; I just went right up, and there were plenty of seats. By the time I got there, the music was already playing. So first and foremost, you have to park on the street. For the most part, it's not like it's expensive parking, but there isn't really a parking structure for you that is attached. Coming in, I went to the bar first and foremost before it was time to go upstairs, because it doesn't start until a certain time. By that, I mean the live music. I'm a fan of jazz, so this was a good little find. You have the live music right at the steps, so it's kind of weird the way the layout is set up. You can sit in front of the staging area or you can sit on the side where the bar is. You can hear the music either way. When it starts to get a little packed, people will be standing around, so just keep that in mind. There's a nice amount of space, but not a hell of a lot of space to where you can bring a team of 20 with you. Just keep that in mind. I did get a drink, and it was pretty good. It was basic, though, similar to an old fashioned, so it wasn't like it was rocket science or anything like that. It was a decently made drink, and it had balance to it, so that's all I could ask for. Your music lasts for about an hour, I think, and then they'll take a break and come back later on. The second wave of people will come around this time, so just keep that in mind. You may want to get there at a reasonable time, because the later you get, the harder it is going to be finding seats. I hear that on the weekends it definitely gets a little more turnt up, but at least for the music component it was perfectly fine to me. I would definitely go back again just to catch some good vibes. read more

See all

The Waiting Room is such a refreshing addition to Atlanta's nightlife scene. From the moment you walk in, the ambiance pulls you in -- the decor is cute, stylish, and thoughtfully put together without trying too hard. The music? On point all night. The DJ understood the assignment and kept the energy up in the best way. And can we talk about how refreshing it is to see a place where people are actually dancing? Not just standing around holding drinks -- dancing. It made the whole vibe feel alive and authentic. Service was great too -- friendly, quick, and attentive even as the place filled up. If you're looking for good music, good energy, and a spot that actually feels fun, The Waiting Room is it. Five stars, no notes. read more

We jst here sitting to listen some jst music and having some cocktails. The ambiance so cool! Lots of college student playing. It was fun and cool. Service is good. read more

Cute little speakeasy upstairs from a restaurant. The space upstairs is quite small, but the ambiance is nice. They don't do food upstairs, but there is a bar where you can order drinks. There was supposed to be live music but the guy never showed. It was still a good time though read more

Waiting Room - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

See all

@ the attention of the owner TL;DR: i went to the Waiting Room on Sunday and witnessed a staff member hit a girl in the face. I visited The Waiting Room on Sunday 11/16 and I think it's important to make management aware of an incident I witnessed. A woman who claimed to be a manager approached a table of girls sitting at the booth next to me and took their outside beverage without saying anything. She threw it away, then returned to the table and began to explain why she did that but in a confrontational way. She explained that outside drinks weren't allowed, the girls responded saying they would leave and stood up and were clearly preparing to walk out. Despite that, the woman who claimed to be the manager positioned herself next to one of them with her arms out as if she was trying to corral her out of the venue, even though she already agreed to leave. I witnessed the manager woman swing on one this girls and hit her in the face with a closed fist. The girl did not touch her, and there was absolutely no physical aggression from her side before this happened, at this point a fight broke out. The entire situation was shocking and honestly disturbing to watch. I'm sharing this because it wasn't just disrespectful, it was violent and unnecessary, especially considering the girls were already complying and preparing to leave. It made the environment feel unsafe not only for them, but for everyone present and then the party ended as a result. if it could happen to them for something trivial and complying, it could happen to me so i think this needs to be said. I hope the owner is made aware of this behavior. No staff member manager, bartender, or security (however, i would like to call out that there is no security) should feel entitled to physically hit someone over something as simple as a outside drink. I truly hope appropriate action is taken for the safety of your customers. Every time i visit the waiting room has been amazing, great music and vibe and i completely understand the girls were wrong for bringing a outside drink in but to hit someone under any circumstances is extremely unprofessional. read more

