Strokers

Strokers gets #5 because our rankings aren't a beauty contest. There are newer and prettier venues below it. But Strokers brings history, Eastside identity and 4 a.m. staying power to a list that would become far too polished if we ignored places like this. Blue Flame gives us the Westside. Magic City gives us Downtown. Onyx gives us big Black club energy. SYN gives us New Atlanta. Strokers gives us the Eastside. That's valuable.

Not everything on this list needs marble floors. Strokers is here because Strokers is Strokers. This is the Eastside hood-classic entry: older, more local and considerably less interested in giving you a luxury-club production. And then there's the closing time. Current listings have Strokers operating until 4 a.m. seven nights a week, which gives it a legitimate advantage for travelers whose Atlanta night is nowhere near finished at 2:30.

The club also functions as more than a late-night room, with food, drinks and a neighborhood crowd contributing to the experience. BlkTravel would choose Strokers for: Eastside Atlanta, late nights, local nightlife, food, groups and travelers who prefer hood classics over polished clubs.