Dark Horse Tavern

It was definitely an amazing experience! My best friend came into town to visit a family and since I recently moved to the area. It was the perfect chance to go out and enjoy ourselves. The food menu is different compared to during the day and at night. At night, you do have more finger food options in which I didn't expect for it to be as good. Manny and Meadow had an amazing aura and spirit. They are very easy to talk to and people who have a personality. So it was very refreshing! There are three levels underground is the live karaoke band, the dining area with the bar at the first level, and private rooftop for 25 and up

Great bar minus this bar back that shines flash lights at patrons trying to be a tough guy. Other than that, great bar but he has caused problems with many of my friends for being rude and obnoxious with his flashlight. Even the other staff agreed he’s on a power trip.

I used to go there for karaoke but the management changed. At first the musicians did an okay job but later they got really comfy bringing a lot of their clickiness in! . It is normal to see regulars skipping the line while you were waiting for a while as well as not letting sing because there's someone else singing over you( they lower down the volume of the mic, on purpose) this bar attracts a lot of frat boys and young crowd but since then Metalsome Mondays were over. Even the song list is lame. Also people are complaining for the bouncers and extreme rudeness in the treatment. This place used to be a hidden gem. NOT ANYMORE. Find a new karaoke spot!

they definitely need a better bathroom situation it is small! Drinks are the best around, the prices are right! $7 for a high life pounder The music and the atmosphere was amazing I definitely felt the vibe. 3 stars because of the pee soaked floor lol.

Live band kareoke in a crowded and musky basement bar? Sign us up!

I love this bar! My husband and I have been there multiple times. Whenever friends come to visit, this is one of the places we take them, and everyone loves it. The karaoke in the basement is an awesome experience!

I witnessed a young Black woman get screamed at and kicked out of this bar for not having a physical card, she only had tap and was calmly trying to get her friend to help pay. The bartender (who was white with a long brown ponytail) lost it, yelling at the top of her lungs “GET OUT” over and over instead of showing a shred of understanding. It was a wildly disproportionate response and felt racially charged. Totally unsettling and unacceptable. I won’t be coming back.

The dark horse karaoke is so fun! Music is better them ever. I can't wait to return.

The karaoke night was probably the best time I've ever had at a bar. I had an absolute BLAST here. In the basement, they have a live band that will play the songs and people sing on the stage. The drinks are flowing, the song choices are fun, the crowd is such a vibe. My only regret is not coming here sooner.

My friend and I came here on a Saturday night wanting to partake in their karaoke. There wasn't a line to get in but there was a long one to go down to the basement. We probably spent about 45 minute in line so we took turns ordering drinks at the bar while we waited. Their gin & tonics were solid and were prepared pretty quickly. Prices were comfortable compared to the Boston prices I'm used to. Once we got to the basement the karaoke turned out to be a live band which was surprising. People still could pick songs but depending on their skill level they would get drowned out by the band. Overall, it was a really good time and I would come again!

Great fun on line dance night. Place has been there forever... Seems to staying strong Normally almost like a neighborhood bar. Such history too

Nice chill bar. Everyone is friendly and the bartenders make strong drinks. Great place to bar hop to if you're in the area. It doesn't get busy until late so dont go before 11pm.

This is a bar in my Virginia Highlands neighborhood. I have heard very troubling stories about girls drinks getting drugged with something and finding themselves without their phones or wallets. It seems men who fit in here or rather look perfectly normal, are in fact criminals posing as regular guys and drugging the drinks. It's a shame because this used to be a great bar and tons of fun. I hope management takes this very seriously and does something about it. Women need to feel safe or they will go elsewhere for fun. Beware of letting anyone near your drinks at this bar. Don't ever leave your drink unattended. Don't let a stranger but you a drink here no matter how harmless he looks.

Top Tier karaoke bar. The downstairs exclusive love music bar where anyone can get on stage and rock and roll. What a treat. Great bartenders. Will always make it a point to visit this place in Atlanta. Did not try the food but I can only imagine it's perfect. Try this place out for a good time.

I've been here plenty of times and usually enjoy coming here. It's a bar, so you'll have to deal with the typical shenanigans and dirty bathrooms. Drinks are pretty expensive (more than $10 for well drinks and $8 for a high noon). The line for the bar is way too long and you'd typically wait 20+ minutes for a drink. The music is great. There's a mix of top 40, some country, 80s, and EDM. There's something for everybody but the music can be a little all over the place.