Yeah.... I love Bon Ton... but I'm not sold by this idea. Either way.. we made a reservation but we probably could have walked in at 11pm when we showed up.. We got seated quickly and ordered our drinks. First thing, the benches on the booths were covered with pink fur which was not a vibe lol not for me at least but either way that's fine. To drink, I got the one with hints of Delta 8 which the waiter described like a mojito and it really was!! The drinks were great. But then we got the bill... and they charged us each a $7 entertainment fee... + automatic 20% gratuity but that doesn't bother me. The fee for what does ??? Like the DJ was way too loud... that did not sit well with us. Overall, drinks are good but it's meh. Not sure we would come again but worth a try. Stick to Bon Ton Either way read more

Waiting Room - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

The ambiance of the lounge was nice and gives 70s and kinda Red Light District. They have marble tables, shag booths, and the restrooms have a frosted glass where you can see the persons shadow if they're near the door. The music was a vibe. When we went they were playing R&B. The drinks are really good, but they have a limited food menu (lite bites). They have oysters, cocktail shrimp, boiled peanuts, meatballs, and I believe the last were some type of potato balls. I am mainly giving this rating due to service. When we first got to Bon Ton and checked in for our reservation, they wouldn't seat us because not everyone was there. There were people trying to find parking (which their parking lot is very small, so you have to try to find street parking). Once they arrived we asked to be seated again and the host counted and said we were missing 1 person. She would not seat us over 1 person not being there yet and said we would lose our table. She also said that if we get seated and the last person arrives, she will not bring them up to be seated with us. So my friend just went back home and stopped trying to find parking. Once in the lounge, our server was nice but kept taking drinks off the table that were not finished. We also ordered some food items that were never brought out. read more

See all

Was it a vibe? (well decorated, good ambiance) Yes. Was there an entertainment fee that was never mentioned, along with a mandatory 20% service fee for poor service? Also yes. Go here if you want to feel cool while also knowing inside that you're a hack. Smh read more

For starters no one answers the phone and it's not really clear that it's at the top of an existing restaurant. Once i got there the restaurant was packed! I waited and couldn't find anyone to ask finally someone came and told me where to go and that it was open. I went up it was completely empty. Kayla greeted me and told me to sit anywhere. Another family of 3 sat after me. She greeted them first, gave them menus and water. I was sitting there after 5 mins she finally comes over and explains we can order from either menu. I order drinks and water. I watch her make our drinks at the bar while also making shots for herself the manager, and another employee. Finally bringing us our drinks after taking their shots. I sat at the table for about another 15 minutes waiting to order food. I had asked someone that was originally at the bar who informed me she was the manager and told me they don't normally serve food up there, even though the table next to me was eating and got their order taken, even though they came after me. Instead of offering to take the order she sat back up at the bar and continued to eat. When kayla finally came back over I promptly asked for the check and left. The service was horrendous. I will never be back. Whoever the person was, that was claiming to be the manager should focus more on customer experience and not just announcing her position and continuing not to help and eating at the bar. read more

See all

Tuesday night has live jazz and the $7 entertainment fee is quite reasonable. The drink I had was tasty and strong. Overall great experience. read more

See all

Brand new spot alert with a very retro vibe! Pink colored 'marble' table tops, pink and red furry booths. Initially they were playing a lot of 90s and 00s hip-hop music overhead which was dope but there were also other genres that complimented the chill atmosphere. Ordered an Old Fashioned and a Bon Ton Mule. Both cocktails were delicious and well-executed. They do not serve food (or at least they were not when I was there) and I'm not sure if this will be a private events only spot or if it will be regularly open to the public, but if the latter then I would return. read more

See all

10/10! Super cute went for my birthday last year and we had such a great time. The French 75's were French kissing and definitely set the mood off right! Great customer service and ambience literally makes you feel like you stepped into the 70's! read more

Waiting Room - Bathroom - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Well not to come out of the gate sounding cliché, but The Waiting Room is such a Vibe. Popped in the have a look around after dinner at BonTon and before I knew it we were a few drinks in, the place just sucks you in. Very stylized lounge with your dark lights, smooth lounge music (though I hear they will be having both DJs and live music occasionally) and the ridiculous furry sofas. Bust of equal if not more importance is the drinks themselves - all of which we enjoyed! Very well balanced and bonus for lovely presentation. It's great to get a proper cocktail lounge in this side of town, especially since the closing of The Lawrence. I will be interested to see how their Reservation Only approach plays out - makes sense for the size but limits the casual drop in option. Though if they'll only be open for Friday/Saturday nights for now I expect they will have no problem keeping busy. Looking forward to seeing how they do! read more

Waiting Room - Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Came on a first date. Lovely place to talk with plenty of seating options. The music was well chosen and the drinks were decent.

