The Third Door

Prohibition-Style Cocktail Bar and Lounge the Third Door Opens of Marietta Square Inside a 1920s Gas Station | Eater Atlanta

"I found the Third Door tucked inside a restored 1920s gas station on Church Street just off Marietta Square; owned by Ted and Lara Ferreira, it channels Prohibition-era speakeasies and Roaring ’20s glamour through Victorian settees covered in floral prints, old photos, tin ceiling tiles, velvet curtains, and floorboards and paneling made from reclaimed barn wood. The space doubles as the Ferreiras’ showroom for their vintage travel trailer business Happier Camper and Temperance Trailers—retro horse trailers repurposed into mobile bars—and was rethought during the pandemic so the daytime showroom can safely become a socially distanced bar and lounge at night. Oversized garage doors open onto a portico and a front patio called the Pump Yard, where large planters separate seating from the sidewalk and have countertops and barstools added for extra outdoor seating; for now no one is allowed to gather at the bar, which was built from American pine wood salvaged from a school gymnasium built in 1927. With features like the Jalopy Gallery’s table rails that fold up onto the wall (much like a Murphy bed) to establish distance between tables, the Ferreiras say the Third Door is operating at about 60 percent capacity and will keep the garage doors open as long as possible. The drink menu leans Prohibition-inspired—mostly gin and whiskey—with classics like the Bees Knees and Hanky Panky alongside originals such as the Long Goodbye (rye, lemon, pear, magnolia, and Angostura); there’s also a secret cocktail menu, a small selection of nonalcoholic cocktails, beer, wine, and sparkling wine, and scannable QR codes for contact-free ordering, with plans to eventually include food trucks for bar bites. Preparing for a difficult winter, they’re planning to extend patio season and may add heaters to the Pump Yard so outdoor entertaining can continue; hours are Tuesday–Thursday 5 p.m.–12 a.m. and Friday–Saturday 5 p.m.–1 a.m., masks are highly encouraged." - Beth McKibben