This place was okay. Personally, I would not come back. It was excruciatingly loud and the downstairs was kind of gross and dingy. But if that's what you're looking for this is your place!

Frat boy infestation. Decent spot until the polo and short short khakis wearing dudes roll in by the 10s. My girl and I went when they opened and got out before it was got turned into a frat house party. Its a vibe if you can beat the crowd.

Unlike 99% of my reviews I'm going to leave this short and sweet. In fact, let's make it a haiku. Tequila shot, $8 Awful line for bad basement Better spots nearby In what world is a tequila shot $8. Certainly not a world I want to come back to. Oh, and the downstairs karaoke basement thing is really cool if you're in the business of losing brain cells. Hearing a ton of 20 year old GT and Emory students try to sing is not my idea of fun, but if it's yours then please visit Dark Horse.

Really love the live music karaoke on the bottom floor!! There was a bit of a wait but totally worth it! Loved seeing the band perform and people getting on stage to sing. 5/5!! Drinks were decently priced - $6 for fireball shots, $8 for bottom shelf vodka and tequila shots. Had a good crowd on Saturday night but not too many people. Dancing floor had some old hits and people were dancing for the most part.

I come here for their live band karaoke which is always a good time. And decide to try the chili nuggets and fries, definitely hitting the spot for me. So I'm gonna eat and then go enjoy some karaoke and a drink

I went to the patio bar. My friends and I each ordered drinks. We did not receive a receipt for our purchases and were given estimated prices. Two of my friends ordered the exact same thing and the bartender charged them different prices. She also charged me a different price and gave me incorrect change. When approached about it she gave me an attitude. She refused to give me the correct change. I spoke with the manager who was nice and offered me a drink in return. But I did not think it was right for her to do this especially when I seen her ring up white patrons orders correctly. I had to go upstairs to the other bar to ask the correct prices. Thats how I knew she upcharged me for our purchases.

Y'all please don't go here. I went last night with a group of friends and I swear something was done to our drinks. Myself and a friend got rum and diet cokes and have been violently ill while the two other girls in my group had canned drinks and were absolutely fine. We literally have been throwing up constantly and completely disoriented and the only thing we had in common was the drink. I had to go get IV fluid treatment because of how sick I became. We also waited in line for the karaoke area for over an hour as well and didn't move. I don't even think it was open. Overall a horrible experience which is disappointing since I've never had a problem before.

Went here for the first time last Saturday, and it was such a vibe! I loved that each floor/room was pretty different and there was so much going on. Drinks are decently priced (I stay getting scammed at other ATL bars..), and there was no cover (at least not for my group when we got there around 10PM, not sure if that's usual or not). We went downstairs to karaoke right when it opened and stayed there for about 2 hours. When we came back upstairs, there was a huuuuge line to get inside Dark Horse and a separate line to go to karaoke, that definitely was NOT moving at all. I also loved the first floor music area and the disco ball (yess!!). It was a super fun vibe, definitely a diverse crowd as well in terms of ages and everything. I think it's a really inviting place for all groups and a staple to try out in Atl

Returned to dark horse after a long hiatus. Was greeted at the door by Mario, the bouncer mentioned in my previous review. Upon entry, he says "ah, you're the dumb bitch who left that Yelp review"--word for word what was said to me upon entry. I immediately sought management to complain about this issue. It's incredibly upsetting to see this man continuing to work here 11 months after the initial incident. Giving two starts for Jamie, the GM, who was incredibly receptive to my complaint. From our conversation, it seems like this is not the first nor second nor third complaint they've had about Mario speaking inappropriately (and vulgarly) to patrons. I strongly urge management to replace Mario. The bar business is fueled by women's patronage, so it's probably smart to boot the bouncer who makes women feel so unwelcome.

First time going to this bar, and the bartender happily added a $5 tip to my tab. Wouldn't recommend unless you're a fan of fraud.

This place is brutal. Im waiting in line for over 20minutes to pick a karaoke song. Some guy buds in behind me and tries to start a conversation with me. I told him not to bud but he said not to worry that he is just there to chill. He pissed everyone off. And eventually budded in front of me as well and denied it. He was a regular. So staff didn't care and were extremely rude. Not a good way to run a business.. Let your regulars step all over new customers. Also good recipe for your customers catching a beating and killing everyone's vibe.