Drinks were okay and the Santa cups were cool. But man, the Bartenders were absurdly rude and it's obvious why this place isn't packed at 9pm on a Saturday night. They added gratuity for an order of two drinks at the bar...not being waited on, not asking for a difficult drink. I left no additional tip and was surprised they felt the need to add an extra $6 to a $20 drink order at the bar? Baffling. This place has so much potential for a great vibe, but the staff make it insufferable. We had one drink and left, will not be returning. Hospitality truly is everything. read more

Great vibe, energy and ambiance. Would definitely go again!!! Music was just loud enough where you could still hold a conversation. read more

Waiting Room - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

See all

Love this upstairs spot! The vibes are so groovy cool and the people are kind. It's perfect for date night or a fun night out with friends. We did the seafood tower and were not disappointed. The cocktails were yum. read more

This place is a joke - if I could give it negative stars, I would. We had a reservation for 10:00 PM, which we were right on time for. When we arrived, we were told our table wasn't ready, and that it would be a few minutes. 30 minutes later, we were finally seated, after just standing around with no explanation of what was going on. Once seated, it was another 20 minutes before we were even approached by a server to ask about drink orders. And then it was another 30 minutes before our drinks arrived. To reiterate:...we had reservations for 10:00 PM, and we didn't even receive our cocktails until well after 11:15 PM. At 12:00 on the dot, a server approached the table, demanding that we leave because we were at our 2 hour time limit. We explained that we were on time, and the bar delayed our seating by more than a full hour...the server's response was literally "That's not my problem, you need to take that up with the owner.". The aesthetic here is great, but the service is so abysmal, we will never return. Whoever is running this spot clearly has no clue what they're doing. Go to Jojo's Beloved where they actually know how to manage a crowd read more

Went here on a Tuesday night for Jazz night. Small space but aesthetically cool with the bright colors. Definitely recommend getting there as they open since it's not a lot of areas to sit and it can get crowded through the night. The drinks were strong and good and the food came, fast and hot. They do add a gratuity to your order so be aware of that before tipping extra! Overall a nice girls night out! read more

Absolute vibe! I ate dinner at BonTon (downstairs) and then ventured up to this amazing spot for cocktails & music and it did not disappoint. The decor is fun, fuzzy and extra and the bartender (who makes awesome drinks) plays the coolest music. read more

Funky vibe. Carnival level cuisine. Expensive drinks. Distracted staff. Crowd volume is very high during performances. Gratuity is already included on your check. read more

I guess they ran out of cognac except for Hennessy which I'm not a huge fan of. The chargrilled oysters were delicious, the ambiance was chill, the service was good. The drinks would've made it to 5 read more

This place is awesome, ignore the haters. Unless you're a hater then just stay home lol. I'll lead with the fact that this is only getting 4 stars because it was dead when we were there and the clientele didn't make a lot of sense for the space. I think that the location is not great for something this creative. A spot like this would be absolutely booming in East Atlanta. The atmosphere is ~chefs kiss~. Feels like a 70s or French red light jazz bar and I think that's exactly what they're going for. Down to the very last detail, they even put wood panelling the drop ceiling haha. Our drinks were great, the vibe is great, and the service was great. The bartenders were fun and easy to talk to, and they seemed to really enjoy working together which I'm sure played into that. It is worth noting that gratuity is included in the bill, which I could see how that would be kind of annoying if maybe you didn't receive good service. But that wasn't the case for us! I accidentally tipped on top of the pre existing gratuity and wasn't even mad about it haha. Such a fun concept, would love to see it catch the clientele I think it's hoping for. read more

I would really like it they had a karaoke night, everyone loves karaoke and the space is vibey and perfect for it !