El Malo
Cocktail bar · Atlanta
777 Memorial Dr SE a 102b, Atlanta, GA 30316
Highlights
Rum & agave spirits, oysters, DJs, velvet seating, disco balls
Rum & agave spirits, oysters, DJs, velvet seating, disco balls
"When the sun goes down, temperatures heat up and high heels grow by the inch inside this clubby Reynoldstown bar. You don’t have to be dance floor royalty to have a good time here, but you will have to be adept at wading through El Malo’s packed house, dodging splashes from rum martinis as limbs flail along to Bad Bunny and Don Toliver anthems." - juli horsford, jacinta howard, nina reeder
"El Malo is a beautiful cocktail lounge in the Atlanta Dairies with a Latin-Caribbean food and drink menu that’ll keep the party going after you catch a show next door at The Eastern. Giant art deco light pillars make the bar seem primed for a Charleston dance-off, but clubby hits played by weekend DJs and colorful neon lights make us feel comfortable trying out moves from this century. There are a handful of solid (but small) signature cocktails featuring rums, mezcals, and other Latin-Caribbean spirits. Make a reservation ahead of time if you want a plush lounger or be prepared to stand and sip." - nina reeder, juli horsford, jacinta howard
"Located at Atlanta Dairies, another music-driven venue perfect for night owls looking for late-night enchantment." - Su-Jit Lin
"El Malo is a vibey cocktail lounge in the Atlanta Dairies in Reynoldstown. Giant art deco light pillars make the bar seem primed for a Charleston dance-off. But clubby hits played by weekend DJs and colorful neon lights bring us back to the present day. If the Bad Bunny mash-ups are too much, disappear into the Serpent Room in the back (padded from floor to ceiling in plush green fabric). There are a handful of solid (but small) signature cocktails featuring rums, mezcals, and other Latin-Caribbean spirits. And food items like plantain chips and ropa vieja keep the sexy bar's menu petite. This is a stand-and-sip spot, so save those uncomfortable shoes for another day unless you make a booth reservation ahead of time. " - juli horsford
"“We wanted to create something fun and sexy, a place for people to feel good and feel good about themselves,” Omar Ferrer says of El Malo. And it appears he and his partners have done just that with their new sexy-as-hell cocktail bar, where design, drinks, food, and music converge at Atlanta Dairies. You enter El Malo via a narrow hallway lit in red neon and into a space devoid of windows, yet filled with verdant greens and royal reds and purples, disco balls, and bold patterns. DJs spin everything from disco and funk to 1990s house music and old salsa and Latin tunes. Cocktails lean into agave spirits and rum in imaginative takes on classic drinks, milk punches, and clarified cocktails. The Take a Bow mixes Dominican rum with Crème de Banane, pineapple amaro, and clarified lime juice, while the martini at El Malo is given a Caribbean twist with gin, rum, guanabana and Dimmi liqueurs, and cardamom bitters. Pair cocktails with rock shrimp ceviche, oysters, and ropa vieja served with plantain chips. Make sure to wear your dance shoes, too. Reservations highly encouraged." - Molly Harris, Eater Staff