The fat short bald bouncer is a huge dick and just wants his chode stroked in the totality of the centimeter it had to reach its entire length. We stood in line for 25 minutes and my boyfriend who has clinical kidney issues, had to pee. He went pee and was gone for literally 2-3 minutes. He came back and we let him under the rope and the infected chode bouncer wouldn't let him in. I literally left an entire space for him while he peed. I stood a body's worth of space between my other friend to show that we saved his place. He left line for 2-3 minutes to medically take a piss and chode man wouldn't let us down to the basement because of it. We calculated the perfect time to get in line so by the time he told us to get back in line, it was well over an hour and a half's worth wait. I hope stroking his ego a whole centimeter to cover the entirety of his micropenis was worth it. Fuck you

I had an unfortunate first experience at this bar last weekend and wouldn't recommend it to anyone that believes in equality. I was denied entrance into the bar simply because I had an extremely tiny shoulder bag on me. Even though my friend who was with me had a giant purse with her. So clearly this isn't a bag policy. At first I thought maybe it's for safety reasons until the security looked me up and down and said it's not our look but if you get your friend to carry it, I'll let you slide. Of course after that I didn't even want to step foot into this place. This establishment is completely homophobic and it's really appalling that anyone would be treated like I was. It was highly uncomfortable and unsettling to be discriminated against for my sexuality. To further prove my point, I went to a gay friendly bar and the security didn't even glance at my bag.

Always a rockin good time. Love the live band karaoke! The drinks are pretty great. Love the venue. Cool basement bar/stage. If you love karaoke, you need to check this place out.

My girlfriend and I came here with our friends last weekend and the bald white bartender was rude to us as soon as we walked in. (This has happened to my friends several times with the same bartender, the bar was also empty so it's not like he was just busy/stressed). He was disrespectful and basically tossed a drink at my girlfriend so we went downstairs to get away from him. When we came back upstairs, a man spilled his drink on the bar while we were standing nearby. He started to clean up his mess and the bartender said to him "did they really make you clean that, don't worry man I'll comp your drink" as if we should be responsible for cleaning it? When I said something to him about his misogynistic comment, he had my friends and I kicked out of the bar. I have NEVER been kicked out of a bar in my life. Based on my experiences here, the bald, male bartender seems to be homophobic or a misogynist--either way the treatment we received tonight is unacceptable. Also, seriously? There are like 100 other reviews saying the same thing. Please for gods sake fire the white, bald, male bartender. The dude is seriously unhinged.

I've been to over 30 countries and to too many cities to count. With that comes experiencing some really terrible places but none comes as atrocious as dark horse tavern. The ambiance, well, feels gross at best. Imagine a cheapened experience with the worst service imaginable and the grimiest crowd. If you want crappy drinks and people that don't pass the vibe check -- enjoy!

THE MALE BARTENDERS ROOFIE THE GIRLS DRINKS. Do not go here. I now know of 5 girls and 1 boy all in my own friend group that have been roofied at this bar in the last few months. This happened to me and 2 others last night and its now 7pm the next day and we're all still throwing up and feeling disoriented. I had a $10 charge on my card for 1 drink so no I am not just a girl who doesn't know her limits. My roommate experienced this here in October and was throwing up for 2 days straight. They should be sued.

Spent a week in Atlanta with a coworker. I left on Friday, 3/10, and he stayed in town until Sunday as he was going to catch the Celtics game on Saturday night (3/11). Friday night he visited this place. He was drugged and woke up Saturday morning minus his phone and some credit cards. He never opened up a tab at this bar after receiving the first drink and the bar did not contact him about it (for not paying for his tab) which would suggest that the bar was in on it. Disgusting AF. AVOID. AWFUL.

DO NOT GO HERE THEY STOLE MY FRIENDS PHONE THEN LIED ABOUT IT!! TERRIBLE AND DISHONEST MANAGEMENT. Last Saturday we went to this bar and my friend left her jacket. Unfortunately her phone and credit cards were in the pocket. We tracked her phone the next morning and it was on and showing it's location at dark horse. We tried to call but they didn't answer and after looking it up we realized they do not until Monday. In efforts to get her belongings back she emailed the manager... terrible mistake. He said he would check for the cell phone and call her back as soon as he went in at 8. She never got a call. On top of that her location was mysteriously turned off soon after. She had to call three times to follow-up and nobody answered until 9pm. When they answered they said that they didn't see anything. My friend proceeded to explain where exactly she left it downstairs at the table. They tried to say that there was no way she left it at a table downstairs because they "didn't have tables downstairs". I literally have videos and pictures of us at downstairs tables all night. The fact that they can lie and steal from their customers is absolutely disgusting. I chose to spend my birthday here and I can assure you I will never step foot in here again. On top of that I can also assure you I will be letting all of my friends know not to give their money to this trash establishment. Shame on you for taking money from your customers and then trying to make them feel as if they don't remember events correctly. Wish I could give this place zero stars.

