Avenue earns #9 because the entertainment gives it a legitimate reason to exist within this Top 10. By this point in the ranking, another attractive room serving cocktails isn't enough. We want each selection to give travelers a different answer to the question, "What kind of night do you want?" Avenue's answer is entertainment.

The experience itself is what earns the placement. There may be more polished lounges in Atlanta, but Avenue offers a combination of dining, drinks, social atmosphere and performance that isn't already represented elsewhere in our ten. Avenue gets something right that we think Atlanta nightlife needs more of: give us something to watch.

There's nothing wrong with a beautiful room, good cocktails and a DJ. Atlanta has plenty of that. But once you've visited enough lounges, the formula can start feeling familiar. Avenue adds live entertainment to the equation, including belly dancing and fire performances that can turn an ordinary night of drinks into something much more memorable. That's the reason it made this list.

This is a strong option when you're celebrating, traveling with friends or simply want a night where sitting at the table doesn't mean staring at each other between songs. There's movement in the room, there's visual energy, and the entertainment gives Avenue a personality that separates it from the more traditional lounges we've ranked above it. It can also work well for couples who want something sexier and livelier than the standard dinner-and-drinks routine without going all the way into nightclub territory.

Avenue isn't where we'd send the traveler looking for Atlanta's most serious craft cocktail program or its deepest cultural institution. But that's not the assignment here. Sometimes you're dressed, you're outside, and you want the night to actually do something. Avenue does.