**This is for the basement live music karaoke only. We did not eat here. SUPER FUN! The karaoke has tons of energy. Everyone was singing, the place was packed, and the energy was insane. There is a line to get in because everyone wants to be down there but it is a short wait and worth it. The upstairs vibe is very different. More people partying in their 20s to pop music- this isn't a bad thing just not somewhere we spent any time in that night.

We used to live in the area many years ago. This was one of our favorite spots. We recently went back as we were in ATL for a concert. Did not disappoint. Like we stepped back in time. Friendly staff- good drinks and music!

Do NOT get mixed drinks from here. We had 2 drinks from the bar (made by the male bartender downstairs) and were violently ill after, which is completely abnormal for any of us. One of the male bartenders told my friend that if she didn't sleep with him she would be kicked out of the bar, to which they then had two men carry her out of the bar stating she got "aggressive". A man outside tried to discuss it with the bouncer and all the bouncer did was scream "that wasn't the story I heard" and threatened to pepper spray him. We have NEVER been kicked out of a bar and know where our limits lie, whoever owns this place needs to get a handle on the situation.

the bouncer was racist, as an indian woman they did not let me or another indian woman in. we were the only indian women there. extremely racist, let every other race in without any proof of ID. so disappointed, i thought atlanta was a more diverse area but clearly not. im not sure what the bouncer's name was but he was on the larger/chubbier side and immediately denied us. i'm honestly going to report this bar to the BBB and let them know about the casual racism that's happening here because it is not acceptable. i am shocked that this kind of racism is occurring in 2023.

I was roofied by someone there on Friday. Watch your drinks!! (had fun before that lol)

I've been here two times. Never tried their food, always came for drinks with friends. The last time I went, the whole time I was thinking: "Am I in college again? Is this a college bar?" It was a weird feeling. It was so packed and crowded, I felt like I couldn't breathe. And the vibe the of the people and place just made me feel like it was more for the younger, college crowd even though I don't think they were college age. The drinks were okay, but it takes forever to get one while you push through the crowd. The bartenders were nice for how busy it was. The first time I went it was a lot less crowded, but still didn't leave a lasting impression on me. I actually forgot that I had been there the first time until I came here again. Not a place I would frequent, especially if you are looking for a nice, upscale bar. Really depends on what you're looking for I think.

I do not recommend going. The hospitality and service is horrible. Going here ruined my night and it is very hard to do that. But when you put your hands on my friend, you can not come back from that. A grown man putting their hand on a women should never happen. If I could give negative stars, I would.

They would not allow a training service dog inside (against the law) and they told me to leave in the rudest way. Zero stars

Management was terrible. My ID was stolen, the DMV is sending me a new one. I had the proper documentation to verify my ID with the police, plus my ID and passport scanned. They didn't care. The police was there to verify my identity and the bald manager didn't care and said "this is a private establishment". One more example of an insecure man on a power trip getting off on seeing me cry while my entire group of friends got to go in and celebrate a birthday party and I had to Uber home alone. I asked him to please let me speak to someone else who worked there and he refused to leave the door to get the someone bc "he was busy". He treated me like a piece of garbage.

This bar is a one stop place. This place just keeps going. Upon walking in we were in what I would consider the main bar area; very large area with more pop/top hits music. You could go upstairs to a smaller bar with red/orange lights build more for people that want to dance (rap music). We spent the majority of our time at this bar. There was also a higher level and a basement level. They also had a patio if you wanted to be outside. I basically could keep listing different sections of this bar. It was so massive. I ordered a vodka soda water, which was good. The bartenders were nice. This place was my favorite bar of the night!

Honestly this place is terrible. The security management is horrible. They are liars and did not care about my birthday. I request that the white short security "manager" gets fired because he was very disrespectful to me and my friends for no reason. I hit the vape one time, he gave me a warning and I told I wouldn't hit it again. I handed the vape to my friend and he hit it and the short white security came up to us and said he warned us 4 times which is not true then kicked us out. I told him I only had one warning and I did not even hit it again and he said he would call the cops. Horrible place. Do not recommend. If you go there you are wasting your time.

The wine was cheap and tasted as though it was from a box. The music was too loud and was bad "dad rock" and metal. Service was sparse.

Went on Halloween for an event (paid $25 for a ticket that included no covers, comp shots, and discounted drinks) and got terrible bar service. A bartender yelled at a huge group of people next to me for asking for the comp shot and said if they wanted "free shit" then to leave (not free- we paid $25). I ordered 2 drinks (a beer ($3) and mixed drink) and was charged $16, and then was charged an additional $10 when I checked the next day for god knows what. I didn't order anything after those two drinks and left immediately after. Don't host a Halloween event if you don't want to.

Love this bar. But a little taken aback by my last experience when asking security a question he responds with "stop talking to me or we can take this out back and you can ask me questions".... Rude management and horrible security staff. If you want to be treated like shit please spend your money here.

I wish I could give ZERO stars. I am fully 22 and offered both my passport and license and they kicked me out and took the drink that I PAID for and was IDd for out of my hand. While waiting outside to go home, the bouncer approached me again and asked me to move. The entire staff was rude and judgmental to my entire friend group. Will not be returning and encourage others to not also.

The main bar is meh - it's your typical neighborhoody frat-boy-loving bar. I've never had the food but I hear it's fine. I don't care at all about the main bar. I wouldn't come for that. Leave that to the frat boys. Downstairs, they have live-band Karaoke. Like, you sing while a band plays behind you. And. It's. Awesome. A real gem of Atlanta nightlife and a must-do if you've never experienced it before.

I can only review the Friday night crowd and service, so read on if that is what you are interested in. Me and coworker went in around 11pm on a Friday night for a few drinks in the VaHi area. The appropriate description for the crowd at this time is simply college students and as another yelper pointed out, maybe a year or two out of the frat house. This place was packed, butt to gut in every direction. We ended up staying upstairs, but apparently there was something going on downstairs as the line seemed to be never ending. Even with the crowds, the bartenders were friendly, quick and knowledgeable in their service efforts. Overall, we got exactly what we expected from the place. I will most certainly be back at some point.

Terrible place and terrible people running it! I had a PA ID with 7 other people and they wouldn't let us in because we weren't from Atlanta. The manager who was a lady was very very intoxicated and couldn't even explain to me why we weren't aloud in. Then she tired to get the bouncer to intimidate me. Very unprofessionally, the manager came up to me while holding 4 shot glasses that she previously took before she came out. She could barley put words together. She called me crazy names In front of a lot of people and that's just disrespectful. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy.

Love, love, loved this place!! Had an absolute blast with karaoke night! Drinks and bar food were delish and decent priced. Would definitely go back!

I went to Dark Horse on a Friday night with a group of friends to celebrate a birthday. I had heard a lot about Dark Horse, and it was a fun time. The main draw that night for us was the karaoke. There's live band karaoke in the basement, which is a lot of fun. You feel like you're at a concert. If you want to sing by yourself, it's free. If you want to sing a duet with a friend, it's $20. Seems a little extreme for a duet. The band is good though, and it's fun to hear people get up there and belt out different songs. They don't allow song repeats, so if you're dead set on singing one song, get there early to claim it. They have different themed nights - so on most Fridays, it's rock, and I think Wednesdays are more Motown and 60s-70s throwbacks. Overall, we had a good time! I'd go back again to sing!

Bruce was such a help to us! He definitely made us feel safe. Great staff here and fun atmosphere.

This place is absolute garbage. I am not sure if it is the patrons or the bar itself. Avoid at all costs.

Just a heads up... this is the first time I have been here because it is a frat bar. The karaoke downstairs was a lot of fun but my girlfriend was definitely drugged. To be honest we were having a good time but within 10 minutes of going to the bar and ordering shots (we both are drinkers) she went from zero to absolutely blacked out. I had to her carry out of the bar with feet dragging worried If I should take her to the hospital. When she came too shortly after she was violently throwing up for hours in between conciseness. After being sick for 2 days we went to the hospital and among testing she had rohypnol and ketamine in her system. If we were drug users... I wouldn't even bother posting but she is not. This is not ok... if you have ever been drugged you feel so violated. Please be safe ladies when you come to this establishment and do not let anyone buy you drinks as well as keep your drinks in hand at all times. Men: if you want to get laid...rape is not the way!! If your that insecure pay for it.